Editor's Note: We're going to take time this week to have Peter answer some of your motorsport questions. Enjoy (I think). -WG

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Greetings everyone out there in WebVille. As WG said, you have racing-related questions... so I will do my best to answer some of them today. Here we go.

Q: You haven't said much about NASCAR of late except for your cryptic coverage in "The Line." What do you think of the revamped 2021 schedule? -J.T., Orlando, Florida 

PMD: I announced earlier this year that we had declared a moratorium on covering NASCAR, although, as you said, we have mentioned (briefly) weekly race results in "The Line." I tried to count the number of revamped NASCAR schedules I have produced over the last decade and I stopped at fifteen. All of those schedules I have suggested revolved around the following: 1. Reducing the number of total races. 2. Reducing (or eliminating) double visits to the same tracks during the season. And 3. Adding more road races. The 2021 NASCAR schedule addresses some of those things, but not all. Dropping the second Michigan race was a no-brainer, because sustaining one race was proving to be difficult enough. Adding road races at Circuit of The Americas, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America are extremely positive moves. Running on the 3.426-mile road course just outside of Austin will be interesting, to say the least, and getting the Cup cars off of The Speedway's oval is a smart move because the racing was boring and interminable. But the move to add Road America (finally, albeit ten years too late) is huge, and I predict that the stop at America's National Park of Speed - the spectacular 4.048-mile natural terrain circuit in Kettle Moraine country in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin - will quickly become one of the favorite stops on the calendar for the Cup regulars and the NASCAR brain trust. But - and there's always a "but" with NASCAR - the total number of races - 36 - was not reduced, which is just ridiculous at this juncture. After all the Sturm und Drang that has enveloped NASCAR's declining fortunes over the years, they just couldn't bring themselves to cut the total number of races? Why? And finally, one of the stops at Bristol Motor Speedway is going to be turned into a dirt race, which is a gimmicky idea that should have been left in one of the conference rooms in Daytona Beach, never to see the light of day. It's apropos of nothing and a monumental waste of time, but that has never stopped NASCAR from doing something stupid before, so here we are. And finally, moving off of the schedule, you'll notice that we don't mention Sunday's Talladega "race" in this week's "The Line." That's because it was a Shit Show from start to finish and doesn't deserve to be mentioned. NASCAR clings to the notion that multiple wrecks and the massive destruction of cars is "good television," giving not one single thought about the money involved and the possibility of injuring drivers. It's simply pathetic and inexcusable.

Q. What are your thoughts on the current state of F1? -S.C., Athens, Georgia

PMD: How should I begin? I don't like most of the new "antiseptic" circuits at all. I don't like the look of the cars, and I especially despise the sound - or lack thereof - of the cars. I've written repeatedly that F1 should "bring back the scream" and I haven't moved off of that position one bit. Without that visceral sound appeal - the kind that sends shivers up your spine - F1 is lackluster and far too tame. And I don't like the way the FIA conducts its race "meetings" either. Everything is formulaic and relentlessly predictable. Why bother with three-day meetings or three qualifying sessions? They pretty much know what is going to happen even before they get to the tracks they run on. They could easily compress the schedule into two days and no one would know the difference. I do appreciate the driving talent, however, as I have stated repeatedly. 

Q. What do you think of INDYCAR lately? -R.G. Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

PMD: Let the whining from the F1 purists begin, but INDYCAR is the best open-wheel racing series in the world right now. The established stars have prodigious talent - I think Scott Dixon is one of the three best drivers in the world - and the up-and-coming young talent is simply superb. INDYCAR's upward momentum was on full display in Indianapolis over the weekend, and Race 1 of the doubleheader (see "The Line" -WG) was the best - and most ferocious - road racing that we've seen in this country since the glory days of CART. The fact that Chevrolet and Honda will continue to support the INDYCAR series going forward with improved, 900HP Direct-Injected V6 Turbos is fantastic news as well. As good as all of this is, the addition of a third engine manufacturer would be icing on the cake, and I think it will happen.

There were many more emails, but I think that should give you an idea of my thoughts on racing of late. I still love IMSA - especially the GTLM class - and it puts on a far better show than any WEC-sanctioned race you can mention. It's not even close, in fact.

The coming together of those two series - IMSA and WEC - and reaching common ground is a very good thing and crucial for sports car racing going forward. I just hope the French don't screw it up somehow, as is their wont.

And finally, most of the questions we received ask what my favorite form of motorsport is at the moment, and I can say unequivocally that it is MotoGP. The sheer talent and artistry involved in mastering those monster machines is awe-inspiring to see every time they race. It is almost incomprehensible what those riders can do on those machines, and it never, ever gets old.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

(Photo by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Petronas Yamaha SRT) at Circuit of The Americas in 2019.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to present a few of them in this column and in future columns in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy it.

Daytona International Speedway, February 1963. Dan Gurney stands by his No. 0 LaFayette Ford, which was prepared by Holman & Moody Racing. People may not know this, but Gurney qualified eleventh for the Daytona 500 that year, and he finished fifth behind Tiny Lund (No. 21 Wood Brothers English Motors Ford, winner); Fred Lorenzen (No. 28 Holman & Moody Racing LaFayette Ford); Ned Jarrett (No. 11 Burton-Robinson Ford) and Nelson Stacey (No. 29 Holman & Moody Racing Ron's Ford Sales Ford). It was an impressive NASCAR debut for the road racer from California, and a preview of more to come.
Avus, Berlin, May 30, 1937. The Avus circuit was built as a automotive test track in 1921, and racing took place there on and off until 1936, when the the German transportation authorities decided to rebuild the fastest circuit in the world into something even quicker with the addition of a "Nordschleife," which featured a massive 43-degree banked curve made out of bricks dubbed the "wall of death" for obvious reasons (there was no retaining wall to keep cars from exiting the speedway). In 1937, a non-championship "Formula Libre" F1 race meeting was held, which allowed "special" cars to be entered, and the factory racing teams from Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz responded by bringing streamlined ("stromlinien") racers that looked more like speed record cars than their normal Grand Prix cars. As always with the two German manufacturers, national pride was on the line and over 350,000 spectators flocked to Avus to see the magnificent machines and the breathtaking speeds. And they weren't disappointed. Luigi Fagioli (No. 33 Auto Union Type C V16 stromlinien, above) qualified on the pole for Heat 2 with an average speed of 174 mph, although Bernd Rosemeyer (No. 31 Auto Union Type C V16 stromlinien) turned a lap of 176.7 mph in practice. (Three heats were run because of worries about the durability of the specially-built racing slicks. The first two heats were seven laps each, the final was eight laps.) Hermann Lang (No. 37 Mercedes-Benz W 25 stromlinien) won the final with an average speed of 171 mph, which remained the fastest road race in history for almost five decades. Remember and worth noting, this was all achieved on the racing tire technology of the day. Avus was used for racing until 1998 when it was absorbed fully into Germany’s road network as autobahn No. 115.
Rudolph Caracciola (No. 35 Mercedes-Benz W 25 stromlinien) and Bernd Rosemeyer (No. 31 Auto Union Type C V16 stromlinien) duel on the high-banks of Avus in 1937.
Workers finishing off the 43-degree banking - aka "The Wall of Death" - at Avus in early 1937.
(Photo by Jesse Alexander)
Le Mans, France, June 1954. Stirling Moss in the pit lane with the Jaguar Cars Ltd. team during practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Moss and co-driver Peter Walker did not finish the race in the No. 12 Jaguar D-Type. Peter Whitehead and Ken Wharton in the No. 15 Jaguar D-Type team car didn't finish the race either. But the No. 14 Jaguar D-Type driven by Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt finished second to the No. 4 Ferrari 375 Plus driven by Jose Frolian Gonzales and Maurice Trintignant. Of note? The Briggs Cunningham-entered No. 2 Cunningham C4-R with Chrysler Hemi V8 power driven by William Spear and Sherwood Johnson finished third.
Nürburgring 1000km, June 5, 1966. Phil Hill in the Karussell in the No. 7 Chaparral 2D Chevrolet Coupe. Phil and co-driver Jo Bonnier won the race in convincing fashion before 350,000 spectators (the car parks were filled with 110,000 vehicles!), which amazed the assembled media because they figured a one-car entry that had never even seen the circuit before couldn't possibly be competitive. Needless to say, it was a sweet victory for the Chaparral Cars team. Ludovico Scarfiotti/Lorenzo Bandini finished second in the No. 11 Ferrari Dino 206S Spyder and Richie Ginther/Pedro Rodriguez (No. 12 N.A.R.T Ferrari 206S Spyder) finished third.
Riverside International Raceway, November 20, 1960. Yes, there was a United States Grand Prix on the west coast - for one year - in 1960. Here, Jim Hall (No. 24 Lotus/Climax) leads Phil Hill (No. 9 Yeomen Credit Racing Team Cooper T51/Climax during the race. Hall qualified in 12th and Hill lined up in 13th on the starting grid. Stirling Moss (No. 5 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus/Climax) won the pole and went on to win that day - by 38 seconds. Innes Ireland (No. 10 Team Lotus/Climax) was second and Bruce McLaren (No. 3 Cooper Car Company T53/Climax) finished third. Phil Hill was sixth and Jim Hall finished seventh.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. For many of our readers, Grand Prix racing in the 50s is beyond ancient history. Sure, the famous name are recognizable, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz; and the drivers, too, Fangio, Moss and many others. But still, unless you're a student of the sport's formative years you would not know that the era left a rich and lasting legacy. One of the constructors names I did not mention is the subject of this column: the British Vanwall. In 1957, Vanwall became the first British-built car to win the British Grand Prix with a British driver, with Sir Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks sharing the honors. In 1958, the Vanwall motor racing team recorded six Grand Prix wins and became the first winner of the Formula One World Constructors Trophy. And to this day, Vanwall remains the first of only two Formula One teams ever to have recorded a maximum points score in a championship season. Vanwall clinched its memorable championship with a win in Morocco, on October 19, 1958.

The news? Sixty-two years to the day since Vanwall claimed the world’s first Formula One Constructors Championship Trophy, the Vanwall name is reborn. Vanwall Group, the successor to the legendary British Vanwall motor racing team of the 1950s, has announced the renaissance of the historic name with plans to build six new continuation cars to celebrate Vanwall’s six Formula One wins in 1958. Only five of the continuation cars will be offered for private sale, with the sixth car forming the core of a Vanwall Historic Racing Team. Each vehicle will be painstakingly built over thousands of hours by historic racing and vehicle restoration experts, Hall and Hall, in Lincolnshire, England. The faithful continuation cars will feature the powerful 2,489cc, 270BHP Vanwall engine, all meticulously engineered using original drawings and blueprints from the 1950s. Each hand-built continuation car will be sold for £1.65 million ex VAT.

