140-542: Riccardo Gabriele Patrese (born 17 April 1954) is an Italian former racing driver , who competed in Formula One from 1977 to 1993 . Patrese was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1992 with Williams , and won six Grands Prix across 17 seasons. He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix , and then became
280-406: A transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions , has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules . At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also
420-618: A £ 30,000 bank loan, secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling March team as a Formula Two driver in 1971. Because of his family's disapproval, he had an ongoing feud with them over his racing ambitions and abandoned further contact. Lauda was quickly promoted to the Formula One team but drove for March in Formula One and Formula Two in 1972. Although the latter cars were good and Lauda's driving skills impressed March principal Robin Herd , March's 1972 Formula One season
560-618: A "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in
700-553: A "polack" (an ethnic slur for Polish people) on air in May 2010 at the Monaco Grand Prix . Lauda is sometimes known by the nickname "the Rat", "SuperRat" or "King Rat" because of his prominent buck teeth . He was associated with both Parmalat and Viessmann , sponsoring the ever-present cap he wore from 1976 to hide the severe burns he sustained in his Nürburgring accident. Lauda said in
840-835: A 2009 interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit that an advertiser was paying €1.2 million for the space on his red cap. In 2005, the Austrian post office issued a stamp honouring him. In 2008, American sports television network ESPN ranked him 22nd on their "top drivers of all-time" list. Niki Lauda wrote five books: The Art and Science of Grand Prix Driving (titled Formula 1: The Art and Technicalities of Grand Prix Driving in some markets) (1975); My Years With Ferrari (1978); The New Formula One: A Turbo Age (1984); Meine Story (titled To Hell and Back in some markets) (1986); Das dritte Leben (en. The third life ) (1996). Lauda credited Austrian journalist Herbert Volker with editing
980-461: A Roman Catholic family. In an interview with Zeit he stated that he left the church for a time to avoid paying church taxes , but went back when he had his two children baptised. On 20 May 2019, Lauda died in his sleep aged 70 at the University Hospital of Zürich where he had been undergoing kidney dialysis . He had experienced a period of ill health exacerbated by his lung injuries from
1120-569: A conclusion. Patrese was invited to rejoin Williams in 1994 to fill the seat of Ayrton Senna after his fatal accident at Imola, but ultimately decided against returning to Formula One. A DTM test with Mercedes-Benz in July 1994 did not come to fruition either. In the second half of 1996, as thanks for his years of service to Williams, the team invited Patrese to test their latest car, the FW18 , at Silverstone, with
1260-707: A crash. He returned to racing just six weeks later at the Italian Grand Prix , but eventually lost the title to Hunt by one point. Lauda remained at Ferrari in 1977 , winning several races on his way to a second championship. Vacating his seat after clinching the title at the United States Grand Prix and replaced by Gilles Villeneuve , Lauda signed with Brabham in 1978 , achieving podiums in each of his race finishes that season despite struggling with poor reliability, and taking wins in Sweden and Italy . Amidst
1400-568: A declining career when the Williams driver Nigel Mansell was injured whilst qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix . With the help of Brabham owner and Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone , Patrese tested the Williams FW11B at Imola, where he set a time that was half a second quicker than Ayrton Senna 's pole at that year's San Marino Grand Prix , and was drafted in to replace Mansell for
1540-410: A distance of 8 mi (13 km). It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton . Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline -fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède , Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to
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#17328560614991680-423: A driver to victory in a grand prix. Two more winless seasons followed despite the team's BMW engine being considered at the time to be the most powerful on the grid. Despite the trials of uncompetitive machinery, Patrese never publicly criticised the team and earned respect throughout the sport for his professionalism. Toward the end of the 1987 season , Patrese was given the chance to revitalise what seemed to be
1820-559: A driver's negotiating position. The drivers, with the exception of Teo Fabi , barricaded themselves in a banqueting suite at Sunnyside Park Hotel until they had won the day. The 1983 season proved to be transitional for the McLaren team as they were making a change from Ford - Cosworth engines, to TAG -badged Porsche turbo engines, and Lauda did not win a race that year, with his best finish being second at Long Beach behind his teammate John Watson . Some political maneuvering by Lauda forced
1960-515: A factory entry, Lauda won three races for P4 plus the series. Decades later, Lauda won a BMW Procar exhibition race event before the 2008 German Grand Prix . In September, Lauda finished fourth in Monza, and won the non-WC Imola event, still with the Alfa V12 engine. After that, Brabham returned to the familiar Cosworth V8. In late September, during practice for the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix , Lauda cut short
2100-565: A fifth-place finish in the first four races, he won four of the next five driving the new Ferrari 312T . His first World Championship was confirmed with a third-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza ; Lauda's teammate Regazzoni won the race and Ferrari clinched their first Constructors' Championship in 11 years. Lauda then picked up a fifth win at the last race of the year, the United States GP at Watkins Glen . He also became
2240-400: A fuel leak. Lauda was known for giving away any trophies he won to his local garage in exchange for his car to be washed and serviced. Unlike 1975 and despite tensions between Lauda and Montezemolo's successor, Daniele Audetto , Lauda dominated the start of the 1976 Formula One season , winning four of the first six races and finishing second in the other two. By the time of his fifth win of
