1.
Lola T332
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The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. The T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States. The Lola commonly used the 5.0 L Chevrolet V8 engine, though some competitors in Australia and New Zealand used the slightly cheaper, the alloy/steel tub of the T332 followed standard Lola design practice with twin bulkheads and utilised a semi-stressed engine and transmission. Twin side radiators were mounted in front of the wheels which were located by upper and lower links. Driven through a Hewland DG300 five-speed transmission, a Chevrolet powered T332 was once timed at 305 km/h at the now closed Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, Australian driver Warwick Brown used a T332 to win the 1975 Tasman Series as well as the 1975 New Zealand Grand Prix. In doing so he became the only Australian driver to win the Tasman Series. New Zealand driver Ken Smith also used a Lola T332 to win the 1976 New Zealand Grand Prix, as a side note, both the 1975 and 1976 New Zealand Grand Prixs were held at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Walker also used a T332 to finish second in the 1975 Australian Drivers Championship, the Official 50 Race History of the Australian Grand Prix. Lola T332 at OldRacingCars. com Lola Group
2.
Open-wheel car
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An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the cars main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, open-wheel cars are usually built specifically for racing, frequently with a higher degree of technological sophistication than in other forms of motor sport. Open-wheel street cars, such as the Ariel Atom, are scarce as they are often impractical for everyday use. American racecar driver and constructor Ray Harroun was a pioneer of the concept of a lightweight single-seater. After working as a mechanic in the industry, Harroun began competitive professional racing in 1906. He was then hired by the Marmon Motor Car Company as chief engineer, charged with building a racecar intended to race at the very first Indianapolis 500 and he developed a revolutionary concept which would become the originator and forefather of the single-seater racecar design. A typical open-wheeler has a minimal cockpit sufficient only to enclose the drivers body, in the Whelen Modified Tour and other short track modified series, the drivers head is contained in the car. Some major races, such as the Singapore Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix, however, most open-wheel races are on dedicated road courses, such as Watkins Glen International in the US, Nürburgring in Germany, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Silverstone in Great Britain. The Whelen Modified Tour is the only opened wheeled race car series endorsed by NASCAR and this series races on most of NASCARs most famous tracks in the United States. Other asphalt modified series race on tracks in the United States and Canada. Open-wheeled racing is among the fastest in the world, Formula 1 cars can reach speeds in excess of 360 kilometres per hour. At Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Antônio Pizzonia of BMW Williams F1 team recorded a top speed of 369.9 kilometres per hour in the 2004 Italian Grand Prix. Since the end of the V10 era in 2006 speeds like this have not been reached, with contemporary machinery reaching around 360 kilometres per hour. It is difficult to give precise figures for the top speeds of Formula 1 cars, as the cars do not have speedometers as such. The speed traps on fast circuits such as Monza give a good indication, speeds on ovals can range in constant excess of 210–220 miles per hour, and at Indianapolis in excess of 230 miles per hour. Some sources claim that in 1996, Paul Tracy recorded a speed of 256.948 miles per hour at Michigan International Speedway. In 2000, Gil de Ferran set the qualifying record of 241.428 miles per hour at California Speedway. Even on tight non-oval street circuits such as the Grand Prix of Toronto, driving an open-wheel car is substantially different from driving a car with fenders
3.
McLaren
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McLaren Racing Limited, competing as McLaren Honda, is a British Formula One team based at the McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has competed in and won the Indianapolis 500. The team is the second oldest active team after Ferrari and they are one of the most successful teams in Formula One history, having won 182 races,12 drivers championships and eight constructors championships. The team is an owned subsidiary of McLaren Technology Group. Further American triumph followed, with Indianapolis 500 wins in McLaren cars for Mark Donohue in 1972, the combination of Prost and Senna was particularly dominant—together they won all but one race in 1988—but later their rivalry soured and Prost left for Ferrari. Fellow English team Williams offered the most consistent challenge during this period, however, by the mid-1990s, Honda had withdrawn from Formula One, Senna had moved to Williams, and the team went three seasons without a win. Ron Dennis retired as McLaren team principal in 2009, handing the role to longtime McLaren employee Martin Whitmarsh. At the end of 2013, after the teams worst season since 2004, McLaren announced in 2013 that they would be using Honda engines from 2015 onwards, replacing Mercedes-Benz. The team raced as McLaren-Honda for the first time since 1992 at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren. Bruce was a driver for the British Formula One team Cooper with whom he had won three Grands Prix and come second in the 1960 world championship. In 1964 and 1965, McLaren were based in New Malden, then Feltham, during this period, Bruce drove for his team in sports car races in the United Kingdom and North America and also entered the 1965 Tasman Series with Phil Hill, but did not win it. He continued to drive in Grands Prix for Cooper, but judging that teams form to be waning, Bruce made the teams Grand Prix debut at the 1966 Monaco race. His race ended after nine laps due to an oil leak. Neither car brought great success, the best result being a fourth at Monaco, for 1968, after driving McLarens sole entry for the previous two years, Bruce was joined by 1967 champion and fellow New Zealander Denny Hulme, who was already racing for McLaren in Can-Am. That years new M7A car, Herds final design for the team, was powered by Cosworths new and soon to be ubiquitous DFV engine, Hulme also won the Italian and Canadian Grands Prix later in the year, helping the team to second in the constructors championship. The year 1970 started with a place each for Hulme. After his death, Teddy Mayer took over control of the team, Hulme continued with Dan Gurney. Gurney won the first two Can-Am events at Mosport and St. Jovite and placed ninth in the third, but left the team mid-season, and Gethin took over from there
4.
