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Spirit Racing was founded in August 1981 by Gordon Coppuck and John Wickham, with the backing of Bridgestone and Honda, who was keen to enter Formula 1 as an engine supplier. Picture above: Belgian Thierry Boutsen doing a great job in the Formula 2 Spirit 201-Honda designed by John Baldwin and Gordon Coppuck. Sponsoring came […]

There has not been a regularly-entered American F1 driver since last century, because the experiences of Scott Speed or Alex Rossi were short-lived… We wish good luck to Logan Sargeant now that the sport’s popularity in the US has reached unseen summits with three races organised in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas. Forty years ago, […]

The 1982 Swiss Grand Prix was held at Dijon-Prenois (France) on 29 August 1982. This was the first World Championship Swiss Grand Prix since 1954 (despite it not being held in Switzerland), and the last running of the event to date. Switzerland had banned motor racing after the 1955 Le Mans disaster. The race was […]

Strong showing for the Waterloo Motors Gitanes team, that entered two, well-driven BMW’s 528i, in the 1982 24 Hours of Spa. French F1 driver Jean-Pierre Jarier, famous actor-racer Jean-Louis Trintignant and Belgian F3000 racer Thierry Tassin, finished second, three laps down. The second car, driven by Cudini, Regout and Peltier, ended the race in fifth. […]

Detroit was known as the capital of the auto industry in the past century, hosting the three American giants: Ford, GM and Chrysler. In 1982, a first Formula One Grand Prix was organised; won by the McLaren of a surprising John Watson – only 17th on the starting grid – in front of local hero […]

The 1982 Detroit Grand Prix was an often chaotic but highly memorable event, as Formula 1 got its lucrative second race in the United States (sounds familiar, isn’t it?) – a late replacement for Watkins Glen – to complement Long Beach, way out west. John Watson remembers: “My colleagues turned up at the Detroit Grand […]

Fittipaldi Automotive, often called Copersucar after its first major sponsor, was a Formula One racing team and constructor from 1975 to 1982. The team was formed during 1974 by Brazilian racing driver Wilson Fittipaldi and his younger brother, double F1 World Champion Emerson, who joined the team in 1976 after, to the surprise of many, leaving […]