Great Read

There was a lot to think about. But Bruce Leslie McLaren — boss / designer / engineer / tester / racer — preferred it that way. Three years of his…

Emerson Fittipaldi's language dates him, reminding you of a time in motor-racing more violent and dangerous, yet also gentler, less hard-nosed. 'Dice', for example, is a favourite word of his,…

Österreichring, austria, August 13, 1972 It is easy to forget that the permanent race-track, in the hills overlooking the village of Zeltweg, was opened only three years ago. Even before…

As US Air Force One touched safely down, STP Pontiac number 43 raced past it on the parallel back straight of Daytona. Its driver was in the midst of one…

So many victories slipped from his grasp that Nigel Mansell could perhaps fill this series on his own. Indeed he could single-handedly keep The Championship That Got Away going for…

I’m sitting outside a bistro in the warm Paris sunshine, enjoying a pre-lunch aperitif with Henri Pescarolo. Not for nothing is this man known as Monsieur Le Mans. He has…

The true value of most great technological breakthroughs can usually only be appreciated with the benefit of hindsight. Life didn’t change the moment Karl Benz first swung his Motorwagen into…

"For a single decade, racing was my life. During my years in the cockpit I built friendships and rivalries with flamboyant drivers, eccentric team owners - and the odd character…

The first world title 1963 The year of Profumo, great train robbers, ‘loveable mop tops’ – and the grassy knoll. In its midst, a quiet Scottish hill farmer delivered on…

We’ve noted before the potency of the motor-racing gene, the father-and-son successions such as the Hills and the Villeneuves, and dynasties from the Unsers to the Andrettis. More rarely, a…

Just imagine for a moment that it’s the spring of 1962. The telephone rings and your friend and employer on the other end asks you to fly to Italy and…

In 1928, having taken the Land Speed Record four times but recently lost it once more, Campbell is determined to regain it and is searching for a suitable course to unleash…

James Hunt was the first Grand Prix driver I really disliked. It was, I suppose, a result of me being a member of the establishment, schooled in manners and diplomacy…

Phil Hill, who in September 1961 became America’s first Formula 1 world drivers’ champion, began his climb to the top 11 years earlier with his maiden significant victory. That happened…

A couple of days before the Revival Meeting at Goodwood, BMW held a splendid lunch in honour of Gerhard Berger, who – for the moment – has left the world…

You'll need a full day at the wheel to drive from London to Zandvoort even with the tunnel and the continuous thread of motorway that now lies between Calais and…

During testing at Barcelona last week, Patrick Head did 27 laps in the Williams Renault FW19, returning a best time of 1min19.15sec, just 0.78sec outside Jacques Villeneuve's fastest lap. It…