No helmet, only one wheel on the ground and an average speed of 144.33mph in 1935. Big Balls
Tip: HH-F
Photo of the day: John Cobb laps Brookands at 143.33 mph in 1935 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
One of the greatest battles in F1 history was the fierce duel between Jean Alesi and Ayrton Senna at the US Grand Prix at Phoenix in 1990.
Tyrrell driver Jean Alesi, in just his ninth Grand Prix start, rocketed into the lead from fourth on the grid, and much to everyone’s surprise led for half the race before Senna caught him and the two began a mighty battle.
Senna made a move and passed Alesi only for the young Frenchman to instantly to pass him back, with the two of them trading position over the next couple of laps until Senna made a move stick and went on to win the race comfortably.
Alesi hung on to the end, crossing the line only eight seconds behind Senna to score a stunning second place. The result thrust him into the F1 spotlight and made him a target for Williams and ultimately Ferrari.
Video: The duel – Alesi vs Senna US F1 Grand Prix 1990 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Images: Live2Race
Drawing its inspiration from iconic muscle, classic rally and Formula 1 cars from the golden era of the sport, Live2Race’s new Autumn/Winter collection is looking fabulous and available now.
The designs feature stylish retro aesthetics that draw inspiration from motorsport culture on both sides of the pond, and are featured on t-shirts, long sleeved tops and hoodies made from quality soft cotton. If you’re in the UK they’ll ship your items to you for free, and offer UK postal rates worldwide.
Check out the latest designs below, and head to the official Live2Race website here to pick some up.
Via Live2Race
Mexico 75
Mexico 75 t-shirt draws its inspiration from the mid 70′s World Rally Championship winning Mark II Escorts.
Continuing its predecessor’s impressive run of wins, it won the RAC every year from 1975 to 79 and went on to win in events all around the world, including most famously Mexico.
T-shirts come in sport grey and sand and there are sport grey hoodies and long sleeve versions too.
T-shirts are £20.00, hoodies £41.95 and long sleeve tops £24.95,
Mustang GT 500
Famous for its leading role in the classic car heist ‘Gone in Sixty Seconds’ the GT 500 was the ultimate muscle car which still endures today.
The silhouette image shows the clean lines and stand out perfectly on black.
T-shirts are £20.00 and long sleeve tops £24.95, with free shipping.
Old Skool Race Gear
Live2Race Old Skool Race Gear hoody combines worn vintage style writing with a classic five spoke racing wheel graphic.
Wild cherry heavy weight hoody is £41.95.
RaceCar
Do you remember the last time that the Formula 1 regs were changed so radically? Smaller rear wings, narrower tyres and snow plough front splitters.
Live2Race celebrates the historic change with their RaceCar long sleeve top, available in navy.
Cool silhouette design is perfect for the F1 fan, whatever team they support.
T-shirts are £19.95, and long sleeve tops £24.95. Free shipping worldwide.
In 2 turn 1
Look back to a time when racing legends like James Hunt and Nicky Lauda risked their lives racing on the ‘Ragged Edge’. In 2 turn 1 t-shirt shows an in car shot of a mid 70s F1 car as it heads into the 1st turn. Made from 100% quality soft cotton.
T-shirts come in slate grey, or white priced at £20.00
About Live2Race
Live2Race offer a range of retro style t-shirts from both sides of the pond, in a choice of styles and colours. They’re good quality too!
Check them out at www.live2race.co.uk
Live2Race Helps You Do Just That With Their Stylish New Autumn/Winter Collection is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
A brief look at the astonishing career of Colin Chapman and the innovations he brought to Formula 1
Video: Colin Chapman the innovator is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Quick six-minute clip captures the moment in rally when things go astray at high speed and mother nature reclaims metal, plastic and carbon in spectacular fashion.
Watch as beautiful rally machines from a wide variety of eras are reduced to scrap following driver errors that vary from huge right through to barely mentionable. Some of the incidents captured are jaw dropping, whilst others are breathtaking for all the wrong reasons. For us, 1m 42s is the most terrifying of the lot.
