Peter Warr giving Jody Scheckter a few quick points of direction during the Dutch Grand Prix of 1978. Scheckter didn’t place well in the GP, however his luck was on the cusp of changing – he won the World Championship in the following year whilst driving for Ferrari.
Image: The Cahier Archive
Photo of the day: Jody Scheckter and Peter Warr is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
If you have an awesome design and the need to stick it to things or, even better, have fans looking to stick your designs to things, Sticker Mule is where you need to head.
Their strap line is “Custom stickers that kick ass”, and from the awesome Motorsport Retro stickers they put together for us recently we have to agree.
The process is super easy – just send them your artwork and they’ll take care of the rest. They even send you a free mock-up before you print your order so that you know you’ll be getting what you need.
Check out some examples of their work below, and head to the Sticker Mule site here for a whole lot more, and to put your orders in!
Sticker Mule’s Superior Stickers is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
We’re a little unsettled by the news that Mark Webber has been penalised for hitching a ride with Fernando Alonso at the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix on the weekend. We can’t help but see the incident as a brief throwback to memories of the passionate years of sportsmanship in racing that we remember so fondly.
Of course it’s a spark which the FIA have worked quickly to stamp out. Here’s six reasons why it’s all a big overreaction:
6. Impromptu victory laps are just that triumphant.
Alesi wins the 1995 Canadian GP, runs out of fuel shortly afterwards and is picked up by Schumacher for what is in effect, a Formula 1 interpretation of a victory parade. Waving to the crowd like a coveted war hero whilst soaking in the spoils of his first and only F1 GP victory, this clip is just one symphony orchestra short of a true epic.
5. F1 Hitchhiking can predict the future (maybe).
It’s the top-voted YouTube caption attached to this clip that makes it a winner for us. Three years ago this YouTube user watched Hakkinen and Coulthard riding along together, and picked the aftermath of the 2013 Singapore GP with impressive accuracy.
4. The right music can really set the mood.
We feel the lack of an adequate soundtrack has really let the Singapore incident down. With the right music, we think the context of Webber sprinting across a blind corner on foot at a street circuit could have been entirely transformed. Take this clip of Giancarlo Fisichella and Michael Schumacher in 1997 as an example; with a little help from the audio department, it feels more like Fisichella is embarking on a glorious quest than clutching onto a carbon air-duct for dear life.
3. Senna got to be 007 for a day.
Legend has it that when race-winner Nigel Mansell picked up Senna at the conclusion of the 1991 British GP, Ayrton took the opportunity to peek at the data being displayed in Mansell’s cockpit, relaying the information to his team and effectively playing the part of spy for McLaren. In true James Bond fashion, Senna even deflected an incoming fan with a swift kick.
2. Three’s a crowd, four was a party.
Being a Formula 1 driver is a pretty lonely pursuit; you’re trapped in a car all by yourself with little company other than your own thoughts and an engineer jabbering away in your ear about one thing – winning. Having 3 friends over can really lighten the atmosphere, as Stefan Johansson, Rene Arnoux, Philippe Alliot and Nelson Piquet demonstrated in 1986.
1. He owed him one!
At the conclusion of the 2011 German GP Mark Webber was polite enough to pull over, stop and give the soon to be stranded Fernando Alonso a lift to the pits. It’s only sporting that Alonso repaid the favour in Singapore on the weekend!
Six reasons why Webber hitchhiking at Singapore wasn’t a big deal. is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
September 23rd marked the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, the last time racing legend Jackie Stewart competed in Formula 1.
Jackie Stewart had learned the hard way of Formula 1s lacklustre safety provisions, and theres no doubt that the experience of having been left stranded, injured and soaked in fuel in the wreckage of his car at Spa in ’66 remained with him even several years later. His experiences had contributed to the decision that 1973 would be his last year of competition, however the final straw came one race earlier than expected when Stewart’s team mate and close friend Francois Cevert lost his life during practice at Watkins Glen.
Of course history would see Jackie withdraw from the American GP in the wake of the accident, writing the Canadian GP at Mosport Park into the history books as his last official race. Stewart placed 5th at Mosport, and carried enough points to win the overall 1973 drivers championship despite having opted out of the final round.
Mosport ’73 marked his 99th Grand Prix.