2380-587: A furious chief designer John Barnard to design an interim car earlier than expected to get the TAG-Porsche engine some much-needed race testing; Lauda nearly won the last race of the season in South Africa. Lauda won a third world championship in 1984 by half a point over teammate Alain Prost , due only to half points being awarded for the shortened 1984 Monaco Grand Prix . His Austrian Grand Prix victory that year
2520-705: A growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E , the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship . In single-seater ( open-wheel ) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One (F1), the IndyCar Series and Super Formula . In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing
2660-693: A lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500 , which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series ). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as
2800-472: A much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing . It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and
2940-528: A new contract for the following year, and had been reluctant to sacrifice his chances of winning his home Grand Prix for teammate Nelson Piquet , who was fighting for the World Championship. Despite scoring a second win at the South African Grand Prix , Patrese only finished ninth while Piquet claimed his second Drivers' Championship title. It would be seven years before he made another visit to
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#17328560614993080-450: A practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed. There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford , England,
3220-431: A practice session and promptly informed team principal Ecclestone, that he wished to retire immediately, as he had no more desire to "continue the silliness of driving around in circles". Lauda, who in the meantime had founded Lauda Air, a charter airline, returned to Austria to run the company full-time. In 1982, Lauda returned to racing, for an unprecedented $ 3 million salary. After a successful test with McLaren ,
3360-466: A puncture at the Wippermann, 9 miles into the 10th lap and was passed by Carlos Reutemann , James Hunt , Tom Pryce and Jacques Laffite ; Lauda made it back to the pits with a damaged front wing and a destroyed left front tyre. The Ferrari pit changed the destroyed tyre and Lauda managed to make it to the podium in third behind Reutemann and Laffite after Hunt retired and Pryce had to slow down because of
3500-455: A race he confidently led under constant pressure from reigning World Champion Ayrton Senna in his McLaren - Honda V10 until lap 54 when a holed radiator forced his retirement. In 1990 , Patrese finally won his third Grand Prix at the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix , though the competitiveness of the Renault powered FW13B with what many felt were two "number two" drivers waned in the second half of
3640-558: A record half-point . Lauda retired at the conclusion of the 1985 season—taking his final victory at the Dutch Grand Prix —having achieved 25 race wins, 24 pole positions, 24 fastest laps and 54 podiums in Formula One. He returned in an advisory role at Ferrari in 1993 , and was the team principal of Jaguar from 2001 to 2002 . From 2012 until his death, Lauda was the non-executive chairman and co-owner of Mercedes , winning six consecutive World Constructors' Championships with
3780-466: A record for the most pole positions in a season during the 1975 season, rarely matched his teammate in qualifying. Despite this, Lauda's championship win came in Portugal , when he had to start in eleventh place on the grid, while Prost qualified on the front row. Prost did everything he could, starting from second and winning his seventh race of the season, but Lauda's calculating drive (which included setting
3920-571: A record gap of over six years between two of these – the 1983 South African Grand Prix and 1990 San Marino Grand Prix . Patrese also competed at the World Sportscar Championship for the Lancia factory team, finishing runner-up in 1982 and collecting eight wins. Riccardo Gabriele Patrese was born on 17 April 1954 in Padua , Veneto . Patrese started kart racing aged nine. Growing up near
4060-607: A respectable third place behind Championship contenders Mansell and Senna. In addition he took four pole positions across the season. Patrese also out qualified Mansell at every race until the halfway point of the season at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix , and provided much support for the Englishman's title chase at races such as Italy and Portugal . Williams dominated F1 in 1992 and Patrese continued to deliver in his role of second driver to Nigel Mansell, moving out of
4200-471: A single race win at the Dutch Grand Prix where he held off a fast-finishing Prost late in the race. This proved to be his last Grand Prix victory, as after announcing his impending retirement at the 1985 Austrian Grand Prix , he retired for good at the end of that season. Lauda's final Formula One Grand Prix drive was the inaugural Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide , South Australia . After qualifying 16th,
4340-426: A small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to F1. The Star Mazda Series
Riccardo Patrese - Misplaced Pages Continue
4480-532: A steady drive saw him leading by lap 53. However, the McLaren's ceramic brakes suffered on the street circuit and he crashed out of the lead at the end of the long Brabham Straight on lap 57 when his brakes finally failed. He was one of only two drivers in the race who had driven in the non-championship 1984 Australian Grand Prix , the other being 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg , who won in Adelaide in 1985 and took Lauda's place at McLaren in 1986. Lauda's helmet
4620-580: A totally new car, the Arrows A1, which became the first of the Arrows F1 bloodline. In 1978 Patrese very nearly won Arrows' second race, the South African Grand Prix , until engine failure forced him to retire 15 laps from the end. He subsequently took second at the Swedish Grand Prix behind Niki Lauda 's Brabham BT46B "fan car", in its only appearance before being withdrawn. However, his driving style
4760-417: A winless 1979 season for Brabham alongside Nelson Piquet , Lauda left the team after the Italian Grand Prix , following their move to Ford Cosworth V8 engines. After a two-year hiatus, Lauda returned to Formula One with McLaren in 1982 , winning multiple races upon his return. After a winless 1983 campaign, Lauda was partnered by Alain Prost the following season , beating Prost to his third title by
4900-788: Is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series , its most famous races being the Daytona 500 , the Southern 500 , the Coca-Cola 600 , and the Brickyard 400 . NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States . NASCAR also sanctions series outside of
