The first in our regular weekend retro features looking back on the history of motorsport, focusing on the highs and lows during the month of April, over the course of time.
April 2, 1926. Jack Brabham was born on this date near Sydney in Australia. He took his first grand prix victory with a Cooper at Monte Carlo in 1959, and in the season finale at Sebring in Florida took the title by pushing his car across the finish line. He retained his title in 1960 with five successive victories from eight starts.
In 1966, Brabham became the first – and to this day remains the only – driver to win the world championship in his own car.“Black Jack” passed away on May 19, 2014
April 2, 1940. Mike Hailwood was born into the world of motoring and racing. His father, Stanley, engaged in the sale of cars and motorcycles, and had raced before the outbreak of the Second World War.
“Mike the Bike” had a legendary career on two wheels. He won the famous Isle of Man TT fourteen times. He was world champion in the premier 500cc class from 1962 – ’65 with the Italian MV Agusta team.
In 1969, Hailwood and David Hobbs finished third at Le Mans in John Wyer’s Ford GT40. Hailwood won the 1972 Formula 2 Championship driving for another bike legend, John Surtees.
His Formula 1 career spanned fifty races; his best result was second behind Emerson Fittipaldi at Monza in 1972.
The man who survived racing at Isle of Man and one of the most dangerous eras of Formula 1 lost his life in a road accident on March 23, 1981. He was 40 years old. The crash also claimed the life of his nine-year-old daughter Michelle.
Andretti and the Grand Prix at Long Beach
April 3, 1977. USGP “West.” This was the second Formula 1 race in the port city of Long Beach, just south of Los Angeles. And only the third-ever championship grand prix in the Golden State (the first was the USGP at Riverside in 1960).
South African Jody Scheckter, winner of the season opener in Argentina driving for Canadian oil man Walter Wolff, was on his way to record his second win of the season. Late in the race, he suffered a slow puncture on his right front tyre.
On lap 77 of 80, Mario Andretti delighted the local surfing dudes of SoCal by grabbing the lead. Niki Lauda in his Ferrari was less than a second behind, but Mario was able to take the checkered flag first to score his third F1 victory and become, and remains to this day, the only American driver to win his home grand prix. Scheckter salvaged the third step of the podium.
April 7, 1966. Death of Walt Hansgen. On this day at Le Mans during testing in the rain, the crash of his Holman & Moddy Ford GT40 Mk2 claimed the life of America’s sports car ace from New Jersey.
Earlier in the 1966 season Walt and Mark Donohue came third in the Daytona 24 Hour race, and second in the Sebring 12 Hours.
Jim Clark died in April
Hansgen made two Formula 1 starts. First, in the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1961. He retired his Cooper Climax on Lap 14 of 100. Three years later at the same venue, he finished fifth driving a Lotus Climax.
April 7, 1968. Death of Jim Clark. This tragedy, in a Formula 2 race in the rain at Hockenheimring, shook the motor racing world to its core. Chris Amon pulled into the pits after the race and complained to Ferrari engineer, Mauro Forghieri, that wet tires were not good, “even Jimmy couldn’t pull away from me.”
Forghieri replied, “Jimmy didn’t finish the race.” It was Jimmy’s Lotus teammate Graham Hill who was ahead of Amon.
It was in this race that a young English driver with the London Racing Team made his Formula 2 debut. His name: Max Mosley.
Jim Clark is regarded as one of the truly all-time greats. He took his first title in 1963 driving for Colin Chapman’s Lotus team, the only team he raced for in Formula 1. In 1965, he won the Indianapolis 500 and his second world championship.
The post April in Racing History: Brabham, Clark, Hailwood and others appeared first on GRAND PRIX 247.
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