Image credit: Motorsport Magazine
Video: Jackie’s last race is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
A very special signed photograph has been placed for auction on eBay. It demonstrates Rudolf Caracciola doing what he did best, and that was steering big, silver Mercedes Benzes to victory in the wet.
On the 28th of August 1938 Rudolf Caracciola managed to win the Swiss Grand Prix by a convincing 26 seconds behind the wheel of his #12 Mercedes W154, despite heavy rain. It was to be his only victory in ’38, however podium finishes at all four rounds see him placed 1st overall in the driver championship. Caracciola was revered for his ability to race in the wet, and is often remembered by the name “Der Regenmeister” or “The Rainmaster”. This photograph was taken on that day and later signed by Rudolf, who passed away 44 years ago this Saturday.
Click here to check it out!
eBay find of the day: Signed Rudolf Caracciola photo is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Raced in the British Touring Car Championship by Graeme Goode, Sean Walker and even Damon Hill and enswathed in Hill’s Moss Security livery, this awesome Ford RS500 Sierra is up for sale over at Ecurie Investments.
It has several years of BTCC history, with Goode contesting the 1988 BTCC in the car, achieving a best result of 5th, and Sean Walker taking over the seat in 1989 and going one better, scoring 4th in the Donnington Park One Hour with Damon Hill.
After changing hands several times, the car went to Australia to compete in the Historic Group A scene. Since then everything on it’s either been rebuilt or refurbished and it’s been outfitted with a full kit of spares and proven running gear.
The car comes with all necessary CAMS accreditation, so it’s ready to hit the track and have a little historic racing fun.
Images via Ecurie Investments
Buy Graham Goode’s BTCC Group A RS500 Sierra is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Can you imagine anything better than being able to drive a pair of Niki Lauda and James Hunt’s Formula 1 cars around a track like Snetterton, full tilt? Well, United Autosports went and did it. For the rest of us, this stunning collection of photographs and video is the result.
The lucky buggers at United Autosports maintain and manage James Hunt’s 1977 McLaren M26 and Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari 312/B as part of team owner Zak Brown’s “Race Cars of Distinction” collection. This meant they were able to get them out on the track with former F1 wheelmen Martin Brundle and Karun Chandhok, for a film day as part of a feature the SKY F1 Channel is running about RUSH.
Lauda saw his first F1 GP victory behind the wheel of this ’74 Ferrari 312/B, while the ’77 McLaren M26 carried Hunt to his last. In our eyes, that makes them pretty special.
To check out the full length video, Click Here.
Images: United Autosports.
Revisiting History: Driving Lauda and Hunt’s F1 racers in 2013 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Ah the GT40. One of the most successful and beautiful sportscar racers of the golden age of motorsport.
The 2013 Goodwood Revival celebrated the GT40 by bringing together a magnificent collection of significant and racing GT40s for a one model race. This video recaps the highlights of the GT40 at the Goodwood revival over the last few years and gives us everything you could want in a historic racing video – classic racers thundering magnificently around a great track.
Video: GT40s Thunder at Goodwood Revival is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Here at Motorsport Retro we really, really love huge 500cc wheelies. Intentional or not, this one by Max Biaggi at the 1998 Brno GP is hands-down our all time favourite.
The story goes that Biaggi bit off a little more than he could chew whilst dialling on the angle of a celebratory wheel-stand as he won the Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix. A slip of the foot saw his Aprilia move beyond vertical for a moment, with a mix of quick reactions, talent and of course sheer luck coming together to bring the bike back down on two wheels in a safe, albeit shaky manner.
Video: Max Biaggi’s huge wheelie – 1998 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Niki Lauda in the pits during the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji. One can only imagine what was running through his mind on this day.
Photo of the day: Lauda in the wet, Fuji 1976 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
An ESPN feature shot during several races throughout the 1989 F1 season asks drivers like Senna, Piquet and Mansell casual questions mailed in by viewers. You’ll be surprised at some of the answers! Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Thierry Boutsen, Eddie Cheever, Nigel Mansell and Gerhard Berger are just some of the iconic racing personalities whom make appearances in this gem. Questions include what it’s like to be an F1 driver, who their best friends are on the grid, and what they’d be if they didn’t end up as a Formula 1 driver. Enjoy.
Video: So what’s it like to be an 80s Formula 1 driver? is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Image: www.autopics.com.au
The AP6/VC Valiant V8 stepped up the game for Australian motorists, bringing with it more power (always good), an agile handling package and a stylish aesthetic that fit the era like a glove.