5040-506: Is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks . These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix , and the British Grand Prix . The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. In
5180-640: Is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy , being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer. Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team
5320-594: Is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of F1). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as F1), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford). F1
5460-476: Is so far the only time an Austrian has won his home Grand Prix. Initially, Lauda did not want Prost to become his teammate, as he presented a much faster rival. However, during the two seasons together, they had a good relationship and Lauda later said that beating the talented Frenchman was a big motivator for him. The whole season continued to be dominated by Lauda and Prost, who won 12 of 16 races. Lauda won five races, while Prost won seven. However, Lauda, who set
5600-870: Is the FIA World Endurance Championship . The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe , divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup . This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3 , GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away
5740-522: Is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars , also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing
Riccardo Patrese - Misplaced Pages Continue
5880-455: The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix . As part of the "handover", Patrese tested a Honda RA107 at Jerez on 9 September (Barrichello was driving for Honda at the time). Schumacher subsequently came out of retirement and became the second driver to surpass Patrese's former record. In July 2018 it was announced that Patrese would come out of retirement to compete at the Spa 24 Hours that month, competing in
6020-705: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023. With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe. Aspendale Racecourse , in Australia,
6160-620: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Rolex 24 at Daytona , 24 Hours of Spa -Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen , and the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta . There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour , which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in
6300-535: The Arrows team. Patrese and Shadow teammate Alan Jones both received offers from the Williams team for 1978: whilst Jones joined Williams, Patrese linked up with Arrows, alongside Rolf Stommelen . Shadow subsequently took Arrows to court, arguing that Arrows had stolen the design of the Shadow DN9 that Arrows and were essentially running a DN9 under a different name. The court agreed, forcing Arrows to design and construct
6440-537: The Canadian and United States Grands Prix, Hunt stood only three points behind Lauda before the final race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix . Lauda qualified third, one place behind Hunt, but on race day there was torrential rain, and Lauda retired after two laps. He later said that he felt it was unsafe to continue under these conditions, especially since his eyes were watering excessively because of his fire-damaged tear ducts and inability to blink. Hunt led much of
6580-568: The Italian and European Formula 3 championships. The following year he moved to Formula 2 before making his Formula One debut midway through the year. He made his debut at the 1977 Monaco Grand Prix with the Shadow racing team sponsored by Italian businessman Franco Ambrosio , replacing Renzo Zorzi . He took his first point at the Japanese Grand Prix later that year. Later that year team-leader Jackie Oliver and sponsor Ambrosio left Shadow to form
6720-467: The Nürburgring , even though he was the fastest driver on that circuit at the time, Lauda urged his fellow drivers to boycott the race, largely because of the 23-kilometre (14 mi) circuit's safety arrangements, citing the organisers' lack of resources to properly manage such a huge circuit, including lack of fire marshals, fire and safety equipment and safety vehicles. Formula One was quite dangerous at
6860-564: The Spanish Grand Prix . After winning five Grands Prix in his 1975 campaign, Lauda won his maiden title, becoming the first Ferrari-powered World Champion in 11 years . Whilst leading the 1976 championship—amidst a fierce title battle with James Hunt —Lauda was seriously injured during the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring , suffering severe burns and other life-changing injuries as his Ferrari 312T2 caught on fire during
7000-530: The Spanish Grand Prix . Although Lauda became the season's pacesetter, achieving six consecutive pole positions , a mixture of inexperience and mechanical unreliability meant Lauda won only one more race that year, the Dutch GP . He finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship and demonstrated immense commitment to testing and improving the car. The 1975 Formula One season started slowly for Lauda; after no better than
7140-611: The Tyrrell 017 to launch its front wheels in the air when Bailey ran into the back of the Williams. One unnamed driver allegedly said of the incident "They should fine him his bloody retainer. There are enough accidental shunts in this business without someone deliberately causing one" . It was not until 1989 and the arrival of the V10 Renault engines that Patrese and his new teammate Thierry Boutsen were able to challenge for race wins. In his record-breaking 176th Grands Prix, Patrese led
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#17328560614997280-568: The United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach , where he finished second in 1980 and took pole position in the following year : he led the latter race before being forced to retire by a blocked fuel filter. In 1982 Patrese moved to Brabham and gained his maiden win at that year's Monaco Grand Prix in rather sensational circumstances. Patrese took the lead when Alain Prost crashed out, only to spin in dampening conditions on
7420-539: The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include
7560-637: The World Touring Car Cup . The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC , the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The Sports Car Club of America 's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series
