Motorsport Legends Speak
Interviews & Words With The Heroes of Motorsports
This is where the rubber meets the road, where the smell of burnt rubber and high-octane fuel mingles with the sharp insights of those who have lived and breathed motorsports. Here, the legends of racing take the wheel, sharing their firsthand experiences, hard-won wisdom, and unique perspectives in a collection of captivating articles and exclusive interviews.
The Driver's Seat: Insights from Motorsports Legends
This is where the rubber meets the road, where the smell of burnt rubber and high-octane fuel mingles with the sharp insights of those who have lived and breathed motorsports. Here, the legends of racing take the wheel, sharing their firsthand experiences, hard-won wisdom, and unique perspectives in a collection of captivating articles and exclusive interviews. Get ready to dive deep into the minds of champions as they dissect race strategy, reflect on career-defining moments, and offer a glimpse into the intense pressure and exhilaration of life at the limit. Hear from visionary engineers, team owners, motorsport executives, and influential figures who shape the sport from behind the scenes.
Zora Arkus-Duntov was a tremendous influence in my life, both personally and professionally. We shared so much, and he was such an influence early on, in the late ’50s, that he’s really the main reason that I got so involved with Corvettes. He led me into things that I never...
The name Robin Donovan may not mean much to most, but this man has quietly gone about his business and played a significant part in Le Mans history. He raced there for 14 consecutive years. From his point of view it is a “dream come true” story of a little...
Hans Ruesch has had an amazing life. At age 23, he won the Donington Grand Prix (with Richard Seaman as co-driver). By age 40, two of his novels had been made into major motion pictures. By age 70, when most men are retired, he was the world’s leading spokesman against...
Niki Lauda Biography Andreas Nikolaus Lauda was born to a well-to-do Vienna family on February 22, 1949. His family’s social status proved both nuisance and good fortune. Although he was later to become successful in business on his own, it was obvious early on that he was not cut to fit the conventional Lauda...
One of the things that comes up is a little record I am very proud of that there are only four people in the world, to my knowledge, who have taken part in the Olympics and in a World Championship Grand Prix event. One of the others was Alphonso de...
René Dreyfus Biography The story begins in 1914 when René was nine years old. The middle of three children he speaks of his early life with fondness, growing up in Nice. He later joined the Moto Club de Nice, which was sort of a junior league Automobile Club de Nice....
From 1950 until his premature retirement from road racing and hillclimbing just three years later, Tommy Hoan set his competitors on their collective ear with the sheer speed of his 1949 MG TC. In the Queen Catharine Cup race of 1952, he also shot out the window of the Grill...
Philip Young: Founder and GM of the Endurance Rally Association The second part of our interview with Philip Young, head of the Endurance Rally Association (ERA)—a motor club he founded just over 25 years ago which organizes some of today’s most inspiring classic rallies—was to be a celebration of his latest...
John Coombs was literally born into the motoring business, as his multi-talented craftsman father was already working with automobiles when John appeared on the scene. As John grew up he eventually began racing, soon moving successfully into 500-cc Formula Three. Eventually, the family firm, Coombs & Sons, Ltd., became known for...
We speak with Sandro Garbo, driving force behind the new “Steve McQueen in Le Mans” graphic novel about the draw of McQueen, what sets Le Mans apart and how racing at Le Mans has changed over the years. You have a movie star’s last name, but drawing is your passion....
Last month, European Editor Ed McDonough spoke with Vic Elford about his first Formula One encounters, and his Ford and Porsche days in rallying. This month the story continues, and Elford talks about the legendary Porsche 917 which he drove at Le Mans and Sebring, where he won in 1971....
Carol Spears In the late ’60s, a boyfriend introduced me to motor racing. Until then it had been all horseback riding and 4-H. The big thing then was the Can-Am, so we went to the l967 race at Laguna Seca and sat outside Turn 9. When the relationship ended, I...
Meo Costantini in the cockpit of the Bugatti Type 35 that he would drive to a 4th-place finish in the ACF’s 1925 French Grand Prix at Montlhéry. One day in 1923, Ettore Bugatti met Bartolomeo “Meo” Costantini, an encounter that would change both their lives. The suave Costantini, who was...
