Racing History
Denny Hulme: Heartbroken champion
His final action would be typical of the man. He didn’t like fuss. Inured by an upbringing devoid of shows of emotion – taskmaster father Clive had won a VC…
Racing History
Explore news, articles and features from years gone by in our category all about the history of racing and those that made it. From iconic people to iconic moments with interviews, opinions and much more.
F1
The bluff that backfired: how McLaren let Gilles Villeneuve get away
Gilles Villeneuve made his Formula 1 debut for McLaren at Silverstone. But the next time he lined up on a grand prix grid, the Canadian was driving for Ferrari. Team manager Alistair Caldwell recalls how McLaren lost out on one of racing's great talents
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Ferrari Dino at Le Mans: The race to not be last
It is June 11, 1972 and what had always been a dream had come to nothing. What galled was that it was so close to coming true. What would it…
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Star Turn: Mallory Park
They are rarely mentioned in the same breath, but Mallory Park and Formula 1 are by no means strangers. The circuit was a staple on the British Formula 1 Championship…
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1977: James Hunt's greatest F1 season
Fuji, October 23 1977. A year on from the heart-in-mouth climax that crowned him an against-the-odds Formula 1 world champion, James Hunt has just completed his sole season as world…
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F1 Retro: The fearless Manfred Winkelhock
F1 Retro August 2005 Manfred Winkelhock would have celebrated his 70th birthday this month. He might not have been the absolute fastest on the 1980s Formula 1 scene, but certainly was…
F1
Crowned world champion for Ferrari at Monza — 'It was just a relief', says Jody Scheckter
Few moments in Monza's 100-year history are as emotional as Jody Scheckter's 1979 Italian GP victory in a Ferrari, securing the drivers' and constructors' titles. Damien Smith revisits the F1 win with the South African veteran
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Sweet revenge of Ferrari's 1967 Daytona 24 Hours win
Why was this race so important that its name was informally given to Ferrari's next supercar and, 55 years later, now officially bequeathed upon the SP3? Revenge, pure and simple.…
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Special brew: The Lotus 72
Chassis 72/5 Fittipaldi’s old faithful Emerson Fittipaldi crashed what would turn out to be his ‘old faithful’ on his first appearance in the car, in Friday practice at Monza 1970…
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Can Am combat in the Riverside haze: Parting shot
October 26, 1969 California, US From front: Dan Gurney (McLaren M6B), Chuck Parsons (Lola T163B) and Jackie Oliver (Autocoast Ti 22) at Riverside in October in the penultimate race of…
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Matters of Moment: First McLaren returns home
One of motor racing’s most iconic ‘long lost’ classic sports-racing cars was unpacked in June, on its return to British soil for the first time in 57 long years. The…
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Greetings from Maasai onlookers: Parting shot
April, 1963 East Africa Greetings from Maasai onlookers as the Ford Anglia of Peter Hughes – the son of a Ford distributor in Kenya – and Billy Young tackles the…
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F1
Team orders? 'No way!' said René Arnoux as he seized home French GP win
You have taken pole position at your home grand prix driving for what is ostensibly your national team. You then lead the race, and once a pair of pesky rivals…
F1
Williams' first F1-winning car leads Classic at Silverstone tribute to Sir Frank
The Williams FW07 which Clay Regazzoni drove to the team's first victory at the 1979 British Grand Prix, will return to Silverstone for the Classic over the August Bank Holiday weekend
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Le Mans victory that earned Graham Hill the 'Triple Crown'
The crowd figures for the 1972 Le Mans 24 Hours vary, but we can safely assume two things: firstly, that it was north of 150,000 strong; and second, that few…
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Mark Blundell: The Motor Sport interview
It's quite common for sports stars to bolt to a tax haven as soon as fame or fortune strike, but convention has seldom been the Mark Blundell way. “I did…
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Tony Brooks: last of the '50s greats
Tony Brooks, who died on May 3, aged 90, was one of the truly great F1 drivers. From his debut win in the 1955 non-championship Syracuse Grand Prix for Connaught…