7700-420: The racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials , aimed at proving these new machines were
7840-428: The 1970s, culminating in a disastrous start to the 1973 season, Ferrari regrouped completely under Luca di Montezemolo and were resurgent in 1974 . The team's faith in the little-known Lauda was quickly rewarded by a second-place finish in his debut race for the team, the season-opening Argentine Grand Prix . His first Grand Prix (GP) victory – and the first for Ferrari since 1972 – followed only three races later in
7980-495: The 1976 accident. He had a double lung transplant the previous year, and kidney transplants in 1997 and 2015. At the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix , current and former drivers and teams paid tributes on social media and during the pre-race Wednesday press conference. A moment of silence was held before the race. Throughout the weekend, fans and drivers wore red caps in his honour, with the Mercedes team painting their halo device red with
8120-465: The 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks , stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars . The largest stock car racing governing body
8260-462: The 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series , Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than
8400-552: The Benetton team before the end of the year. His teammate for 1993 would be young German driver Michael Schumacher . Ironically, only Prost was able to agree terms with Williams for 1993 (Mansell went on to race in the American-based Champ Car series while Prost had a clause in his contract, signed in early 1992, that prevented Senna from being his teammate). This would have left a seat free for Patrese had he remained with
8540-410: The Bois de Boulogne. On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10- franc entrance fee. The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of
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#17328560614998680-542: The Chilean-Austrian Marlene Knaus. They divorced in 1991. Lauda and Knaus had two sons, Mathias , a racing driver, and Lukas, who acted as Mathias's manager. In 1992 Lauda briefly dated racing driver Giovanna Amati . In 2008 he married Birgit Wetzinger, a flight attendant for his airline. In 2005, Wetzinger donated a kidney to Lauda after the kidney he had received from his brother in 1997 failed. In September 2009, Birgit gave birth to twins, Max and Mia. Lauda spoke fluent German , English and Italian . Lauda came from
8820-425: The Englishman retired with brake failure on lap 52. As Lauda had passed the Toleman of rookie Ayrton Senna for third place only a few laps earlier, Mansell's retirement elevated him to second behind Prost. Lauda had signed an initial letter of intent to leave McLaren team and join Renault for the 1985 season . The agreement was not implemented and Lauda stayed with McLaren for the 1985 season. The 1985 season
8960-409: The FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am , which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series , which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming
9100-403: The Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance. ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap. Racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing , motor racing , or automobile racing ) is a motorsport involving
9240-493: The Italian Alps, he was also selected for the Italian national ski team as a teenager, and was in addition a competitive swimmer. In 1974, he won the Karting World Championship at the Estoril circuit , finishing ahead of second-placed teammate and fellow future F1 driver Eddie Cheever . He received an offer to drive in Formula Italia the following year, finishing second in the championship to another future F1 racer, Bruno Giacomelli . In 1976, he moved up to Formula 3, winning both
9380-413: The Italian reportedly setting a time that would have placed him on the second row of the grid for that year's British Grand Prix. After this, Patrese competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997. He drove a Nissan R390 GT1 for the Nissan factory team; the car was third fastest in qualifying but was forced to retire with gearbox problems. After retiring from racing, he took up show jumping , following in
9520-430: The McLaren driven by Hunt and the Lotus driven by Peterson to touch, but Patrese argued that he was already well ahead of the pair before the accident took place. Patrese, together with race director Gianni Restilli, stood trial in Italian criminal court on manslaughter charges for Peterson's death. Both were cleared of wrongdoing on 28 October 1981. Two of Patrese's most notable performances during his Arrows years were at
9660-653: The UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars . Full-contact formulas include Bangers , Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. Niki Lauda Andreas Nikolaus " Niki " Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019)
9800-532: The UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club , BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing , which employs
9940-401: The US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA 's Firehawk Series, which ran in
10080-533: The United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series , NASCAR Mexico Series , NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race . NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour . Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display
10220-438: The United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series . The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars , with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to F1 cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average
10360-660: The World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan ), Formula Three , Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic . In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford . Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In
10500-418: The books. The 1976 battle between Lauda and James Hunt was dramatized in the film Rush (2013), where Lauda was played by Daniel Brühl —a portrayal that was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. Lauda made a cameo appearance at the end of the film. Lauda said of Hunt's death, "When I heard he'd died age 45 of a heart attack I wasn't surprised, I was just sad." He also said that Hunt
10640-413: The burns to his head, losing most of his right ear as well as the hair on the right side of his head, his eyebrows, and his eyelids. He chose to limit reconstructive surgery to replacing the eyelids and restoring their functionality. After the accident he always wore a cap to cover the scars on his head. He arranged for sponsors to use the cap for advertising. With Lauda out of the contest, Carlos Reutemann
