A three-time World Champion frustrated by a not so competitive car has to make a decision. But Ayrton Senna was pushing.

In October 1993, a year after he tested the Penske Indycar Ayrton Senna had to make a decision. As a Ford Cosworth customer team, versus Benetton and Schumacher’s works Ford car, Senna and McLaren still won five races, to Schumacher’s one.

The champion though was Alain Prost – Senna’s arch-rival. Frustrated at being beaten by Prost, and not being Ford’s works team, McLaren looked elsewhere, and mid-1993 a deal was struck with Chrysler which then owned Lamborghini.

There was a lot of frustration all around.

McLaren adapted an MP4/8 chassis to house the tiny V12 engine, and in September 1993, behind closed doors, they tested a totally unliveried car with Lamborghini power. The Monday after that year’s Portuguese Grand Prix, McLaren again tested the Chrysler-Lamborghini car, and Senna was so impressed he asked Ron Dennis, then team principal, if he could race it in the final race at Japan. The answer was “no”. This was the day after Alain Prost announced his retirement.

McLaren’s then test driver Mika Hakkinen, who that Estoril weekend replaced Michael Andretti for the races, had tested the Lamborghini car too at Silverstone, and was over a second faster in it than with the Cosworth version. The answer was still “no”. Senna, who won the final two races after Estoril in Japan and Australia, and had started the year on a race-by-race contract, had had enough, and despite being tempted by America and CART, the Brazilian signed for Williams for 1994 to replace Prost.

McLaren signed with Peugeot, and not Chrysler-Lamborghini, which did not go down well with the American/Italian companies as they had made a special effort to provide McLaren with a smaller, lighter engine. Chrysler PR director Tom Kowaleski said:

“We are disappointed to say the least. We have worked very hard in the last few months, including a very intense period recently putting together a team to interface with McLaren and TAG Electronics. The car was very quick and Ayrton Senna said some encouraging things about it. There was a strong agreement to proceed together for the future. The decision may say something about F1. It’s no secret that the marque must look at its costs, and we wanted to introduce our lean and efficient approach to it.”

With Hakkinen and Martin Brundle, there were no wins for McLaren in 1994, and at the end of the year, the French company was replaced by Mercedes-Benz. That too, didn’t start well, but in the years to come McLaren Mercedes became the dominating force.

Senna’s McLaren career ended at Adelaide in 1993. And despite all the animosity between them, with Prost on the podium that day too, they ‘kissed and made up’.

Adelaide was Senna’s final win, and final podium.

Special thanks to www.sutton-images.com for the images of the plain white McLaren test.

By Andy Hallbery follow me on twitter @hallbean

Ayrton Senna: Testing the McLaren Lamborghini is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Henri Toivonen was, without doubt, one of the fastest, most spectacular and most popular rally drivers of his generation. His tragic death, with co-driver Sergio Cresto, in 1986 was a devastating blow to the sport and Toivonen’s many fans.

This action-packed film, created by respected Italian motorsport documentary-maker Belle Epoque Film, is a fitting memorial to the Finn. It is loaded with exceptional footage of Toivonen blasting along special stages, power sliding around hairpins and demonstrating his sublime skill on snow, ice, mud, gravel and high-speed tarmac. Charting his career from 1977 to ’86, it features action from every year and more than 40 events, including classics like the RAC, 1000 Lakes and Monte-Carlo.

Although the footage from the early years is brief, it shows Toivonen’s development as a driver and emergence as a star of the future, as he graduates from the Chrysler Avenger to the Talbot Sunbeam, on to the Rothmans-backed Opels and Porsche and, finally, to the Martini Lancia team and the magnificent S4, one of the icons of the Group B era. Toivonen was an exceptional driving talent, taking his first World Rally win at just 24 to become the youngest-ever WRC winner – a remarkable record which would stand for almost 30 years.

This film features 60 minutes of Toivonen at his finest, displaying the skills which created a legend, and includes interviews which show the dedication, determination and humour that made him such a favourite with fans. The undoubted highlight of this film’s soundtrack is the evocative roaring of rally car engines at speed, not least the growling 550bhp of the S4 – the perfect tribute to a giant of the sport.