In its day, Vanwall was known in the Grand Prix paddock for innovative engineering, with the Colin Chapman-designed chassis complementing the aerodynamics by Frank Costin. They pioneered, for example, the use of disc brakes rather than drum brakes in Formula One, thus retaining a small competitive advantage over the Ferraris. 

Announcing the continuation cars, Managing Director of Vanwall Group, Iain Sanderson, said, “The Vanwall name is too important to consign to history. The Vanwall story is untold to many, but it is a great British tale of innovation and achievement and shows what happens when the right team come together and push themselves fearlessly to reach a clearly defined goal. On this anniversary, we think the time is right to celebrate this great British story of success. Faithfully recreating the iconic 1958 championship winning car with six 100% accurate and authentic continuation cars is a fitting tribute to their historic success. The DNA that made those cars so successful also serves as an inspiring foundation for the future of the Vanwall marque, which I look forward to sharing in due course.”

Andrew Garner, Chairman of Vanwall Group and a former Chairman of the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association, concluded, “I can still remember watching the Vanwalls at Aintree in ’57 when I was a boy and had the pleasure of sitting in one at Goodwood. I drove at all the major circuits in a Cooper T51 for many wonderful years but the Vanwall is the car I coveted. These cars will be fully race eligible and in the right hands will be unbeatable, repeating Tony Vandervell’s mission to beat the red cars!”

I concur. The Vanwall was a most striking design in its day, and I recall having a 1/43 scale model of one in my early toy car collection. Study the photos below; drooling is allowed. 

Further information can be found at www.vanwallgroup.com

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to present a few of them in this column and in future columns in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy it.

(Getty Images)
Donington, England, October 22, 1938. Tazio Nuvolari (No. 4 Auto Union Type D 3.0-liter V-12) on his way to the win in the Donington Grand Prix. At 46 years old, the "Flying Mantuan" dominated the second half of the race in his mid-engined Auto Union and won going away. Hermann Lang (No. 7 Mercedes-Benz W 154 3.0-liter V-12) was second and Richard Seamen (No. 8 Mercedes-Benz W 154 3.0-liter V-12) finished third. Sixty thousand spectators attended the non-championship Grand Prix. Nuvolari won 150 races in his career, including 24 Grands Prix; two Mille Miglias; two Targa Florios, the 24 Hours of Le Mans; two RAC Tourist Trophies; five Coppa Cianos and a European Championship in Grand Prix racing. Ferdinand Porsche called Nuvolari "the greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future." Nuvolari returned to competition after WW II but he was 54 and in ill health. His final appearance in a racing car was in April of 1950, when he drove a Cisitalia-Abarth Tipo 204A to a class win at a hill climb in Palermo, Sicily, finishing fifth overall. He died in 1953 from a stroke.
Roger Penske in his Zerex Special sports racer, 1963. This famous racing car started out as a Cooper T53 Formula 1 car that was built for the 1961 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York, and powered by a 2.75-liter Coventry Climax 4-cylinder engine. The car was entered by Briggs Cunningham for Walt Hansgen to drive, but Hansgen crashed out of the race on Lap 14. The wrecked machine was sold to Penske, who promptly rebuilt it and added full bodywork to the chassis, naming it the "Zerex Special" in honor of his sponsor. Penske, who was a tremendous driver back in the day, immediately terrorized the United States Road Racing Championship races with his blistering fast sports racer, which marked the beginning of Penske's philosophy of developing an "unfair advantage." After many wins in the car, Penske sold it to Bruce McLaren, who promptly widened the chassis and stuffed an Oldsmobile V8 in it, dubbing it the "Cooper-Oldsmobile" and winning many races with it. This machine inspired McLaren to develop a sports racer of his own, which became the McLaren M1B that he raced in the 1966 Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) series.
Bridgehampton, New York, September 1966. Jim Hall in his highly innovative Chaparral 2E Chevrolet during practice for the Can-Am. Hall ended up not starting the race, but his teammate, Phil Hill, finished 4th overall in the No. 65 Chaparral 2E Chevrolet. Dan Gurney (No. 30 All American Racers Lola T70 Mk.2 BARDAHL Special Gurney/Weslake 305 Ford) won that day, followed by Chris Amon (No. 5 McLaren Racing Ltd. McLaren Elva Mark II Chevrolet) and Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Racing Ltd. McLaren Elva Mark II B Chevrolet).
The Nurburgring, August, 1967. From the "Racing Was Different Back Then" File: Bruce McLaren pitches in to help Dan Gurney change spark plugs on Gurney's No. 9 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Weslake V12 during practice for the German Grand Prix. McLaren was entered to drive the No. 10 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Weslake V12 team car in the race. Gurney qualified fifth and McLaren started sixth on the grid, but both cars did not finish the race. Denny Hulme (No. 2 Brabham-Repco V8) won that day, followed by Jack Brabham (No. 1 Brabham-Repco V8) and Chris Amon (No. 8 Scuderia Ferrari).
Watkins Glen, New York, July, 1971. Jo Siffert's crew tends to the No. 20 STP/Porsche Audi/Marlboro Porsche 917/10 during Can-Am practice. One year before the Penske-Donohue Porsche Turbo onslaught began in the series, Siffert finished third in the race behind Peter Revson (No. 7 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8F Chevrolet) and Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8F Chevrolet). Siffert finished two laps down to the McLarens.

(LAT Images)
Riverside International Raceway, November 1, 1970. Chris Amon (No. 77 March Engineering Ltd. STP Oil Treatment March 707 Chevrolet) finished fourth in the Can-Am behind Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8D Chevrolet), Jackie Oliver (No. 22 Norris Industries Titanium Ti 22 Mk II Chevrolet) and Pedro Rodriguez (No. 1 British Racing Motors Castrol BRM P154 Chevrolet).

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to present a few of them in this column and in future columns in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy it.
(Photo by Dave Friedman)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, early 1963. Dan Gurney in the Team Lotus-Ford Indy car at its first test at The Speedway. Note the "organ" exhaust pipes and the classic Lotus wheels. Dan was instrumental in putting Colin Chapman and Ford operatives together to mount a challenge to the then establishment in Indy car racing. Gurney (No. 93) and Jim Clark (No. 92) were the drivers for the effort. Parnelli Jones (No. 98 J.C. Agajanian Willard Battery Watson/Offy) won his only Indy 500 that year, but not without controversy. His front-engine roadster was spewing oil out of its overflow tank for many laps during the last 50 miles of the race. USAC officials put off black-flagging Jones after J.C. Agajanian argued that the oil level was beneath the crack in the tank and wouldn't leak any further. It was bullshit, however, as the oil continued to leak from Jones' roadster right up to the checkered flag. Colin Chapman accused USAC officials of being biased towards the American car and driver, and he was right. Jim Clark stalked Jones at the end to finish second, but his helmet and goggles were covered in oil from Jones' roadster. Many observers concluded that if Clark was leading, and an American car and driver was in second place, USAC officials would have black-flagged Clark; they just didn't want the "foreign" interlopers to win. The finish remains controversial to this day. Gurney finished seventh.
Johnny Rutherford in the beautiful No. 1 Chaparral Racing Chaparral 2K/Cosworth qualified fifth for the 1981 Indianapolis 500 (after winning in 1980), but retired after 25 laps due to a broken fuel pump. Bobby Unser (No. 3 Penske Racing Norton Spirit Penske/Cosworth) won that year, followed by Mario Andretti (No. 40 Pat Patrick STP Oil Treatment Wildcat/Cosworth) - who started in 32nd position - and Vern Schuppan (No. 33 Red Roof Inns McLaren/Cosworth).
Daytona International Speedway, February 1966. The No. 65 Chaparral 2D Chevrolet during practice; it was driven by Phil Hill and Joachim Bonnier. Hill put the 2D Coupe on the front row next to the No. 98 Shelby American Ford Mk II driven by Ken Miles/Lloyd Ruby, but the Chaparral did not finish. Miles and Ruby led a memorable 1-2-3 sweep for Ford that year. Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant (No. 97 Shelby American Ford Mk II) finished second and Mark Donohue/Walt Hansgen (No. 95 Holman & Moody Ford Mk II) third.
(Photo by Jesse Alexander)
The Nurburgring, August 6, 1961. Phil Hill (No. 4 Scuderia Ferrari 156) in The Karussel during the German Grand Prix. Hill finished third that day behind Stirling Moss (No. 7 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus 18/Climax) and Wolfgang von Trips (No. 3 Scuderia Ferrari 156). Hill was the 1961 F1 World Champion, only one of two American to win the title, along with Mario Andretti.
(Photo by Dave Friedman)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1964. Colin Chapman consults with Dan Gurney (No. 12 Team Lotus/DOHC Ford) during practice for the Indy 500 that year. Gurney qualified sixth but was classified seventeenth at the finish. The cosmetics of his cars weren't a priority for Chapman, apparently. A. J. Foyt (No. 1 Sheraton/Thompson Watson/Offy) won that year, as he delivered the last win at The Speedway for a front-engine roadster. Roger Ward (No. 2 Kaiser Aluminum Watson/Ford) was second and Lloyd Ruby (No. 18 Watson/Offy) finished third. But the race will forever be remembered for the horrible, fiery, seven-car crash on Lap 2 which claimed the lives of Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs.
(petelyons.com photo)
Laguna Seca, October 13, 1968. Talented Canadian driver John Cannon stunned the Can-Am Series establishment by winning the Monterey Grand Prix Can-Am - in the rain - in his outdated No. 62 Continental Accessories McLaren Elva Mark IIB Chevrolet. Underdog Cannon was unbeatable that day, finishing one lap ahead of Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M8A Chevrolet), who was second, and George Eaton (No. 98 McLaren Elva Mark III Ford), who finished third.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to continue presenting a few of them in this column and in future columns in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy it.
(Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch/Getty Images)
The Nürburgring Nordschleife, Nürburg, Germany, August 5, 1962. Phil Hill at the moment he is about to retire from the German Grand Prix. The 1961 World Champion had a miserable weekend, qualifying poorly and ultimately dropping out of the race. Graham Hill (No. 11 Owen Racing Organization BRM P57 V8) won that day, followed by John Surtees (No. 14 Yeoman Credit Racing Team Lola Mk4 Climax) and Dan Gurney (No. 7 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 804).
Pacific Raceways, Kent, Washington, August 1, 1965. Jim Hall debuted the Chaparral 2C Chevrolet at the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) race in Kent, Washington. The 2C was a radical development of the 2A. The 2C had an all-aluminum chassis designed by Chevrolet engineers and it was smaller in every dimension than the various iterations of the 2A. Its most notable feature was the innovative, movable rear wing that could be operated from the cockpit. Because the Chaparral also was equipped with the infamous clutchless, semi-automatic gearbox; the driver could operate the rear wing with their left foot, laying it flat on the straights and tilting it up under hard braking. But the 2C also had another name. Because of its stiffer aluminum chassis and its brutal, non-compliant ride characteristics, Hall dubbed the 2C the "EBJ" - for "eyeball juggler." But it was ultra-quick, with Hall winning the first time out that weekend. 
(Porsche AG)
April 20, 1969. Quite a photograph. 25 Porsche 917s lined up for the Commission Sportive Internationale representatives (then the independent competition arm of the FIA) for homologation to race in the 1969 season. Porsche tried to get the 917 approved before having the 25 cars finished but the CSI refused. So they were summoned back to the factory by Ferdinand Piech, who offered the opportunity to drive any one of them to see that they were indeed real. The CSI representatives declined and the 917 was approved.
Lexington, Ohio, August 22, 1971. Denny Hulme and Jackie Stewart chat before the start of the Mid-Ohio Can-Am. Stewart would win that day in the No. 1 Carl Haas Racing L&M Lola T260 Chevrolet. Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M8F Chevrolet) did not finish, Jo Siffert (No. 20 STP Porsche 917/10) was second, and Tony Adamowicz (No. 54 Auto World McLaren M8B Chevrolet) finished second.
Watkins Glen, New York, August 10, 1969. Parnelli Jones (No. 15 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302) on his way to a second-place finish in the Trans-Am. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske-Hilton Racing Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro) won that day.

