Racing & Motorsport
November in Racing History
The excitement and energy in the month of November in the world of motorsports and racing. These and other events formed motor racing history in the month of November from across the world.
The Top 50 Motorsport Moments In The Month of November
November's chill winds and early dusks set a dramatic stage for motorsport's most memorable showdowns, as racing seasons across the globe draw to their electrifying conclusions. It's a month where legends are crowned, rivalries are settled, and history is written on the tarmac, under the watchful eye of the fading autumn light. As we wave the green flag on memory lane, join us in a high-speed chase through the twists and turns of the past, showcasing the top 50 motorsports and racing moments that have made November a month of high stakes and even higher horsepower.
End Of Ground Effects
FIA declares that, beginning in 1993, all F1 cars must have flat bottoms. Ground effects chassis are outlawed (1982).
Speedway Sold
Announcement that they are selling the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions, and NTT Indy Car Series to the Penske Entertainment Corporation (2019).
XK120 Wins in Cali
Phil Hill, driving a Jaguar XK120, wins the first auto race ever held at Pebble Beach, California (1950).
Winston Cup Crown
Bobby Labonte repeats as victor in the NAPA 500 at Atlanta, Georgia. Jeff Gordon clinches his second Winston Cup crown (1997).
Record Broken
Bobby Isaac sets a new World Closed Course Speed Record of 201.104 mph at Talladega, Alabama (1970).
1911 Vanderbilt Cup
Ralph Mulford drives a Lozier to victory in the first Vanderbilt Cup race to be held in Savannah, Georgia (1911).
A Shake-Up
CART team owners pick Pat Patrick as their first president and announce that they'll run their own races, without USAC sanction (1978).
Mikkola Signs With Audi
Audi announces that Hannu Mikkola will be the lead driver for their Audi Quattro rally program (1980).
Jackie Does It All
Jackie Ickx rides a Zundapp motorcycle to victory in the Nivelles Trial in Belgium (1961). He can do it all on any vehicle you put him in charge of.
Pro Stock Truck Champ
Larry Kopp becomes the inaugural NHRA Pro Stock Truck champion when he qualifies for the final race of the season in Pomona, California (1998).
Shelby In A Maserati
Carroll Shelby drives John Edgar’s Maserati 450S to victory in an SCCA National race at Riverside, California, USA (1957).
First U.S Road Race
Frank Duryea wins the first road race over public roads in the U.S. (1895). The world’s first motor vehicle race had been held only a year prior, running from Paris to Rouen.
BAT Buys Tyrrell
British American Tobacco concludes a deal to buy Tyrrell Racing (1997).
Penske Out of F1
Team Penske announces their withdrawal from Formula 1 (1976).
Eddie In Charge
Eddie Rickenbacker takes control of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (1923).
Labonte Bros Win
Bobby Labonte wins the NAPA 500 at Atlanta, Georgia. His brother Terry clinches the NASCAR Winston Cup championship (1996).
Productive Meeting
A meeting is held at the home of Count Jules de Dion, out of which is born the Auto Club de France (1894).
Tyrrell 008 F1 racer
The Tyrrell 008 F1 racer is unveiled. After two years of running the 6-wheeled P34, the 008 is a conventional car (1977).
American Grand Prize
David Bruce-Brown, driving a Fiat, wins his second consecutive American Grand Prize at Savannah, Georgia. Final race at Savannah (1911).
Mika Hakkinen Champ
Mika Hakkinen wins the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, and his first Formula One World Championship, in a McLaren-Mercedes (1998).
Senna’s Last F1 Win
The Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide is Ayrton Senna’s last F1 win (1993). He was driving the McLaren MP4/8.
Cunningham C-4R
John Fitch, driving a Cunningham C-4R, wins a sports car race at March Air Force Base in Riverside County, California (1953).
Franchitti Retires
Three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti announces his retirement from auto racing (2013). He sustained injuries in a crash.
Sea-to-Shining-Sea
Brock Yates and Dan Gurney drive nearly 2900 miles in a Ferrari Daytona to win the second Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (1971).
Land Speed Record
Craig Breedlove sets a new Land Speed Record in the Spirit of America Sonic 1 at Bonneville by running 555.48mph (1965).
Moss Wins USGP
Stirling Moss, in a Lotus 18, wins the USGP, at Riverside, California (1960).
Porsche 935
Gianpiero Moretti and Reinhold Joest win the IMSA Daytona 250 sports car race driving a Porsche 935 (1980).