Video Documentary: Henri Toivonen – His Rally Days is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

John Harvey is one of Australia’s most versatile and accomplished racing drivers. He won numerous Speedway titles in the 50s and 60s, before switching to road racing where he successfully campaigned Brabham’s in the Australian Drivers Championship. He won the 1971 and 1972 Australian Sportscar Championship in a McLaren M6B and the 1983 Bathurst 1000 in a Holden Commodore. He became a household name in Australia during the 70s and 80s as a driver in the legendary Holden Dealer Team, alongside Peter Brock. In this interview John reveals his favourite race cars, his toughest rival and why he supports electric car racing.

What was your most satisfying race, whether you won or not?

FIA World Touring Car Championship, round 5, August 2, 1987. The Spa 24 Hours at Spa Francorchamps. We finished 1^st in Class 4^th outright. Very satisfying.

What was the first racecar you bought with your own money?

During my career from 1957- 1988, then 1999 -2004 in Historics, I have raced approximately 60-70 cars. I have at no time owned a racecar. (Below: Harvey spent a decade with the Holden Dealer Team)

Who was your fiercest rival and why?

Through the years quite a few. The standout, Kevin Bartlett. Why? He finished ahead of me more times than I finished ahead of him! (Below: Kevin Bartlett leads John Harvey 1966)

Which car you’ve driven is your favourite?

The #76 Kurtis Offenhauser oval track car, each and every Brabham. The standouts are the BT36 2.0 Litre Waggot, the McLaren M6B with 5.0 litre Repco V8 and Bob Jane’s Trans Am Mustang. (Below: Repco Brabham 1968, Brabham BT36 1971, McLaren M6B)

What is the greatest racing car ever built?

Mercedes Benz W196 Streamliner and Monoposto.

Which racing car would you most like to own?

Either of the above.

Was racing better then or now?

Depends on your age and therefore knowledge of history. I say, THEN.

Who is the greatest driver of all time?

Tazio Nuvolari

Which driver, dead or alive would you most like to have dinner with?

Hey steady up, just one driver, you must be kidding! I would include Tazio Nuvolari, Bernd Rosemeyer, JM Fangio, Stirling Moss, AJ Foyt and Bill Vukovich. I would also invite their partners, ensuring unknown background happenings would be revealed!

Who was the best driver you saw, who didn’t make it?

Without a doubt, Chris Amon. Not only was he one of the very best in his era, importantly, he survived an extremely deadly period. (Ed: Amon  never won a Formula 1 Grand Prix)

What was your biggest disappointment in racing?

Not winning the Australian Gold Star.

What made you retire from racing?

Time caught up.

Have you ever searched yourself on Youtube? (If so, what’s the best clip?)

No. Should I?

(Ed: Below is a good interview from John during the 1984 Bathurst 1000)

Is there an event you would still like to race in?

Yes, the Australian Grand Prix Historic Demonstration. I have at times been invited to drive some fabulous cars. I enjoy the Albert Park circuit, the wonderful organisation and the public interest in the cars throughout the four days.

Electric racing cars? Yes or No?

I was lead driver of the GM Sunraycer, which won the inaugural World Solar Challenge (for solar/electric cars) which ran from Darwin to Adelaide in 1987. So yes, I support electric car racing.

(Ed. The Sunraycer raced the 3,005 km (1,867 miles) with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph) , finishing the race in just 5.2 days. This was 50% percent faster than the second place vehicle. The Sunraycer has since been donated to the Smithsonian museum by GM.)

Are you optimistic for the future of motor racing?

Absolutely. From the birth of the motorcar much groundbreaking technology has originated from motor racing, which has improved every day motoring. Long may it continue.

What do you think of the historic motor racing scene?

Historic Motor Racing is the longest continuous form of motor racing in the world. It commenced early last century and continues to grow. I enjoy it both as a driver or spectator.

What is your current state of mind?

I feel contented, relaxed, and enjoy assisting a friend restoring historic open wheel racing cars. In retirement life is great with my wife of almost 50 years!

Thanks to Autopics.com.au for kindly supplying many of the images for this story.

Interview: John Harvey is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

What happens when you pit four rally drivers and four grand prix drivers in identical MG Maestros against each other around Donnington? “The best race and rally sprint we’ve ever had”, according to Murray Walker.

