Motorsport demands tremendous artistry.

Some of it makes the cars go faster – the design of the aero, chassis, or running gear. Some of it pays for the cars to go faster, attracts people to events and entertains them while they’re there . Then, of course, there is the performance art that happens at hundreds of kilometers an hour with inches separating the performers each and every time a driver gets in a race car.

Motorsport also inspires tremendous artistry, such as these paintings by Joel Clark. Joel is an artist working in the medium of paint, inspired by motorsport in its golden years and its motions and emotions. He tells his story well, so read on and enjoy it, and check out his marvelous retro motorsport art featuring drivers like Hunt, Fangio, Hill and Tazio Nuvolari in the gallery below.

Head to his website here.

Joel Clark. Artist.

Motorsport has been the only sport I have ever had a passion for. Kicked-off by a love for all things with an engine – thanks to my father being in haulage – I would spend my childhood-years constantly drawing cars and trucks. Add to this the fact that I grew up in the world’s hub of motorsport – Just 10 miles from Silverstone – and regularly watched all-sorts of racing, especially classic and vintage meets, I even worked at the circuit for a company that produced and applied the graphics for many teams based around Silverstone, up until I left to start art college. Therefore it seemed only natural that when I found I had time on my hands – due to the recession of 2009/10 – I started to paint motor-racing based art.

My work is a mix of portraits of drivers old and new, along with some classic racing scenes – dating back to the golden-era of Brooklands (in fact, after doing so, I found out from my Grandmother, that her cousin used to race at Brooklands in the 30’s). The first collection of paintings where kept to black and white, firstly because of the era I was focusing on and that these were my first attempt at painting in Oils.

So by focusing on the classic years, I kept to a classic style. But rather than just paint a car, I wanted to convey emotion or motion (depending on subject) across the collection, therefore capturing drivers in post and pre-race poses, and cars in racing-action. Also, I like to think that being black and white, this adds a timeless quality to the work.

Now that my work as a Creative in Advertising is busy again, the amount of time I get to paint has obviously diminished; I do however still take on commissions as well as sell some pieces. I have prints of certain paintings that can be printed to order – prices, sizes etc can be found out via contacting me through my website – www.joelclarkartist.carbonmade.com

Retro Motorsport Art: Joel Clark is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The Aussie Grand Prix has always been a celebration of motorsport and its wonderful, boistrous history and it’s off to a great start for 2012, letting the legendary machines of Group A and Group C Touring Car racing loose on the street circuit to compete in feature events over the weekend.

The historic demonstration will be back this year, bringing together a glorious collection of cars ranging from the likes of last year’s 1906 Darracq Grand Prix; which looks like it’s ripped straight from the pages of a steampunk novel, to Porsche’s indomitable 906.

Alongside it will be a celebration of the glory days of Australian Touring Car racing from the ’70s to early ’90s. The grids will be packed to capacity with big muscle from Holden, Ford, Jaguar, Nissan and Volvo and they’ll be lighting up Albert Park for practice, qualifying and two heats over the course of the weekend.

Read on for the official word. Photos provided by Shannons.

Shannons revives Touring Car passion at AGP

Shannons will turn back the clock at the 2012 Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix to revive the glory days of Australian Touring Car racing from the 1970s to early 1990s.

The Shannons Group A-Group C Touring Cars races, featuring capacity grids of the actual Holden, Ford, Jaguar, Nissan and Volvos and other makes that raced during the golden Brock-Johnson-Moffat-Richards era from 1973-1992, will be the highlights of the Saturday and Sunday support events at Albert Park.

Each of two the eight-lap races will take place in peak spectator times and will feature rolling starts.

Fans will also see the Shannons Group A-Group C Touring Cars on track twice on the Thursday opening day of the 2012 Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix carnival from 15-18 March for practice and qualifying.

Shannons sponsorship for these Touring Cars events at the Grand Prix is in addition to its on-going support of the Shannons Historic Demonstration that will again see up to 60 special sports and racing cars spanning more than 80 years take to the 5.3km Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit a further four times during this year’s F1 carnival.

Only original competition cars from the period will be eligible to take part in the Shannons Group A-Group C Touring Cars races, with the drivers including a number of Bathurst-winning cars and well-known drivers.