All American Racers
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All American Racers is an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. The Formula One team, based in the United Kingdom and using British-built Weslake engines was named Anglo American Racers, under team manager Bill Dunne they set up shop in Rye, East Sussex. The team were adjacent to Harry Weslakes engine development plant and half a mile from Elva cars and they participated in 25 Grands Prix, entering a total of 34 cars. The first Eagles were created after AAR entered a Goodyear-backed Lotus 38 in the 1965 Indianapolis 500, the resulting Ford-powered Eagle T2G was codeveloped with the Eagle T1G for Formula 1. The company built the Ben Bowlby-designed DeltaWing that was run by Highcroft Racing at the 201224 Hours of Le Mans, in order to run the Formula 1 operations, Gurney established Anglo American Racers. The Eagle T1G, powered by an obsolete Coventry Climax engine, debuted at the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix, in 1967 Richie Ginther was signed as a second driver. The Climax engine was replaced by a new 3-liter Weslake V12 designed by Aubrey Woods, at Spa-Francorchamps in June of that same year Gurney got a victory, the first all-American victory in a Grand Prix since Jimmy Murphy in 1921. Excluding the Indianapolis 500, this is the win for a USA-built car in Formula One. The Eagle-Weslake was a beautiful and efficient car, one example of which was constructed in titanium, more than this, the Eagle was designed to make the tall Gurney fit comfortably at the wheel. Their efforts produced a V12 that was smooth and powerful, at Monza, an insight into the future of engine design was seen for the first time. The engine had four valves per cylinder at a narrow included angle that allowed a cover to enclose both the close-spaced camshafts on each bank. Had a larger bore than stroke, during the USAC years, the Eagle chassis was very successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, especially with driver Bobby Unser. Eagles won 51 Champ Car races, including the 1968 and 1975 Indy 500s won by Unser, the All American Racers team was inactive in single seaters from 1987 to 1995 and returned in 1996 again building their own chassis and using new Toyota engines. However, this new effort, a combination of new and untested equipment, did not prove to be successful, never winning a race, the team ceased active racing after the 1999 CART season. Alex Barron Raul Boesel Geoff Brabham Mike Chandler Kevin Cogan Juan Manuel Fangio II Pete Halsmer P. J, in 1988, the team moved up to the GTP category with two chassis - a modified Toyota 88C Group C car and a team-designed Eagle HF89 purpose-built for IMSA competition. AAR experienced its greatest success in GTP competition with the Eagle MkIII, AAR created a special Trans-Am Series version of the Plymouth Barracuda, running in the 1970 season with drivers Dan Gurney and Swede Savage. A homologation special production edition was offered in 1970, * 4th place in the 1968 United States Grand Prix was scored in a McLaren-Ford, therefore the points did not count towards Eagle-Weslakes points total
5.
March Engineering
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March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. March Engineering began operations in 1969 and its four founders were Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker and Robin Herd. Herds original F1 plan was to build a team around Jochen Rindt. Marchs launch was unprecedented in its breadth and impact, the Formula One effort initially looked most promising, with March supplying its 701 chassis to Tyrrell for Jackie Stewart. In addition, the factory ran two cars for Jo Siffert and Chris Amon sponsored by STP. A third STP car, entered by Andy Granatelli for Mario Andretti, Ronnie Peterson appeared in a semi-works car for Colin Crabbe when his works Formula Two commitments allowed, various other 701s went to privateers. The team constructed ten Formula One chassis that year, in addition to Formula Two, Formula Three, Formula Ford and Can-Am chassis. Stewart gave the March its first Formula One victory at the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix, the 701s tanks though lacked endplates and skirts to help generate any meaningful ground effect. For the 1971 Formula One season March Engineering came up with the remarkable 711 chassis, which had aerodynamics by Frank Costin, the car took no wins, but Ronnie Peterson finished second on four occasions, ending as runner-up in the World Championship. Alfa Romeo V8 powered cars were entered, to little avail. The 1972 Formula One season completely failed to capitalise on the promise shown in 1970-71, Three distinct models of car were used, beginning with the 721, which was a development of the 711. Peterson and Niki Lauda then drove the disappointing experimental 721X factory cars, Frank Williams ran regular 711 and 721 customer cars for Henri Pescarolo and Carlos Pace. The 721G was light and quick, and the team soon built their own chassis. Had they started the year with these, wins may well have been possible, the 721G set the trend for future March F1 cars, which for the rest of the 1970s were essentially scaled-up F2 chassis. Meanwhile, March was going from strength to strength in Formula Two, also, the German team Eifelland entered under its own name a 721 much-modified with distinctive and eccentric bodywork by designer Luigi Colani for its driver Rolf Stommelen. This car was unsuccessful, and later reverted mostly to conventional 721 form and was used by John Watson to make his F1 debut for John Goldies Goldie Hexagon Racing team. Marchs only notable result was Petersons third place in Germany,1973 was the low-point for March in Formula One. Without significant STP money, the March factory team was struggling, running an almost unsponsored car for Jean-Pierre Jarier, Jarier was replaced by Tom Wheatcrofts driver Roger Williamson, who suffered a fatal accident in Zandvoort
6.
Lola Cars
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Lola Cars International Ltd. was a racing car engineering company founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. Enduring more than fifty years, it was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of racing cars in the world, Lola Cars started by building small front-engined sports cars, and branched out into Formula Junior cars before diversifying into a wider range of sporting vehicles. Lola was acquired by Martin Birrane in 1998 after the unsuccessful MasterCard Lola attempt at Formula One, Lola Cars was a brand of the Lola Group, which combined former rowing boat manufacturer Lola Aylings and Lola Composites, that specialized in carbon fibre production. After a period in administration, Lola Cars International ceased trading on 5 October 2012. Many of Lolas assets were purchased by a partnership composed of Multimatic Engineering. Lola was one of the top chassis suppliers in the 1960s, after its small front-engined sports cars came various single-seaters including Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1 cars. Broadley designed Lola Mk.6 coupe fitted with the Ford V8 engine, Ford took a keen interest in this and paid Broadley to put the company on hold for two years and merge his ideas with Roy Lunns work, giving rise to the Ford GT40. In 2005, Lola announced that a new batch of T70 coupés, to the original specifications and these will be homologated for historic racing and there is talk of a one-make series for the cars. Various Group 5 and Group 6 sports cars including the T212 and T28x/29x/38x/39x series were built, competing with Chevron, March. Alain de Cadenets Le Mans specials tended to be based on Lola technology, derivatives of this car were successful for some time in IMSA and Group C racing. Later Lola Group C and GTP cars tended to be specifically for manufacturer programmes, specifically the later Nissan Group C entries. Lola also built a car for the 3.5 L Group C formula, the T92/10, more recently, Lola has produced a range of sports cars for Le Mans-style racing starting with the B98/10, which was successful in the European market but less so in the USA. The B2K/10, with its additional central headlight reminiscent of a cyclops or a locomotive was more notable for its looks than its performance, a dedicated LMP675 car was built for MG in 2001, powered by a two-litre four-cylinder AER turbocharged engine. This was entered at Le Mans by the team as the MG-Lola EX257. Later developments of this car have been fitted with assorted small V8s, an updated version of the Lola LMP2 came in 2005 with the introduction of the Lola B05/40. It quickly became a contender in LMP2 by taking class honours in 2005 and 2006 at Le Mans with Ray Mallock Limited. It also earned several wins in the American Le Mans Series in 2005 and 2006 with Intersport Racing, including a second-place overall finish in the 200612 Hours of Sebring. In 2007, extensive updates were made to the chassis, to accommodate the all-new Acura powerplant run by Fernandez Racing, in addition, an essentially brand new LMP2 prototype, the B07/40, was built to house the new AER-based Mazda engine
7.