Editor's Note: We're re-running this Fumes from early this year because talking about the Shelby American Cobra never gets old. -WG

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to continue presenting a few of them in this column and in future columns through to the end of the year. I hope you enjoy it.
Le Mans, France June, 1965. The No. 1 Shelby American Ford Mk II (Bruce McLaren up) during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ken Miles qualified the machine in fourth position, but he and McLaren encountered gearbox issues and did not finish the race. Note the aero appendages on the rear; it was an attempt to stabilize the Mk IIs on the blistering fast Mulsanne Straight. Ford would return the next year to dominate the race, finishing 1-2-3.
(Dave Friedman photo)
Riverside International Raceway, October 26, 1969. Frank Gardner (No. 2 Alan Mann Racing Ltd. Ford Open Sports 429) qualified tenth but did not finish. Alan Mann led Ford’s racing operations in Europe, and he was directly involved in helping develop the GT40, Daytona Cobra Coupe, along with the Escort and Lotus Cortina racing cars. Designed by Len Bailey, the 1969 Open Sports Ford utilized an aluminum monocoque along with many suspension parts from a previous Alan Mann project, known as the F3L (aka the P68). Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8B Chevrolet) won that day, followed by Chuck Parsons (No. 10 Carl A. Haas Racing Simoniz Lola T163 B Chevrolet) and Mario Andretti (No. 1 Holman & Moody McLaren M6B 429 Ford).
Daytona International Speedway, February 1971. Tony DeLorenzo in the No. 11 Owens/Corning Fiberglas Racing Team Chevrolet Corvette. Tony and co-drivers Don Yenko and John Mahler finished 4th overall and 1st in GT+2.5. Pedro Rodriguez/Jackie Oliver (No. 1 J.W. Automotive Engineering GULF Porsche 917 K) won that day, followed by Ronnie Bucknum/Tony Adamowicz (No. 23 North American Racing Team Ferrari 512 S Spyder) and Mark Donohue/Davis Hobbs (No. 6 Penske-White Racing SUNOCO Ferrari 512 M).
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 1969. Jim Hall leans against the No. 7 Chaparral 2H Chevrolet (John Surtees up) during practice for the Can-Am at Road America. The 2H was Hall's least successful design; in fact it was such a spectacular failure that Hall went out and acquired a customer McLaren M12 for Surtees to drive during the season while he attempted to get the 2H sorted out. He was never able to. Surtees qualified the 2H a full nine seconds off of Denny Hulme's (No. 5 GULF/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8B Chevrolet) pole time at Road America, and did not finish the race. Bruce McLaren (No. 4 GULF/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8B Chevrolet) won that round, followed by Hulme and Chuck Parsons (No. 10 Carl A. Haas Racing Simoniz Lola T163 B Chevrolet).
Zandvoort, Netherlands, June 4, 1967. Jim Clark (No. 5 Team Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV) on his way to the win in the Dutch Grand Prix. This race was significant because it marked the debut of the Lotus 49 and the Ford Cosworth V8. Clark's teammate, Graham Hill put the No. 6 Team Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV on the pole, but it was Clark who forced his way to the front - and the win. Jack Brabham (No. 1 Brabham BT19 Repco V8) was second, and Denny Hulme (No. 2 Brabham BT19 Repco V8) finished third.
The Nürburgring, May 19, 1968. Speaking of the aforementioned Alan Mann Ford 3L P68/Ford Cosworth DFV designed by Len Bailey, this is the car as it appeared in the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometer race with Frank Gardner and Richard Attwood co-driving. The beautiful little coupe started 5th but did not finish due to brake issues. The No. 2 Porsche 908 driven by Jo Siffert/Vic Elford won that day, followed by Hans Herrmann/Rolf Stommelen (No. 3 Porsche 907) and Jacky Ickx/Paul Hawkins (No. 65 J.W. Automotive Engineering GULF Ford GT40). 

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. A kaleidoscope of images has captured these moments since racing's inception, and I plan to continue presenting a few of them in this column and in future columns through to the end of the year. I hope you enjoy it.
The great Fred "Fast Freddie" Lorenzen was a NASCAR star from 1958-1972. He won 26 races, including the 1965 Daytona 500 in the No. 28 Holman & Moody LaFayette Ford. Lorenzen was the USAC Stock Car Champion in 1958-1959 and he was also inducted into the USAC Hall of Fame in 2015. He was the first driver to win the same 500-mile superspeedway race three years in a row (Atlanta 500, 1962–1964); he was also the first driver to win at all five original Southern superspeedways (Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta, Charlotte, Rockingham, 1965). At the time of his initial retirement (1967), Lorenzen was the all-time superspeedway winner with twelve. Fred won the World 600 at Charlotte in 1963 and 1965; and he was the first NASCAR driver to go over $100,000 in winnings in one season ($122,000 in 1963). Lorenzen was the first driver to sweep both NASCAR races at Martinsville in a season (1964) and the only driver to win four consecutive 500 lap races at Martinsville. Freddie has an incredible 50 percent winning percentage. He finished with 26 wins, 84 top tens and 32 poles. Lorenzen was the NASCAR Grand National Series (precursor to Cup) most popular driver in 1963 and 1965; he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998; he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001; and he was a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee in 2015.
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, October 23, 1966. Bruce McLaren (No. 17 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M2B DOHC Ford) on his way to a DNF in the Grand Prix of Mexico. McLaren struggled mightily to adapt the DOHC Ford Indy engine to the rigors of F1, but the engine just wasn't up to it. 
Daytona International Speedway, January 1966. The Ford "J-car" prototype undergoes early testing. That's Bruce McLaren in the driver's seat and Mario Andretti with his back to the camera leaning-in (he's in the Firestone driver's suit). The early Kammback body design with a honeycomb aluminum chassis structure was fraught with high-speed stability issues. After the Ford Mk II swept the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a controversially orchestrated 1-2-3 finish - which cost Ken Miles the race - the development program for the J-car resumed. And since Miles was the principal development driver for Shelby American, he took the lead role in trying to turn the J-car into a competitive machine. Unfortunately, Miles tragically lost his life testing the J-car at Riverside International Raceway in August 1966. The J-car prototype was completely revamped for the 1967 season and renamed the Ford Mk IV. That machine won the only two races it was entered in: the 12 Hours of Sebring - with Andretti and McLaren driving - and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt at the wheel.
Sebring International Raceway, March 1967. Bruce McLaren and Mario Andretti with the No. 1 Ford Mk IV in a Ford publicity photo before the 12 Hours of Sebring. Mario put it on the pole, two seconds clear of the No. 6 Chaparral 2F Chevrolet driven by Jim Hall/Mike Spence. Andretti and McLaren went on to dominate the race, winning by twelve laps.

Monte Carlo, June 1962. Scuderia Ferrari arrived in force for the Monaco Grand Prix. The No. 36 Ferrari 156 was driven by Phil Hill, the No. 38 Ferrari 156 was driven by Lorenzo Bandini, and the No. 40 Ferrari 156 was driven by Willy Mairesse. Bruce McLaren (No. 14 Cooper T60/Climax) won the race that year, Phil Hill was second, and Bandini finished third. Mairesse did not finish.
Daytona International Speedway, February 1966. Roger Penske next to his entry before the start of the Daytona 24 Hours that year. The No. 6 Roger Penske Chevrolet/Sunoco Corvette Sting Ray Coupe was driven by Dick Guldstrand, Ben Moore and George Wintersteen. They finished 12th overall and 1st in GT +3.0.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The hand-wringing over BMW and Audi's withdrawal from Formula E has grown more frenzied and demonstrative in recent days, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Racing ebbs and flows on the whims - and budgets - of the participating manufacturers, and if you don't know this by now you clearly haven't been paying attention. I don't know how many times I've covered this subject in the two-plus decades of writing this motorsports column (I've frankly lost track), because you can write about "racing reaching a crossroads" every damn year.

Yes, there are other factors involved, like when technology started to swallow the sport whole in the late 70s, which triggered the movement toward restricting and restraining the speed of racing cars so they wouldn't overwhelm the existing road circuits and speedways. And hand-in-hand with that movement came the increased - and much-needed - push for safety improvements, which altered the face of racing permanently. These factors have played a dominant role in the sport for decades, but the one constant that has dominated the sport more than any other over that time - and still dominates it today - is manufacturer participation in racing. Without the manufacturers, big-time racing would simply cease to exist. Sure, racing would still survive on an amateur level, but that would be about it. This should not be news, folks.

And in reference to Formula E, I think people conveniently forget why that series even existed in the first place. It was a proactive move on the part of the FIA to get out in front of the burgeoning and politically-charged Green movement in Europe. It was clearly designed to be a major distraction away from the jewel of the FIA empire - Formula 1 - so that it wouldn't get caught in the crosshairs of the "all racing should be banned" movement. And the manufacturers who agreed to participate in it could justify it - up to a point - because it coincided with their BEV programs, which were ramping up dramatically. But let's not mistake it for anything other than that, because with all due respect to the drivers and the teams - and certain media who proclaimed it as being "cool" - Formula E was a a nonstarter as a "major" racing series. In fact, I would call it the "Sideshow Bob" of racing with its gimmicky, truncated tracks, its abbreviated and frankly weird schedule, and the constant drum-beating by the FIA PR minions desperately trying to legitimize the series. It didn't work.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this column, racing ebbs and flows on the whims - and budgets - of the participating manufacturers. And clearly, Formula E has become expendable and quite simply, yesterday's news. That this has triggered a hue and cry from allegedly "qualified" observers of the sport is just plain silly. The manufacturers are already lining up for what's next in the racing world, which is the unified international sports car rules - defined as the new LMDh and Hypercar - coming for the 2022 season and agreed upon by the WEC, ACO and IMSA (Audi, Honda and Porsche are already planning entries). I am not going to get into the details of those rules, which are shaping up to be the usual byzantine labyrinth of mysterious pathways to, well, something, but it's clear that Internal Combustion Engines are going to be a part of racing's future indefinitely. (Oh yes, there's the new Extreme E off-road series; but it's a giant "we'll see" at this point.)