10780-551: The car 9 out of 14 races. Lauda's best results, apart from the wins in Sweden and Italy after the penalization of Mario Andretti and Gilles Villeneuve, were second in Monaco and Great Britain, and a third in the Netherlands. The Alfa flat-12 engine was too wide for ground effect designs in that the opposed cylinder banks impeded with the venturi tunnels, so Alfa designed a V12 for 1979. It was
10920-522: The car, but one was Arturo Merzario, the Italian guy, who also had to stop there at the scene, because I blocked the road; and he really came into the car himself, and uh, triggered my, my seatbelt loose, and then pulled me out. It was unbelievable, how he could do that, and I met him afterwards, and I said, 'How could you do it?!'. He said, 'Honestly, I do not know, but to open your seatbelt was so difficult, because you were pushing so hard against it, and when it
11060-638: The company LaudaMotion . As a result of Air Berlin's insolvency in 2017, LaudaMotion took over the Niki brand and asset after an unsuccessful bid by Lufthansa and IAG. Lauda held an airline transport pilot's licence and from time to time acted as a captain on the flights of his airline. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993 and from 1996 provided commentary on Grands Prix for Austrian and German television on RTL . He was, however, criticized for calling Robert Kubica
11200-419: The crash which caused Peterson's death, Hunt (along with other drivers) blamed Patrese for starting the accident, and viewers of Hunt's commentaries of Formula One races from 1980 to 1993 on BBC Television were regularly treated to bitter diatribes against Patrese when the Italian appeared on screen. Hunt, who never forgave the Italian for Peterson's death, believed that it was Patrese's muscling past that caused
11340-459: The edge over him that season because of Mansell's greater upper body strength, as the car's steering was heavy due to the amount of downforce it generated combined with the absence of power steering , whilst Patrese's skill in low speed corners was negated by the car's traction control system . With Alain Prost , Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell all desperately trying to sign for Williams, Patrese's position looked to be under threat and he signed for
11480-548: The end of 2002. In September 2012, he was appointed non-executive chairman of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport . He took part in negotiations to sign Lewis Hamilton to a three-year deal with Mercedes in 2013. He remained at Mercedes until his death in 2019, winning six World Constructors' Championships with the team. Lauda returned to running his airline, Lauda Air , on his second Formula One retirement in 1985. During his time as airline manager, he
11620-400: The event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily , Italy near the island's capital of Palermo . Founded in 1906 , it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. The oldest surviving sports car racing event is
11760-411: The fan car's legality and Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone , who at the time was maneuvering for acquisition of Formula One's commercial rights, did not want to fight a protracted battle over the car, but the victory in Sweden remained official. The Brabham BT46 Alfa Romeo flat-12 began the 1978 season at the third race in South Africa. It suffered from a variety of troubles that forced Lauda to retire
11900-404: The fastest race lap), passing car after car, saw him finish second behind his teammate which gave him enough points to win his third title. His second place was a lucky one though as Nigel Mansell was in second for much of the race. However, as it was his last race with Lotus before joining Williams in 1985, Lotus boss Peter Warr refused to give Mansell the brakes he wanted for his car and
12040-588: The first driver to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes, which was considered a huge feat as the Nordschleife section of the Nürburgring was two miles longer than it is today. Lauda did not win the German Grand Prix from pole position there that year; after battling hard with Patrick Depailler for the lead for the first half of the race, Lauda led for the first 9 laps but suffered
12180-523: The first half of the season by the Williams FW12 's reactive suspension not working properly. It wasn't until the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that Williams dumped the reactive suspension for a more conventional one and the FW12s became competitive. At the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix , Patrese was fined US$ 10,000 for 'brake testing' the Tyrrell of F1 rookie Julian Bailey during qualifying which caused
12320-626: The first race of the year in Brazil (the first time he led a Grand Prix since 1983) including setting a new lap record of the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet before stopping with an engine failure. In what would prove to be his best season since 1983, he achieved an impressive 3rd place in the Drivers' Championship, taking no wins but securing 6 podium finishes, including 4 second places, as well as claiming pole position in Hungary ,
12460-434: The first to achieve 250 starts at the 1993 German Grand Prix . For 19 years, he held the record for the most Formula One Grand Prix starts , with 256 races from 257 entries. As of the end of the 2023 season he is the tenth-most experienced F1 driver in history . At the age of 38 he was runner-up to Nigel Mansell in the 1992 Formula One World Championship , and third in 1989 and 1991 . He won six Formula One races, with
12600-541: The footsteps of his daughters who have competed in the sport internationally. He won an Italian national amateur title before retiring from equestrianism in 2014. Outside of competition, he is a keen collector of model railways , in particular those manufactured by Märklin . In 2005 he returned to racing in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired F1 drivers. He finished third behind his former teammate Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi in
12740-529: The fourth 12-cylinder engine design that propelled the Austrian in Formula One since 1973. Lauda's 1979 Formula One season was again marred by retirements and poor pace, even though he won the non-championship 1979 Dino Ferrari Grand Prix with the Brabham-Alfa. In the single-make BMW M1 Procar Championship , driving for the British Formula Two team Project Four Racing (led by Ron Dennis ) when not in
