Motorsport People Profiles
The World's Greatest Drivers, Owners, Engineers & Personalities
Profiles of past and present automotive personalities. The drivers who risked their lives in the early days to the engineers who creatively changed the world of automobiles, this is a celebration of the people who played a major role in the world we love.
Pantheon of Speed: Legends of Motorsports
Dive into a captivating collection of profiles and exclusive interviews with the greatest names in motorsports history – the drivers who defied limits, the engineers who pushed boundaries, the designers who shaped iconic machines, and the visionaries who built racing empires. From the daredevils of early Grand Prix racing to the modern masters of Formula 1, we celebrate the men and women who have etched their names into the annals of motorsport legend.
American road racing star Jim Jeffords has passed away at the age of 87. Jeffords was a Wisconsinite who started racing at the age of 27, driving his own Jaguars. In 1956 he heard that Chevrolet was organizing a Corvette racing team, and contacted GM’s Ed Cole to see if...
John Von Neumann is an important name in the history of the second half of the twentieth century. A Princeton professor, he was an eminent mathematician and physicist, instrumental in the development of computer science, a participant in the Manhattan Project to develop the atom bomb and a Nobel laureate....
John Grant is the current Chairman of the British Racing Drivers Club, and since taking on that role has had to make many difficult and radical decisions to secure the future of Silverstone Racing Circuit—The Home of British Motor Racing. Some may ask who is John Grant and how is...
The man who, as marketing manager for the fledgling French petroleum company Elf, effectively engineered the Pilote Elf program that generated the influx of French drivers into Formula One that began in the late ’60s, François Guiter, has died at the age of 86. Although as a youth he served...
“Gregg, Peter (FA),” was filed between “Greenwood, John” and “Gregory, Masten.” The file, dog-eared and stained with the outline of a coffee cup, showed its age; it dated back to 1970. I recognized the handwriting, it was mine; the (FA) did not stand for Formula Atlantic. This brought a smile...
In order to understand the Pegaso story, it’s first necessary to understand the man behind the car and the tumultuous times that he lived in. Wifredo Pelayo Ricart y Medina was born in Barcelona on May 15, 1897. By 1918, he graduated from the Barcelona School of Engineering as an...
Syd Fox recently lost his battle against cancer at the age of 83. Best known for his antics in Ford-powered machinery during the 1970s, Fox may have never reached his goal of Formula One, but he was one of Britain’s most respected racers in national ranking championships such as Formula...
The special relationship between Great Britain and the USA is said to be strong in the political arena; it’s for sure stronger in motor racing terms. Many talented Americans have crossed the Atlantic to hone their talents in the UK’s racing scene over the years. Examples include Whitney Straight, Dan...
Today, Franco Cortese is, perhaps, one of motor sport’s forgotten stars—and he shouldn’t be. He was the driver who put Ferrari on the map. All in a career spanning 156 races and 20 victories in 36 years of racing in his own cars and those of the cream of the...
The 1950s and ’60s were to many involved in Australian historic motor sport, the halcyon years. It was the time of the Australian Special, the racing of early model Holdens and the Tasman Series. Many names came and went, but quite a few remained and are still well known today...
Bob Wollek was a champion many times over before he even got into motor racing. He won no fewer than three gold and two silver medals in the World University Games—second only to the Olympics—in downhill, slalom and combined skiing events in 1966 and 1968. When he exploded onto the...
Hero is far too modest a word to describe Eddie Rickenbacker. Racing driver, World War 1 ace, Medal of Honor winner, holder of no fewer than seven Distinguished Service Crosses, car manufacturer, Indianapolis Speedway owner, Pacific Ocean crash survivor, founder of Eastern Airlines. Not even superhero comes close. What makes...
Vintage Racecar was immensely saddened to hear of the passing of “Gentleman” Jack Sears following a long fight with cancer. Jack was born into a farming family in Northampton. His love of cars came through his father Stanley’s interest and participation in motoring events. Jack first took part in the...