Team Lotus
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Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in motorsport series, including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar. The Lotus name returned to Formula One in 2010, as the name of Tony Fernandess Lotus Racing team. In 2011, Team Lotuss iconic black-and-gold livery returned to F1 as the livery of the Lotus Renault GP team, sponsored by Lotus Cars, colin Chapman established Lotus Engineering Ltd in 1952 at Hornsey, UK. Lotus achieved rapid success with the 1953 Mk 6 and the 1954 Mk 8 sports cars, Team Lotus was split off from Lotus Engineering in 1954. A new Formula Two regulation was announced for 1957, and in Britain, the following year, the Lotus 12 appeared. Driving one in 1958, Allison won the F2 class in the International Trophy at Silverstone, beating Stuart Lewis-Evanss Cooper. As the Coventry Climax engines were enlarged in 1952 to 2. 2-litres, Chapman decided to enter Grand Prix racing, running a pair of Lotus 12s at Monaco in 1958 for Graham Hill and these were replaced later that year by Lotus 16s. By then, the success had caused it to expand to such an extent that it had to move to new premises at Cheshunt. The first Formula One victory for Team Lotus came when Innes Ireland won the 1961 United States Grand Prix, a year earlier, Stirling Moss had recorded the first victory for a Lotus car at Monaco in his Lotus 18 entered by the independent Rob Walker Racing Team. There were successes in Formula Two and Formula Junior, the road car business was doing well with the Lotus Seven and the Lotus Elite and this was followed by the Lotus Elan in 1962. In 1963 Clark drove the Lotus 25 to a remarkable seven wins in a season and won the World Championship. The 1964 title was still for the taking by the time of the last race in Mexico but problems with Clarks Lotus, however, in 1965, Clark dominated again, six wins in his Lotus 33 gave him the championship. While very innovative, Chapman also came under criticism for the fragility of his designs. In Dave Friedmans book Indianapolis Memories 1961–1969, Dan Gurney is quoted as saying and we had several structural failures in those cars. But at the time, I felt it was the price you paid for getting something significantly better, a switch to the new Ford Cosworth DFV, designed by former Lotus employee Keith Duckworth, in 1967 returned the team to winning form. Although they failed to win the title in 1967, by the end of the season, the Lotus 49, however, for 1968 Lotus had lost its exclusive right to use the DFV. The season-opening 1968 South African Grand Prix confirmed Lotuss superiority, with Jim Clark and it would be Clarks last win
8.
Elfin Sports Cars
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Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd is the current name of the car company which was founded by Garrie Cooper. It has been an Australian manufacturer of cars and motor racing cars since 1957. Elfin Sports Cars is owned by the estate of former British racing driver Tom Walkinshaw and it was previously owned by businessmen and historic racing enthusiasts Bill Hemming and Nick Kovatch who purchased it in 1998. Elfin is the oldest continuous sports car maker in Australia and one of the most successful with 29 championships, the original factory was located at Conmurra Avenue, Edwardstown in suburban Adelaide, South Australia. The company is located at Braeside, a suburb of Melbourne. The company was founded by Garrie Cooper, a championship driver and designer and builder of racing and sports-racing cars as Elfin Sports Car Company. In 1993, Victorian Murray Richards acquired Elfin and set out to build a new generation Elfin Clubman called the Type 3, in failing health, he sold Elfin to Bill Hemming and Nick Kovatch in 1998. Currently, Elfin is owned by the estate of British racing driver Tom Walkinshaw, there is a heritage centre dedicated to Elfin Sports Cars in Melbourne. The centre features around 12 current and historic vehicles on display, in addition Elfin cars also won the Singapore Grand Prix, the Malaysian Grand Prix, and the New Zealand Grand Prix. Drivers of Elfin cars included 1976 Formula One World Champion James Hunt, others included Australian F1 drivers Vern Schuppan and Larry Perkins, as well as John Bowe, Frank Matich, John McCormack, Bob Jane, John Harvey, Allan Grice and Peter Manton. Elfin is currently producing two V8 powered sports cars, the MS8 Streamliner and the MS8 Clubman and has introduced an entry-level model. The engines are supplied by GM Powertrain, the original company produced 248 racing and sports racing cars in 27 different models over a 25-year period
9.
Matich
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The Matich SR3 was a Group A Sports Car built for Matich by Bob Britton in 1967. It was powered by an Oldsmobile V8 engine and was driven to victory by Matich in the 1967 Australian Tourist Trophy, later in the year, Matich raced in both the US Can-Am series and in Australia, with two SR3s fitted with 4. 4-litre Repco V8 engines. Matich won the 1968 Australian Tourist Trophy with a Repco powered SR3, a completely new design, the Matich SR4, was produced with designer-frabricator Henry Nehrybecki for 1969 utilising a quad cam Repco 740 V8. Matich dominated the inaugural Australian Sports Car Championship in that year, the SR4B was a sports racing car of circa 1969 which was powered by a Ford Twin Cam engine. In 1970 it was revised, renamed as the Matich SR5, following the adoption of Formula 5000 regulations into Australian Formula 1 in 1971, Matich and Nehrybecki produced the Matich A50, the first single seater to wear the Matich name. The A50 was designed as a replacement for Frank Matichs successful McLaren M10B, designed on a modular basis with separate front suspension, cockpit and rear end, the car was powered by a 5.0 L Repco Holden V8 engine. Matich drove an A50 to victory in the cars first race, just three months after his 1971 AGP success, Matich qualified the A50 on pole for the 1972 Australian Grand Prix at Sandown and led early before retiring with scavenge pump failure on lap 5. Frank Matich then went on to win the 1972 Australian Drivers Championship at the wheel of his A50, a total of four A50s were built during this period. Chassis 005 was used by Lella Lombardi in 2 races in 1974 and was sold to John Goss who rebuilt it as an A53. Chassis 006 was modified and became the A52, Matich built a revised car, the Matich A52, using A51-006 monocoque for the 1973 Australian Drivers Championship. The A52 had side radiators, a shorter wheelbase, shorter nose, after just a single race, Matich withdrew from the championship and put his cars up for sale. It was later wrecked in a testing accident, the Matich A53 was raced by Matich in the 1974 Tasman Series after which he retired from racing. The car then sold to John Goss who finished 9th in the 1974 Australian Drivers Championship and it failed to start the 1974 Australian Grand Prix at Oran Park due to engine failure. However, the Ford engine provided power and ultimately proved uncompetitive compared to the Repco and, after Goss sold the car to Mel McEwin. During its competition life the Matich A50-53s Repco-Holden power output was rated around 500 bhp, the Official 50 Race History of the Australian Grand Prix
10.