From rallying we have Pentti Airikkala, Stig Blomqvist, Jim McRae and Tony Pond. From grand prix come Nigel Mansell, Danny Sullivan, Derek Warwick and John Watson.

The cars are identical 110 horsepower MG Maestros that look to be running skinnier tyres than my daily drive.

And the racing is door-to-door, three abreast ,“I don’t care when you brake, I’m braking later” mayhem. Excellent.

Enjoy the video, which features the action-packed ten lap race from the 1983 BBC Rally Sprint.

Thanks to Mike D for the tip.

Video: Mansell stars in 1983 BBC Rally Sprint is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Jaguar’s XJR-9 is the car that took it to Porsche at Le Mans and won. The gentlemen at Fiskens have one for sale, so I’m going to try my luck with the Christmas list.

1988 and a Porsche has won every 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1981, when Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell won the iconic race in their Porsche 936. Few others had even wrestled a spot on the podium from them.

Jaguar had been strong in 1987, winning the World Sportscar Championship with their XJR-8. They debuted the XJR-9 at Daytona in the IMSA GTP series, where it won. Its real successes, however, would come in the World Sportscar Championship.

Sauber-Mercedes took the first round of the season at Jerez, followed by the Silk Cut Jaguar. At Jarama the Jaguar was victorious – the start of a four-race winning streak. The fourth race? The 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Porsches took the top spots in qualifying, but were unable to match the race pace of the XJR-9 which, piloted by Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries and Andy Wallace, broke Porsche’s 7-year winning streak. Another XJR-9 came home in fourth place, the rest of the top 10 occupied by Porsche 962s.

It was the first time a Jaguar had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans since Ron Flockhart and Ivor Bueb won the 1957 race in their D-Type. The 1988 race was one of the longest ever, and the XJR-9 had to cover 936 kilometres more than its predecessor to secure its win.

This particular XJR-9, adorned with the iconic Silk Cut livery, is chassis J12-C-688. It ran at six events during the 1988 season, opening with a third place at Masaryk. Its best result came over 1000 kilometres at Spa, where Martin Brundle and Jan Lammers brought it home in second.

Check out Fiskens’ website for the full details.

Images via Fiskens

For Sale: Jaguar XJR-9 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The 24 Hours of Daytona kicked off the 1970 World Sportscar Championship in sublime style. Defending champions Porsche were gearing up to fight off a feisty Ferrari, who had returned to the championship after protesting changes in prototype regulations.

The Porsches put in a pretty spectacular performance. At one point Pedro Rodríguez, Leo Kinnunen and Brian Redman were leading by 190 miles and they broke the Daytona distance record by 372 miles. It was not, however, entirely smooth sailing for the second 917.

Hear from Jo Siffert, Pedro Rodríguez and John Wyer as they talk about their experience of the 24 hour race in this terrifically retro video.

Video: The 1970 24 Hours of Daytona is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Mario Andretti says it all in introduction to this on-board video; “The sound of the Matra engine was just… spectacular. It just sounded like power.”

Jacques Laffite drove the Ligier-Matra JS9 in the second half of the 1978 Formula One season, visiting the podium twice with third place finishes at Jarama and Hockenheimring. This video was taken during practice for the ’78 round at Monza.

The mighty Matra V12 that sat in the JS9 is well loved for its glorious high-horsepower bark. What other musical motors deserve acclaim for their aural achievements?

Video: The Sweet Sounds of the Ligier-Matra JS9 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Porsche is celebrating their 2014 Le Mans comeback with video  look back at the cars and drivers who made history at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The German marque dominated the 24 hour race during the 1980s with the legendary 956 and 962s, taking seven overall victories. More recently however it been Audi that has owned the French classic, claiming a Porsche beating eight overall victories from 2000 – 2009 and kicking off  a new decade in style by taking the 2010 and 2011 races.

So Porsche has a point to prove. And when your official video includes Derek Bell talking about the iconic Porsche 956 and saying “This car set the bar for Porsche forever”, then you know its game on.

Video: Porsche at Le Mans in the 1980s is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

“Emmo” as he was known to his huge legion of fans, was Brazil’s first Formula One World Champion.

With two World Championships, 14 wins and six pole positions, Fittipaldi paved the way for future South American greats and sparked a passion for Formula 1 that continues in Brazil today.