Legendary competitors from the past will also officiate or meet the public in autograph sessions in the Shannons support paddock during the Grand Prix carnival, with a special display marking more than half a century of Australian Touring Cars racing featuring many famous cars.

Appropriately, Australia’s most successful active touring car driver – and Shannons ambassador – Jim Richards, has been appointed Ambassador of the new support category and will compete in one of the BMW 635 CSi coupes he drove to win his first Australian Touring Car Championship title in 1985.

“This is a celebration of an era that was an important part of my life,” the four-time Australian Touring Car Champion and seven-time Bathurst winner said. “I drove Toranas, Commodores, an XB Falcon, BMWs and Nissans and the variety of makes and models created fantastic racing for both drivers and spectators.

Shannons Business Development Manager Victoria, Richard Sanders, said he was confident the Shannons Group C & A races would be a major attraction of the Australian Grand Prix meeting.

“The cars that competed during this 19-year period come from the heartland of Australian Touring Car racing. Their engines form the soundtrack of many enthusiasts’ lives,” he said.

Shannons Revives Touring Car Passion at the Australian Grand Prix is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The world’s most glorious private collection of turbocharged Porsches is going up for auction at Gooding & Company’s upcoming Amelia Island auction on the 9th of March.

The auction will include the likes of a 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder, a back-to-back 24 Hours of Daytona winning 962, a 1974 Porsche RSR Turbo Carrera 2.14 and the first 935 Porsche built. Oh, and there’s also a McLaren MP4/3 Formula One car in the collection – the peak of development of the turbo Porsche/TAG Formula One engine.

You’ll need to bring along a few spare wallets though – the Can-Am Spyder is expected to go for $3.25 – $4 million while the others are all estimated to come in at around $2 million. The MP4/3 is estimated at $450,000 – $600,000.

Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island auction will be held on Friday the 9th of March from 11AM.

Read on for the official details on a selection of the most desirable racing cars, from Gooding & Company and hit this link to head to their website for more.

Photos via Gooding & Company.

1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder

Chassis 917-30-004

Estimate: $3.25 – $4 million

The Porsche 917 racing program was one of the most successful in the history of motor sport and the 1973 917/30 Can-Am Spyder represents its pinnacle. With a 1,000 hp turbocharged flat-twelve, American racing champion Mark Donohue’s 917/30 was so dominant that the Can Am Challenge Cup was disbanded and the other manufacturers withdrew due to their inability to compete.

One of four examples completed at the Porsche factory, 004 was intended to be the 1974 Penske-Sunoco team car but was instead sold to Australian Porsche Importer Alan Hamilton. Later purchased by the Porsche factory, this car is now the centerpiece of the Drendel Family Collection. Meticulously restored and presented in the iconic Penske-Sunoco livery, this 917/30 has been raced at the Monterey Historics and has been displayed at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and Rennsport Reunion.

1984 Porsche 962

Chassis 962-103

Estimate: $1.75 – $2.225 million

According to Gooding & Company specialists, this car is the finest example of the Porsche 962 and one of the most successful racing cars of its generation. With only two owners from new, this back-to-back 24 Hours of Daytona winner will be one of the Drendel Family Collection’s most significant offerings at the auction with its immediately recognizable Löwenbräu livery, list of legendary drivers, unrivalled racing record and superb documentation.

1974 Porsche RSR Turbo Carrera 2.14

Chassis 911 460 9016 (R9)

Estimate: $1.75 – $2.25 million

The Carrera RSR Turbo 2.14 represents a turning point in the history of competition Porsches when it introduced the use of turbocharged engines in production-based race cars. Used by the factory for development, this hand-built experimental 911 was campaigned as a Martini & Rossi Porsche Works entry in the 1974 season at Nürburgring, Imola and Zeltweg. Few racing cars of this caliber have remained so correct and untouched, making this car an extremely important piece of Porsche history.

1976 Porsche 935/76

Chassis 930 570 0001 (R14)

Estimate: $1.7 – $2 million

The first 935 built, this car served as the prototype and development mule for one of the most successful series of Porsche racing cars. This historically-significant example ran as a factory team car under the recognizable Martini & Rossi livery and its podium finishes at Watkins Glen and Dijon helped Porsche capture the Group 5 World Championship in 1976. In addition to its impressive provenance and great originality, this factory race car has the remarkable distinction of being the first Porsche with a 930 serial number prefix.