12880-544: The green signal was given. This being said, Patrese, Peterson, and 8 others were involved in a 10-car pile-up before turn one, causing a stoppage of the race. Peterson, whose injuries from the chain reaction wreck were not in and of themselves life-threatening, died from an embolism the day after the Grand Prix. By the next race, the United States Grand Prix , five top drivers - Hunt, Lauda, Mario Andretti , Emerson Fittipaldi and Jody Scheckter - declared that unless Patrese
13020-763: The last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America , GT World Challenge Asia , Super GT , and the International GT Open . There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in
13160-851: The message "Niki we miss you" instead of their usual silver scheme. The Haas VF-19 's shark fin engine cover was painted red with Lauda's name and the years of his birth and death. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel wore helmets in Lauda's honour, and when Hamilton won the race he dedicated it to Lauda. His funeral at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna was attended by prominent Formula One figures, including Gerhard Berger , Jackie Stewart , Alain Prost , Nelson Piquet , Jean Alesi , Lewis Hamilton , David Coulthard , Nico Rosberg , Valtteri Bottas , René and Hans Binder and René Rast . Arnold Schwarzenegger and Austrian politicians, including Alexander Van der Bellen , also attended. According to Lauda's wishes he
13300-442: The most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as
13440-484: The next lap. This left him third behind Didier Pironi and Andrea de Cesaris , who both stopped on the final lap – Pironi with an electrical fault and de Cesaris out of fuel. Later that season he also led the Austrian Grand Prix but retired due to an engine failure. Patrese finished the season tenth, just ahead of his teammate Nelson Piquet . 1983 proved to be a more difficult season. Patrese crashed out late in
13580-461: The oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories. Over the last few years, auto racing has seen
13720-506: The oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana . It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators. NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR " Strictly Stock " race ever
13860-588: The only problem was to convince then team sponsor Marlboro that he was still capable of winning. Lauda proved he was when, in his third race back, he won the Long Beach Grand Prix . Before the opening race of the season at Kyalami race track in South Africa , Lauda was the organiser of the so-called "drivers' strike"; Lauda had seen that the new Super Licence required the drivers to commit themselves to their present teams and realised that this could hinder
14000-461: The pace in most races. The 1985 car, the 185T proved to be even less competitive to the point that halfway through the season the team replaced it with an updated version of the 184T (dubbed the 184TB). Although the updated car did prove faster, results were not forthcoming. In an interview in 2000, Patrese described the 185T as "the worst car I ever drove". At the 1985 Monaco Grand Prix , Patrese's former teammate Nelson Piquet began his 14th lap and
14140-423: The pits, peeling the blood-soaked bandages off his scarred scalp. He also had to wear a specially adapted crash helmet so as not to be in too much discomfort. In Lauda's absence, Hunt had mounted a late charge to reduce Lauda's lead in the World Championship standings. Hunt and Lauda were friends away from the circuit, and their personal on-track rivalry, while intense, was cleanly contested and fair. Following wins in
14280-508: The points, only to run out of fuel two or three laps from the finish, dropping them out of the points. Indeed, Patrese's 3rd place at Monza in 1984 (to date the final podium finish for Alfa Romeo in F1) came at the expense of Cheever, who was robbed of a podium finish when his car ran out of fuel 6 laps from the finish. The pair were also hampered by their cars. 1984 's Alfa Romeo 184T proved fast in qualifying, but fuel restrictions saw them well off
14420-647: The pro-am category in a JAS Motorsport -run Honda NSX GT3 with Loïc Depailler (the son of former F1 driver Patrick Depailler ), Bertrand Baguette and Esteban Guerrieri . Riccardo's son Lorenzo Patrese also became a racing driver alongside being a horse rider . He started single-seater racing in the 2020 Italian F4 Championship . ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position / Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Driver did not finish
14560-558: The race before his tyres blistered and a pit stop dropped him down the order. He recovered to third, thus winning the title by a single point. Lauda's previously good relationship with Ferrari was severely affected by his decision to withdraw from the Japanese Grand Prix, and he endured a difficult 1977 season , despite easily winning the championship through consistency rather than outright pace. Lauda disliked his new teammate, Reutemann, who had served as his replacement driver. Lauda
14700-444: The race while leading at San Marino - to the cheers of the tifosi , as his shunt meant that he handed the race win to Ferrari driver Patrick Tambay . He also took pole on home ground at the Italian Grand Prix , before his engine blew up in the early stages of the race: in a 2010 interview he said he suspected that his engine had been left in its qualifying trim, rendering it extremely powerful but fragile, as he had not been offered
14840-554: The reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series , which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series , both of which mix prototypes and GTs. Turismo Carretera (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of
14980-528: The season with a non-classified championship finish, despite winning the British Formula Two Championship . Lauda moved to BRM for the 1973 season, scoring his maiden points finish in Belgium and earning a seat with Ferrari the following year alongside Clay Regazzoni . Lauda was immediately successful at Ferrari, taking his maiden podium on debut and his maiden win three races later at
15120-564: The season's finale in Australia . Patrese had already been signed by Williams management to be Nelson Piquet 's replacement for the 1988 season as the 1987 and triple World Champion was off to Lotus to replace Ayrton Senna who had signed with McLaren (Honda were staying with Lotus for 1988 but Williams had lost their Honda engines to McLaren). However, 1988 saw Williams struggling with an uncompetitive car powered by non- turbocharged Judd V8 engines. Patrese and Mansell were also hampered in