You name the series - F1, INDYCAR, IMSA, NASCAR (and their various support series) - and the die has been cast; racing will be powered by ICEs with some form of hybrid assist for the foreseeable future. It makes sense for the overall health of the sport, because racing without the visceral thrill of the sound is simply unacceptable to the participants and spectators alike, and it makes sense to the participating manufacturers for the same reason. Even though the manufacturers are committing huge sums of money in their R&D budgets toward developing and producing BEVs, when it comes to racing, an all-electric racing series is now officially a nonstarter. 

And if that weren't reason enough, never forget the fact that racers ultimately go where the money is, and the manufacturers pretty much dictate their interest every single time.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, September 1959. The 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray racer outside of tech inspection for the Road America 500. GM Styling boss Bill Mitchell personally bought the "mule" chassis for the 1957 Corvette SS factory racer and commissioned new bodywork for it, assembling his best and brightest designers - including a 19-year-old Peter Brock - to work on it. The result was one of the most iconic shapes in automotive history. Mitchell originally had the Sting Ray racer painted red, but it was repainted in Mitchell's favorite German racing metallic silver soon afterward. Dr. Dick Thompson and Tony Lapine (one of the GM designers who worked on the car) co-drove the Corvette Sting Ray in the race (with the No. 10), but they encountered braking issues and did not finish.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The history of racing is filled with memorable moments, incandescent triumphs and yes, unspeakable tragedies. I have been presenting a kaleidoscope of images that have captured these moments since racing's inception, and we plan to continue presenting a few of them in this column and in future columns through to the end of the year. I hope you enjoy it.
Jackie Stewart and Ken Tyrrell at the press introduction for the Tyrrell 001 Formula 1 car. The machine was designed by Derek Gardner and powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV, and made its debut at the end of the 1970 F1 season.
(Photo by Dave Friedman)
Sebring, Florida, March 21, 1964. Ken Miles in the factory Shelby American 427 Cobra Prototype during the 12 Hours of Sebring. Miles suffered a massive crash during practice almost writing off the car, but the Shelby American crew hammered the Cobra back together in time to make the start. Miles and co-driver John Morton started dead last in the field but did not finish.
(Photo by Dave Friedman)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1963. Dan Gurney getting ready to take his Lotus-Ford out for practice for the Indy 500. That's Colin Chapman (in the pink pants) and Jim Clark (light blue shirt) looking on.
Silverstone, July 14, 1973. American Peter Revson (No. 8 Yardley Team McLaren M23 Ford Cosworth DFV) on his way to winning the British Grand Prix. The race will always be remembered for the massive crash at the end of the opening lap as Jody Scheckter (No. 30 Yardley Team McLaren M23 Ford Cosworth DFV) lost control and spun into the pitwall at the exit of Woodcote before bouncing back into the middle of the circuit. Unable to go anywhere, eight drivers were taken out in the wreck, with the cars of Jean-Pierre Beltoise, George Follmer, Mike Hailwood, Carlos Pace, Jochen Mass, Graham Hill, Roger Williamson and Andrea de Adamich unable to continue. de Adamich broadsided the stranded Scheckter and suffered a broken ankle. The huge accident blocked the circuit and caused the race to be stopped. Ronnie Peterson (No. 2 John Player Team Lotus 72E Ford Cosworth DFV) was second, and Denny Hulme (No. 8 Yardley Team McLaren M23 Ford Cosworth DFV) finished third.
Watkins Glen, New York, July 1973. John Watson in the No. 2 Gulf Research Racing Co. Mirage M6 Ford Cosworth DFV during practice for the Watkins Glen 6-Hours. Watson and co-driver Derek Bell started sixth and finished fifth.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1965. A wonderful overhead view of Mario Andretti's No. 12 Dean Van Lines Hawk/Ford in Gasoline Alley. Mario finished third in the Indy 500 behind winner Jim Clark (No. 82 Team Lotus/Ford) and Parnelli Jones (No. 98 J.C. Agajanian Hurst Lotus/Ford).
Nassau Speed Week, November 29, 1964. Roger Penske (No. 82 Mecom Racing Team Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport) on his way to victory in the Nassau TT race. Walt Hansgen (No. 3 Mecom Racing Team Ferrari 250 LM) was second, and Bob Grossman (No. 90 Scuderia Bear Ferrari 250 LM) finished third. Roger also won the Governor's Trophy feature race on December 4th driving Jim Hall's No. 6 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the next few issues I will recall some of my favorites.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1960. Jim Rathmann raced in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1949-1950 and 1952-1960 seasons. He won the 1960 Indianapolis 500, and he also competed in the two "Race of Two Worlds" events in Monza, Italy, winning the 1958 race. Rathmann was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007, in Detroit.
The mercurial James Hunt was a tremendously talented driver who pushed norms and rattled the establishment every chance he got, and his memorable pairing with Lord Hesketh and the Hesketh Racing Team in the beginning of his F1 career remains one of the most colorful chapters in the sport. Hunt was immortalized in the Ron Howard-directed film Rush from 2013, which chronicled Hunt's titanic battle with his rival Niki Lauda during the 1976 F1 season, in which Hunt won the World Championship driving for McLaren. It would be Hunt's only World Championship, as his career faded after that. James died of a heart attack on June 15, 1993, at the young age of 45.
(Photo by Dave Friedman)
Daytona International Speedway, February 1966. Dan Gurney sits in the No. 97 Shelby American Ford Mk II that he shared with Jerry Grant during practice for the Daytona 24 Hours. If there was a Mount Rushmore of American racing drivers, there is no question that Dan would be on it. Trying to encapsulate Dan's career and influence over the sport in a paragraph is simply impossible. Gurney won in F1, Indy car, Can-Am, Trans-Am and NASCAR, delivering momentous wins every step of the way. Dan delivered Porsche its only win as a F1 constructor in 1962; he dominated NASCAR at Riverside in the 60s, winning five times; he won the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix in his AAR Eagle T1G-Weslake V12, a car of his own design. One week later, Gurney engineered the Ford Mk IV victory at Le Mans, devising the race strategy that he and co-driver A.J. Foyt strictly adhered to for the victory. Gurney stepped in to fortify Team McLaren in 1970, one week after its founding leader - Bruce McLaren - had been killed testing his McLaren Can-Am car at Goodwood. Gurney promptly won the first two races for McLaren in the 1970 Can-Am season. Dan would go on to make All American Racers a perennial force to be reckoned with in American racing, with notable wins in Indy car and sports car racing (for Toyota). He notably invented an extension for the rear wing of Indy cars - known as the "Gurney flap" - which increased downforce without creating too much aerodynamic drag; and Dan was also the first to wear a full-face helmet in Grand Prix racing. Dan made 86 Grand Prix starts, which ranks third among American F1 drivers, winning four times (second only to Mario Andretti). In what might be the ultimate tribute to Dan's driving talent, the father of Jim Clark came up to Gurney at his son's funeral and confided that Dan was the only driver Clark had ever feared on the track. Dan died on January 14, 2018, at the age of 86. A true legend of the sport in every sense of the word.
Michael Andretti had to live with the enduring legend of his father, Mario, which loomed over his own driving career, but he delivered a spectacular career of his own. Michael competed in 317 Indy car races, winning 42 times. He started from 32 pole positions and won the CART Championship in 1991, although he never won the Indy 500 after dominating many races - and leading the most laps in Indy 500 history - at the Speedway. Michael's foray into F1 in 1993 with Team McLaren - as a teammate to Ayrton Senna - was fraught with problems, and his best finish was a third at Monza, before returning home to the U.S. to race in CART. Michael has gone on to lead Andretti Autosport, which is one of the most successful racing teams in IndyCar.
(Photo by Dave Friedman)
Ken Miles was the brilliantly gifted engineer-driver who was almost singularly responsible for the early success of Shelby American. He developed the 289 FIA Cobra, the 427 Cobra, the Shelby GT 350R Mustang and the Ford Mk II. His story was immortalized in the 2019 film Ford vs. Ferrari, and even though the film was chock-full of inaccuracies and questionable instances of "artistic license" it gave full due to Miles' contributions to the Shelby legacy. It's not a stretch to say that without Miles, the Shelby story would have been vastly different - and less successful. Miles was killed while doing the development testing of the Ford J-Car prototype at Riverside International Raceway, on August 17, 1966, at the age of 47. The Ford J-car became the Ford Mk IV, which won the only two races the car was ever entered: the 1967 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the next few issues I will recall some of my favorites.
The extraordinarily gifted Jim Clark in Victory Lane after winning the 1965 Indianapolis 500. Clark made his debut in F1 in 1960 for Team Lotus as a replacement for John Surtees, who had gone to race at the Isle of Man motorcycle races. Clark won 25 Grand Prix races out of 72 starts, and he also captured 33 pole positions and 28 fastest laps. He won the World Championship in 1963 (winning seven of ten races) and in 1965. Clark was robbed of winning the Indy 500 in 1963 in a controversial non-call by the USAC officials, which favored Parnelli Jones, whose front-engined Offy was leaking oil so badly that it had caused several drivers to crash. Team Lotus owner Colin Chapman was furious and demanded Jones be black-flagged, but Jones was allowed to finish and win, with Clark finishing second, being named Rookie of the Year. 1965 would be different, as Clark dominated the race in his mid-engined No. 82 Lotus-Ford, leading 189 of the 200 laps. Clark competed in sports cars and touring cars, including Le Mans, and he also won three Tasman championships in a row in 1966, 1967 and 1968. Clark was killed on April 7, 1968, at the Hockenheimring, driving in a Formula 2 race for Gold Leaf Team Lotus. Back then, it was not uncommon for F1 drivers to drive in F2 races, especially that season, which had a four-month gap between F1 races. The race was characterized as being a "minor" event, but the grid was filled with talented drivers such as Graham Hill (Clark's teammate), Derek Bell, Piers Courage, Jean-Pierre Beltois, Henri Pescarolo, Carlo Facetti and Clay Regazzoni. Clark's Lotus veered off the track on the fifth lap of the first heat and crashed into trees, the cause thought to be a rapidly deflating rear tire. He died on the way to the hospital. It remains won of the most tragic days in motorsport history. Clark's death affected the racing community terribly, with fellow Formula One drivers and close friends Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney, John Surtees, Chris Amon and Jack Brabham devastated by the tragedy. People came from all over the world to Clark's funeral. Colin Chapman was inconsolable and publicly stated that he had lost his best friend. The 1968 F1 Drivers' Championship was subsequently won by his Lotus teammate Graham Hill, who pulled the heartbroken team together and held off Jackie Stewart for the crown, which he later dedicated to Clark.
The great Fred "Fast Freddie" Lorenzen was a NASCAR star from 1958-1972. He won 26 races, including the 1965 Daytona 500 in the No. 28 Holman & Moody LaFayette Ford. Lorenzen was the USAC Stock Car Champion in 1958-1959, and he was also inducted into the USAC Hall of Fame in 2015. He was the first driver to win the same 500-mile superspeedway race three years in a row (Atlanta 500, 1962–1964); he was also the first driver to win at all five original Southern superspeedways (Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta, Charlotte, Rockingham, 1965). At the time of his initial retirement (1967), Lorenzen was the all-time superspeedway winner with twelve. Fred won the World 600 at Charlotte in 1963 and 1965, and he was the first NASCAR driver to go over $100,000 in winnings in one season ($122,000 in 1963). Lorenzen was the first driver to sweep both NASCAR races at Martinsville in a season (1964) and the only driver to win four consecutive 500 lap races at Martinsville. Freddie has an incredible 50 percent winning percentage: He finished with 26 wins, 84 top tens and 32 poles. Lorenzen was the NASCAR Grand National Series (precursor to Cup) most popular driver in 1963 and 1965; he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998; he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001; and he was a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee in 2015.
David Pearson raced from 1960 to 1986 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called NASCAR Cup), most notably driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Mercury. Pearson was the NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 1960, and he won three Cup Series championships in 1966, 1968, and 1969. Pearson's 1974 NASCAR season was an indicator of his consistency, finishing third in the season points having competed in only 19 of 30 races. Pearson's career was most identified with Richard Petty's NASCAR career. Petty - who has won the most races in NASCAR history - and Pearson accounted for 63 first/second-place finishes, with the edge going to Pearson. Petty had 200 wins in 1,184 starts, while Pearson had 105 wins in 574 starts. Pearson was nicknamed the "Fox" (and later the "Silver Fox") for his calculated approach to racing. At his finalist nomination for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's inaugural 2010 class, NASCAR described Pearson as "... the model of NASCAR efficiency during his career. With little exaggeration, when Pearson showed up at a race track, he won." Pearson ended his career in 1986, and currently holds the second position on NASCAR's all-time win list with 105 victories, as well as achieving 113 pole positions. Pearson's ability translated across all genres of racing: he won three times on road courses, 48 times on superspeeways, 54 times on short tracks and 23 times on dirt tracks. Pearson finished with at least one Top 10 finish in each of his 27 seasons. ESPN described him as being a "plain-spoken, humble man, and that added up to very little charisma." Petty had high praise for Pearson, saying "he could beat you on a short track, he could beat you on a superspeedway, he could beat you on a road course, he could beat you on a dirt track. It didn't hurt as bad to lose to Pearson as it did to some of the others, because I knew how good he was." Pearson said of Petty: "I always felt that if I beat him I beat the best, and I heard he said the same thing about me."
If there were a Mount Rushmore of American drivers, Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. would certainly be on it. A tenacious competitor, "A.J." won in every racing series he entered. He raced - and won - in USAC Champ cars, stock cars, sprint cars and midget cars. He raced - and won - in NASCAR and in major league sports car racing. He registered 159 career victories in USAC competition, and he still holds the record for Indy car wins with 67. A.J. remains the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 (one of three drivers to win it four times), the Daytona 500 (1972), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967) and the Daytona 24 Hours (1985). Foyt also won the IROC series in 1976 and 1977. Foyt's success has led to induction in numerous motorsports halls of fame. In the mid-sixties, Foyt become a team owner, fielding cars for himself and other drivers. Since retiring from active race driving, he has owned A. J. Foyt Enterprises, which has fielded teams in the IRL, CART, NASCAR and INDYCAR. A.J. is simply one of the greatest talents to ever get behind the wheel.
Sir John Young "Jackie" Stewart is one of the all-time F1 greats. Stewart -  "The Flying Scot" - competed in F1 between 1965 and 1973, winning 27 out of 99 Grand Prix races and three World Driving Championships (1969, 1971, 1973). Jackie almost won the Indianapolis 500 in his first attempt in 1966 (above), and he also competed in the Can-Am series in 1970 and 1971. I will always remember seeing Jackie driving the No. 1 Carl Haas Racing L&M Lola T260 Chevrolet in the 1971 Can-Am series, giving fits to Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme with his ill-handling, short wheelbase Lola. He willed that car to victory twice that season (Mont Tremblant and Mid-Ohio), and he was in contention in several other races, finishing third in the championship. Jackie abruptly retired from racing in Watkins Glen, New York, in 1973, after a catastrophic accident took the life of his Tyrrell teammate, Francois Cevert, in F1 practice. I was there that tragic weekend, and I watched as Jackie and his wife Helen left the track. It would have been his 100th Grand Prix race. His persistent pursuit of improving racing safety - including tracks and medical facilities - has left a lasting impact on the sport that still resonates to this day. After John Surtees' death in 2017, Jackie is now the lone surviving F1 World Champion from the 1960s.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the next few issues, I will recall some of my favorites.
(Mercedes-Benz images)
Zandvoort, June 19, 1955. Juan Manuel Fangio after winning the Dutch Grand Prix. Fangio is considered by many motosports observers to be one of, if not the greatest driver of all time. Nicknamed  El Maestro ("The Master"), the Argentinian dominated the first decade of Formula One, winning the World Drivers' Championship five times (a record that stood for 46 years) driving for four different racing teams: 1951 (Alfa Romeo), 1954 (Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz), 1955 (Mercedes-Benz), 1956 (Ferrari) and 1957 (Maserati). This was all the more remarkable because Fangio didn't begin his F1 driving career until his late 30s. To this day, Fangio holds the highest winning percentage in Formula One – 46.15% – winning 24 of 52 F1 races he entered (and 29 pole positions). Fangio's most memorable race was the 1957 German Grand Prix at the world famous Nurburgring. The pressure was on, as Fangio needed to extend his lead by six points to claim the driving title with two races left. After starting from the pole, Fangio dropped to third behind the Ferraris driven by Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, but he managed to get past both by the end of the third lap. Fangio had started with half-full tanks since he expected that he would need new tires half-way through the race. Fangio pitted on lap 13 with a 30-second lead, but a disastrous stop left him back in third place, a full 50 seconds behind Collins and Hawthorn. Fangio began a charge for the ages, setting one fastest lap after another, culminating in a record-breaking time on lap 20 that was an eleven full seconds faster than the best the Ferraris could do. On the penultimate lap, Fangio passed both Collins and Hawthorn, and held on to take the win by just over three seconds. With Luigi Musso finishing in fourth place, Fangio had claimed his fifth title at the age of 46. This performance is often regarded as the greatest drive in Formula One history, and it was Fangio's last win. After the race, Fangio said, "I have never driven that quickly before in my life, and I don't think I will ever be able to do it again." After his retirement, Fangio presided as the honorary president of Mercedes-Benz Argentina from 1987, a year after the inauguration of his museum, until his death in 1995. 
Argentinean Grand Prix, Buenos Aires, January 16, 1955. Fangio (No. 2 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R) on his way to the win. Fangio was the only top driver to go the duration of the race without being relieved and won easily.
Italian Grand Prix, Monza, September 11, 1955. Fangio (No. 18 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R streamliner) leads teammates Stirling Moss and Karl Kling. Fangio won that day.  