1985 Porsche 962

Chassis 962-HR1

Estimate: $900,000 – $1.2 million

During its career, this Porsche achieved 11 overall wins and 19 podium finishes, as well as 2 IMSA GTP Drivers Championships and an IMSA GTP Manufacturers Championship. Along with its Holbert Racing sister car, 962-103, this 962 is one of the most significant 962s in history. Fresh from restoration, 962-HR1 was displayed at RennSport Reunion IV in 2011.

1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution

Chassis 993-GT1-004

Estimate: $900,000 – $1.2 million

This rare factory team car – one of just four built – has competed at top events (Le Mans, Nürburgring andLaguna Seca) in the highest levels of international racing with known drivers behind its wheel. Later campaigned by Rohr Racing at Daytona and Harry Bytzek in the Canada GT Challenge Cup, GT1-004 has one of the most impressive racing records of any factory GT1.

1975 Porsche 934

Chassis 930 670 0155

Estimate: $800,000 – $1 million

The racing variant of the road-going 930, the 934 expanded on the success of the RSR, winning the European GT Championship as well as the TransAm Championship in North America. The second 934 constructed, this car was actively campaigned through the early 1980s, culminating in a first in class at the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans. In regards to this car, noted Porsche authority Bruce Anderson was quoted as saying “it is the most successful 934 to race in international competition.”

1980 Porsche 924 Carrera GT Le Mans

Chassis 924-003

Estimate: $450,000 – $600,000, Without Reserve

One of three Works entries at the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans; placed 13th Overall with Bell and Holbert

1980 Porsche Indy Car

Chassis 0031

Estimate: $350,000 – $550,000

Intended as Porsche’s return to open-wheel racing, the company’s ground-breaking program was cancelled a month before the Indianapolis 500 as a result of last-minute USAC rule changes

1987 McLaren-Porsche MP4/3 Formula One

Chassis MP4/3/1

Estimate: $450,000 – $600,000, Without Reserve

The first MP4/3 built and the only example in private hands

1981 Porsche 924 GTP “Le Mans”

Chassis 924-005

Estimate: $375,000 – $450,000, Without Reserve

Factory prototype and development car, built to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Up For Auction: Drendel Family Porsche Collection is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

One of my favourite things about being in Melbourne over the Formula One weekend is walking around the city streets to the soundtrack of howling Formula One motors bouncing off the buildings. It’s incredibly atmospheric.

As is this ad from Shell, which gave a few lucky drivers the opportunity to blast around the streets of Rome, Hong Kong, Rio, New York and Monaco in a collection of Ferrari Formula One cars ranging from the ’50s to modern day.

Oh, and the soundtrack is pretty amazing – turn it up, then turn it up again.

Image: TheCahierArchive©

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Video: ‘Circuit’ by Shell is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The drivers were unified, for once, All fighting against tiny clauses in their Superlicence contracts. It sparked a remarkable weekend

Formula 1 drivers are very much focused individuals. So it’s hard to believe the situation that occurred at Kyalami in January 1982 for the first race of the season, when all the drivers united and went on strike, upset with clauses in their new superlicence contracts.

The whole situation was quite remarkable, and made the news all over the world. “Solidarity” is not often a word associated with Formula 1, but on this occasion all 31 (bar Jochen Mass, who didn’t get the memo), decamped, by bus to the Sunnyside Park Hotel. That bus had 30 of the world’s fastest drivers on board, who then camped out behind lock and key in a conference room, on makeshift mattresses on the floor. Not quite your multi-million dollar lifestyle that they were used to.

The sticking points were three clauses in the Superlicence contract. Two in particular… The threats were high on both sides. “We won’t race”, said the drivers. “We will ban you forever if you don’t” said the FIA, and in particular Jean-Marie Balestre. Big stakes.

The sticking points? Drivers had to disclose their financial details, had to agree to stay with a team for three years at a time, both of which are Draconian. But, in my opinion, the worst clause of the lot was the Big Brother-esque “There will be no criticism of the FIA.” And a life ban was thrown at anyone who did.