Fittipaldi finished sixth in the drivers championship in his first full F1  season in 1971 and then stormed to the Championship in 1972, taking five wins in the Lotus 72. In doing so he became the sports youngest world champion at the age of 25 years and 273 days. The record  would stand until Fernando Alonso​ won the 2005 title, and then was lowered again by Sebastian Vettel in 2010.

Fittipaldi left Lotus at the end of 1973 to sign with the promising McLaren team. Driving the highly efficient McLaren M23, Emmo took three victories and four podiums to claim his second drivers championship in 1974

At the height of his powers Fittipaldi shocked everyone by leaving McLaren to race for older brother Wilson Fittipaldi’s Copersucar-sponsored Fittipaldi Automotive team in 1976 . He remained with the team for five very lean seasons, with a best finish of second, and retired from Formula 1 at the end of 1980.

Best of the Cahier Archive: Emerson Fittipaldi is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

When you look back at some of the real characters of Formula 1 from the 60s, 70s and 80s, no one was less ‘F1’ than Patrick Depailler.

Forget your healthy diets and exercise, Depailler’s regime was: ‘cigarette, helmet on, into the car, drive bloody fast, pit, out of the car, helmet off, and cigarette.’

As you will see in the video at the end of this story, he was fearless and fun-loving.

The Frenchman loved his driving, and loved his adrenalin. He started racing motorcycles, which in itself is an idea of his lack of fear. He switched to cars, and eventually made a his first Grand Prix start with Tyrrell at Charade in France (the race that Dr Helmut Marko, now of Red Bull Racing lost his eye when hit by a stone), and Depailler raced again for Uncle Ken at the end of the season at Watkins Glen, America. His full-time chance came again with Tyrrell in 1974 – though he should have raced a handful of times in 1973, but broke his leg in a motorcycle accident.

To give an idea of the way he thought, it is said that when he raced in F2 in 1973 with what was a badly broken but recovering leg, he tied his boot to the throttle pedal as his leg wasn’t strong enough to keep it there.

After the death of Francois Cevert, and Jackie Stewart’s retirement, Ken Tyrrell needed two new drivers for 1974. Depailler and Jody Scheckter were Ken’s choices for his team. Depailler was still on crutches at the time… But he was going to drive that car.

Depailler, obviously something of a renegade, and Tyrrell locked horns a few times, mostly for the Frenchman’s love of dangerous activities between races.

His Tyrrell career lasted until the end of 1978 and netted just one win, at Monaco, although he was leading at the final corner at Kyalami, South Africa in 1978, until Ronnie Peterson passed him.

When Ligier expanded to two cars, Depailler joined to race with fellow Frenchman Jacques Laffite for 1979. In the first seven races, they scored three wins between them, Patrick dominantly winning the Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama.

Then his desire for adrenalin took over again – and almost cost him his career. A mid-season hang-gliding accident broke both his legs badly. He knew straight away his season was over. He spent almost four months in hospital this time, such were his injuries. He wasn’t giving up though.

While still suffering acute pain, he signed for Alfa Romeo for 1980. Frail, he made his debut for the Italian team at the first race. He qualified on the final row of the grid in Argentina.

The Alfa too was fragile, and twice Patrick had huge accidents due to car failure, one at Paul Ricard, and one at Brands Hatch. This time, the third one wasn’t a charm. That third failure, testing at Hockenheim, Germany, claimed the life of the maverick and charismatic Frenchman on August 1, 1980. His statistics of two wins and 19 podium finishes is not a fair reflection of his talent.

The days of the daredevil, smoking, F1 drivers may be over now, but if anyone summed up the happy-go-lucky attitude of those days, Patrick Depailler was it. If you want proof, check out this mad lap of Montreal, in the wet in the Tyrrell, to see a guy that was having fun, enjoying himself, even on his in-lap!

By Andy Hallbery follow me on twitter @hallbean

Patrick Depailler: One of the old school is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

2012 is to be a big year for classic races, with the 24 Hours of Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Twelve Hours of Sebring all set to celebrate significant anniversaries.

First off the line is the 24 Hours of Daytona, which will celebrate its 50^th birthday this coming January. Celebrations will include a display of classic cars that have won the race, including the Lotus-Climax 19B that won the inaugural Daytona Continental in 1962 with a blown engine.