(Mercedes-Benz)
Rudolf Caracciola was one of the best drivers of the years prior to the beginning of F1. He won the European Drivers' Championship - the pre-1950 equivalent of the modern Formula One World Championship - three times (1935, 1937, 1938). He also won the European Hillclimbing Championship three times – twice in sports cars and once in a Grand Prix car. Caracciola raced for Mercedes-Benz during their original dominating "Silver Arrows" era, and set speed records for the firm. He was affectionately dubbed Caratsch by the German public and was known by the title of Regenmeister, or "Rainmaster" for his prowess in wet conditions. Caracciola is remembered as one of the greatest pre-1939 Grand Prix drivers, a perfectionist who excelled in all conditions. His record of six German Grand Prix wins remains unbeaten.

(Audi AG)
Hans Stuck in the Auto Union Type C racing car at the Hillclimb Grand Prix at the Schauinsland track near Freiburg in 1937. Despite many successes in Grand Prix racing for Auto Union and the "Silver Arrows" in the early 30s, Stuck is most famous for his domination of a very special discipline - hill-climbing - which earned him the nickname "Bergkönig" or "King of the Mountains." Stuck won the German, Swiss and Czechoslovakian Grand Prix races for Auto Union in 1934. Wins in a number of hill-climb races made him European Mountain Champion. In 1935, he won the Italian Grand Prix (along with second at the German Grand Prix); he also won his usual collection of hill-climb events, again taking the European Mountain Championship. After a couple of lean years, Stuck was either fired from, or quit, the Auto Union team (accounts from the two sides differ) in 1938. After a series of injuries to other team drivers, as well as pressure from the German government, he was re-hired, and proved himself by winning a third European Mountain Championship, his last major pre-war success.
(Audi AG)
Bernd Rosemeyer achieved international fame as one of Auto Union’s top drivers in Grand Prix racing and world speed record attempts in the “Silver Arrows” era of the 1930s. His racing triumphs in Europe, Africa and the USA made him a public idol – and his flat-out approach to driving captured the public's imagination. Rosemeyer started his career by participating in motorbike races. He signed up as a works driver at NSU in 1932 before switching to DKW the following year. In October, 1934, he passed a test for up-and-coming drivers in Auto Union’s challenging mid-engined racing car with flying colors, being able to man-handle the evil-handling cars like no other. His almost super human car control was his trademark and a sight to behold and because of this, he was immediately promoted to the company’s racing team alongside Hans Stuck and Achille Varzi. It was then that his meteoric rise in motor racing began. Following his debut in the Auto Union Silver Arrow in the 1935 AVUS Race, he quickly attracted attention in the Eifel Race in particular, when he finished second, just behind ex-champion and racing legend Rudolf Caracciola. And then on September 25, 1935, Rosemeyer went one better, winning his first Grand Prix in Brno. In the following year, he won Grand Prix races in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, as well as the Großer Bergpreis hill-climb. 1936 was also the year in which he won the hand of the renowned sports pilot Elly Beinhorn in marriage. In the 1937 season, Rosemeyer achieved some true milestones in motorsport: in the Eifel Race at the Nürburgring, with a time of 9 minutes and 54 seconds, he was the first driver ever to complete a lap of the legendary North Loop in less than 10 minutes. In the Avus Race, at the wheel of the streamlined Auto Union Type C, he achieved a straight-line speed of 380 km/h. In the world speed record attempts on the motorway near Frankfurt, he was the first driver to break through the 400 km/h barrier on a public road. His last victory was in the Grand Prix of Donington, in England, on October 2, 1937. A renewed attempt to break the world speed record on January 28, 1938, on the motorway between Frankfurt and Darmstadt (today the A5) ended in tragedy when the car - probably due to a wind gust - skidded out of control at over 430 km/h.  Rosemeyer was killed instantly.