Its 4.5-litre 180bhp V8 was a state of the art unit that tipped the scales just 22 kilograms heavier than the V6 and, when combined with the light and agile body and chassis, made the Valiant a great drive on Australian roads.
It’s a car that Joe Kenwright asserts should’ve set off fireworks around the country, and you can find out why at The Shannons Club.
Via the Shannons Club
Image via www.autopics.com.au
AP6/VC Valiant V8: More Power to Australians is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Marc Marquez is the first rookie to win the premier-class world motorcycle championship since Kenny Roberts in 1978. Both won in epic seasons, where the battle went down to the final race.
But they fought different battles. Roberts had road raced 750s for four years, but he was new to 500s as well as the circuits and the Grand Prix circus. In terms of established opposition, Roberts faced Barry Sheene, Johnny Cecotto and Pat Hennen, until Hennen was seriously injured at the Isle of Man TT.
Marc Marquez hangs it out on his way to the World Championship crown in his rookie season
Marquez knew the scene, but moving up from a machine with a modified 600 road-bike engine to a prototype 1000. Tellingly, he said the move from Moto3 to Moto2 was a larger jump and won at his second start in MotoGP.
In the 1950s and ‘60s, Grand Prix riders put great store in the unofficial title of top private entrant. Recognition for the top newcomer or rookie is a more recent concept. It was made official with the MotoGP Rookie of the Year award.
But let’s look at some of the most exciting and best-performed rookies throughout world championship history.
Technically, everyone was a world championship rookie in the first season, 1949, but many of the leading contenders had raced pre-WW2 and all had competed on the re-emerging 1948 European tour.
Geoff Duke won at his first 500cc start
The 1950 season saw new stars emerge. Norton’s dashing Geoff Duke won at his first 500 classic start, the Isle of Man TT, and triumphed again in the Ulster and Italian Grands Prix. He missed the championship by one point to Gilera’s flamboyant Umberto Masetti, who won in Belgium and The Netherlands. Masetti was in his first full season as a works 500 GP rider with four-cylinder machines, so he too might be considered a rookie.
John Surtees had wanted to contest the 1955 world 500 championship on a factory Norton sponsored by the newspaper News of the World, but Norton could only support a domestic season.
Italian teams were hiring and Surtees joined MV Agusta in 1956, with immediate success. Aged 22, he claimed the championship at his first attempt, winning at the Isle of Man, Assen and Spa-Francorchamps, before breaking an arm at Solitude in Germany.
John Surtees won the World Championship at his first attempt
Not all riders have the opportunity to race works four-cylinder machines in their first full premier-class season. England yet again provided the standout rookie in 1961, with 21-years-old Mike Hailwood riding private Nortons for most of the year. And get this…Hailwood was on the podium in all but one of the nine GPs he contested. His full season read: fourth at Hockenheim, second at Clermont-Ferrand, first at the TT (with the first 100mph race average speed on a single-cylinder machine), second at Assen, Spa-Francorchamps and Dundrod, victory at Monza in his debut for MV Agusta on a 500-four and second in the Swedish Grand Prix to MV team mate and 1961 champion Gary Hocking.
These top rookies, Duke, Surtees and Hailwood all morphed into multiple champions.
The most successful 500 racer of them all, Giacomo Agostini, made his 500 debut with MV in Hailwood’s shadow during 1965. He ended the season with his maiden 500 victory in Finland and his closest margin to the now four-times 500 champion at Monza.
The next stunning rookie was Jarno Saarinen in 1973. He won the first two 500 GPs he contested in France and Austria. That was a first. He retired after setting fastest lap in the third round at Hockenheim with a broken drive chain. What the Flying Finn might have achieved from there we’ll never know, It was the last 500 GP he started.
Now it was the turn of the Americans. Pat Hennen, as a private entrant on a Suzuki RG500, won a Grand Prix and finished third in the 1976 title. Steve Baker was parachuted into the 1977 series as a works Yamaha rider and finished second to Suzuki’s Barry Sheene.
Kenny Roberts arrived and conquered in 1978, winning four races and, crucially, taking podium positions at two circuits that were way outside his comfort zone – Spa-Francorchamps (in the wet) and the 22km Nurburgring.
Fellow Californian Randy Mamola rode a 500 in Europe in the latter part of 1979, before joining the Suzuki team full time in 1980 and pushing Roberts to the last round of the series. He scored his maiden GP victory at Zolder, the only time it was used for the Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix.