Video: Ridiculous rally crashes will make you wince is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The Porsche 917 next to a Porsche 914 at Spa
Photo of the day: The Porsche 917 is smaller than you think is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
They may have only contested 29 races, but Vanwall certainly left their mark on Formula 1. They won the first ever World Constructors’ Championship, built the first British car to win a World Championship race and gave drivers like Stirling Moss machines that took them to Grand Prix wins.
This 1961 Vanwall VW14 is one of the last examples of the marque, and is up for sale at Hall & Hall.
It’s a 2.7-litre rear wheel drive machine built for the 1961 3.0 litre Intercontinental Formula. John Surtees drove it to some success in a handful of races, but the series ultimately didn’t take off and development stopped.
A lovely, storied example of an interesting entry in Formula 1′s history, the car was purchased directly from Vanwall and is now up for sale at Hall & Hall. Head to their website here for more info.
Images via Hall & Hall
For Sale: Last of a Rare Breed – Vanwall VW14 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, Alpinestars are giving away three copies of their hardcover, full color book documenting its journey from boot manufacturer in Northern Italy, to a global maverick of motorsports and fashion.
For your chance to win just head to our ‘Win’ page and tell us in 25 words or less” Who is the greatest Alpinestars athlete and why?”
Since 1963, Alpinestars has been a leader in protection, performance and style. 2013 represents a milestone year for the brand as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. From its beginnings as a boot manufacturer in Northern Italy, to a global maverick of motorsports and fashion, the brand will reflect on its past and look ahead to the future.
To celebrate and acknowledge the anniversary, Alpinestars has released a hardcover, full color book documenting the past 50 years. The book is a chronological journey through five decades of motorsports and action sports achievement. Contributors include Alpinestars athletes and motorsports legends; Roger DeCoster, Kenny Roberts Sr., Randy Mamola, Rick Johnson, Jimmie Johnson, Michael Schumacher, Mick Doohan and Jeremy McGrath, as well as veteran motorcycle journalist Chris Jonnum.
The competition is open to our readers from anywhere in the world. Competition closes 11th December 2013. Winners will be notified by email.
Win one of three Alpinestars 50 year Anniversary Books is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Car guys love Jay Leno- he’s one of a select few incredibly wealthy people who spends his money exactly how the majority of us would, by hoarding an incredible collection of rare, fast, iconic and bizarre automobiles. Not only that, he’s a blast to listen to. Here he is walking around the pits at the amazing 2013 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Enjoy.
Video: The Laguna Seca pits with Jay Leno is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The world changed a lot between 1970 and 1990, and so did Sportscar racing.Here’s the evolution of the sport as demonstrated in pictures by Sauber.
Recently we ran a popular piece on the evolution of Sauber’s F1 cars between 1993 and 2013, so as a follow up we thought we’d run through the Sportscars they campaigned in the lead up to entering Formula 1 in ’93. Enjoy.
Images courtesy of Sauber.
1970-1990, The evolution of Sauber Sportscars is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The result of some lunchtime brainstorming between Sir Max Aitken, Jocelyn Stevens and Tommy Sopwith of the Daily Express, hoping lift the mood and economy in England, the London to Sydney Marathon has only been run a handful of times in its forty three year history.
It’s an epic undertaking, and the first brave people to undertake it left Crystal Palace in London in 1968 for a 7,000-mile adventure across eleven countries.
As they progressed through the event, Evan Green, ‘Gelignite’ Jack Murray and George Shepheard were climbing through the ranking as quickly as were racking up the miles. Automotive journalist Mark Oastler thinks that they should have won, and in Austin 1800: The Car That Should Have Won the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon, tells the tale of why they didn’t.
Thanks to the Shannons Club
Image via the Shannons Club
Austin 1800: The car that should have won the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The 1966 Daytona 24 hour draws to a conclusion and Edwina “Winkie” Louise walks to the starting line. Temperatures dipped below freezing during the race, making the smile plastered on her face a brave one.
Photo of the day: Miss Firebird at Daytona, 1966 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Watch as Le Mans racer Alain de Cadenet drives and presents the beautiful Lotus 23.
This video begins with some exciting onboard footage before Alain comes to a halt and places the Lotus 23 alongside a bare chassis from the same model to demonstrate the space-frame technology with which these cars were built. It’s short, sharp, and interesting stuff. Well worth the watch.