Chevron Cars Ltd
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This article is about the manufacturer of racing cars, for the Chevron promotional cartoon see Chevron Cars. Chevron Cars Ltd. is an English manufacturer of racing cars, following Bennetts death in 1978, the firm has remained active in various guises. The original companys designs and name continue to be used to build replacement parts, in 2000, Chevron Racing Cars Ltd. Derek Bennett was born in 1933 in Manchester, he was brought up in Prestwich and he was a largely self-taught, intuitive engineer and a talented amateur racing driver. In his early years Bennett took a keen interest in model aircraft, aided by a small staff of like-minded enthusiasts, for a decade and a half Chevron produced successful, beautiful racing cars. Bennett never proceeded beyond Formula Three in his own driving but remained quick enough to test and develop many of his cars, especially at the nearby Oulton Park and he was working on a Formula One Chevron when he was killed in a hang-gliding accident in 1978. Chevron was particularly noted for its small-capacity sports cars and its Formula Two, Formula Three, Bennett was notable in his design genius for the first car with a Diffuser - Chevron GT, first car with a Crash Box Chevron B16. The B16 Spyder was introduced, with an inspired by Porsche 908 Spyder. Chevron was active and very successful in single seater formulae during this period, concentrating mostly upon Formula 3 Formula Two, nearly every Formula 1 driver of the 1970s drove a Chevron in their earlier careers including Niki Lauda. Many of Chevrons notable customers were also from the North of England including John Bridges, Digby Martland, and John Lepp. Several key Chevron employees, including designer Paul Brown and co founder and Director Owens, also worked on the short-lived Maurer Formula Two cars, and later a Director at Reynard Racing Cars. This company produced spare parts for the range of Chevron cars as well as designing and building a few new Sports 2000 and Formula Atlantic models up until 1983 when this company also liquidated. Produced over 50 cars for Formula Ford, Formula Ford 2000, Sports 2000 and they continued their existing business as Chevron restorers and Race preparers. In 2006 Chris Smith purchased a majority holding in the newly started company called Chevron Cars Ltd. from the owners Roger Andreason. Both Roger and Tim remained minority shareholders, with Tim remaining as a Director, the following five years saw Chris Smith invest substantially in Chevron. During this time he oversaw the construction of around 10 Continuation B8 and B16 models, helen and Vin will remain as consultants. Chevrons are popular cars in racing and various businesses still refettle. Continuation models of the 1970s Chevron B16 are built by both Chevron Cars and Chevron Racing, and are eligible for racing with FIA approval
11.
Sports car racing
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Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going models, a type of hybrid between the purism of open-wheelers and the familiarity of touring car racing, this style is often associated with the annual Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. First run in 1923, Le Mans is one of the oldest motor races still in existence, other classic but now defunct sports car races include the Italian classics, the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia, and the Mexican Carrera Panamericana. Most top class sports car races emphasize endurance, reliability, and strategy, longer races usually involve complex pit strategy and regular driver changes. These makers top road cars have often very similar both in engineering and styling to those raced. This close association with the nature of the cars serves as a useful distinction between sports car racing and touring cars. The 12 Hours of Sebring,24 Hours of Daytona, and 24 Hours of Le Mans were once considered the trifecta of sports car racing. In the 1920s, the used in endurance racing and Grand Prix were still basically identical, with fenders. Cars such as the Bugatti Type 35 were almost equally at home in Grands Prix and endurance events, but specialisation gradually started to differentiate the sports-racer from the Grand Prix car. As mainly Italian cars and races defined the genre, the category was called Gran Turismo, as long distances had to be travelled, reliability and some basic comfort were necessary in order to endure the task. After the Second World War, sports car racing emerged as a form of racing with its own classic races. Top Grand Prix drivers also competed regularly in sports car racing, from 1962 sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars with the FIA replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The US scene tended to feature small MG and Porsche cars in the smaller classes, the combination of mostly British chassis and American V8 engines gave rise to the popular and spectacular Can-Am series in the 1960s and 1970s. Clubmans provided much entertainment at club-racing level from the 1960s into the 1990s, after a relative period of decline in the 1980s a British GT Championship emerged in the mid-90s. Road races such as the Mille Miglia included everything from stock touring cars to World Championship contenders, the Mille Miglia was the largest sporting event in Italy until a fatal accident caused its demise in 1957. The Targa Florio, another road race, remained part of the world championship until the 1970s. Between the late 1960s and late 1970s, Matra and Renault made significant, the competition at Le Mans even made it to the movie screens, with Steve McQueens film Le Mans. This era was seen by many as the highpoint of sports car racing, with the technology, a peculiarly American form of sports car racing was the Can-Am series, in which virtually unlimited sports prototypes competed in relatively short races
12.
Chevrolet
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Chevrolet, colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors. Louis Chevrolet and ousted General Motors founder William C. Durant started the company on November 3,1911 as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. Durant used the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to acquire a stake in General Motors with a reverse merger occurring on May 2,1918. Chevrolet-branded vehicles are sold in most automotive markets worldwide, with the exception of Oceania. However, GM reversed this move in late 2013, announcing that the brand would be withdrawn from Europe, with the exception of the Camaro, Chevrolet vehicles will continue to be marketed in the CIS states, including Russia. After General Motors fully acquired GM Daewoo in 2011 to create GM Korea, in North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Durant was cast out from the management of General Motors in 1910 for five years and he took over the Flint Wagon Works, incorporating the Mason and Little companies. As head of Buick Motor Company prior to founding GM, Durant had hired Louis Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races, Durant planned to use Chevrolets reputation as a racer as the foundation for his new automobile company. Actual design work for the first Chevy, the costly Series C Classic Six, was drawn up by Etienne Planche, the first C prototype was ready months before Chevrolet was actually incorporated. However the first actual production wasnt until the 1913 model, so in essence there were no 1911 or 1912 production models, only the 1 pre-production model was made and fine tuned throughout the early part of 1912. Then in the fall of that year the new 1913 model was introduced at the New York auto show, Chevrolet first used the bowtie emblem logo in 1914 on the H series models and The L Series Model. It may have been designed from wallpaper Durant once saw in a French hotel room, more recent research by historian Ken Kaufmann presents a case that the logo is based on a logo of the Coalettes coal company. An example of this logo as it appeared in an advertisement for Coalettes appeared in the Atlanta Constitution on November 12,1911, others claim that the design was a stylized Swiss cross, in tribute to the homeland of Chevrolets parents. Chevrolet eventually unified all vehicle models with the gold bowtie in 2004, Louis Chevrolet had differences with Durant over design and in 1914 sold Durant his share in the company. By 1916, Chevrolet was profitable enough with successful sales of the cheaper Series 490 to allow Durant to repurchase a controlling interest in General Motors. After the deal was completed in 1917, Durant became president of General Motors, in 1919, Chevrolets factories were located at Flint, Michigan, branch assembly locations were located in Tarrytown, N. Y. Norwood, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri, Oakland, California, Ft. Worth, Texas, mcLaughlins were given GM Corporation stock for the proprietorship of their Company article Sept.23,1933 Financial Post page 9. In the 1918 model year, Chevrolet introduced the Series D, Sales were poor and it was dropped in 1919
13.