15260-570: The sole 2005 race at Kyalami , South Africa. His 2006 season was less successful with a 10th-place finish at Losail in Qatar and a 6th at Silverstone . Patrese's record of 257 Grand Prix entries, set in a period when a typical F1 season was limited to 16 races, stood for 15 years, surviving the Schumacher era when Michael Schumacher retired on 250 race entries. Rubens Barrichello finally surpassed Patrese's total, recording his 258th Grand Prix entry at
15400-681: The sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship . Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have
15540-487: The team from 2014 to 2019 . Outside of Formula One, Lauda won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 1973 with Alpina , and the BMW M1 Procar Championship in 1979 with Project Four . In aviation, Lauda founded and managed three airlines: Lauda Air from 1985 to 1999, Niki from 2003 to 2011, and Lauda from 2016 onwards. Lauda was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993. Niki Lauda
15680-495: The team's concentration was on his new teammate Michael Schumacher . Patrese would also describe the Benetton B193 with its Ford HBA8 V8 as a step down in quality compared to the much more sophisticated Williams cars he had been driving for the previous five years. After scoring 56 points and finishing 2nd in the World Championship in 1992, Patrese scored 20 points to finish 5th in 1993 with a best finish of 2nd in Hungary in what
15820-494: The team. Although Williams offered Patrese the opportunity to stay with the team after Mansell announced his retirement from F1 at the Italian Grand Prix , he felt he could not go back on his word to Benetton. The number two seat at Williams went to the team's test driver Damon Hill , the son of the 1962 and 1968 World Champion Graham Hill . While Williams continued to dominate F1 in 1993 , Patrese found it difficult to get along with team manager Flavio Briatore , sensing that
15960-520: The time (three of the drivers that day later died in Formula One incidents: Tom Pryce in 1977; Ronnie Peterson in 1978; and Patrick Depailler in 1980), but a majority of the drivers voted against the boycott and the race went ahead. On 1 August 1976, during the second lap at the very fast left kink before Bergwerk, Lauda was involved in an accident where his Ferrari swerved off the track, hit an embankment, burst into flames, and made contact with Brett Lunger 's Surtees - Ford car. Unlike Lunger, Lauda
16100-450: The top step of the podium . A move to Alfa Romeo in 1984 delivered two lacklustre seasons resulting in eight world championship points and a single visit to the podium at the 1984 Italian Grand Prix . Patrese and teammate, American Eddie Cheever, were hampered by cars with Alfa Romeo 890T V8 turbo engines that proved too thirsty for the amount of fuel they were allowed to carry (220 litres). Often both drivers drove good races to be in
16240-507: The top. From 1983 to 1985, the red and white were reversed to evoke memories of his earlier helmet design. In 1993, Lauda returned to Formula One in a managerial position when Luca di Montezemolo offered him a consulting role at Ferrari . Halfway through the 2001 season, Lauda assumed the role of team principal of the Jaguar Formula One team. The team failed to improve and Lauda was made redundant, together with 70 other key figures, at
16380-659: The unknown Gilles Villeneuve in a third car at the Canadian Grand Prix . Joining Parmalat-sponsored Brabham - Alfa Romeo in 1978 for a $ 1 million salary, Lauda endured two unsuccessful seasons, remembered mainly for his one race in the Brabham BT46 B, a radical design known as the Fan Car: it won its first and only race at the Swedish GP, but Brabham did not use the car in Formula One again; other teams vigorously protested
16520-533: The way for Mansell while leading comfortably at that year's French Grand Prix . Again Patrese handled the delicate situation about team orders diplomatically, repeatedly offering a "No comment" to questions about the team orders that had been imposed on him at the red flag period of the French race. Patrese took a single win at the Japanese Grand Prix and had eight other podium finishes, including six second-place results. After his retirement Patrese stated that Mansell had
16660-502: The year as McLaren, Ferrari and later Benetton with their Ford V8 engines took the ascendancy and he finished the 1990 Drivers' Championship in 7th place. In 1991 Nigel Mansell returned to Williams after two seasons with Ferrari and, together with Patrese, the team became genuine contenders for both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. Two wins in Mexico and Portugal gave Patrese his most competitive F1 season thus far and
16800-480: The year at the British GP , he had more than double the points of his closest challengers Jody Scheckter and James Hunt , and a second consecutive World Championship appeared a formality. It was a feat not achieved since Jack Brabham 's victories in 1959 and 1960 . He also looked set to win the most races in a season, a record held by the late Jim Clark since 1963 . A week before the 1976 German Grand Prix at
16940-589: Was a disappointment for Lauda, with eleven retirements from the fourteen races he started. He did not start the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps after crashing and breaking his wrist during practice, and he later missed the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch ; John Watson replaced him for that race. He did manage fourth at the San Marino Grand Prix , 5th at the German Grand Prix , and
17080-546: Was an Austrian racing driver , motorsport executive and aviation entrepreneur, who competed in Formula One from 1971 to 1979 and from 1982 to 1985 . Lauda won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the time of his retirement—held the record for most podium finishes (54); he remains the only driver to have won a World Drivers' Championship with both Ferrari and McLaren , and won 25 Grands Prix across 13 seasons. Born and raised in Vienna , Lauda
17220-449: Was appointed consultant at Ferrari as part of an effort by Montezemolo to rejuvenate the team. After selling his Lauda Air shares to majority partner Austrian Airlines in 1999, he managed the Jaguar Formula One racing team from 2001 to 2002. In late 2003, he started a new airline, Niki . Similar to Lauda Air, Niki was merged with its major partner Air Berlin in 2011. In early 2016, Lauda took over chartered airline Amira Air and renamed