Final Can-Am race for Chaparral
Final Can-Am race for Chaparral. Vic Elford starts on the pole, but his race ends after five laps, with engine failure.
Jan Clemens Wins
Jan Clemens wins the 100-mile feature race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Indiana (1905).
Lola T600 Wins
Ted Field and Danny Ongais drive a Chevrolet-powered Lola T600 to victory in the IMSA three-hour race at Daytona, Florida (1982).
Kulwicki First Win
At Phoenix, Arizona, Alan Kulwicki, driving a Ford Thunderbird, wins his first NASCAR Winston Cup race (1988).
McLaren Champions
John Surtees drives a Lola T70-Chevrolet to victory in the Can-Am race at Las Vegas, Nevada, for his final Can-Am win. Bruce McLaren clinches the Championship (1967).
Ferrari
S.A. Scuderia Ferrari formed with Alfredo Caniato as President and Enzo Ferrari as Managing Director (1929).
Dan Incredible
Dan Gurney drives an Eagle to victory in the Rex Mays 300 Indycar race at Riverside, California. He becomes the first driver to win in the four major racing disciplines of Indycars, stock cars, F1 and sports cars (1967).
Gulf Closes Doors
Gulf Research Racing, winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier in the year (and winners twice previously as John Wyer Automotive Engineering), closes its doors (1975).
Last GP for March
Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide is the last GP contested by March. Mauricio Gugelmin starts 19th and retires after an accident. Ivan Capelli starts ninth and finishes sixth (1988).
$700,000
Anton “Tony” Hullman buys the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Eddie Rickenbacker for a rumored $700,000 (1945).
Thunderbolt Top Speed
Eyston sets a One-Mile Land Speed Record of 311.42 mph in the Thunderbolt I (1937).
Dirt & Dust Rules
Stan Fox wins the last race ever held at the legendary Ascot, California, dirt track (1990).
300 SL
Karl Kling and Hans Klenk win the Carrera Panamerica in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1952).
6-Wheel F1 Car
March holds the press launch for its six-wheeled F1 car called the 2-4-0 (1976).
American Grand Prize
Louis Wagner drives his Benz to victory in the first American Grand Prize race, in Savanah, Georgia (1908).
Ferrari 365P2
Richard Attwood and David Piper drive Piper’s Ferrari 365P2 to victory in the Rand 9 Hour Race at Kyalami, South Africa (1965).
Laguna Seca
Pete Lovely, driving a 2-liter Ferrari Testa Rossa, wins the very first race ever run at Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey, California (1957).
Ferrari 1-2 in Oz
Gerhard Berger leads home Michele Alboreto for a Ferrari 1-2 finish in the Australian Grand Prix on the streets of Adelaide (1987).
Alfa Racing
Alfa Romeo acquires Autodelta, making it their in-house racing department (1964).
Porsche 917
David Piper and Dickie Attwood drive Porsche 917 to victory in Springbok series race in (1969).
Senna Debut
Ayrton Senna wins the first F3 race he enters, at Thruxton, England (1982).
Revson Wins World Challenge
Peter Revson wins the World Challenge Cup, a race for Group 7 cars on the Mount Fuji circuit near Tokyo, Japan (1968).
Matra M670B/C
Henri Pescarolo and Gerard Larrousse drive a Matra M670B/C to victory in the 6-hour endurance race at Kyalami, South Africa (1974).
12 Wins in 12 Races
Arturo Mezario and Clay Regazzoni drive a Ferrari 312PB to victory in the 9 hour endurance race at Kyalami, South Africa. Twelfth win in 12 races this year for the 312PB (1972).
14 Mph Top Speed
English motoring enthusiasts celebrate the government raising the speed limit from 4 to 14 mph with the first London-to-Brighton Run (1896).
Post-WWI Targa Florio
The first post-WWI Targa Florio road race in Sicily is won by André Boillot driving a Peugeot L25 named “Le Belle Hélène” (1919).
Ferrari Wins
Ferrari wins the World Sportscar Championship as the Maserati factory team is destroyed in the final round at Caracas, Venezuela (1957).
11th Win in 11 Races
Bruce McLaren, driving a McLaren M8B-Chevrolet, wins the final Can-Am race of the year, in College Station, Texas. This is Team McLaren’s 11th win in 11 races as Bruce clinches the Can-Am Championship (1969).
First Woman In Indy
“Miss STP,” Paula Murphy, becomes the first woman to pilot an Indy car around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when she drives five laps in a Novi during a tire testing session (1963).