Can-Am
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The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or Can-Am, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. Can-Am started out as a series for group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada and four races in the United States of America. The series was sponsored by Johnson Wax. The series was governed by rules called out under the FIA group 7 category with unrestricted engine capacity, as long as the car had two seats, bodywork enclosing the wheels, and met basic safety standards, it was allowed. Group 7 cars were designed more for short-distance sprints than for endurance racing, some group 7 cars were also built in Japan by Nissan and Toyota, but these did not compete outside their homeland. Similar group 7 cars ran in the European Interserie series, after Porsches withdrawal, Shadow dominated the last season before Can-Am faded away to be replaced by Formula 5000. Racing was rarely close—one marque was usually dominant—but the noise and spectacle of the made the series highly popular. F5000s reign lasted for two years, with a second generation of Can-Am following. This was a different series based initially on converted F5000 cars with closed-wheel bodies. There was also a class based on Formula Two chassis. The second iteration of Can-Am faded away as IMSA and CART racing became popular in the early 1980s. Can-Am remains a form of racing due to its popularity at one time, the spectacular cars. Can-Am cars remain popular in historic racing, notable drivers in the original Can-Am series included virtually every acclaimed driver of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Al Holbert, Jacky Ickx, Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Patrick Tambay, Can-Am was the birthplace and proving ground for what, at the time, was cutting-edge technology. Can-Am cars were among the first race cars to sport wings, effective turbocharging, ground-effect aerodynamics, noted constructors in the Can-Am series include McLaren, Chaparral, Lola, BRM, Shadow and Porsche. McLaren cars were specially designed race cars, the Can-Am cars were developments of the sports cars which were introduced in 1964 for the North American sports car races. The development variants M1A and M1B were raced as factory cars in 1966 with Bruce McLaren, in 1967, specifically for the Can-Am series, the McLaren team introduced a new model, the M6A. The McLaren M6A also introduced what was to become the trademark orange color for the team, the M6 series were a full aluminum monocoque design with no uncommon features but, for the times, there was an uncommon attention to detail in preparation by the team members
14.
V8 engine
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A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder V configuration engine with the cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two sets of four, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft. Most banks are set at an angle to each other, some at a narrower angle, with 45°, 60°. In its simplest form, the V8 is basically two parallel inline-four engines sharing a common crankshaft, since the 1920s, most V8s have used the somewhat more complex crossplane crankshaft with heavy counterweights to eliminate the vibrations. This results in an engine that is smoother than a V6, most racing V8s continue to use the single plane crankshaft because it allows faster acceleration and more efficient exhaust system designs. In 1902, Léon Levavasseur took out a patent on a light and he called it the Antoinette after the young daughter of his financial backer. From 1904 he installed this engine in a number of competition speedboats, the aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont saw one of these boats in Côte dAzur and decided to try it on his 14-bis aircraft. Its early 24 hp at 1400 rpm version with only 55 kg of weight was interesting, Santos-Dumont ordered a larger and more powerful version from Levavasseur. He changed its dimensions from the original 80 mm stroke and 80 mm bore to 105 mm stroke and 110 mm bore, obtaining 50 hp with 86 kg of weight and its power-to-weight ratio was not surpassed for 25 years. Levavasseur eventually produced its own line of V8 equipped aircraft, named Antoinette I to VIII, hubert Latham piloted the V8 powered Antoinette IV and Antoinette VII in July 1909 on two failed attempts to cross the English Channel. However, in 1910, Latham used the VII with the engine to become the first in the world to reach an altitude of 3600 feet. Voisin constructed pusher biplanes with Antoinette engines, also, notably the one first flown successfully by Henry Farman in 1908, the V8 engine configuration became popular in France from 1904 onward, and was used in a number of aircraft engines introduced by Renault, and Buchet among others. Some of these found their way into automobiles in small quantities. In 1905, Darracq built a car to beat the world speed record. They came up with two racing car built on a common crankcase and camshaft. The result was monstrous engine with a displacement of 1,551 cu in, victor Hemery fixed that record on 30 December 1905 with a speed of 109.65 mph. Rolls-Royce built a 3,535 cc V8 car from 1905 to 1906, in 1907 The Hewitt Motor Company built a large 5 passenger Touring Car. It was equipped with a hefty V8 engine that developed 50/60 horsepower and had a bore of 4 inches, the Hewitt was the first American Automobile to be equipped with a V8 engine. De Dion-Bouton introduced a 7,773 cc automobile V8 in 1910 and it was produced only in small quantities, but inspired a number of manufacturers to follow suit
15.
Mario Andretti
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Mario Gabriele Andretti is an Italian-born American former racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR. He also won races in cars, and sprint cars. During his career, Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar titles, No American has won a Formula One race since Andrettis victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix. Andretti had 109 career wins on major circuits, Andretti had a long career in racing. He was the person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades. He was also one of three drivers to have won major races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in one season. With his final IndyCar win in April 1993, Andretti became the first driver to have won IndyCar races in four different decades and the first to win automobile races of any kind in five. In American popular culture, his name has become synonymous with speed, as with Barney Oldfield in the twentieth century. Mario Andretti and his twin brother Aldo were born to Alvise Andretti, a farm administrator, Istria was then part of the Kingdom of Italy, but it was annexed by Yugoslavia at the end of World War II, as confirmed by the Treaty of Paris. The Andretti family left Montona in 1948, during the Istrian exodus, ending up in a camp in Lucca. They emigrated to the United States of America in 1955, settling in Nazareth in Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley with just $125 to their name, Andretti became a naturalized United States citizen in 1964. In 1945, at the age of five, he and Aldo were racing their hand-crafted wooden cars through the streets of their hometown. It was a feeling I cant describe, I still get it every time I get into a race car. Andrettis first racing experience was in a new youth racing league called Formula Junior in Ancona, however, the Formula Junior story is likely apocryphal. In an interview during an RRDC Evening with Mario Andretti, Mr. Mario, the twins worked on a 1948 Hudson Commodore modified funded by money that they earned in their uncles garage in 1959. They took turns racing the old Hudson on oval dirt tracks near Nazareth in 1959 and they did not tell their parents that they were racing. The twins each had two wins after their first four races, Aldo was seriously hurt near the end of the season, and their parents were unhappy to find out that the twins were racing
16.
