Motorsport Legends Speak
Interviews & Words With The Heroes of Motorsports
This is where the rubber meets the road, where the smell of burnt rubber and high-octane fuel mingles with the sharp insights of those who have lived and breathed motorsports. Here, the legends of racing take the wheel, sharing their firsthand experiences, hard-won wisdom, and unique perspectives in a collection of captivating articles and exclusive interviews.
The Driver's Seat: Insights from Motorsports Legends
This is where the rubber meets the road, where the smell of burnt rubber and high-octane fuel mingles with the sharp insights of those who have lived and breathed motorsports. Here, the legends of racing take the wheel, sharing their firsthand experiences, hard-won wisdom, and unique perspectives in a collection of captivating articles and exclusive interviews. Get ready to dive deep into the minds of champions as they dissect race strategy, reflect on career-defining moments, and offer a glimpse into the intense pressure and exhilaration of life at the limit. Hear from visionary engineers, team owners, motorsport executives, and influential figures who shape the sport from behind the scenes.
On May 23, 1945, the British wartime government came to an end and on July 5 voting took place to elect a new government. The result of the election surprised, but did not altogether shock, Winston Churchill, who had campaigned for a re-election. There were, however, more than a few...
1964 World Champion Our Ed McDonough had the opportunity to interview John Surtees on a number of occasions, investigating how Surtees had his first test in a Formula One car in a Vanwall, and later became the only person ever to race Vanwall’s short-lived rear-engine car in 1961. As part...
Event Director, Motorclassica Having just celebrated its sixth successful year, Australia’s Motorclassica has gone from strength to strength with preparations very much under way for its seventh staging in October 2016, once again in Melbourne’s iconic, heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building. It is the only such event held in Australia....
Derek Bell initially made a name for himself, racing in open-wheeled cars including Formula 2 and Formula 1. However, it is long-distance sports car racing, particularly in Porsches, where Bell forged his legacy as a champion with five overall victories at Le Mans, three victories in the 24 Hours of...
What kind of racing driver is it who forgets how many times he’s won? One of the most successful, of course. Too many victories to remember. That’s Britain’s Derek Bell, “Mr. Nice Guy” as he is known among most of his contemporaries. Which is remarkable in itself. Not too many...
What is it among first experiences that’s supposed to be the most unforgettable? A boy’s first kiss? I certainly remember that. First bicycle? Ditto. A boy’s first By Golly Racing Victory? That’ll do just fine. I was going to my dozenth race and so, thoroughly steeped in the Racing Experience,...
It is always amazing when I get a chance to drive some of the cars I raced many years ago. This year at the Goodwood Festival I was back in the John Player Special Lotus 72 that I drove many times. Everytime I get in that car I go back...
In this final installment of Casey Annis’ interview with Dan Gurney, Dan discusses his “second” career as a constructor and team owner. Click here to read the first installment where Dan Gurney discusses his days as a driver. VRJ: What has been more satisfying for you – your career as...
Jim Crawford would have turned 70 this year. After a brief stint in Formula One with Lotus he rebuilt his career in America during the 1980s. Following a devastating crash at Indianapolis, Jim made a fairytale comeback. He died aged just 54, but the good natured and courageous Scotsman is...
You might well ask “Who the hell’s he?” when you read the name at the top of the page. Well, he’s the man none other than Niki Lauda described as The 20th Century’s Greatest Rally Driver. Not the most popular branch of motor sport in America, but rallying is the...
After church one Sunday in 1957, a 13-year-old Philadelphia boy named Tom Pomeroy was playing with some of his friends, when they discovered an out-of-service subway car parked on a rail siding. Exhibiting his characteristic curiosity, young Pomeroy climbed on top of it to investigate the purpose of the car’s...
I could talk about David Purley, or Dave as I’ve always known him, all day long, but for the sake of this piece I’ll restrict it to a few lines to give readers a glimpse into my view of a truly great character and a very good friend. As boys,...
As a tribute to triple World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, the only man ever to win the World Championship in a car carrying his name, we offer this previously unpublished interview that the Australian icon gave to VR’s European Editor Mike Jiggle in which he discusses his decision to build...
I first drove what was to become Graham Hill’s 1966 American Red Ball Special Indy winner at the Brickyard, in a test organized by George Bignotti, during the latter months of 1965. George was the very distinguished chief mechanic who, I believe, holds the record of seven Indy 500 winners....
I have admired Tazio Nuvolari all my life and so has just about every other motor racing enthusiast of my generation. My friend Murray Walker, the British television Formula One commentator, often likes to say he saw the Flying Mantuan race, but I was born too late to enjoy such...
Francis Bradley, the 1962 Canadian Road-Racing Champion, was born in Germany and raised in England, and served during the Second World War as a motorcycle dispatch driver. He made his way to Canada, as many others did in the early 1950s, to discover a burgeoning motorsport scene. As so many...
Arie Luyendyk is a household name in motor racing, especially in Indianapolis folklore, but it was a long and arduous road he travelled, involving much hard work, to reach stardom. The versatile speedman had a long an impressive racing career and besides being famous for his outstanding record at Indianapolis...
David Purley was a hero you have probably never even heard of, but a hero he most certainly was. If you remember him at all, it will be for his one-man attempt to rescue his friend and fellow F1 driver, Roger Williamson, from a burning car during the 1973 Grand...
My first exposure to Formula Ford came as a lot of us began hearing about how neat it was in Britain, and certainly in 1968 I was aware of all the car importers and the future American manufacturers getting started in the class. By 1968, my career racing sports cars...
I first drove what was to become Graham Hill’s 1966 American Red Ball Special Indy winner at the Brickyard, in a test organized by George Bignotti, during the latter months of 1965. George was the very distinguished chief mechanic who, I believe, holds the record of seven Indy 500 winners....
VR: How did you get your start in automobiles? MS: Well, you know, I was thinking about this and maybe we should start off with when I was a kid before I had a driver’s license. So how did I get started in automobiles? It was a different world. I...
For anyone involved in motor sport within Australia, the name of Bob Holden has been a prominent one for many years. After starting out during the 1950s in a Holden (no relation) sedan Bob tackled a variety of events in both racing and rallying with a number of different types...
Always a pioneer, Denise McCluggage blazed trails for women in motorsports, both on and off the track, for over 60 years. In honor of Denise’s incredible contribution to motorsport, we honor her memory here with another look at our discussion with her, in 1999. Was there a car that you...
March 8 is International Women’s Day, and to mark the occasion, Maserati is honoring the achievements of Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix driving a Maserati 250F. For this important day, we remember her story, one that is filled with passion and courage....
VR editor/publisher Casey Annis is usually the one asking the questions, but now the tables have been turned as the “Cars Yeah” podcast delves into Casey’s unusual backstory. Hear why he turned his back on a career in medical research to start Vintage Racecar from the back bedroom of his...
At the end of last year I lost a true friend, Ken Gregory. Ken was one of the most logistically aware businessman I’ve ever come across. He was the organizer behind Stirling Moss, Stirling Moss Limited, the British Racing Partnership (BRP) and manager to many other drivers, including Peter Collins....
Dan Gurney’s motor racing career as a driver, car constructor and team owner is just about as star-spangled as his country’s flag. After Phil Hill, he was the second American to win in Formula 1, and is considered the equal of that other American superstar, Mario Andretti. He is also...
VR: So how did you first get started in cars? JA: Well, the interest and involvement with cars came from my father and my brothers who were very much into motor racing and cars. Fifty years ago, this July, I left school and started an apprenticeship—mechanics apprenticeship—which I did for...
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