For once the drivers were unified in Johannesburg. Only one, unnamed, photographer was allowed in to the room. There are photos of Alain Prost sharing a mattress with Gilles Villeneuve, and Patrick Tambay saying “If those two have kids after this tonight I might as well retire now.”

Elio de Angelis played the piano, and it really was a boys night out on a Grand Prix weekend. It is fair to say the guys had fun and made the most out of an extremely unusual situation.

Niki Lauda was appointed as spokesman, and remember this was his return to F1 since retiring two years before. Didier Pironi was the go-between, helicoptering back and forward to negotiate. Team bosses were not happy, and neither were the team mechanics. The cars were ready, the drivers missing in action.

The next morning Pironi had another meeting, Balestre said he was ready to negotiate, and a bus load of unshaved racing drivers arrived at the track ready-ish to practice. Nelson Piquet, in another political move, was forbidden to drive by then Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone on the grounds that he was too tired”. Piquet was not amused.

Niki Lauda, thrown in at the deep end on his return from retirement had this to say to journalist Heinz Pruller.

“I’m prepared to sign, because I want to race,” said Lauda. “When Teddy Mayer (McLaren team boss) asked me to sign at home in January, I refused. I told him not to worry. I was prepared to race, but the Superlicence business had to be changed.” There were 24 others that didn’t sign either, sensing they were being put to the wall.

Things came to a head, and the bus to the hotel was followed by journalists who were not allowed in. Lauda, outspoken at the best of times, told it like it was. The negotiator was Pironi, quiet and unassuming. And French, which helped with dealing with Balestre. Something that was never easy at the best of times.

So how did the ‘strike’ start? Lauda, again, didn’t mince his words to Pruller. “It was our idea. At the beginning I was just listening to Didier. He was diplomatic but firm, polite and unemotional. The compromise in the Superlicence that the drivers wanted was really insignificant, so much so that none of the drivers couldn’t understand why it was taking such a long time to settle. The later it got the more difficult it got for the race to take place.

“It was stupid little points,” continued Lauda to Pruller. “They threatened to take away our licences.” The bigger problem was that with the drivers locked up in a hotel room, the organisers of the South African GP were getting jumpy, and suing teams for breach of contract if there was no race.

The teams even looked into getting a whole new set of drivers in to make the race happen, regardless of who was in their cars.

Meanwhile negotiations were sinking fast. Lauda to Pruller again. “Balestre represents FISA, so I can understand why he didn’t want to talk to us. He said he wasn’t prepared to talk to drivers who refused to practice. But you can always find a way to talk to someone… And for a long time he refused to do that. If he wants to screw the whole of Grand Prix racing just to prove that he is the official body… Well, that’s fair enough.”

Despite the anger, the ‘kids’ away had some fun too. Locked in a hotel conference room, 30 drivers shared mattresses and a grand piano.

Lauda laughed at the memory of that night. “I would like to see all the F1 constructors sleeping together in the same bed. I was sharing a bed with Patrese,” the Austrian continued. “Someone next to Rosberg was snoring until Villeneuve put a blanket over him. But all the time we stayed together. We even had piano playing from Elio (de Angelis) and Villeneuve. But we stayed together because we wanted to.”

In the end, the solution was Balestre, in his own special way rescinding – even though it was not in writing it was enough for the drivers to board the bus and head back to the track to practice.

Lauda: “We didn’t stay together fighting for nothing without intending to win. Mr Ecclestone and Mr Balestre confirned that all the changes we wanted would be made. The argument was not written down. But these are grown men, not little children, and that was good enough for us to start practice on Friday.”

By Andy Hallbery follow me on Twitter @hallbean

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Formula 1: Strike one. South Africa, 1982 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

There is just something very special about Le Mans.

Video: 2012 Le Mans 24 hour promo – A trip down memory lane is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Martin Stretton dances absolutely fearlessly with the barriers as he tears up Goodwood’s hill in this video from the 2010 Festival of Speed.

Stretton went fastest on both days and thrilled the crowd with spectacular displays in which he lit up the P34′s enormous rear tyres and took the car up sideways. Glorious.

Image: TheCahierArchive©

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Video: Tyrrell P34 Climbs Goodwood is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

The route used to be simple: Karting, Formula Ford, F3, F3000 and F1. Easy huh?