At that time the race was a three-hour long endurance and drivers had to cross the line after the time had elapsed in order to be classified. Dan Gurney was in the car with a one minute, forty second lead when his engine blew in the final minutes of the race. Knowing he’d not make another lap if he crossed the line before the race finished he parked the car on the high side of the banking before the finish line, turned back down the hill when the time was up and coasted over the line for the win.

A circuit with a sprawling and diverse character, up next is the 60^th anniversary of the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. The 2012 running of the race will kick off the FIA World Endurance championship for the year and include a gathering of cars that have won the race since its inauguration in 1952.

The one to top them all will be the 80^th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will light up the classic circuit at 15:00 on the 16^th of June, 2012. Way back in ’23 a field of 33 entries took to Circuit de la Sarthe and kicked off the timeless test of endurance and speed. The winners, André Lagache and René Léonard, completed 128 laps and covered just over 2200 kilometres in their Chenard et Walcker.

The great race has proven some of motorsport’s most legendary marques over its 80 years and been the setting for the finest cars, bravest drivers and tightest teams to battle it out in some of the toughest racing the sport has seen. Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, Jaguar and Bentley have all been hugely successful over the years, as have many others.

Bentley were the kings of the early race, winning the second ever running in 1924 with a Bentley 3 Liter and pulling off a four-year long winning streak from 1927 to 1930. They won the race again over 70 years later in 2003 with the Bentley Speed 8.

Here’s to another 50, 60 and 80 years of great endurance racing!

Images via Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway

Enduring: Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring Celebrate Anniversaries in 2012 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

In 1989 Teo Fabi drove his Quaker State Oil sponsored Porsche to its only victory in the CART Series at the Red Roof Inns 200 on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, USA. It was also the last CART win for chassis maker March.

Illustrated by Paul Laguette.

Illustration: March 89P Porsche is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The internet can throw up some interesting surprises, even when it seems everything imaginable (and slightly too much that isn’t) has already had its 15 (megabytes) minutes of fame.

So it was with surprise and pleasure that I stumbled upon “Fresh Moods” and the Vimeo channel of Zentral Modul; the unlikely combination of exceptional vintage race footage, photography by Schlegelmilch Photography and laidback, lounging chillout music.

A strange combination by description but I could watch footage of Clark, Cevert, Peterson, Hulme and the like set to any soundtrack and the contemplative nature of the music actually works a treat. And when you read about the Boris and Rainer Schlegelmilch (and Boris’ conception at Le Mans in ‘69) it all makes a little more sense.

If you have Apple TV (which has Vimeo built in) it is fantastic on the big screen through the sound system, otherwise I’d recommend headphones for a few solitary minutes’ indulgence.

Video: Fresh Moods is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Hop in Tyrrell’s ‘Project 34’ for a run around Paul Ricard with Jackie Stewart a few weeks after the radical racer was introduced in London.

Designed by Derek Gardner, the P34 is one of Formula One’s more radical machines. It used four small 10-inch wheels with specially-produced tyres that generated less lift than standard tyres. The reduced lift from the front wheels and tyres meant that the car could run less front-wing. This would make the car nice and slippery through the air, giving it an advantage on the straights and a nice big contact-patch from the extra tyres to work with in corners.

It hit the track in anger for the first time at Jarama in 1976 and both Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler were able to wring good speed out of it during the ’76 season. A highlight one-two finish in the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp gave the P34 its best result, which was unfortunately not repeated.

Those specially-produced tiny tyres would prove troublesome, as their lack of development resulted in the P34 dropping off the pace and, by the end of 1977, out of Grand Prix competition.

The video features the eminently-listenable Jackie Stewart narrating a lap of Paul Ricard and providing his thoughts on the then brand-spanking new P34.

Video: Jackie Stewart on Project 34 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The motorsport season is always an adventure, but there can be no bigger adventure than the Dakar Rally that traditionally starts on New Year’s Day.

Originally run from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal, the ‘Rally Raid’ began in 1979, with largely standard off-road cars and bikes. The event was the brainchild of motorcyclist Thierry Sabine.

