Patrick Depailler wrestling his Tyrrell P34/2 (picture above) during the 1977 US Grand Prix West held in the streets of Long Beach, California. He qualified his six-wheeler Tyrrell – wearing a French-made GPA helmet – in twelfth position, a disappointment for the quick Frenchman, while his team mate Ronnie Peterson was in tenth, with a very […]
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The underrated Jabouille
Jean-Pierre Jabouille (1942-2023) was a French racing driver. He raced in 55 Formula One Grand Prix, collecting two wins during the first years of Renault’s turbocharged programme that he helped initiate, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Frenchman also raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans 13 times, driving for Alpine, Matra, Sauber […]
First Welchman
Tom Pryce (1949-1977) was a British racing driver from Wales. Fast and promising, he participated in 42 Formula 1 Grand Prix for the Token and Shadow teams between 1974 and 1977, scored two podiums, one pole position and 19 championship points. Picture above: Tom Pryce, driving a Shadow DN5, wins the 1975 Race of Champions […]
Promising American
Eddie Cheever, here at the wheel of his Project 4-entered Ralt RT1-BMW, claimed pole position and victory on the fast circuit of Rouen-les-Essarts in 1977. At the end of a solid season, the American finished second in the 1977 European F2 Championship, behind René Arnoux in a Martini. The level of drivers was very high […]
Jochen Mass remembers James Hunt
Jochen Mass, born 30 September 1946, is a German former racing driver. He secured one win (the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix) and eight podiums in Formula 1, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989, driving a Sauber Mercedes C9. Rivals in Formula 3, Jochen Mass and James Hunt (picture above) forged a […]
Jody and the Wolf
South African Jody Scheckter left Tyrrell and its six-wheeler for Walter Wolf‘s new team in 1977, and gave Wolf a sensational win in its maiden race in Argentina. He won twice more that year, like here (picture above) at Monaco and was regularly on the podium, but finished runner-up in the drivers’ championship, a great […]
A star was born
Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve contested his maiden Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1977, driving a McLaren M23. Leading McLaren Formula One driver and reigning world champion James Hunt, spoke very highly of the young Canadian after the 1976 Formula Atlantic race at Trois-Rivières and recommended Marlboro and McLaren to give him a chance. “From […]
Tom Pryce
Welch racing driver Tom Pryce, was sensational when he captured third place in qualifying in his un-fancied Shadow DN8, just two-tenths behind pole man Ronnie Peterson (March) and James Hunt (McLaren), at the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix held at Zandvoort. In the race, nobody could stop championship contender James Hunt, who narrowly edged out Clay […]
Keegan’s rapid rise
Rupert Keegan, a British race car driver, born 26 February 1955, had a rapid rise to reach Formula One, with his father Mike helping him with backing from the family owned British Air Ferries aviation company, but also with publicity in all British motorsport magazines. A wild, young, good looking man: some saw in him […]
Jochen Neerpasch, the pioneer
Jochen Neerpasch is a former race car driver who won, amongst others, the 24 hours of Daytona in 1968, in a Porsche 907 with Vic Elford and Jo Siffert. In the ’70s he became a successful team-manager in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft and the European Touring Car Championship. He first managed the works Ford team, […]