Miss Moss wrestled the beastly Austin-Healey 3000 to victory in the 1960 Liege-Rome-Liege Rally, likely the greatest drive of her distinguished career. Really, this column should be called “Heroine” this time, because it’s about one of the greatest stars of post-war world rallying, a woman who took on the best...
Racing’s fabled “Pink Lady,” Donna Mae Mims, the first woman to win an SCCA National Championship, has passed away at the age of 82 from complications of a stroke. True to her flamboyant form, and according to her wishes, her body was presented for visitation at the funeral home seated...
By Art Evans I was saddened to learn that Pete Lovely died on May 16, 2011. He was a wonderful friend and a great competitor. I understand that he passed on peacefully with his two daughters at his side. Pete’s beloved wife, Nevele, died in 2008. Some friends remarked to...
Antonio Brivio Biography Born in Biella, Italy to an aristocratic family on the 27th of December 1905 the Marchese “Tonino” Brivio began racing with a 1,199cc supercharged Derby in 1927. In 1934 he joined Bugatti, and drove a Type 59 to 2nd place while setting fastest lap in the Belgian...
During the fifties, everyone’s hero was Juan Manuel Fangio. He won the World Driving Championship five times, an achievement that would not be equaled for almost 50 years. The race that put the fifth crown on his head was at the world’s most challenging circuit, the old Nürburgring. At the...
I have many memories of competing in rallies across Europe, but one that really sticks in my mind is the Liege-Rome-Liege event of 1960. Sharing the “big” Healey with Pat Moss, we started the event not really knowing what to expect, as the rally was well known for being one...
He was known as “the Silver Fox,” “the Racing Grandfather,” and “Merle the Magician.” These nicknames might indicate a gentlemanly racer, older than most of his peers, who raced for fun. His silver hair, glasses and relaxed demeanor fit the nicknames, but underneath that calm exterior beat the heart of...
Racing has lost a great friend with the passing of Academy Award–winning actor Paul Newman. Brought into the sport by his acting career, Newman discovered his attraction for it while making the motion picture Winning, in 1968, where he played all-rounder Frank Capua. The fire may have been lit during...
Briggs Cunningham was one of the most important figures in U.S. road racing during the era of the 1950s. He raced automobiles and yachts, manufactured sports cars, established a significant auto museum and distributed Jaguars. His overriding goal was to win Le Mans with an all-American car driven by Americans....
A million clichés come to mind. Giant killer is probably the worst, pummelled to death by a thousand newspaper hacks, but that’s exactly what the original Ecurie Ecosse was. A meteor that came from nowhere and took the world’s endurance motor racing crown—twice. It was a shoestring operation working out...
One lunchtime in October 1960, I wandered into the Fontana Restaurant in Modena to find Wolfgang von Trips sitting alone. Having met him a couple of times, I asked if I might join him and he readily agreed. In those long departed days, having a casual meal with a racing...
John Bishop, the man most responsible for the establishment of professional sports car racing in America, has died at the age of 87. As executive director of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), Bishop’s vision took the club down the path to professionalism in the 1960s, forming first the...
In the youth of our racing enthusiasm, we tend to think obituaries are for drivers. We don’t foresee, or at least don’t want to, that time also will rob us of friends who don’t court risk on the track. Art Eastman, artist, photographer, writer, editor, passionate enthusiast, and friend, departed...
Like a large number of enthusiasts in the historic racing community, I was at first startled and then fascinated by the recent unfolding saga of the change in leadership at the Monterey Historics. Once the initial shock of Steve Earle’s departure had set in, many questions began bubbling to the surface....
This large, domineering man invented the job of motor racing team manager and in doing so changed the way the sport was run forever. Believe it or not, racing drivers of the 1920s used to thrash around circuits for hours on end without ever knowing their position or even whether...
The public address announcer at a racetrack may be the single most important aspect for enticing new fans into the sport. For spectators making their initial foray into a racing facility, the public address system is their first real connection to what is going on, their first step toward understanding...
In several sections of this month’s issue, you’ll find coverage of just a small sampling of the constellation of events that now make up the week of the Monterey Historics. It seems like every year, in this column, I make some comment on how it couldn’t possibly get any bigger...
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