It all grew very quickly, attracting manufacturers and star drivers and riders, and specialist machinery. The difficult terrain of the dunes and deserts took their toll, though, claiming the lives of more than 50, causing exhaustion, and drivers/riders getting lost, the most notable being Britain’s Mark Thatcher, son of then Prime Minister Margret Thatcher, who was missing for six days in the dunes.

The Dakar event has an enormous amount of camaraderie. How can you not when having a two or three-week desert adventure? The competitors, teams and media would congregate at the stage end after a long day of 500 miles in the dunes (if and when they could find the finish), and sleep in bivouacs, or just under the stars in a sleeping bag. Sabine once called the event “a school of life.’

Former World Rally Champion Ari Vatanen, four-time winner of the rally, describes it as a life-changing experience. “I marvelled at the beauty of the Sahara. Sand, sand, and more sand! In places it was as flat as the eye could see, and in others it heaped up into dunes, all exactly alike and stretching out to the horizon. Such beauty had an unreal quality.

“And the nights – we slept out, laying our sleeping bags on the sand,” the Finn remembers. “Above us the sky was black as black and sprinkled with stars. It was a thousand-star hotel that beat all the smartest five-star establishments in London and Paris!”

Then there was the small problem of eating in the middle of nowhere.

“We had a cook that came from Agades with two helpers,” says Vatanen, “and all day they had a bonfire going, and they cooked the most amazing food with fresh vegetables, 250kms from the nearest town. When the night fell, we only had light from the generator, they laid out mats for us, and you could stare at the stars while having a three-course meal.”

As well as caravans of camels that they pass on route, the Dakar competitors are also followed by a fleet of helicopters to capture the spectacular TV images. If you think the drivers are brave, then give a thought to how the footage makes it to TV each day from the middle of nowhere.

Frank Arrestier is one of the veteran helicopter pilots that helps bring the staggering action images of the desert to your screens. The Dakar is one of his favourite events, and if you watch cycling’s Tour de France, or the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, you will be familiar with his piloting skills.

He flies as close as he dares to the cars and bikes, allowing his cameraman to shoot the action and the scenery. “It is my goal to help capture that,” says the Frenchman. “It’s one of the most spectacular sports, and my aim is to show the level of what they are doing and share it with the TV viewers.

“It’s necessary for the good pictures to fly that low,” Arrestier adds. “ We try to capture the speed and excitement. From where we are we can see the perspective, the horizon and the landscape. If you fly higher, it’s not as spectacular or as dramatic.”

And then there’s a surprise. I asked the fearless pilot – who flies into gaps and at levels that are unimaginable – if his job was the best rollercoaster ride in the world… “No!!” he laughs. “I hate fun parks and rollercoasters. I won’t go on them, I get very afraid!”

With all the politics and wars in Africa, the event moved to South America, and in 2012 starts on January 1 in Argentina, heads through Chile and finishes in Peru.

Previous winners include World Rally Champions Vatanen, Juha Kankkunen and Carlos Sainz, eight-time Formula 1 and six-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Jacky Ickx while two-time World Sportscar Champion Jean-Louis Schlesser has won it twice overall. Ferrari F1-winner Patrick Tambay has done it, and watch part 4 of the video to see a comedy moment from Salvador Servia, father of Indycar star Oriol.

The 2012 entry features former F1 driver and Le Mans winner Jan Lammers, NASCAR driver and former Indycar racer Robby Gordon, two-time World Rally Champion Miki Biaison, former F1 drivers Eric Bernard and Norberto Fontana, as well as all the other intrepid adventurers, as well as the guys and girls brave enough to tackle the challenge on motorbikes.

And don’t forget the fleet of helicopters that bring the images to our screens.

By Andy Hallbery. Happy New Year, and follow me @Hallbean

Sadly, founder Sabine died in a helicopter crash on the event in 1986, but his idea and legacy has continued, and grown.

The Dakar Rally: “A school of life” is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

One of the aspects of retro racing that I miss the most when watching modern Formula One is all the sliding around that the modern cars don’t do. I miss when drivers could afford to, and really had to, grab those wild old machines by the scruff of the neck and drive them; turning into slides while chasing down completely sideways compatriots.

I also miss tracks like Long Beach. So full of elevation change, so rough. But, most of all, so deeply embedded in the city and crowds that are there to cheer the spectacle on. It creates a wonderfully tactile connection between the drivers, the cars, the teams, the action and the people and truly elevates the atmosphere to something special.

