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Fred Luther and one of the world's first (if not the first) automobile powered motorcycles

21-Jun-23 historicracing.com

Fred Luther was a pioneering motorcycle rider who had been competing since 1915. By 1934 his life must have become somewhat mundane as he came up with the idea of building a motorcycle to break the Land Speed Record....continue reading

LEGENDS SERIES

Grover Bergdoll

08-Jul-23 historicracing.com

Grover Cleveland Bergdoll was a wealthy early aviator, racing driver and notorious World War I draft dodger who fled to Germany to avoid service....continue reading
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The Donington Grand Prix in 1937

21-Apr-23 historicracing.com

The Donington Grand Prix in 1937. The first chance the British public had to see the Mercedes and Auto Union cars racing and, what a spectacle it proved to be! Though the reputation of the machines preceded them, no-one was prepared for that first lap. ...continue reading

Valdir Fauirin twin engined special

19-Apr-23 historicracing.com

Now then! The history of motoring has seen any number of twin-engined adventures, usually to nobody’s worthwhile benefit. But this wonderful little, Brazilian, home-build race car from 1971, was a bit special. Even for that sphere of novelty....continue reading

Behold the GAZ-TP

17-Apr-23 historicracing.com

Built in 1954, under official approval from the Supreme Presidium of the Soviet Socialist Republic, it’s claimed to have been the world’s first car ever jet-driven land vehicle, loaded, as it was, with the motivational extracts of a MIG-17....continue reading

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Events on February 19th


Interesting and notable events from the history of motor sport.

1928

Malcolm Campbell set a Land Speed Record of 206.956 MPH in his Bluebird at Daytona.

1967

The Australian Grand Prix, Warwick Farm, won by Jackie Stewart in a BRM.

Stewart blasted off the line to get a clear lead immediately from Clark, Brabham and Hill, but Hill got Brabham into Creek Corner. Both Cook and McEwin pitted on lap one, the first with clutch trouble and the second with gear selection bothers. By lap 3, when everything had settled down the order was Stewart already 3.5 secs ahead of Clark, then Hill, Brabham, Gardner, Hulme, Martin, Geoghegan, Irwin, Bartlett, Bolton, Scott and Champion. Geoghegan was starting to worry Martin, while Hulme was attacking Gardner and Irwin was dropping right out of it. On lap 10 Bolton made the first of several calls at the pits with overheating problems, and Hill was comfortably holding onto Clark. By lap 16, when Bolton called in again, Stewart was 9 seconds out from Clark. Geoghegan was right in Martin's ear, and although Martin had lost his clutch 10 laps ago and had started the race on half-worn Firestones, he would not let Geoghegan through. All the time Gardner was wearing down Brabham. On lap 23 Geoghegan hit Martin side-on when the Gold Star Champion tried to shut the gate on him for the fifth time into Paddock, and the moment Geoghegan got through he got away at over 2 seconds a lap. Two laps later Hill's transmission broke in the Esses and his race was over. At this stage Geoghegan was only 2.6 seconds behind Hulme and on lap 29, the New Zealander left the way open for him into Creek. Geoghegan was driving the race of his life, but so was Gardner, who after four laps right on Brabham's tail passed him on lap 34 going into Polo, the World Champion moving over to make room for him. This put Geoghegan in the way to pass Brabham as well, but on lap 35 he got wide going into the Esses and spun, letting Hulme and Martin through. He actually let Irwin through as well, going down to eighth place, but on lap 38 Irwin reported to headquarters with metering unit problems and finally retired on lap 39. At stake for Geoghegan was the Langridge Trophy, inaugurated this year for the first resident home, but he had little hope of catching Martin. But on lap 41 Hulme pulled up at Creek with a burst radiator hose and then on lap 43, two laps from the end, Martin spun in the same place as had Geoghegan, but this time he smashed hard into the Armco, damaging the car front and rear. So Stewart sailed home to a serene win 16.7 seconds ahead of Clark, with a new lap record at 1:31.4 secs. Gardner was a great third, then Brabham, Geoghegan, Bartlett two laps adrift, Scott and Champion. Bartlett had broken the top of his gear lever as well as the front anti-roll bar, and had done marvelously to keep the car going at all. Stewart had spun the BRM once, on Polo, but lost only 5 seconds, and Brabham had clipped the fence around Homestead without any ill-effects.

LOST THIS YEAR

Basil van Rooyen

19/4/1939 - 14/9/2023

Ken McAlpine

21/9/1920 - 8/4/2023

Craig Breedlove

23/3/1937 - 4/4/2023

Slim Borgudd

25/11/1946 - 23/2/2023

Jean-Pierre Jabouille

1/10/1942 - 2/2/2023

Ken Block

21/11/1967 - 2/1/2023

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