Getty Images)
Donington, England, October 22, 1938. Tazio Nuvolari (No. 4 Auto Union Type D 3.0-liter V-12) on his way to the win in the Donington Grand Prix. At 46 years old, the "Flying Mantuan" dominated the second half of the race in his mid-engined Auto Union and won going away. Hermann Lang (No. 7 Mercedes-Benz W 154 3.0-liter V-12) was second, and Richard Seamen (No. 8 Mercedes-Benz W 154 3.0-liter V-12) finished third. Sixty thousand spectators attended the non-championship Grand Prix. Nuvolari won 150 races in his career, including 24 Grands Prix; two Mille Miglias; two Targa Florios, the 24 Hours of Le Mans; two RAC Tourist Trophies; five Coppa Cianos and a European Championship in Grand Prix racing. Ferdinand Porsche called Nuvolari "the greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future." Nuvolari returned to competition after WW II but he was 54 and in ill health. His final appearance in a racing car was in April of 1950, when he drove a Cisitalia-Abarth Tipo 204A to a class win at a hill climb in Palermo, Sicily, finishing fifth overall. He died in 1953 from a stroke.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the next few issues, I will recall some of my favorites.
Gifted and brilliant behind the wheel, Sir Stirling Crauford Moss was a spectacular force who became the quintessential definition of a British Grand Prix driver. Known as "the greatest driver never to win a World Championship," Moss finished second four times and third three times in the F1 standings between 1955 and 1961. Moss won sixteen times in 66 starts, driving in various machines including Cooper, HWM, Lotus, Maserati, Mercedes Benz and Vanwall. Moss famously won the Mille Miglia (with co-driver and auto journalist Denis Jenkinson) in 1955, completing the race distance in ten hours and seven minutes. It is considered one of the epic drives in motorsports history. Moss admitted afterward that he had been given a "magic pill" by Juan Manuel Fangio before the race. Although he didn't know what was in it specifically, Dexedrine and Benzedrine were commonly used in rallies and long-distance events, and Moss said, "the object was simply to keep awake, like wartime bomber crews." Moss also won the 1958 12 Hours of Sebring driving an Aston Martin DBR1, and recorded three consecutive wins in the Nurburgring 1000 km race in 1958, 1959 and 1960. (The first two of those wins were in Aston Martin DBR1s, the last was in a Maserati Tipo 61 "birdcage" co-driven by Dan Gurney.) Among the many brilliant drives delivered by Moss, another one that stands out was in the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, when Moss, driving a relatively under-powered Lotus 19/21-Climax for Rob Walker, won by 3.6-seconds, stunning the factory V6-powered Ferrari 156 "sharknose" entries, boasting a driver lineup of Phil Hill, Richie Ginther and Wolfgang von Trips. Sir Stirling's spectacular driving career came to an end after he crashed his Lotus heavily in the Glover Trophy race at Goodwood, on April 23, 1962. The accident put him in a coma for a month, and the left side of his body was paralyzed for six months. Moss participated in a private test session the following year at Goodwood in a Lotus 19, and even though he lapped a few tenths of a second slower than before his accident, he felt that in his heart it just wasn't there for him, and he retired from driving. Moss passed away on April 12, 2020, in London, at the age of 90.
Philip Toll Hill Jr. was the first American - and only American-born - driver to win the Formula 1 World Championship (1961). (Mario Andretti, only the second American ever to win the World Championship, was born in Italy.) Phil Hill competed in F1 from 1955 - 1964, and for one more year (1966) driving various machines including ATS, Cooper, Eagle, Ferrari, Maserati, McLaren and Porsche. The Californian began driving for Enzo Ferrari in 1959, recording three podiums and finishing fourth in the final F1 Championship standings. Hill won the 1960 Italian Grand Prix at Monza driving a Ferrari 246, becoming the first American driver to win a Grand Prix since Jimmy Murphy won the 1921 French Grand Prix. It also marked the last time a front-engined machine won a Grand Prix race. In 1961, Hill won the Belgian Grand Prix, and with two races left in the season and heading to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he trailed only his teammate, Wolfgang von Trips, in the Championship. But that race would become one of the most tragic days in the history of F1, as von Trips crashed and was killed, along with fourteen spectators. Hill went on to win the race - his third and final Grand Prix win - but it proved to be bittersweet, to say the least. It would be compounded by the fact that Enzo Ferrari withdrew his team from the final F1 race at Watkins Glen, New York, thus preventing Hill from competing in his home race as the new World Champion. 1962 would be Hill's last driving for Ferrari in F1. He was famously quoted as saying, "I no longer have as much as I need to race, to win. I don't have as much hunger anymore. I am no longer willing to risk killing myself." But besides being America's first World Champion, Hill was spectacular in sports cars, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times driving a Ferrari with co-driver Olivier Gendebien (1958, 1961, 1962). Hill's 1958 win was also the first for an American driver in the French endurance classic. Hill also won the 12 Hours of Sebring three times. He won it in 1958 with co-driver Peter Collins in a Ferrari 250 TR; in 1959 in a Ferrari 250 TR59 with co-drivers Olivier Gendebien, Chuck Daigh and Dan Gurney; and in 1961 with Olivier Gendebien in a Ferrari TRI61. Hill was the lead driver on the initial Ford GT effort, and continued to drive Ford GTs from '63 - 65. Hill also drove for Jim Hall in the Can-Am in 1966 driving the Chaparral 2E Chevrolet, delivering a huge win against the best in the series at Laguna Seca. Hill also won the 1966 Nurburgring 1000 km in the Chaparral 2D Chevrolet with co-driver Jo Bonnier and the 1967 BOAC 1000 km at Brands Hatch with Mike Spence in the Chaparral 2F Chevrolet. Hill retired from driving after that race. Hill had a thriving classic car restoration business in retirement. He died on August 28, 2008, in Monterey, California. My Phil Hill story? I was designated to pick him up at Detroit Metropolitan Airport for a press event in the spring of 1983 (I had never met him). By the time he arrived from California, it was early evening and very dark because of looming thunderstorms. As we made our way to the suburban hotel that I was to deliver him to, it started raining fairly hard. My car was an Audi GT at the time - with the raked windshield - and I had just put a fresh coat of Rain-X on it that morning. As I said, it was pitch black out, but I didn't put the wipers on because I didn't need to (Rain-X was relatively new at the time). All of a sudden, Phil blurted out, "What the hell is that?" as the sound of the pelting rain slammed into the windshield. I said it was the rain, and he said, "Why aren't you using your wipers?" And then I explained what Rain-X was and he was flabbergasted... and excited. "That is fantastic! If I had had that at Le Mans... in the rain... at night. Amazing!" He couldn't get over it all the rest of the way there. My brief experience with Phil? He was a cool dude, and a very gracious man.
Rufus Parnelli Jones could drive anything, anywhere, at any time - and win. And he was one of the toughest competitors that ever got behind the wheel of a racing car. He was the first driver to average over 150 mph at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the pole with a speed of 150.370 mph in 1962. He won the Indy 500 in 1963, and he was dominating the 1967 Indy 500 in Andy Granatelli's STP Turbine-powered machine when it broke down with just three laps to go. He won in midgets, sprint cars, stock cars, at Pikes Peak (winning in a Mercury Marauder prepared by Bill Stroppe in 1963, while setting a new stock car record), and even in off-road machines, winning the Mexican 1000, Baja 500 and Mint 400 in his "Big Oly" Bronco. My favorite memories of Parnelli, however, were from the 1967-1970 SCCA Trans-Am seasons when he wheeled a factory Bud Moore Mercury Cougar ('67) and Ford Mustang Boss 302s ('68-'70). Parnelli was absolutely spectacular in those Mustangs, battling Mark Donohue in the Penske Camaros (1968-69) and Penske Javelin (1970) and even his own teammate - George Follmer - in that milestone 1970 season, when the best factory and independent drivers in American road racing went at it, week-in and week-out. Parnelli asked no quarter and gave no quarter - he and George banged each other off of the race track twice during the 1970 Mid-Ohio Trans-Am round - and he delivered the Trans-Am Championship to Ford that season. Parnelli went into car ownership after retiring from driving, starting Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing and winning the Indy 500 in 1970 and 1971 with Al Unser driving the "Johnny Lightning Special." The team also won the USAC National Championship in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Jones is in every Hall of Fame you can thing of, and deservedly so, but I will always remember him willing his Mustang to victory in that 1970 Trans-Am season. Parnelli was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, in August 23, 1933. He is now 87 years old.
What can be said about Mario Gabriele Andretti, other than the fact that he is one of the greatest racing drivers of all time? The Italian-born American is one of only three drivers to win in Formula 1, Indy-type cars, World Championship sports cars, and in NASCAR. (Dan Gurney and Juan Pablo Montoya were the other two.) Mario became only the second driver to win the Formula 1 World Championship when he won it in 1978 driving a Lotus-Ford for Colin Chapman. In fact, no American racing driver has won an F1 race since Mario won the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix. Besides his F1 exploits, Mario won four championships in Indy cars (one in CART and three in USAC), he won the Daytona 500 in 1967, and the 1969 Indianapolis 500 driving for Andy Granatelli. Mario was named United States Driver of the Year in three decades: 1967, 1978 and 1984. Mario is one of only three drivers to have won on road courses, paved ovals and dirt tracks in the same year, and he did it five times. After Mario scored his final Indy car win in April 1993, he became the first driver to have won Indy car races in four different decades. Mario won 109 major races during his spectacular career. Besides his Indy 500 win in 1969 (and missing out on so many others), my most memorable wins for Mario were the 1967 Daytona 500 and the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring. Discounted by the NASCAR establishment, Mario was in the No. 11 Ford Fairlane prepared by Holman & Moody for the race, and the team was split as to whether or not they were supporting the Italian-American interloper. His teammate was the great Fred Lorenzen, but it was clear after practice and qualifying that Mario had been given a engine that was down on power. He made his displeasure known to Ford - it was a one-off race for Mario - and he was given a new engine for the race. The only problem was that Mario had set up his car in qualifying super-loose to compensate for the lack of power, which meant that in the race he would be forced to hang the rear end out and dirt track it for the entire 500 miles if he wanted to go fast. Which is exactly what Mario did in a jaw-dropping display of car control the likes of which the NASCAR boys had never seen. But Mario had one more hurdle thrown at him before his trip to Victory Lane. He made his last pit stop at the same time as Lorenzen, but the pro-Lorenzen Holman & Moody crew kept Mario up on the jack stands until Freddie got down to the end of the pit lane. Furious, Mario caught and passed Lorenzen and went on to win. It was a very unpopular victory in NASCAR Land, but for Mario it was one of his greatest performances. The 1970 12 Hours of Sebring was another incredible performance by Mario. Driving for the factory Ferrari team (with co-driver Arturo Merzario), Mario put the No. 19 Ferrari 512 S on the pole, almost one second clear of the factory No. 14 Gulf Porsche 917K driven by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman. Another interesting entry was the No. 48 Porsche 908/02 driven by Peter Revson and actor Steve McQueen. McQueen had a cast on his foot which made it extremely difficult to drive, so Revson did the majority of the driving in the race. (Mario was irked that McQueen garnered all of the attention from the press, knowing full well that the fate of the No. 48 machine rested on Revson's shoulders.) After Mario and his teammate either led or were up front most of the race, the No. 19 Ferrari had to be retired with gearbox issues with 30 minutes left in the race. Ferrari team leader Mauro Forghieri made the decision to pull Ignazio Giunti out of the No. 21 Ferrari 512 S and put Andretti in, because Mario was quicker. Though the No. 21 Ferrari was a lap down to Siffert and Revson, who were running 1-2, Mario went out and turned in lap after lap at qualifying speeds, un-lapping himself in short order. As Mario set out to run down the leaders, Siffert's Porsche 917 was suddenly out of the race with front suspension failure, and Revson took over the lead. Mario got past Revson, only to have to give up the lead again when he had to make a last-gasp pit stop for fuel. Mario entered the track with one lap to go in the race, and delivered a blistering last lap to blow by Revson for the win. It was a truly magnificent - and memorable - performance. Mario was born on February 28, 1940; he will be 81 next month.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the previous issues, I have recalled some - but not all - of my favorites (scroll down to "next 1 entries" to read previous issues -WG), and there are clearly many more exceptional drivers to cover. I am going to pause this series with this issue, but I will continue it at a future date.