So let’s honour these things by riding on-board around Long Beach with Patrick Depailler in his Tyrrell-Cosworth 008, and bask in the atmosphere and an expert lesson in steering with a heavy right boot.

Video: A lesson in Steering with a Heavy Right Boot is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

George Waltman sits in his Aztec Racing Morgan Plus 4 after single handedly completing the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway.

Waltman’s entry at Daytona that year is one of those stories that make racing fans shake their heads in wonderment.  George was from Great Neck, NY and he decided to enter his car in the third running of the 24 hour race at Daytona in 1968.  His entry was unusual because George drove the entire 24-hour race without benefit of a co-driver or pit crew.

On top of that he did not tow his race car from New York to Florida but drove the 1,000 plus miles by himself to the raceway.  Racing rules back then required that he had to take a one hour rest break out of every four he was on the track and he did comply.  During his break he would service the car, might take a nap, or get a bite to eat.  When leaving the pit area to take care of business or get something to eat he would place an “Out To Lunch” sign on the car.

Because had no pit crew he had to change tires and fuel the car himself whenever he pitted during the race.  Waltman persevered and was the last car running at the end of the 24 hours, and he finished 30th overall, some 335 laps behind the winner. He then changed the oil and drove the car back to New York.

By Lou Galanos

(Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

George Waltman completes the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona solo is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Colin Chapman flipped the Formula One world upside down during the 1978 Formula One season, introducing the glued-to-the-ground Lotus 79 in Belgium and changing the shape of Formula One cars forever.

The Lotus 79 made its debut for the 6^th round of the championship at Zolder in Belgium. For the first time a Formula One car utilised ground-effects to control the flow of air underneath the car and create negative pressure that would suck the car onto the road.

Driving the lone Lotus 79, Mario Andretti set out and immediately proved the pace of the new design by taking pole position and then walking away from the field to win the race. Ronnie Peterson came home second, securing the first of many Lotus ‘one-two’s that would come in ’78.

This three-part video recaps the ’78 season and the Lotus 79 and looks in depth at the development of the McLaren M28. It is packed with brilliant racing footage, including a terrific wrap-up of the ’78 Monaco Grand Prix, terrific insights from men like Ken Tyrrell, Colin Chapman and Gordon Coppuck and provides an interesting investigation into some classic designs that changed the future of the sport.

Video Series: F1 1978 – The Shape Of Things To Come is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

“Too uncomfortable and too cramped” was Jackie Stewart‘s summary of the Adrian Newey designed March Judd 881. Jackie was also less the complimentary about the entire concept.

He said “The car was very strange. The era of the designer seems to have appeared, because racing drivers themselves, it would seem, have not alot of say with regards to the cockpit comfort or refinement. My biggest criticism of the March was the incredible lack of space. Because Adrian Newey the designer said it had to be that way. Because aerodynamically the car had to be this narrow and this shape.”

The March 881 was Adrian Newey’s first ever Formula 1 car and it made quite an impact during the 1988 season. Driven by Italian Ivan Capelli and Brazilian Maurício Gugelmin, the car shocked the establishment, scoring 21 points in 1988, including a second place for Capelli at the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix.

The aerodynamics and ultra-slim monocoque of the 881 were copied by most of the grid in 1989 and the car launched Newey as a superstar designer.

Video: Jackie Stewart drives the March Judd 881 and declares it “very strange” is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

A year after Colin Chapman began using ground effects to glue his Lotus 79s to the ground Formula One was a very different beast.

Four world champion drivers would compete in the 1979 Formula One season, but none would win a race. It was the dawn of a new era, where the car you drove would have a greater influence on the outcome of a race than your own performance.

It was also the first success for a technology that would become instrumental to the sport in the 80s – turbo. Renault secured the first ever victory for a turbocharged car, the RS10, in Formula One at Dijon while Gilles Villeneuve and René Arnoux created history with one of Formula One’s most famous dices.

Car Wars looks back on the ’79 season and its place in Formula One history. It features plenty of brilliant racing footage along with thoughts from top men like James Hunt and is well worth a watch.

Video Series: Car Wars – Formula 1 season 1979 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.