Jim Hall Career Ended
Jim Hall’s Can-Am driving career is ended by injuries suffered in an accident during the Stardust GP Can-Am race in Las Vegas, Nevada. The race and the championship are won by Denny Hulme in a McLaren (1968).
Hans Mezger
When Big Al was Little Al. This 1942 photo shows Jerry Unser and his youngest son at the family gas station in Albuquerque. Check that quart of oil price.
Photo: Courtesy Unser FamilyNovember Motorsport Birthdays
British Touring Car Championship driver David Leslie is born (1953).
British auto racer Chris Craft is born (1939).
Porsche engine designer Hans Mezger is born in Germany (1929).
Shadow racing team founder Don Nichols is born in Missouri (1924).
Edoardo Weber, creator of Weber carburetor, is born in Italy (1889).
Racer Jerry Unser and his twin brother Louie are born (1932).
F1 racer Jacque Laffite is born in Paris, France (1943).
Oscar Koveleski, racer, car owner, founder is born (1932).
Touring car driver Allan Moffat is born in Canada (1939).
Elizabeth Junek, winning female racer in the 1920s, is born (1900).
Rally driver Petter Solberg born in Askim, Norway (1974).
Japanese Touring Car champion Masahiro Hasemi born (1945).
NASCAR champion Terry Labonte is born in Texas (1956).
Can-Am privateer Lothar Motschenbacher is born in Germany (1938).
F1 World Champion Alan Jones born (1946).
Grand Prix and Le Mans winner Louis Rosier is born in France (1905)
Hoichiro Honda, founder of the Honda, born in Japan (1906).
Rally driver Francois Duval born in Chimay, Belgium (1980).
Sports car racer Ken Miles born (1918).
George Eaton, heir and Can-Am & F5000 racer born in Canada (1945).
F1 racer Jacque Laffite born in Paris, France (1943).
Engineer and F1 Team Principal Ross Brawn born England (1954).
1972 Can-Am and Trans-Am Champion George Follmer born (1934).
Sportscar racer Bob Wollek born (1943).
Pietro Bordino, racer between the world wars, born in Italy (1887).
English Formula One racer Peter Collins is born (1931).
Alex Ribeiro, F1 racer and medical car driver, is born in Brazil (1948).
Nick Craw, IMSA racer, future CEO of the SCCA born (1936).
Lotus team driver Peter Arundel is born in England (1933).
Tazio Nuvolari, racer between the wars, is born in Italy (1892).
Whitney Straight, who raced in more GPs (18) than any other American before World War II, is born in Westbury, New York (1912).
Chuck Daigh, who would go on to race Scarabs in both sports car and F1 races, is born in Long Beach, California (1923).
Racer and racing school owner Skip Barber is born (1936).
Sports car, Trans-Am and vintage racer Tom Yeager is born (1936).
November Motorsport Deaths
24 Hours of Daytona winner Jim Pace dies of COVID-19 (2020).
Ricardo Rodriguez dies in an accident during the Mexican GP (1962).
Engine builder Louis “Sonny” Meyer dies in Indiana (2019).
Franco Cortese, who gave Ferrari its first victory, dies in Italy (1986).
Graham Hill dies in the crash of an airplane he was piloting (1975).
Journalist and Mille Miglia winner Denis Jenkinson dies (1996).
Rex Mays dies in a wreck AAA Championship race in Del Mar (1949)
Robert “Red” Byron, winner of first NASCAR-sanctioned race, dies (1960).
Formula One driver Giancarlo Baghetti dies at age 60 (1995).
Carlo Abarth, founder of Abarth & Co., dies in Austria (1979).
Roy Thomas, designer of Titan formula racers, dies (2001).
Steve McQueen, actor, sometimes racer dies of cancer (1980).
Car builder Bill Devin dies following a stroke (2000).
Masten Gregory, Grand Prix and sports car racer dies (1985).
Larry Shinoda dies of a heart attack (1997).
Lewis Jackson, in his first American Grand Prize race, dies in an accident. Lewis is the first American to die in a Grand Prix (1916).
Gaston Chevrolet is killed in a National Championship race in California (1920).
Drag racer Geno Redd is killed in a crash while testing his Pro Stock Plymouth Barracuda at Orange County International Raceway in Irvine, California (1971).
Ford Robinson is killed during the Carrera Panamerica when his Ferrari crashes on the Tehuantepec straight in Oaxaca, Mexico (1954).