Norman Graham Hill (with Jackie Stewart and Lola's Eric Broadley at Indianapolis in this photo) was one of Britain's greatest racing drivers. With a quintessential look out of central casting for a British Grand Prix driver, Hill won the World Championship in 1962 (BRM) and 1968 (Lotus), and finished second in 1963, 1964 and 1965. To date, he is the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 (1966), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1972) and an F1 World Championship. Hill was precise, consistent and very quick, which was aptly demonstrated by the fact that he won the Monaco Grand Prix five times (1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969). Hill set up his own F1 Team in 1973 called Embassy Hill, and even though he continued to race, he retired from driving after failing to qualify for the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix. Hill and five of his team members were tragically killed on November 29, 1975, when the plane Hill was piloting crashed in the fog on the Arkley golf course while on approach to the Elstree Airfield in North London. When Graham's son Damon won the F1 World Championship in 1996 for Williams Grand Prix Engineering, they became the first father and son to win the World Championship.
Denis Clive "Denny" Hulme was a New Zealand racing driver who won the 1967 F1 World Championship driving for Brabham (who is also in the picture above). Hulme won a total of eight F1 races in 112 Grand Prix starts, but he endeared himself to U.S racing fans by driving for Team McLaren in the Can-Am series. The dominant McLaren team won five straight Can-Am titles (1967 - 1971), and Hulme was magnificent, winning the driver's championship twice during that streak and also finishing second four times. Hulme was instrumental in pulling the McLaren team together after the sudden death of team leader Bruce McLaren, which happened two weeks before the beginning of the 1970 Can-Am season. Hulme also competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times (1967, 1968, 1969, 1971), finishing fourth in 1967 and 1968. Hulme died from a heart attack on October 4, 1992, while driving a BMW M3 in the Bathurst 1000 in Australia at the age of 56.
Bruce Leslie McLaren is one of the most legendary figures in motor racing. A superb designer, engineer, development driver and racing driver, the New Zealander raced for Cooper, Eagle and his own team in F1, winning four races. McLaren's first F1 win was in the 1959 U.S. Grand Prix at Sebring; his fourth and last win came in the Belgian Grand Prix in 1968, which was also the first win for McLaren as a manufacturer in F1. Bruce also raced for Ford at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 and 1966. McLaren and co-driver Chris Amon won at Le Mans in 1966 in a controversial finish, after the leading Ford Mk II driven by Ken Miles and Denny Hulme was ruled finishing second in a botched photo finish arranged by Ford operatives. But McLaren's reputation as a driver and talented engineer was burnished in the Can-Am series here in the U.S. when his team dominated the series from 1967-1971. McLaren won the driver's title twice in those years (1967, 1969), but it was his series of McLaren Can-Am machines that were most impressive and remain so to this day. Jim Hall's Chaparrals may have been more innovative, but McLaren's cars were superbly prepared and showed up at the first race every season with thousands of development miles on them, and it showed. They were blistering fast with impeccable reliability, and McLaren and Hulme simply crushed the opposition. Bruce McLaren was killed while testing a McLaren M8D Chevrolet for the upcoming Can-Am season at the Goodwood Circuit in England on June 2, 1970. He was 32 (watch a tribute video here). The cause of the crash was due to the rear bodywork coming loose on the Lavant Straight, which was just before Woodcote corner. The McLaren M8D became unstable, spun and went off the track impacting a bunker used as a flagging station. McLaren died instantly. Eoin Young said that Bruce McLaren had "virtually penned his own epitaph" in his 1964 book From the Cockpit. Referring to the death of teammate Timmy Mayer, McLaren had written: The news that he had died instantly was a terrible shock to all of us, but who is to say that he had not seen more, done more and learned more in his few years than many people do in a lifetime? To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone. McLaren's legacy lives on in the F1 team - Team McLaren - which has had eight Constructor's championships and twelve Driver's championships.
Australian Jack Brabham sits in the mid-engined No. 17 Cooper-Climax in the pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 1961. Brabham previewed the "mid-engine revolution" two years before the Lotus-Ford appeared at The Speedway; he finished ninth. Brabham contributed immeasurably to the design and engineering of Cooper-Climax F1 cars, and he won the World Championship driving Coopers in 1959 and 1961. But "Black Jack" Brabham wasn't satisfied with the pace of development of the Cooper F1 machines, so he left to form his own Brabham Racing Organization, with key assistance from his longtime friend and designer, Ron Tauranac. Brabham commissioned Repco, an Australian engineering company, to develop a racing V8 for the new 3.0-liter engine rules for the 1966 F1 season. Since Repco had zero experience in designing complete engines, Brabham identified the 215-cu. in. aluminum V8 that GM had used in production Oldsmobiles as a suitable starting point. He was right. The combination of Brabham, his BT19 chassis and the lightweight aluminum Repco V8 - using many production parts - resulted in Brabham's third and final World Championship in 1966. Brabham's last F1 win was at the 1970 South African Grand Prix. He retired at the end of the 1970 season at the age of 44. Brabham's three sons - Geoff, Gary and David - all had racing careers of their own. Matthew, Jack's grandson (son of Geoff), also has a racing career. Jack Brabham died on May 19, 2014, at the age of 88.
Mark Neary Donohue Jr. sits in his No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco/Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30 Turbo in the pit lane at Mid-Ohio, August 1973. Mark was a gifted development driver/engineer and an exceptional talent behind the wheel. Mark drove for the Ford factory team at Le Mans in 1966 and 1967. Mark's partnership with Roger Penske in the early days forged the blueprint for Penske Racing's success that lives on to this day in Team Penske. Mark won the USRRC Championship in 1967 (Penske Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet) and 1968 (Penske McLaren M6A Chevrolet). Donohue and Penske started racing the Chevrolet Camaro in the 1967 Trans-Am series, with Mark winning three races. In 1968, Mark won the Championship for Chevrolet in his No. 6 Penske Sunoco Camaro, winning ten of thirteen races. He won again in a Camaro in 1969, finished second to the Ford Mustang driven by Parnelli Jones in 1970 (Mark was driving a Penske AMC Javelin), and won the Trans-Am Championship again in 1971 driving a Javelin. Donohue's engineering talent was legendary, and many of the innovations pioneered on Penske racing machines in the early years came directly from Mark. Once when asked what a particular piece on one of Penske's race cars was made out of, Mark replied, "unobtainium." But Mark's driving talent was prodigious. He delivered the first win for Penske in the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway driving his No. 66 McLaren M16-Offenhauser, setting a record average speed of 162 mph, which stood for twelve years. Donohue also gave Roger his first win in NASCAR, winning the 1972 season opener in his AMC Matador at Riverside. In 1971, Penske and Donohue went to the Porsche factory to discuss the possibility of running a factory Porsche 917 in the Can-Am series. But what Donohue and Penske found upon closer inspection of the Porsche was that it was shockingly ill-prepared for the task at hand. Donohue took it as his personal project to turn the proposed Porsche 917 Turbo into a proper, competitive Can-Am machine. He re-engineered the chassis in its entirety, he had the bodywork completely revised, and a thorough rework of the engine was undertaken. By the time the No. 6 Penske Racing L&M Porsche 917/10 Turbo was rolled of the hauler for the 1972 Can-Am at Road Atlanta, it was a formidable machine. Except that things didn't go as planned, because during the first practice session, the rear bodywork of the Porsche came loose coming out of Turn 7 at 150 mph, and the car flipped down the track. Mark was lucky to survive with only knee and ligament damage, but he was out until further notice. Penske called up George Follmer to take the reins of the No. 6 Porsche, and George promptly went out and won the 1972 Can-Am Championship. Mark returned at the end of the season to drive a second Penske Porsche 917/10 Turbo, but he had already begun work on an all-new car for the 1973 season: The long-tail Porsche 917/30 Turbo, which would be powered by a turbocharged flat twelve that delivered between 1100 and 1500 horsepower, depending on the boost setting that could be adjusted in the cockpit. Donohue flat dominated the 1973 Can-Am Championship, winning all but two races, and setting race and lap records along the way. I was at Road America that year when Donohue set the absolute track record (2:57), which lasted for fourteen years. It was incredible and something I will never forget. The Can-Am faded after that, with many people saying that the Porsche 917/30 Turbo had "killed" the series, and Donohue announced his retirement at the end of that season. But Donohue returned in that same car - modified for high-speed work - and set a closed course speed record of 221.120 mph at the Talladega Superspeedway on August 9, 1975, which stood for eleven years. Mark also returned to race in the inaugural 1973-1974 IROC series - Porsche 911 RSRs developed by Donohue were used - and won two of the races and the Championship. When Roger announced an F1 effort for the 1975 season, Mark came out of retirement to drive the Penske PC-1, but it was problematic and the team switched to a March 751 midway through the F1 season. After setting the closed-course record at Talladega, Mark arrived to compete in the Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring. During practice, Mark lost control of the March after a tire failed at the fastest corner at the track - the Vöest Hügel Kurve - and the car veered into catch fencing. A track marshal was killed by debris from the accident, but Mark did not appear to be injured significantly. It was determined, however, that Donohue's helmet had struck either a catch fencing post or the bottom of the wood frame for an advertising billboard located alongside of the racetrack. He returned to the pits and was talking to Roger and the team, but he soon complained of a severe headache that quickly worsened. Donohue went to a hospital in Graz the next day, but he lapsed into a coma from a cerebral hemorrhage and died on August 19, 1975. Mark was the heart and soul of Penske racing and his enduring legacy lives on.