One of the highlights of my many years of racing has to do with the 1966 Trans-Am Mustang that Jerry Titus (1928-1970) drove to victory for Ford and Shelby. Ford was tied up at the end of the series with Dodge, and as a result Shelby built this special, one-off...
Vittorio Jano Biography Born on April 22, 1891 as Viktor János in San Giorgio Canavese to Hungarian immigrants, Vittorio Jano was the son of the Technical Director at one of Turin’s two arsenals. At 18, after completing instruction at the Instituto Professionale Operaio in Turin he took a job as...
From gas station owner in 1954 to leading Le Mans in 1967, sports car racer Scooter Patrick enjoyed an amazing career. Perhaps best remembered for his prowess and speed at the wheel of Otto Zipper’s many Porsches in the ’60s, Patrick also enjoyed racing success in a wide variety of...
Rene Arnoux learned his trade the hard way, as he fought for the European Formula Two Championship against tough nuts like future Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg, double Can-Am Champion Patrick Tambay, Indy 500 winners Danny Sullivan and Eddie Cheever, and FIA-GT Champion Klaus Ludwig. He got to within...
This son of a German garage owner had never raced a car until May 26, 1935, at the superfast Avus circuit near Berlin. But by the end of 1936, he was the king of all he surveyed—the 1936 European Champion, with six Grand Prix victories to his credit. All scored...
Arie Luyendyk is a household name in motor racing, especially in Indianapolis folklore, but it was a long and arduous road he travelled, involving much hard work, to reach stardom. The versatile speedman had a long an impressive racing career and besides being famous for his outstanding record at Indianapolis...
Warren Olson arrived in Southern California fresh out of South Dakota in the late 1940s, just in time to take part in the motor racing revolution there that changed motor sport forever in the USA. The list of people and projects he worked with would fill a book. He initially...
Now Auto Union’s number one driver after replacing the dead Bernd Rosemeyer, Tazio Nuvolari and his Auto Union Type D on full song at the Nürburgring on 23 July 1938. The great Italian came 4th after crashing his own car and taking over H.P. Muller’s Type D.Photo: Fiat Few would...
Le Mans, 1967. Giddy as a couple of kids, Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt are spraying champagne on everyone within range—race officials, photographers, crew members, even Henry Ford II. The calendar says June 11, but it’s really the Fourth of July and waving the Stars-and-Stripes is in high fashion. Driving...
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Canadian industries of aerospace and racecar design were at the forefront of a new wave of industrial design. Avro Aviation engineer James C. Floyd had come up with the CF 105 Avro Arrow, a 1500-mph delta-winged fighter aircraft, and Bill Sadler had...
Starting his career in the early ’60s behind the wheel of a Mini, John Fitzpatrick quickly worked his way to the top echelons of the endurance racing world. From winning the British Saloon Car Championship, Fitzpatrick went on to factory rides with Ford and BMW, as well as notching up...
John Zeitler – driver, engine builder, racecar designer and manufacturer – had a racing career spanning over 20 years, most of it involved with Volkswagen-powered cars. Casey Annis recently spoke with Zeitler to find out how it all came about. VRJ: How did you get started in racing? No Subscription?...
Keke Rosberg was a kind of motor racing Cinderella Man. He went from the drudgery of retiring or not even qualifying a stream of uncompetitive cars to becoming the 1982 Formula One World Champion the minute he had reliable machinery with which to lay his talent bare. I first met...
The 1970 World Cup Rally (WCR) has gone down in history as the longest and toughest rally ever. Criss-crossing Europe in five days the route took competitors to South America for another arduous three-week route to Mexico City. Tish Ozanne contacted me in October 1969 to see if I’d be...
Tom Cantrell’s world revolves around excellence, and it seems he will go to any length to achieve perfection on, and off, the racetrack. The owner of a successful construction business in the Pacific Northwest and a collector of vintage cars, Tom has also built a formidable race team. With a...
Juan Manuel Fangio Biography Affectionately known as “bandy legs” by his many fans, Juan Manuel Fangio was born in Balcarce, Argentina the son of an Italian immigrant in 1911. After military service he opened his own garage and would race in local events. These “local” events were not the weekend...
My involve-ment with Audi came directly from my work, as a supplier to Audi, with exhaust systems and catalytic converters. The company I was involved with was Gillet, a West German company where I was head of their research and development department. Audi was a regular customer, and I got...
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