Greatest racing event

1995 Indy 500-huge 1st corner 1st lap smashup, Scott Goodyear passes the pace car and gets DQ'ed, JV gets 2 (count 'em two!) laps back, Rahal's last 500 as a driver, Penske fails to qualify, the last 500 before the split. Classic race all the way around.

 

'82 Indy 500. Huge wreck at the start when Cogan took out Mario and AJ. In the final laps, Rick Mears closed about a 20 second gap and nearly passed Gordon Johncock at the finish.

2nd best was the '82 Long Beach GP, my first. Got to see Gilles in person.

 

1999 Monaco Grand prix. First time to a Grand Prix, first to Monaco and Ferrari finished 1 and 2. Schumacher won and Irvine second. Oh and also sat in a restaurant eating and drinking Champagne. Next time I will try to watch it from a Yacht.

 

I had pit lane passes on bubble day. 20 minutes to go and Unser and Fittipaldi were livid. An engineer showing them his laptop. Fittipaldi pushing it away, Unser poking him in the chest. Why are we not in this race. They were not use to this.

 

Between the two of them they had won 4 of the previous 6 500s, so no, they were not used to that!

Was that when they were using borrowed cars from Rahal? I seem to recall a hail mary attempt at qualifying in cars with the MGD colors and Marlboro logos stuck on the sidepods.

 

All the races I've won pretty much stack up as the greatest.

 

never attended a live motogp or f1 race, hopefully someday soon. i don't care about other forms of racing to be quite honest.

 

How about the day, you vs CP?

 

I don't know about greatest "event" (as an event the first one below *sucked*!) but the greatest drives I've seen, in no particular order:

1. Jackie Ickx in the Porsche 917 in the rain - Brands Hatch BOAC 1000K. (Mid seventies?) - He was lapping 30 SECONDS faster than *anyone* else on the track (most of whom were simply flying off all over the place....) - It was almost eerie.......

2. Also Brands, can't remember the year, but Senna in quali was pretty much at another level - Talk about a "man against boys". [Those turbo cars were brutal!]

3. Jimmy Clark going thru' Clearways at Brands in the Lotus Cortina on two wheels every time.... From memory, he won that race, jumped out and straight into practice in the F1 car..... [They're not even allowed to do that anymore ]

Just a few that jump to mind,

Cheers,
Ian

 

Donington 1993. Senna.

Perhaps the greatest race ever driven in Formula 1 history.

 

I have been told by an insider that the blame was entirely placed on Al Jr., he did all of the development and testing prior, when they got there the others realised that they were fllcked!

 

Oh yeah! - I *still* get goosebumps every time I remember that race!

 

Do you mean this race? BOAC 1000 kms Brands Hatch 1970
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3vWhhxTxiY

 

1988 at Monaco for the GP seeing Senna hit the wall when he had the race wrapped up.

 

The best: A tie between Monza 1996 when Schumacher won the Italian GP for Ferrari the first time in a many years and the Tifosi went crazy; and the Daytona Firecracker 400, July 2001, when Junior won the race with Michael Waltrip's help 5 months after Dale Sr. was killed. 150,000 people in tears was absolutetly amazing.

A close third would be Fittipaldi's first Indianapolis 500 win passing, shoving, Al Unser Jr aside. Al standing at the corner when Emerson came by next lap and applauded him. Can't remember the year.

 

Finishing Pikes Peak International Hillclimb 2005. No other race have I wanted a parachute.

 

Both great moments. Its the emotion involved that makes great races, great races. I got a little choked up watching "Little E" after that race.

1989, I believe. Another good one. I wonder if either thought they'd be teammates a few years later!

 

*Probably* [Weather conditions were certainly the same!]- Although that video suggests Pedro was "the man", that's not the way I remember it...... [But, at my age I could be wrong of course!] - Ickx was throwing the car into Paddock bend (which used to be blind, adverse camber and falling away and remains one of the best corners ever IMHO) and then fishtailing all the way down the hill and up into Druids - Awesome.....

And the speed Senna entered Paddock bend a few years later was something to behold - He was *visibly* faster than anyone else.

Which reminds me of another: JYS (Tyrell) and Ronnie Peterson (Lotus 72) "going for pole" at Silverstone when Woodcote corner was still, well, Woodcote.... We had our own watches on 'em - First Stewart got it, then Ronnie took it away, maybe three or four times. JYS was so s-m-o-o-t-h and quick, Ronnie was so "on the edge" you could hear the grandstands pulling in their collective breath whenever Ronnie went by..... IIRC pretty much everyone cleared the track and they did a "victory lap" at the end of quali - The crowd was going nuts! [Goosebumps again ]

Cheers,
Ian

 

The most famous race I was ever at would have to be the 1979 F1 race at Watkins Glen, where Villeneuve and Jones were battling for the lead in the rain... lap after lap Villeneuve held off Jones, then towards the end of the race it started to dry out... and they went in to change tires... and Jones came out and the wheel came loose... that sinched the 2nd place for Villeneuve in the championship!!!

Also saw Lauda race at Watkins Glen in 1976, after his big fire accident... saw him at dinner and he looked terrible, saw him again the year later when he won the World championship at the Glen after finishing 4th...

Saw Francois Cevert's death at practice at the glen in 73 as well.

More modern times, Was at Monza when Senna beat Prost, after Prost announced he was moving to Ferrari... Senna was booed all over the place, and Prost was a national Hero.

Schumacher winning the USGP at Indy in 2000.... been to tons of F-1 races!!!!

 

I was also there when Jean won his first and only F1 race. It was an AMAZING atmosphere!!!! I was at the hairpin too and lost my voice cheering... One of my best memories ever as a Ferraristo...

I have to add the funniest or (depending if you are a fan or not) most heatbreaking memory of the 91 grand prix when, Mansell was waiving to the crowd at the last lap of the race and stalled his engine... Typical Mansell: a great driver but not the smartest man...

 

I've been to many, but I'm gonna say when I saw all those 250 GTO's a few years ago race at Laguna Seca. That can't be beat. Unless you saw one really race in '62ish.

 

I'm down with that, but he keeps declining my invitation.

 

DE Cardona,

I met you at Awkscht Fest in Macungie, I gave you my card. I have something that may interest you, when you get the chance please give me a call or shoot me an email.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

Then you need to be at Goodood next month: at Laguna Seca they are not truly on the limit whereas at Goodwood it is all out: four wheel drifts in high speed corners, evrything: a fantastic sight.