Schwantz won twice in the first six races in 1988
Fierce rivals Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey both have claims to top rookie status in 1988, Schwantz for winning twice in the first six races and Rainey for finishing third in the championship, with one victory.
Max Biaggi was the next standout rookie, in 1998, winning his first 500 GP start at Suzuka and finishing the year second overall to Michael Doohan. Two years later came the much anticipated 500 debut of Valentino Rossi. He crashed at his first two starts, but thereafter won two races and finished second to Kenny Roberts Jnr in the title.
Max Biaggi won on debut at Suzuka in 1998
Notable rookies between Rossi and Marquez? In 2003, Rookie of the Year was a near-run thing between Honda’s Nicky Hayden and Ducati’s Troy Bayliss.
But what of Casey Stoner’s MotoGP debut in 2006? Riding a satellite Honda, he was the highest placed rookie in 2006, in eighth on title ladder. He qualified fastest at his second premier-class meeting in Qatar and went within 0.2 seconds of winning his third start in Turkey. And it might have been an even better year with a front tyre he actually liked.
Dani Pedrosa was the top rookie of 2006, winning two races on a works Honda. But spare a thought for Casey Stoner on the satellite Honda, qualifying fastest at his second premier-class meeting in Qatar and went within 0.2 seconds of winning his third start in Turkey. And it might have been an even better year with a front tyre he actually liked.
Lorenzo was quick in 2008, but had some nasty spills
Jorge Lorenzo arrived like the wind in 2008 in terms of qualifying performances and won at his third start. But he also learned that a high side from a MotoGP machine hurts.
As for the best rookie performance of them all, Roberts might be the man. He began 1978 with second-string Yamaha 500 machinery, and had to master 10 new circuits and a different lifestyle. Marquez this year re-set the bar on how to ride a MotoGP machine, but 35 years ago Roberts turned 500 GP technique on its head.
In this clip Kenny Roberts describes Marc Marquez’s style – and reminds us that he brought this technique to the game
Who is the greatest ever Moto GP rookie? is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Check these mega photos from last weekends “Big Bad” Sandown Historic meeting. Images by Greg Llewellyn from Narra Photography
Photo Gallery: Sandown Historic 2013 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The Motorsport Retro Vintage Motocross project bike is up for sale. We have to make way for some new projects, so if you are looking for a reliable, race winning bike, this is for you!This 1984 Kawasaki KX250 is an immaculate, race ready VMX bike, just kick it and go racing.
For full details Click here to view listing on eBay
For Sale: 1984 Kawasaki KX250 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
This cool video showcases the moment former F1 team mates Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard were reunited with some of the champion Formula 1 racing chariots of the past. Of particular interest are their comments regarding the newer machines. Enjoy!
Retro Reunion: Hakkinen and Coulthard behind the wheel again is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
It comes as little surprise that fast cars and good looking women go hand in hand. But can you guess which girl belonged to which driver?
Hover your mouse over each picture to find out.
These last few aren’t quite as difficult:
Images: ©Sutton Images (Facebook / Twitter). You can buy these and 950,000 other images in the Sutton Poster shop here.
If you want fabulous coverage of Formula 1 and Moto GP complete with fantastic images, you can subscribe to GP Week here
Gallery: 10 of the hottest F1 WAGS is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Smiles all round on the grid in Daytona, 1976.
Photo of the day: ’76 Daytona lineup is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
This footage demonstrates a ferocious and at times sideways Monaco qualifying lap by the much loved Gerhard Berger.
A handful of hairy moments make this clip from ’95 an exciting one, particularly the high-speed precision slides such as the one at 1:55. Enjoy!
Video: Berger drifting Monaco, 1995 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
There is simultaneously everything wrong, and everything right about seeing a million dollar collectable being raced across metal-eating salt. This video tells why.
“You only live once and you can’t take it with you” touts Bob Sirna, owner of this extensively modified 300SL on the reasons behind his decision to chop up, rebuild and race a classic like the Mercedes Gullwing to within an inch of it’s life. A self-confessed sufferer of Salt-fever, the charismatic racing addict lives by the motto “enjoy your toys”, and has a fantastic way of convincing the rest of us to the same, too.
Video thanks to Petrolicious
Video: A million-dollar car on the salt is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
