Post Type Archives: Events

1961, the first year of the 1.5-litre formula, was dominated by a well-prepared Ferrari team who fielded for the first time a mid-engined car – the legendary 156 “Sharknose”– going against team boss Enzo Ferrari’s dislike of mid-engine cars and his old-fashioned belief that race cars should be powered by front-engines. The contest for the […]

John Colum Crichton-Stuart (1958-2021), 7th Marquess of Bute, was a Scottish racing driver, best known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 alongside Dutchman Jan Lammers and Englishman Andy Wallace (picture-above) and for being Senna’s team mate in 1986 at Lotus in F1. As a racing driver he was known as Johnny […]

The 46th Targa Florio took place on 6 May 1962, on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, in Sicily, Italy. Ferrari dominated the race and placed two of its works cars first and second, with a Porsche finishing third. Picture above: Olivier Gendebien, in the #150 Ferrari Dino 268 SP during practice for the 1962 Targa […]

The 1956 Swedish Grand Prix was held on the Kristianstad circuit and was open for sports cars only. It saw the first female participation with the presence of the pretty Gilberte Thirion (teamed with Claude Dubois) at the wheel of the Équipe Nationale Belge Porsche 550 Spyder (picture-above). The young lady was going to finish […]

Roger Penske participated in the first Gran Premio de Mexico in 1962, that was a non-championship event run to Formula One rules, in a Dupont Team Zerex-entered Lotus-Climax (picture above), but retired on lap 6 with a broken gearbox. The race was run over 60 laps and was eventually won by Jim Clark and Trevor […]

Patrick Depailler, one of the Ligier Formula 1 drivers in 1979, is seen here-above practicing at the wheel of a ZIP kart. Rumour has it that after driving the same superkart (with a 250cc Yamaha engine and sequential gearbox) around Monaco, Depailler clocked faster times than the F3 cars, and declared that it could easily […]

A disappointing start of the 1977 season for Jacques Laffite – three retirements due to mechanical failures, two accidents and two seventh places – and so, no championship points when Écurie Ligier arrived in the paddock of the Swedish Grand Prix held on the 4 km long Anderstorp circuit, which straight line served as a […]

Mixed fortunes for four champions –Peterson, Andretti, Depailler, Hunt – in what it seems like a pensive mood for the four of them, sitting together on the armco during the 1978 Formula One season. Ronnie Peterson (far left) had left Tyrrell and joined Mario Andretti at Team Lotus. Sadly, Peterson lost his life in a […]

Paul Newman and Mario Andretti have a casual chat ahead of the 1984 500 Miles of Indianapolis, while young Michael Andretti, a rookie at Indy that year, respectfully watches on (picture above). In 1983, Mario Andretti joined the new Newman/Haas Racing team, set up by Carl Haas and actor Paul Newman, using Lola cars. Andretti […]

Vern Shuppan, born 19 March 1943 in Booleroo Whyalla, Australia, sits in his F5000 Eagle at Mid-Ohio in 1975 (picture-above). See how the drivers’ feet and legs were hardly protected, in that period of time. The Australian finished a good fifth in Ohio in his All-American Racers Jorgensen Eagle 755-Chevrolet. The 1975 USAC Formula 5000 […]