You would think, but then along came another feeder series in 1988, EFDA (the European Formula Drivers’ Association) Opel Lotus. EFDA’s Euroseries run by Dan Partel had already generated careers for Ayrton Senna, among many, many others when the series was run for Formula Ford. The Opel deal came along, and the marketing behind it was just what the series needed. The races ran on Sunday mornings before the Grands Prix, meaning there was a big audience for the teenage racers, as well as early exposure to what would become an F1 life.

Drivers now had difficult choices. But there were big sponsors and names like Camel, Marlboro, and team owners like Derek Bell and Paul and Jackie Stewart involved.

Allan McNish: “When we were making a decision about what I should do for 1988, I spoke to Jackie Stewart, as I was being advised to stay in Formula Ford and race in the coveted works Duckhams Van Diemen car. Then Marlboro came up and I had the option of both – crazy FF1600 action, or slicks and wings. Jackie basically said: ‘Look… How many races in Formula 1 are won in the last corner like Formula Ford? They’re not. Whereas to get to F1 you will need to learn about slicks and wings.’

“That was one of the reasons I went the Opel Lotus route,” McNish continues. “The other thing for me was the buzz in the Euroseries and the EFDA paddock, and it really had clicked in my head by then that this was a car that I could drive, rather that something that was driving me.”

Mika Hakkinen, meanwhile had been racing extremely successfully in karts in Finland, then won EFDA’s FF1600 title in 1987. He was snapped up by Marlboro and Dragon Motosport, and partnered with McNish, the Finn won the 1988 EFDA Opel Lotus Euroseries, while McNish won the British Vauxhall Lotus title. Honours shared, but as the Scot explains, it was more than just a school. It was a lesson in life.

“It was a time in our careers when we had not been brought up to be the most formidable, selfish drivers solely thinking about becoming Formula 1 superstars as the kids are today,” the Scot says. “There was an extra ‘give’ in us as people that is not there in 18-20-year olds today who are already very honed professionals. Back then our fitness training consisted of going down the water slides at Spa after qualifying or dive-bombing people in the hotel pool. I think the limit of my exercise at that time was carrying my luggage to the airport. I bet the young guys today don’t even have to do that themselves. It was just a different mentality in a different era. It was right for that time.

“I signed to race for Marlboro and Dragon Motorsport,” he adds, “and Mika was my team mate. The second race of the Euroseries was at Paul Ricard in France on the Grand Prix bill. That was the first ever F1 support race for Opel Lotus. It’s not like today, then you could access the paddock. James Hunt was one of the advisers to Marlboro for Mika and he was always at the Grands Prix for the BBC commentaries, and I just used to wander down to McLaren or Marlboro in the F1 paddock to speak to James because passes weren’t an issue. For a young driver, suddenly you were in the Mecca! This was it. Our paddock was often a bit shite, tucked away, and our races only 15 minutes on a Saturday or Sunday morning. But it was great exposure.”

The pair of them were 18 and 19 years old, kids basically learning lessons for life. McNish: “I flew to Frankfurt to race at Hockenheim with 10 Deutsche Marks in my pocket. I got a taxi. The bill was about 140DM. The cabbie wasn’t pleased….”

Mika meanwhile, having shared a house with Mcnish, had moved to West Hampstead in London, and was learning to live on his own. Stories abound about how little he knew about life, apart from racing. But that was all he needed to know, right? The scraggy hair had gone, and he was smart looking – a sponsor’s dream.

Life’s lessons and team-work were still being learned. McNish: “It helped that we drove almost everywhere. That Opel Lotus year, Mika, the team and I drove practically for a month around Europe to the races. You have to remember that a flight from Scotland to Europe was the same price as a flight to America! So it was cheaper to drive, and it also meant that we spent so much time with each other. Ok, there were obviously fractious moments – as competitors there are bound to be – but spending a month on the road together can only make a team tighter.

While Allan’s career soared into F1 test driver-land, Mika’s stumbled. A move to F3 with Dragon for 1989 and a Reynard was not the right move for the Finn, but the following year, fully armed, he won the British F3 Championship, and starred at Macau against future F1 rival Michael Schumacher.

