Gilles Villeneuve Jean-Pierre Wimille 1 Sports car racer James “Hap” Sharp is born (1928). 11 American John Walter Christie, free-lance...
The topic of great drivers and “who is the greatest” driver is always an interesting one and, of course, a...
James Hunt Juan Manuel FangioPhoto: Bob Dunsmore 2 Bruce McLaren dies in a testing crash at Goodwood, England (1970). 4 Off-road champion Ivan “The Iron Man” Stewart is born (1945). Become a Member & Get Ad-Free Access To This Article (& About 6,000+ More) Access to the full article is...
One of the most beautiful front-engined Grand Prix cars ever built, the Maserati 250F carried Juan Manuel Fangio to his...
Bernd Rosemeyer Ferdinand Porsche 6 Chris Amon wins the Pukekoke, New Zealand, Tasman Cup race (1968). 7 Gioacchini Colombo joins...
You know the eternal pub debate about who is the greatest driver ever, or which was the greatest drive? I’m up for that, provided it is a debate, in a pub, with friends. In the right atmosphere it’s great fun, but it’s best left in the pub. To really know...
Vic Elford Lucien Bianchi 1 Derek Bell, Hans Stuck and Al Holbert drive a Porsche 962 to victory in the...
It has become a given that a driver’s main rival is his teammate and I have been pondering when this idea emerged. There have been instances of teammates being very close friends and the late Chris Nixon celebrated the bond between Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins in his superb book,...
Pete Lyons 2006 already! Those mileposts are just whizzing by, aren’t they? I feel like I’m riding up Pikes Peak...
The Monaco Grand Prix; Monte Carlo, May 22, 1955. The start of a dramatic race. Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in the Mercedes W196 bracket Alberto Ascari’s Lancia D50 as Eugenio Castellotti’s Lancia follows closely. Both Mercedes retired, as did Castellotti’s Lancia, while Ascari dramatically crashed at the Chicane...
Jo Bonnier Vic Elford 3 Mosport International raceway in Ontario, Canada, opens with club races (1961). 5 The “Golden Submarine”...
Louis Renault Colin Chapman 2 Tom Green drives Walt Arfons’ “Wingfoot Express” to a World Land Speed Record of 413.20...
Rodger Ward Gioacchino Colombo 1 FISA bans sliding skirts on racecars (1981). 2 First South Africa Grand Prix to be held on the Kayalami track near Johannesburg is won by Pedro Rodriguez at the wheel of a Cooper-Maserati. First F1 win for Rodriguez and last for Cooper (1967). Become a...
Sexual debauchery, a regime’s imminent downfall and a kidnapping fit for a gentleman were some of the highlights of the...
This son of a German garage owner had never raced a car until May 26, 1935, at the superfast Avus...
1991 Toyota Eagle MKIII GTP It’s amazing how one hair-brained idea can change the course of history. Such was the case when Dan Gurney took a call from a travel agent in Long Beach, California, named Chris Pook. Pook wasn’t trying to sell Dan on a trip to the Caribbean;...
The 1957 season was Juan Manuel Fangio’s swan song. With four World Championship victories under his belt, Fangio rejoined the...
From 500-cc racing to a works ride with Cooper and later a British Hillclimb Championship, Mike MacDowel has had a...
Bet you’re thinking of Fangio’s transcendent victory at the ’Ring. The launch of the Fuelie Corvette. The beautiful Scarabs. Jaguar’s fifth win at Le Mans, the third in a row for the immortal D-type. That year saw the end of the Mille Miglia, but Sputnik went up then, too. For...
Nino Vaccarella Ronnie Peterson 1 Ronnie Peterson wins the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in a John Player Special...
Last year we celebrated a century of Grand Prix racing. The Grand Prix de l’Auto Club France was the first...
Antonio Brivio Mario Andretti 1 A.J. Foyt wins the USAC Championship race on the dirt track at Sacramento, California (1967). 5 Graeme Bailey and Allan Grice drive a Holden Commodore to victory in the James Hardie 1000 at Mount Panarama in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia (1986). Become a Member...
There are many racing drivers, a lesser quantity of great racing drivers, and a very small number who transcend mere...
December 2007 Alfa Romeo Argentina By Christián Bertschi & Estanislao Iacona With nearly a 100-year continuous history, it may come as no surprise that the Alfa Romeo marque has established a long and unique racing history in most corners of the world. In “Alfa Romeo Argentina,” Argentine enthusiasts Bertschi and...
Rodger Ward Vincenzo Florio 1 Colin Chapman and Michael Allen form the Lotus Engineering Company (1952). 2 The First South...
During the fifties, everyone’s hero was Juan Manuel Fangio. He won the World Driving Championship five times, an achievement that...
April 2008 Sister Speaks Dear Editor, Thought you might like to hear from the sister who owned the beautiful blue MGA, which was the subject of Pete’s excellent-as-usual “Fast Lines” article in your December issue. Become a Member & Get Ad-Free Access To This Article (& About 6,000+ More) Access...