Historic Tag

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Once upon a time in Motorsport, racing circuits were long and treacherous and racing continued no matter how deplorable the weather conditions became.  Whether it be in Sports Cars or Formula One, there was one driver who consistently excelled on the longest circuits when the conditions were at their worst: Jacky Ickx. Having taken six class victories at the storied 24-hour endurance race for Sports Cars, Jacky Ickx is often referred to as “Mister LeMans.” Sports Cars domination aside, he was also a rather successfulRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is making preparations for the historic 100th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, it is a wonderful time to take a trip down memory lane and examine the rich history of this uniquely American event. Each of the 99 previous races has produced a winner that will forever have his name etched in motor racing history. 67 race winning drivers, and two relief drivers have their images on the Borg-Warner Trophy. There are, however, an untold number of heartbreakingRead More

25 years ago today, Aryton Senna finally won his home Grand Prix. Despite a torrential rainstorm and a dodgy gearbox that lost third and fifth, which forced him to use only sixth gear for the final laps, he was able to keep a closing Ricardo Patrese at bay for a remarkable victory that sent the Brazilian fans and their idol into a frenzy. Enjoy.Read More

April 18, 1942 – September 5, 1970 Formula One World Champion 1970 When I was a young person, I would often spend time reading books about auto racing and its rich history. I found the stories of the innovators that worked to make the cars faster to be particularly fascinating. What I really enjoyed, however, were the stories about the drivers. While other kids were reading comics about Batman or Superman, my superheroes were guys like Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Phil Hill and Jackie Stewart. I was particularity drawn toRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer The 65 year history of the Formula One World Championship has seen a myriad of scenarios play out over the years. Some seasons were remembered for close championship battles, others for multiple winners. Some seasons saw unbearable tragedy, and others saw bitter feuding between teammates. Some seasons saw incredible innovation, while others were marred by politics, protests, disqualifications and even driver’s strikes. No season can compare with the perfect storm that was 1982 where we saw all of this, and more. The 1982 stats will showRead More