The EFDA Opel Lotus days were a great training ground, not just for racing, but dealing with the world of F1. Rubens Barrichello, who was the 1990 champion describes it as “The best learning school I ever went to.”

McNish sums it up” “The openness of the paddock meant that you could go into a Formula 1 hospitality unit, knock on the door, and say ‘Hi, I’m Allan McNish, this is what I’m doing.’ It allowed you to become known at an early stage in your career.

The pair were a dream for Marlboro. McNish became McLaren’s test driver for Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger, while racing for DAMS in F3000.

Since then, Hakkinen won two world championships, and was arguably Schumacher’s toughest rival. McNish has become a star in sportscar racing with two Le Mans wins, two American Le Mans Series titles, wins at Sebring – and he and Mika also crossed paths again in the DTM in 2005.

He’s also been an F1 commentator, tested for Renault, and in 2002, his years of developing Toyota’s sportscars paid off with an F1 drive.

It’s a long way from the EFDA Opel Lotus days, but that is where Mika and Allan learned their professional trade.

Special thanks to @AllanMcNish

By Andy Hallbery follow me on Twitter @hallbean

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Stepping stones to F1: Mika Hakkinen and Allan McNish is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

With pre-season testing for the 2012 Formula 1 season already underway – teams spent four days at former Spanish GP venue Jerez last week – all eyes are on the latest creations from the 12 competing squads.

As well as offering drivers, designers and engineers a chance to evaluate new chassis and their response to set-up changes – and the latest compounds from tyre supplier Pirelli – winter running provides an opportunity to bed-in new engines while monitoring their compatibility with the chassis and gearbox.

Numerically dominant among 2012 powerplant providers is Renault, the French manufacturer supplying eight cars: the Red Bull RB8s, Caterham CT01s, Lotus E20s and Williams FW34s.

Since 1977 Renault has retained a constant presence in F1, both as a manufacturer and engine supplier. Its first car, the RS01, pioneered turbocharging in F1 – with forced-induction power becoming de rigueur soon after.

The first of 35 world-championship wins as an outright manufacturer – and 142 as an engine builder/supplier to date – came on home soil at Dijon in 1979, courtesy of loyal Renault servant Jean-Pierre Jabouille.

Over the next six years, the yellow-black-and-white machines won a further 14 races before quitting to concentrate on an engine tie-up with Lotus and the great Ayrton Senna. The awesome Lotus/Renault/Senna trio won four races in 1985-86 before the British team acquired engines from Japanese firm Honda for 1987.

For Renault, the split from Lotus allowed it to pursue what would become a much more successful collaboration, with British superteam Williams. Between 1989 and 1999, Williams-Renault machines racked up countless grand prix wins and dominated the championship race in 1992 and ’93 with Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, before securing a hat-trick of titles, thanks to Michael Schumacher and the Benetton team in 1995 and Williams duo Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve in ’96-’97 respectively.

Renaultwithdrew its factory support for 1998, although the company’s engines would continue in F1, albeit with independent badging from Mecachrome (Williams) and Playlife (Benetton).

There would be no more wins or titles for Renault-powered cars until the company returned to the sport. And with a bang. An outright takeover of the Benetton team at the end of 2001 meant there would be ‘proper’ Renaults on the grid for 2002.

And in the summer of 2003, it added to its victory tally when Fernando Alonso became the then-youngest winner of a race – thanks to his win in Hungary. The Spaniard went on to become the firm’s most successful driver, with numerous wins and back-to-back title glory in 2005-’06.

For 2007, Renault joined forces with Red Bull Racing, the team created from the remnants of the Jagaur squad by energy-drink magnate Dietrich Mateschitz. Just two years after the seeds of the Red Bull-Renault relationship were sown, they bore fruit, when young German star Sebastian Vettel won the 2009 Chinese GP in Shanghai.

Since then, Red Bull-Renaults have been the benchmark cars in grand prix racing, taking a drivers’/constructors’ title double in 2010 and 2011, with record-breaking Vettel becoming the youngest double champion.

And with Renault committed to Red Bull for 2012 and beyond, backed up by Caterham, Lotus and Williams, the French legend is pretty much guaranteed to add more wins to its already impressive F1 CV.