Al Unser
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Alfred Al Unser is an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He is the person to have both a sibling and child as fellow Indy 500 winners. Als nephews Johnny and Robby Unser have also competed in that race, after his son Al Jr. joined the top circuit in 1983, Unser has generally been known by the retronymic name of Al Unser, Sr. or Big Al. Unser was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the youngest of four brothers and his father Jerry Unser and two uncles, Louis and Joe, were also drivers. Beginning in 1926 they competed in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Joe Unser became the first member of the Unser clan to lose his life to the sport, killed while test-driving an FWD Coleman Special on the Denver highway in 1929. Als oldest brother Jerry became the first Unser to drive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualifying 23rd, however, tragedy struck the next year when he was killed from injuries sustained in a fiery crash during a practice session. Middle brother Bobby drove in his first Indianapolis 500 in 1963, becoming in 1968 the first member of the family to win, Unser married Wanda Jesperson in 1958 and they had three children- Alfred Jr. Mary, and Deborah. Deborah died in a buggy accident in 1982. Al Unser and family own and operate the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque and he began racing in 1957, at age 18, initially competing primarily in modified roadsters, sprint cars and midgets. In 1965 he raced in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time and he won the Indy 500 in 1970, two years after his brother, Bobby. During the race, he led for all but 10 of the 200 laps and his quick pit stops were a factor in the victory. That season he won a record 10 times on oval, road, Unser competed in USACs Stock Car division in 1967, and was the series Rookie of the Year. In 1971 he won the Indy 500 again, starting from the position with an average speed of 157.735 mph. Unsers bid to become the first three-time consecutive Indy 500 champion was thwarted when he finished second to Mark Donohue in the 1972 Indianapolis 500. Unsers race average speed of 161.363 mph ranked as the then-second fastest ever run, in the 1983 season, Unser joined Team Penske and drove for 4 years in a Penske-owned car. Unser controlled the late stages of the 1983 Indianapolis 500, leading 61 laps, with less than 20 laps to go, Unser got challenges from Tom Sneva who led the most laps. With help from his son - who was laps down - Unser began pulling away from Sneva. However Sneva got by Al Jr. and set sail for Unser Sr. Sneva caught up to Unser within 1 lap of passing Al Jr. Sneva then easily pulled away to win the race by 11 seconds, avenging his firing from the team in 1978
17.
Bobby Unser
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Robert William Bobby Unser is an American former automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louis Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and he is one of ten drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 three or more times, and one of only two to have won the 500 in three different decades. Bobby has also been a spokesman and advocate of many commercial products, Unser was born in Colorado Springs Colorado, the third oldest of 4 brothers. When he turned 1, his family moved to Albuquerque New Mexico, in 1950 at the age of 15, he won his first championship in Southwest Modified Stock Cars. From 1953 to 1955 he joined the Air Force and became a top competition sharp shooter in military matches, in 1955, Bobby, and brothers Jerry and Al Unser decided to pursue racing careers in USAC. In 1959, his brother Jerry Unser died in an accident at the Indianapolis 500. Bobby is the father of two sons, Bobby Jr. and Robby, and two daughters, Cindy and Jeri, Unser came from a family of racecar drivers. He won numerous racing championships throughout his career, including three Indianapolis 500 titles and he debuted in 1955 at Pikes Peak, dubbed Unsers Peak because of his familys history of success at the hill climb. He finished fifth that year, behind his two brothers, a year later he won his first of a record 13 championships at Pikes Peak. He won six titles from 1958 to 1963. His streak ended in 1964 when his younger brother Al won the race, Unser raced in his first Indianapolis 500 in 1963. He crashed early and placed thirty-third and his first Indy-car win came in 1967 at Mosport, Ontario. A year later, Unser won his first Indianapolis 500, setting the record as the first driver to race over 170 miles per hour at Indianapolis, in 1969 Unser won his first USAC National Driving Championship. In 1972, Unser set another Indianapolis 500 record for the fastest qualifying time at 195.94 miles per hour. In 1974, he won his second USAC National Driving Championship, from 1979 to 1981, Unser raced in the CART series for Team Penske winning ten races. In 1980 he became the first driver to win the California 500 four times and his career ended in 1981 following a debacle at Indianapolis. Bobby was the center of one of the most controversial finishes in Indy 500 history at the 1981 Indianapolis 500, Unser won the pole in the #3 Roger Penske-owned car and led the most laps. On lap 149, during a period, Bobby and Mario Andretti made their pit stop
18.
James Hunt
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James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976. After retiring from racing in 1979, Hunt became a media commentator, beginning his racing career in touring car racing, Hunt progressed into Formula Three, where he attracted the attention of the Hesketh Racing team and soon came under their wing. Hunts often reckless and action-packed exploits on track earned him the nickname Hunt the Shunt, Hunt entered Formula One in 1973, driving a March 731 entered by the Hesketh Racing team. He went on to win for Hesketh, driving their own Hesketh 308 car, following a string of races in which he failed to finish, Hunt retired from driving halfway through the 1979 season. After retiring from racing, he established a career commenting on Grands Prix for the BBC. Hunt died from a heart attack aged 45. He was inducted into the Motor Sport Hall of Fame on 29 January 2014, James Hunt was born in Belmont, Surrey, the second child of Wallis, a stockbroker, and Sue Hunt. He had a sister, Sally, three younger brothers, Peter, Timothy and David, and one younger sister, Georgina. Hunts family lived in a flat in Cheam, Surrey, moved to Sutton when he was 11, before his 5th birthday, Hunt was enrolled at a nursery class at Ambleside. He was then educated at Westerleigh School in Hastings, Sussex from 1955, as a youngster, Hunt became a proficient sportsman. He played for the Westerleigh School cricket team, and played in goal at football for two years, at the age of 12 he entered an under-17s tennis tournament, and lost to a 16-year-old in the final. Rather than congratulate himself, he cried for hours. He later competed at Junior Wimbledon, and also became a keen squash player and golfer, as a child, Hunt was fascinated with animals and birds, and professed an intention of becoming a doctor, which his family supported. He was prone to violent tantrums, as an adult, he acknowledged that he was quick tempered, Hunt passed his driving test one week after his 17th birthday, at which point he said his life really began. Hunt also took up skiing in 1965 in Scotland and made plans for further ski trips, before his 18th birthday, he went to the home of Chris Ridge, his tennis doubles partner. Ridges brother Simon, who raced Minis, was preparing his car for a race at Silverstone that weekend, the Ridges took Hunt to see the race, which began his obsession with motor racing. Hunts racing career started off in a racing Mini and he graduated to Formula Ford in 1968. He drove a Russell-Alexis Mk 14 car which was bought through a hire purchase scheme, in his first race at Snetterton, Hunt had lost 15 hp from an incorrect engine ignition setting but managed to finish 5th. Hunt took his first win at Lydden Hill and also set the lap record on the Brands Hatch short circuit, Hunt later raced in Formula Three in 1969 with a budget provided by Gowrings of Reading which bought a Meryln Mk11A
19.