Video: Onboard the Lotus 23 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
This touching video features acclaimed journalist Nigel Roebuck talking about the fantastic life and tragic death of his friend Ronnie Peterson.
Roebuck was at Monza in 1974 on the day of the accident which would claim the life of Peterson following complications in hospital. His recollection of the incident and of Ronnie is personal, and makes this video well worth the watch.
Video: Legends of F1 – Ronnie Peterson is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Powerful words, stunning visuals and Ayrton’s unmistakable voice by make for an inspiring must-watch clip.
“With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high” - Ayrton Senna (1960-1994).
We can’t help but feel like this clip is about a little bit more than just racing.
Video: Ayrton Senna – A Lap of Life is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Schumacher, Hill, Senna – many of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time made some of their first waves behind the wheel of a Formula Ford. These thrilling documentaries take us back to the earliest days of the series.
Formula Ford as we know it was born at Brands Hatch on July 2nd, 1967. Later that year Belgium would play host to the first international race, and from there the reach of Formula Ford racing would expand rapidly across Europe and into the United States.
It wasn’t long before Formula Ford racers started filtering through the ranks of top-tier open wheel championships. Emerson Fittipaldi would become the first Formula Ford racer to win an F1 Grand Prix in 1970, and two years later he became the first to win the overall F1 World Championship. This was the shape of things to come.
By the early 1970s it was overwhelming clear that Formula Ford was a direct gateway to F1 for up and coming talent. This meant that some of the greatest Formula 1 heroes spent time behind the wheel of Formula Fords in their earlier days; Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill are just the beginning.
Video Documentaries: Formula Ford in the 1960s is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
1975 Spanish Grand Prix winner Jochen Mass shows us he has lost none of his touch in this great onboard clip from Daytona.We loved watching Mass under brakes coming off the banking. The tail of the Porsche 911 IROC is hanging out and he is one handed on the wheel gently caressing the car into the corner. This guy knows how to carry speed!
Via: HSRrace.com
Video: Watch Jochen Mass battle Porsche 911s at Daytona is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Images: RMD
This Ford Denim Zakspeed Escort II piled up an impressive collection of wins in the 1982 season of Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) at the hands of Jörg van Ommen, and is now up for sale at RMD.
The ’81 year car is well documented and has recently received a full ground-up restoration to ‘as new’ race-ready condition by specialist JB Classic Racing GmbH.
It’s outfitted with a 4 cylinder BDA delivering 280bhp with Lucas injectors, 5 speed race gearbox, 75% limited diff, 4 pot Girling (front) and ATE (rear) brakes and 15″ BBS wheels.
Jörg van Ommen raced it in ’81 and ’82, and found a great deal of success in it, particularly during ’82.
Head to RMD’s official site here for more info.
Via RMD
Images via RMD
For Sale: 1981 Zakspeed Ford Escort II is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Knowing what time it is is a very important aspect of being a hip and happening dude(tte), and we feel that knowing what day it is is quite helpful as well. Happily Saison 73 are here to help, with their latest classic Formula 1 themed calendar ‘Rule Britannia’!
As ‘Rule Britannia’ may suggest, the 2014 calendar’s theme is a tribute to the grand prix greats of Great Britain. It celebrates Great Britain’s Formula 1 history and the many British drivers who’ve made their mark as champions and masters of the sport.
Image from the Calendar
British drivers from Mike Hawthorn, Jim Clark, John Surtees and James Hunt to Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button all appear, along with many British legends in between.
The calendar is published and printed in California and available in two sizes: 11″ by 17″ or 17″ by 22″. It is available now for $15.95 plus shipping and tax (where applicable).
Shipping & handling is US $7.95 for one copy or $10.00 for two or more in the United States and $9.95 internationally.
Head to Saison 73′s official site here for more info and to order your copy.
Image from the Calendar
Gear: Rule Britannia 2014 Classic F1 Calendar is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Kris Meeke unleashes the fearsome MG Metro 6R4 around the street of Donegal Town during Rally Ireland
Thanks to HH-F for the tip
Video: Sideways through the streets in an MG Metro 6R4 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