By Henry Hope-Frost

Images: TheCahierArchive©

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Renault: Powering Formula 1 Champions is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Check out these old Motocross and Supercross programs from the 70s and 80s. The collection includes a program from the first ever supercross event in the USA ” The Superbowl of Motocross ” which was held at the LA Coliseum in 1974.

This collection belongs to Brian Finmark from the USA.

Via: RacerXonline

If you have some great old programs you would like to share, send them over!

Race Programs: 70s and 80s Motocross is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

600bhp is really rather a lot, even today – just three years out from hover skateboards. In the middle of the 1930s it was absolutely bonkers. And yet, resting under the shapely bare metal bonnets of the Silver Arrows, were power plants well on their way to just that.

The men who drove them were fearless, their exploits were the stuff of legend and their competitors were flummoxed.

75 years on and the Goodwood Revival is set to recreate the glory days of the Silver Arrows. They have gathered a collection of Mercedes-Benz W25, W125, W154 and W165s, examples of the Auto Union Type C and Type D and a contingent of competition from the likes of MG, Maserati and Bugatti. Top Men are preparing to drive them and a race is being put together. It’ll be held at full race pace, but in order to protect the cars there’ll be no actual racing.

It’ll be a unique and incredibly rare opportunity to see and hear these marvelous machines out on the track in anger and we can’t wait.

Read on for the word from Goodwood and visit their site here

Photos via Goodwood

Historic Silver Arrow Racers to Create Memorable Spectacle at 2012 Goodwood Revival

After much speculation and excitement, Goodwood is now able to confirm the sensational news that 75 years after the first appearance of the legendary pre-war ‘Silver Arrows’ in the UK, the 2012 Goodwood Revival (14-16 September) will stage arguably the most spectacular historic vehicle demonstration of all time.

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the famous Silver Arrows Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix cars once again being driven in anger at a British motor circuit for the first time in 75 years will make the 2012 Revival a must-attend event for all motor sport enthusiasts.

The iconic Mercedes-Benz W25, W125, W154 and W165, plus examples of the Auto Union Type C and Type D, will be in action at race-speeds in September, with well-known top-level racing drivers behind the wheels of these awesome and significant cars.   This promises to be the biggest thing in historic motor sport for decades.

Alongside the Silver Arrow racers will be many of the cars that competed against – but were totally out-classed – the dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Unions in the late 1930s.  Expect to see examples of ERA, Maserati, Riley, Bugatti and MG on the legendary Goodwood track, alongside the Silver Arrows.

A Brief History of the Silver Arrows

The introduction of the 750kg formula in 1934, along with the promise of significant funding from the German government, led to the arrival on the Grand Prix scene of two of the most evocative names in motor sport history: Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union. Built with little regard for cost, their cars were light years ahead of the opposition, and dominated Grand Prix racing from 1934 until the outbreak of war in 1939.

Abandoning the traditional German racing white in favour of bare metal (legend has it that this was to save weight, in order to keep them below the 750kg maximum weight limit, although the truth of this story is still debated), the cars quickly gained the nickname of ‘Silberpfeil’ (Silver Arrows in German)’, creating a legend that endures to this day.

By 1937, when the cars raced in the UK for the first time, power outputs were approaching 600bhp – a level that would not be equalled in Grand Prix racing until the turbo era of the 1980s. Such was the speed and sound of these monstrous machines, and the astonishing feats of the daredevils who drove them, that the English crowd – more accustomed to seeing Rileys, MGs and ERAs with less than half the power of the German cars, competing in handicap races – were rendered utterly speechless.

With the full support of Mercedes-Benz and Audi, the 2012 Goodwood Revival will recreate the spirit of that momentous day in 1937, with a race-speed demonstration of as many as ten of these fabulous machines, including examples of the Mercedes-Benz W25, W125, W154 and W165, and Auto Union Type C and Type D.

Piloted by world famous drivers, the Silver Arrows will stage a carefully choreographed ‘race’, alongside examples of the British and Continental ‘cannon fodder’ that raced against them in period – providing all the spectacle of a real race, but without risk to these priceless machines.

Low-speed demonstrations by individual Silver Arrows are an impressive sight, and this will be the first time that so many of these mighty machines have been driven together at full racing speed since the Yugoslav Grand Prix, on 3 September 1939 – the day after WWII broke out. As such, it will be a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience – arguably the most momentous occasion in the history of historic motor sport.

The Bremgarten circuit

To complete the spectacle, the cars will be housed in an authentic recreation of a period pit/paddock building, based on the distinctive structure at the Bremgarten circuit in Switzerland, alongside period transporters.

Switzerland had strong links with the Silver Arrows. The Swiss Grand Prix was a highlight of the European Championship from 1935-39, with the Bremgarten track was regarded as one of the most challenging in the world:

Additionally, the European Hillclimb Championship was very important during the 1930s, being won by such star drivers as Hans Stuck and Rudolf Caracciola. The Klausen Pass event was one of the most popular on the calendar, won in 1934 by Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz W25, beating his rival Hans Stuck in an Auto Union.

More information about this one-off Goodwood Revival spectacle will be confirmed over the coming months.

Silver Arrows to Star at Goodwood Revival is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

If you were a privateer in the ’60s and early ’70s and wanted to compete with the beasts from Porsche, Ford and Ferrari, Lola’s T70 was the car to do it in.

The T70s are just as fantastic today. This open-topped beauty comes with a storied motorsport history, including appearances in Can Am and legendary races like the 12 Hours of Sebring, and eligibility for historic racing.

Read on for the official word, and head to Duncan Hamilton’s website here

Photos via Duncan Hamilton & Co

This is an exceptional opportunity to acquire an iconic mid-’60s sports racing car with an excellent period and contemporary competition history. It was supplied new to the USA for John Cannon and ran in the Sebring 12 hours and many other prominent Can-Am races with notable success. Also driven by the legendary Walt Hansgen, the Lola is naturally eligible for the Goodwood Revival meeting as well as the European Classic Endurance Racing series.

For Sale: 1965 Lola T70 MkI is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

A few days before the 1972 Imola 200, Paul Smart met the Ducati 750 for the first time for a test at Modena. He broke then World Champion Giacomo Agostini‘s lap record within his first 20 laps, on road tyres. Come race day, he and teammate Bruno Spaggiari finished first and second, and created a Ducati legend.

This replica was built in 1978 by Gowanloch Duacti Sydney using period components. It is mint, beautiful and for sale at Deus Ex Machina in Sydney.

Check out their website here for the details

Photos via Deus Ex Machina

For Sale: 1972 Ducati 750SS Imola Replica is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

“If I was really, a bit younger, a bit more gutsy, a bit bigger balls I probably would’ve kept it flat there.”

Enjoy this immensely entertaining driving lesson with Sir Stirling Moss as he winds up a 1959 Cooper-Climax around Donington Park. Learn about breaking, the driving line and communicating with your car as he comments on racing, the car and how it compares to modern (for 1986) cars, safety and more.

Image: TheCahierArchive©

Buy prints of these photographs from just $49

Video: A Master Class With Stirling Moss and a 1959 Cooper-Climax is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.

Allan Moffat is one of the true legends of Australian motor racing. He has won everything there is to win, in a huge variety of machinery.

The Canadian born driver took four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and conquered the Bathurst 1000 four times, including that famous Ford 1-2 in 1977. He is a two time winner of both the Australian Sports Sedan Championship and Australian Endurance Championship.

He tasted success on the international stage too, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring outright with Brian Redman in a BMW 3.0CSL in 1975. Moffat also raced twice at Le Mans, in an RX7 in 1980 and Porsche 935 in 1982.

Moffat’s last race and indeed last race win was in 1989 driving with Klaus Niedzwiedz. The pair drive Moffat’s Ford Sierra in the Fuji 500km race in Japan. He retired from competitive motor racing after the Fuji win keeping a promise he had made to himself and wife Pauline that he wouldn’t race beyond his 50th birthday.

Moffat’s two sons Andrew Moffat and James Moffat have followed their father into motor racing.

These images continue our series of photo specials showcasing the stunning images from Autopics.com.au. The Autopics.com.au collection is based on the archives of Peter D’Abbs, Lance J. Ruting and David Blanch, and is part of a massive collection of over 750,000 motor racing photographs, many of which are available for purchase on their website.

Buy Prints of these photographs from just $6.

Images: Autopics.com.au©

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