History of Formula 1 - Grand Prix History - What's New!

History of Formula 1 - Jean-Pierre Wimille

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:18:30 -0800

Jean-Pierre Wimille's rise to greatness was interrupted by the start of World War II but at its conclusion it was he who was considered above all. Austere, rather aloof, and often withdrawn his peak years before his untimely death, practicing for the Buenos Aires Grand Prix, occurred while the attention of the world was on other matters. He had many admirers including a driver from Argentina by the name of Juan-Manuel Fangio.

History of Formula 1 - Slot Car Gallery

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:19:14 -0700

Now, decades after the slot car craze hit the United States, many enthusiasts still consider it as their hobby of choice and many a gray beard can still be seen holding a controller remnants of when slot cars were king. It began in the early 60s and was so popular that special racing events were televised live nationally on shows hosted by Mike Douglas, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and Ed Sullivan including one which featured famous racing drivers; Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, and Dan Gurney, a former slot car racer himself. Before the decade was even over the American public had turned their focus elsewhere.

History of Formula 1 - Jimmy Murphy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:43:57 -0700

According to fellow American Peter de Paolo, "The French Ballot team was stunned by this humbling defeat, so much so that its owner, Ernest Ballot, took to ranting and raving. Claiming that the Duesenbergs were junk he avowed that if the race had continued it would be the French Bollots who would have taken the victory. It took fellow Frenchman Albert Guyot to silence Ballot with the remark, 'There’s only one winner in any race: the man who gets home first.'" ... that man was Jimmy Murphy

History of Formula 1 - (1912-1919) Grand Prix Peugeots

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:43:26 -0700

Georges Boillot along with Jules Goux, Paul Zuccarelli and Ernest Henry, none of them a certified engineer were given approval by Paul Peugeot to build a new Peugeot Grand Prix car.
Meanwhile the "real" engineers back at the firm were outraged, they denied the group any use of the firms main factories and so much as called them charlatans. The idea that a group of amateurs, bereft of a licensed engineer could even hope of toppling the mighty 16 litre FIATs with a car half its size seemed ludicrous. Yet it was these charlatans who would produce the legendary "Racing Peugeots of 1912-1919", considered by many the forefather of modern racing cars.

History of Formula 1 - Anniversaries - October

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:27:30 -0700

Before "Our Nige" there was "Our Mike", John Michael Hawthorne. The final race was in Morocco and saw Moss score fastest lap and win the race all for naught as Hawthorn would finish a easy second and become the first British World Champion by one point over Moss.
With his blond hair, boyish good looks and his trademark bow-tie he cut a dashing figure. When he was on his game he could be unbeatable yet he remained an amateur at heart.

History of Formula 1 - Guy Moll

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:24:49 -0700

Signed to drive for the Scuderia in 1934 he promptly scored a win at the Grand Prix of Monaco. Ferrari would later remark that "...a debutant. His name was Guy Moll and he was showing that he belonged to the small group of top drivers. It is true that Moll was not the first foreigner that drove for me, but I acknowledge that he was the most sensational one. That day Moll showed his champion style, established his personality as driver and proved me right when choosing him for my team."

History of Formula 1 - McLaren - Honda MP4/4

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:15:56 -0700

Gordon Murray who's last the design was the much unsuccessful low-line Brabham BT55 in 1986, given another chance by McLaren and this time the results were much better winning 15 of the 16 races in the 1988 season. Thus making Murray's ultra-low MP4/4 one of the most successful racing cars ever built.

History of Formula 1 - Williams - Renault FW14B

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:16:36 -0700

While the FW14's electronic gizmos garnered the headlines it's the engine that makes a car go and for that Williams had at its service the tidy Renault RS3C and later RS4 engines, that by the end of 1992 were thought to have at least 30 more horsepower than any other engine in Formula 1. This of course was a common excuse by other designers along the grid when one team dominates.
Such was the superiority of the William car that Ayrton Senna whose McLaren contract ended at the end of 1992 declarded that he was ready to drive for nothing if it meant driving the Williams in 1993.

History of Formula 1 - Targa Florio

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:16:17 -0700

The Targa Florio was not so much a race as it was an ordeal. Established in 1906 a single lap was approximately 92 miles. Besides the course which traversed mountain roads unchanged since the Punic Wars, there were severe changes in climate, bandits and wolves. Each hairpin competed with a sheer abyss for the driver's attention over a 3 lap race of 277 miles.

History of Formula 1 - 4-Wheel Drift

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:18:21 -0700

Introduction - This article will discuss the art as well as the science of race car driving as it evolved through the history of motorsport. When four-wheel brakes were still a rarity and suspension was considered a black art. From the time that drivers held a tiller instead of a steering wheel to where we find ourselves today and the purist's battle against driver's aids.

I will be updating this article on a regular basis.

Motor Racing History - The Story of the Grand Prix

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:16:19 -0700

The dawn of automobile racing was anything but that. It was thought that a car's ability to navigate roads in a reliable manner was all that could be hoped for. Outright speed was not even considered important that is until the flag dropped ...

History of Formula 1 - Ogden's Cigarette Cards

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:34:17 -0700

Tobacco advertising and automobile racing goes back a lot further than Marlboro. Cigarette cards came into use in 1879, the year in which several American tobacco manufacturers began putting small card stiffeners into the flimsy paper packs of cigarettes to protect the contents from damage. At first the tobacco companies were content merely to print their name and address and brand name on these little cards. It was a gradual change from a pictorial element in the advertisement to a full-blown picture which had no direct relevance to the product, but by 1885 the first purely pictorial cards were beginning to appear. In the 30’s a company by the name of Ogden’s Cigarettes produced a set depicting famous races of the 1931 season.

History of Formula 1 - Pietro Bordino

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:25:10 -0700

In the early twenties, Fiat driver Pietro Bordino, was the fastest of them all. Always on the absolute limit, no one could handle a car at high speed on tricky corners as he could. He was in a class of his own but was let down time and again by mechanical breakdowns while dominating races but the public forgave his lack of wins and idolized him for the style he displayed.