Jody Scheckter
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Jody David Scheckter is a South African former auto racing driver. He was the 1979 Formula One World Drivers Champion, Scheckter was born in East London, Eastern Cape, and educated at Selborne College. He rapidly ascended to the ranks of Formula One after moving to Britain in 1970 and his Formula 1 debut occurred at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1972 with McLaren, where he ran as high as third place before spinning and finishing ninth. Immediately becoming a name to watch, he continued his development the following year, winning the 1973 SCCA L&M Championship, in his next start, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Scheckter was involved in a major accident which took nearly a dozen cars out of the race. The Grand Prix Drivers Association demanded his banishment, which was only put off when McLaren agreed to rest their driver for four races. Scheckters McLaren M23 bore the number zero during the Canadian and American Grands Prix of 1973, Scheckter is one of only two F1 drivers to compete under this number, the other being Damon Hill. Witnessing Ceverts dreadful accident left a mark on the South African and caused him to abandon his reckless ways, becoming a more mature. Tyrrell in 1974 gave him his first full-time drive in F1, Jody rewarded them with a third-place finish in the drivers championship and a pair of wins in Sweden and Britain. During the year, he scored points in eight consecutive races, in that season, Tyrrell introduced the most radical car in F1 history, the innovative six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. This included a thrilling race-long battle for the lead in the American Grand Prix between himself and his great friend James Hunt, Scheckter left for Walter Wolfs new team in 1977 and Scheckter gave the team a win in its maiden race. He won twice more with the team and was often on the podium, a seventh-place finish with the team in 1978 followed and he left the team after the season to join Ferrari to partner Gilles Villeneuve in the teams ground effect 312T4 car. However, he struggled badly in his 1980 title defence, even failing to qualify for one race, after managing only two points, Scheckter announced his retirement from the team and the sport. Scheckter was the last driver to win a championship for Ferrari until Michael Schumacher twenty one years later in 2000. In 1981 CBS Sports hired Scheckter as a Pit reporter for its F1 coverage, Scheckter was brought in by ABCs Wide World Of Sports as a Pit reporter for the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix. Scheckter was a guest commentator for ITV during the 1999 San Marino Grand Prix, in 1981, Scheckter won the World Superstars competition in Key Biscayne, Florida. He defeated athletes such as Russ Francis, Renaldo Nehemiah, Peter Mueller, Rick Barry, Gaétan Boucher, in 1983 he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. After Scheckters retirement, he founded FATS Inc, a company which built firearms training simulators for military, law enforcement, the sale of the company provided funds to allow Scheckter to help the racing careers of his sons Tomas and Toby. Tomas raced in the Indy Racing League where he won two races, Scheckters brother, Ian, also raced in F1 for a few years
20.
Brian Redman
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Brian Herman Thomas Redman, is a British racing driver. He was for years associated with the Chevron marque, founded by fellow-Lancastrian Derek Bennett. He is currently a regular at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Redman drove for Shadow Racing Cars both in CanAm and in Formula One. He also appeared in McLaren, Cooper and Alfa Romeo cars and he participated in 15 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 1 January 1968. He achieved one podium in the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix, finishing third in a Cooper-BRM behind Graham Hill in a Lotus-Ford and he then had an accident at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, crashing his Cooper-BRM at Malmedy corner, he survived with a broken arm. He scored a total of 8 championship points in his career and he was offered various other Formula One drives, but did not particularly enjoy the atmosphere of F1 even in the 1970s, preferring sports car racing. The conservative Redman decided to retire from his dangerous profession, getting a job as a Volkswagen car dealership manager in South Africa in 1971. But this only lasted for 4 months, as he did not like the atmosphere of South Africa. He didnt have a drive, although Wyer contacted Redman and offered him a drive in the Targa Florio, after being asked by Wyer to start the race, Redman crashed his and Sifferts Porsche 908/0320 miles into the first lap and was injured. Thinking his career was finished, he found himself signing a one-race deal to drive for Scuderia Ferraris sportscar team at the Kyalami 9 Hours race in South Africa that year. He and Clay Regazzoni won the race, and he received a full-time offer from Ferrari for the 1972 season. He won a number of races and the Ferrari team won every race in the series that year except for Le Mans and he also raced for Ferrari in 1973, winning the Nürburgring 1000km race with Jacky Ickx. Later in his career he achieved success in endurance racing, winning the 1981 IMSA GT championship. His last year of racing was at the age of 52. Redman now lives in Florida and is active in historic racing. He drives a Porsche 908/03 for the Collier Collection and appears at the Goodwood Festival of Speed every year, to date, he is the most recent inductee to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame from a country other than the US, having been inducted in 2011. Porsche experience interview of Brian Redman Targa 66 club started by Brian Redman
21.