17360-400: Was attempting to lap Patrese as they crossed the start/finish line. The cars made contact, and Patrese went into a spin while Piquet lost his suspension. Patrese then bounced off the wall and back into Piquet, and both drivers were out of the race. In 1986 Patrese returned to Brabham alongside fellow Italian Elio de Angelis , but by now the team was a spent force and would never again take
17500-547: Was banned from the race that they would withdraw. The race organizers agreed to this: although Patrese later stated that he obtained a ruling from a local judge in Watkins Glen stating that the ban was a violation of his right to work , Arrows decided to withdraw his entry due to pressure from the organizers and the FIA. He returned to competition at the following race, the Canadian Grand Prix , where he finished fourth. For years after
17640-570: Was born on 22 February 1949 in Vienna , Austria, to a wealthy paper manufacturing family. His paternal grandfather was the Viennese-born industrialist Hans Lauda . Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's disapproval. After starting out with a Mini , Lauda moved on into Formula Vee , as was normal in Central Europe , but rapidly moved up to drive in private Porsche and Chevron sports cars. With his career stalled, he took out
17780-579: Was catastrophic. Perhaps the lowest point of the team's season came at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park , where both March cars were disqualified within three laps of each other, just past three-quarters of the race distance. Lauda took out another bank loan to buy his way into the BRM team in 1973. Lauda was instantly quick, but the team was in decline; although the BRM P160E was fast and easy to drive it
17920-460: Was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from
18060-714: Was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida , U.S.. From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars , with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston . The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as
18200-411: Was not comfortable with this move and felt he had been let down by Ferrari. "We never could stand each other, and instead of taking pressure off me, they put on even more by bringing Carlos Reutemann into the team." Having announced his decision to quit Ferrari at season's end, Lauda left earlier after he won the Drivers' Championship at the United States Grand Prix because of the team's decision to run
18340-623: Was not reliable and its engine lacked power. Lauda's popularity was on the rise after he was running third at the Monaco Grand Prix that year before a gearbox failure ended his race prematurely, resulting in Enzo Ferrari becoming interested. When his BRM teammate Clay Regazzoni left to rejoin Ferrari in 1974, team owner Enzo Ferrari asked him what he thought of Lauda. Regazzoni spoke so favorably of Lauda that Ferrari promptly signed him, paying him enough to clear his debts. After an unsuccessful start to
18480-466: Was one of the very few he liked, one of a smaller number of people he respected and the only person he had envied. Lauda appeared in an episode of Mayday titled " Niki Lauda: Testing the Limits " regarding the events of Lauda Air Flight 004 , and described running an airline as more difficult than winning three Formula 1 championships. Lauda dated Mariella von Reininghaus until 1975. In 1976 he married
18620-449: Was open, I got you out of the car like a feather...'. As Lauda was wearing a modified helmet, it did not fit him properly; the foam had compressed and it slid off his head after the accident, leaving his face exposed to the fire. Although Lauda was conscious and able to stand immediately after the accident, he later lapsed into a coma. While in hospital he was given the last rites , but he survived. Lauda suffered extensive scarring from
18760-523: Was originally painted plain red with his full name written on both sides and the Raiffeisen Bank logo in the chin area. He wore a modified AGV helmet in the weeks following his Nürburgring accident so as the lining would not aggravate his burned scalp too badly. In 1982, upon his return to McLaren, his helmet was white and featured the red "L" logo of Lauda Air instead of his name on both sides, complete with branding from his personal sponsor Parmalat on
18900-441: Was perceived by some established drivers, such as Ronnie Peterson and James Hunt , as being over-aggressive. Later that year, at the Italian Grand Prix, Patrese's reputation for aggressive driving was blamed for a first lap major incident. In part, one of the causes suggested was a premature start by the Monza race director, leading to cars at the rear of the field catching up to those in the midfield that had been fully stopped when
19040-615: Was taken on as his replacement. Ferrari boycotted the Austrian Grand Prix in protest at what they saw as preferential treatment shown towards McLaren driver James Hunt at the Spanish and British Grands Prix. Lauda missed only two races, appearing at the Monza press conference six weeks after the accident with his fresh burns still bandaged. He finished fourth in the Italian GP , despite being, by his own admission, absolutely petrified. Formula One journalist Nigel Roebuck recalls seeing Lauda in
19180-481: Was the grandson of local industrialist Hans Lauda . Starting his career in karting , he progressed to Formula Vee and privateer racing in the late 1960s. With his career stalled, Lauda took out a £ 30,000 bank loan and secured a place in European Formula Two with March in 1971 , making his Formula One debut with the team at the Austrian Grand Prix . He was promoted to a full-time seat in 1972 , ending
19320-565: Was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit , opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement. Brooklands , in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a 4.43 km (2.75 mi) concrete track with high-speed banked corners. One of
19460-418: Was to prove to be his final season in Formula One. Before the end of the season Briatore informed Patrese that he was "free to seek an alternate drive". Ligier made Patrese an offer for 1994 but seeing it as a further step down in his career, he decided against it. As most top teams already had drivers signed for 1994 , Patrese opted for retirement and brought what was then the longest F1 career in history to
19600-425: Was trapped in the wreckage. Drivers Arturo Merzario , Lunger, Guy Edwards , and Harald Ertl arrived at the scene a few moments later, but before Merzario was able to pull him from his car, Lauda suffered severe burns to his head and hands and inhaled hot toxic gases that damaged his lungs and blood. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Lauda said: There were basically two or three drivers trying to get me out of
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