Editor's Note: One of Peter's most-requested Fumes columns has been his series on "Favorite Racing Cars." He has edited it, plus we've enhanced it with more photos. Enjoy. -WG

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Anyone who has grown up in and around the sport has developed a list of favorite racing cars from the time they were kids. It usually started along the way with favorite model building kits or slot car sets, but we all developed our favorites, which we've all added to over the years. I am no exception. As a matter of fact, my list is extensive and at times convoluted, and by no means is it meant to be some sort of be-all and end-all, but I'm going to throw it out here anyway. (Yes, everyone has their lists, so if you have favorites to add, feel free to do so in Reader Mail - WG) 

Editor's Note: One of Peter's most-requested Fumes columns has been his series on "Favorite Racing Cars." He has edited it, plus we've enhanced it with more photos. Enjoy. -WG

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Anyone who has grown up in and around the sport has developed a list of favorite racing cars from the time they were kids. It usually started along the way with favorite model building kits or slot car sets, but we all developed our favorites, which we've all added to over the years. I am no exception. As a matter of fact, my list is extensive and at times convoluted, and by no means is it meant to be some sort of be-all and end-all, but I'm going to throw it out here anyway. (Yes, everyone has their lists, so if you have favorites to add, feel free to do so in Reader Mail - WG) 

Designed by Vittorio Jano for Lancia in 1954, the Lancia D50 Grand Prix entry pioneered many significant innovations. For example, the engine acted as a stressed chassis member and it was also mounted off-center, which allowed for a lower overall height; and the pannier fuel cells were used for better aerodynamic performance and more balanced weight distribution. The D50 made its debut at the end of the 1954 Grand Prix season with two-time World Champion and Italian driving great Alberto Ascari behind the wheel. It was blistering fast right out of the box, but because the Lancia family was facing severe financial trouble, the Lancia family sold their controlling share in the Lancia company, and the assets of its racing team - Scuderia Lancia - were granted to Scuderia Ferrari. Although Ferrari continued to develop the car, many of Jano's most innovative design characteristics were removed. The car was first renamed as the "Lancia-Ferrari D50" but that was quickly dropped in favor of "Ferrari D50". Juan Manuel Fangio (above) won the 1956 World Championship driving the D50 for Ferrari. The D50s were entered in fourteen World Championship F1 Grands Prix, winning five.
(RM Sotheby's)
The Jaguar D-Type is one of the most iconic racing cars ever built. Originally produced between 1954 and 1957, the Jaguar bristled with technical innovation heavily influenced by the aviation business. It featured monocoque construction and a sophisticated approach to aerodynamic efficiency. The Jaguar D-Type won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Jaguar is now producing 25 "continuation" D-Types, which will be priced at $1.4 million. I expect the prices for these continuation models to soar, especially since original D-Types now go for over $20 million.

(Grand Prix History)
The Lotus 25 revolutionized the design of open-wheel racing cars and fundamentally changed the sport. The mid-engined Lotus 25 was not the first racing car with a monocoque chassis, but its visionary design by Colin Chapman combined with the brilliance of Jimmy Clark resulted in phenomenal success. Clark won seven out of ten races and his first World Championship with the Lotus 25 in 1963. 
(Ford Racing Archives)
Jimmy Clark (with Colin Chapman) in the Lotus 38-Ford during practice for the 1965 Indianapolis 500. He would win the race handily.

(Autosport)
Speaking of iconic racing machines, Mario Andretti won his World Championship in 1978 with the beautiful and highly innovative Lotus 79-Ford. 

Parnelli Jones in the all-wheel-drive No. 40 STP-Paxton Turbocar machine dominated the 1967 Indianapolis 500 at will. Jones coasted to a stop with three laps to go because of a $6.00 transmission bearing failure. Innovation courtesy of Andy Granatelli, a man who never got enough credit for his vision.

Graham Hill in the No. 70 STP Lotus 56 Turbine machine at Indianapolis in 1968. Colin Chapman took the turbine power idea to heart and came up with a visionary car design of his own for the 1968 Indianapolis 500. 

Mario Andretti's No. 11 Ford Fairlane "stock car" with which he stunned the NASCAR establishment by winning the 1967 Daytona 500. The 60s NASCAR machines were brutal, purposeful but beautiful in their own right.
I may have already mentioned this car, but Jackie Stewart's 1971 Carl Haas Racing L&M Lola T260 Chevrolet remains one of my favorite Can-Am machines of all time. I watched Stewart manhandle this evil handling machine, wringing every last drop of speed out of it while giving Team McLaren fits. It may have not been the prettiest of machines, but in Stewart's hands it was magnificent.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week. 

(Dave Friedman photo)
Las Vegas, Nevada, 1966. Talk about an all-star lineup. Early laps of the Stardust Grand Prix Can-Am race with John Surtees (No. 7 Team Surtees Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet); Jim Hall (No. 66 Chaparral 2E Chevrolet); Parnelli Jones (No. 98 John Mecom Racing Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet); Phil Hill (No. 65 Chaparral 2E Chevrolet); Jackie Stewart (No. 43 John Mecom Racing Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet); George Follmer (No. 16 Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet); Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Elva Mark II B Chevrolet); Chris Amon (No. 5 McLaren Elva Mark II Chevrolet) and Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Special Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet). Results: 1. Surtees 2. McLaren 3. Donohue.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Anyone who has grown up in and around the sport has developed a list of favorite racing cars from the time they were kids. It usually started along the way with favorite model building kits or slot car sets, but we all developed our favorites, which we've all added to over the years. I am no exception. As a matter of fact, my list is extensive and at times convoluted, and by no means is it meant to be some sort of be-all and end-all, but I'm going to throw it out here anyway. (Yes, everyone has their lists, so if you have favorites to add, feel free to do so in Reader Mail - WG) 

(Photo by Dave Friedman)
There is something special about the 60s NASCAR "Grand National" stock cars (before they became known as "Cup" cars). Brutal, purposeful and just enough of a "stock" look to make it interesting. Here is Junior Johnson in his No. 27 Holly Farms Poultry Ford in the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside International Raceway on January 17, 1965. Johnson finished second to the great Dan Gurney (No. 121 Wood Brothers Augusta Motor Sales Ford) that day.
Dan Gurney in the No. 31 All American Racers Eagle/Ford - his very first Eagle Indy car - during practice for the 1966 Indianapolis 500. Gurney's early Eagles - including his magnificent 1967 Eagle F1 machine - were some of the most beautiful open-wheel cars ever built.
(Audi)    
The mid-engine Auto Union Grand Prix cars were some of the most stunning machines ever created. The Auto Union racing machines - Type A to Type D - were developed and built by a specialist racing department of the company's Horch works in Zwickau, Germany, between 1933 and 1939. The Types A, B and C Auto Union racing machines used from 1934 to 1937 had supercharged V16 engines. The last car in the series - the Type D - was used in 1938 and 1939 and designed to compete under the new 1938 regulations. The Type D had a supercharged 3.0-liter V12 that developed almost 550HP. The machines were very difficult to handle due to extreme power/weight ratios (wheelspin could be induced at over 100 mph), and their extreme oversteer due to the fact that most of the weight was over the rear wheels. The Type D was easiest to drive because of its smaller, lower mass engine that was better positioned toward the machine's center. Between 1935 and 1937, Auto Union Grand Prix cars won 25 races. They were driven by such stars as Ernst von Delius, Tazio Nuvolari, Bernd Rosemeyer (who was particularly adept at handling the difficult machines), Hans Stuck and Achille Varzi. Auto Union's main rivals were the Grand Prix machines from Mercedes-Benz, and their battles produced one of the most glorious eras in Grand Prix racing history. Both factories were awarded huge sums of money from the Hitler regime in order to project the image of German technical superiority. Since the German machines were painted silver, they became known as the Silver Arrows, and they dominated Grand Prix racing until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
(Audi)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 24, 1981. After winning the Indy 500 the year before (his third win), Johnny Rutherford (No. 1 Chaparral Racing Pennzoil Chaparral 2K/Cosworth) lasted just three laps in the 1981 race. But the Chaparral 2K was the dominant machine at The Speedway in 1979 and 1980. Designed by John Barnard, the 2K started off somewhat conventionally with its bonded and riveted aluminum monocoque chassis. At the front, lower wishbones and top rockers were fitted, while a double wishbone design was utilized in the rear. The magic could be found in its “ground effects” design principles. Two long tunnels ran under the 2K, and as the air passing underneath the car entered the forward section of the tunnels, it created a low pressure zone beneath the car. This had the effect of sucking the car down against the road, increasing the tire grip. The added grip helped the car corner faster and accelerate quicker than its competitors.. The Chaparral 2K was powered by a turbocharged, 2.65-liter Cosworth V8 producing in excess of 700HP. This was fed to the rear wheels through a Weismann four-speed gearbox. The narrow engine and gearbox allowed the ground effect tunnels to run all the way to the integrally mounted rear wing.
Riverside International Raceway, October 30, 1966. John Surtees (No. 7 Team Surtees Ltd. Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet) on his way to winning the Can-Am. Lola racing cars were some of the most strikingly beautiful machines ever built. The T70 Can-Am car certainly qualified as such, and the T70 Mk.3B Coupe for distance racing was even more so. It is always a thrill to see these machines run in vintage races.
Laguna Seca, October 12, 1975. Speaking of beautiful Lola racing machines, the Lola T332 Chevrolets that raced in the F5000 series in the U.S. were blistering fast and extremely successful. Here, Mario Andretti (No. 5 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Viceroy Lola T332 Chevrolet) and Al Unser (No. Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing 51 Viceroy Lola T332 Chevrolet) make up the front row for the F5000 race at Laguna Seca. Mario and Al ran 1-2 that day.