David Hobbs (racing driver)
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David Wishart Hobbs is a British former racing driver. Originally employed as a commentator for the Speed Channel, he works as a commentator for NBC and NBC Sports Network. In 1969 Hobbs was included in the FIA list of graded drivers, Hobbs currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, Margaret, with whom he has two sons, Gregory and Guy. In 1986, Hobbs opened a car dealership, David Hobbs Honda, in Glendale, Wisconsin, which continues to exist today and his youngest son, Guy, worked for Speed as a pit reporter on their sports car coverage. Hobbs was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 and he is the grandfather of current racing driver Andrew Hobbs. He has participated in the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona. He made twenty starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, finishing in 8th place at the first attempt in 1962, following with a pole position and a best finish of third to his credit. Hobbs was due to make his F1 Grand Prix debut for Tim Parnell Racing at the 1965 French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, in 1971 Hobbs won the L&M5000 Continental Championship driving for Carl Hogan out of St. Louis, Missouri, in a McLaren M10B-Chevrolet. He won five of the eight rounds that year at Laguna Seca, Seattle, Road America, Edmonton, twelve years later, he would claim the 1983 Trans-Am Series championship as well. He also made two NASCAR Winston Cup starts in 1976, including leading two laps at the 1976 Daytona 500 and drove a race in the 1979 International Race of Champions. Hobbs provides commentary for Formula One and GP2 races, the SCCA Valvoline runoffs, David Hobbs appeared in the 1983 comedy film Stroker Ace, playing a TV race announcer. Hobbs appeared in the Cars 2 movie, which premiered in June 2011, as announcer David Hobbscap, ‡ indicates an entry with an F2 car. SpeedTV bio David Hobbs Honda Stats from David Hobbs IROC and NASCAR careers on racing-reference. info David Hobbs – Test Driver Jaguar XJ13 – Building the Legend
22.
Tony Adamowicz
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Tony Adamowicz was an American racing driver, active from 1963 until his death. He won the Under 2-Liter class of the 1968 Trans-Am Championship, Adamowicz was born in 1941 to Polish immigrants in Moriah, New York and raised in Port Henry, New York. He began his career with the US Army and worked as a staffer at the White House during the late 1950s and 1960s. It was during his time in Washington DC that Adamowicz took up auto racing and he started racing with a Volvo PV544 in neighbouring Maryland in 1963. He had an opportunity to race in the 1970 Indianapolis 500, however, the yellow was an error and Adamowicz was ordered to continue with the other 3 laps. The first lap,6 mph slower than his others, dragged down his average to a point where he was bumped from the field and he got in another car but crashed in practice before having a chance to requalify. He returned to prototypes in 1984 but had success at that level. He then competed in select races in the same 1969-model Eagle racing car in which he won the 1969 SCCA Continental Championship. The car is now owned by Doug Magnon, the founder of the Riverside International Automotive Museum and it bears the identical livery it carried back in 1969. As the Eagle had been parked immediately after the 1969 season, Adamowicz was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Early in 2015, Adamowicz was diagnosed with cancer, glioblastoma. He died on October 10,2016 at the age of 75, a2z racer - website devoted to Tony Adamowicz Tony Adamowicz, - MyF5000. com
23.
Sam Posey
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Sam Posey is a retired American racing driver and sports broadcast journalist. Sam Posey started as a sports car racer, and graduated to the Can Am. Posey raced the Sunoco Camaro for Roger Penske in 1968 in the Trans Am series, Chevrolet won the championship based on the Penske team effort. Mark Donohue was the driver and he won a remarkable 10 of 13 races. Poseys first race was at Bridgehampton where he finished 3rd, other finishes were, Meadowdale, 3rd’, St Jovite, 3rd, Bryar, 6th, Watkins Glen, 2nd which was the only race that Donohue was beaten by a Camaro in 1968. Poseys car was the same Sunoco Blue with yellow lettering as Donohue, Posey sported a yellow spoiler and Donohue had a red spoiler. In 1969, he won the Lime Rock Trans-Am in a factory Ford Mustang, Posey also raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1969 and 1972-1974 seasons, with 13 career starts, including the 1972 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 8 times, with his best finish in 3rd position in 1969 at the Kent road course and he was the team driver for Caldwells Can-Am racer which featured monocoque aluminum construction in two parallel longitudinal space frames, with solid front and rear axles. As an endurance racer, Posey appeared at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 10 times and his best finish was 3rd position during the 1971 competition in which he drove the Ferrari 512M. He also won the 197512 Hours of Sebring, teaming with three other drivers and he drove Surtees cars on both occasions, but only the first was a works-entered car. He also competed in a single NASCAR Grand National event, the first race of the 1970 series, held on the Riverside International Raceway road race course in Riverside, Posey went on to become an auto racing commentator for ABC Sports. Posey debuted on ABC for the Indianapolis 500 in 1974, serving as analyst, in subsequent years, he served as a pit reporter, and ultimately returned to the booth starting in 1982. While commentating the 1986 Indianapolis 500, as there was a yellow flag out near the end of the race, Posey was asking Cogan about his thoughts about leading the Indianapolis 500 at this stage. Cogan politely replied to Posey that he was now. Posey understood the circumstances and told the audience if that were he, moments later, on a restart with two laps remaining, Bobby Rahal jumped Cogan on the restart and went on to win. Along with the Indy 500, Poseys ABC Sports duties included commentary for the CART/PPG IndyCar World Series with Paul Page and Bobby Unser, Posey also appeared on selected NASCAR broadcasts on ABC. The three-man booth of Page, Posey, and Unser was a fixture of Indy car racing during the late 1980s, Posey and Bobby Unser were known to engage in friendly, but sometimes heated exchanges on-air. In 1989, Posey was brought in as part of the ABC Sports broadcast team covering the 1989 Tour de France, many people were surprised by Poseys knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for the sport
24.
Ian Ashley
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Ian Hugh Gordon Ashley is a British racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Token, Williams, BRM and Hesketh teams. Ashley began racing in 1966 when he took a course at the Jim Russell Racing School and he was fast but rather erratic, and soon earned the nickname Crashley. He reached Formula 5000 in 1972 and was a front-runner in 1973 and he made his debut in Formula One in 1974, and briefly drove for the Williams team the following year. His luck got worse over the mid-1970s in Formula One and he was to become a victim of two nasty accidents on circuits that were no longer used by Formula One soon after his two accidents. He never raced in Formula One again, in 1985 he made his CART Championship Car debut at the Miami Grand Prix. He was entered in the 1986 Indianapolis 500 but the car did not appear on track, however, he did make three CART starts in 1986 and finished ninth at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, enough for 28th in the championship. He failed to finish in his other two 1986 starts and he also made a single Indy Lights start at Pocono Raceway and finished sixth. He made one more CART appearance in 1987, again in Miami but was knocked out by drivetrain trouble, after Formula One he built a career as a pilot for executive jets in the United States. However, in 1993 he made a return to racing, driving a Vauxhall in the British Touring Car Championship, following this he briefly raced motorcycle sidecar combinations, before a stint in the TVR Tuscan Challenge one-make series. In November 2009, he competed in Formula Ford for the first time in over 40 years driving an Elden MK8 in the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone
