On April 2, 1926, Jack Brabham was born near Sydney, Australia. He achieved his first major race victory with a Cooper car in Monte Carlo in 1959. In the last race of the season in Sebring, Florida, Brabham secured the championship by physically pushing his car across the finish line. He successfully defended his title in 1960, winning five out of eight races.
In 1966, Brabham made history by becoming the only driver to win the world championship in a car of his own creation. Unfortunately, “Black Jack” passed away on May 19, 2014.
On April 2, 1940, Mike Hailwood was born into a family involved in the automotive and racing industry. His father, Stanley, was a car and motorcycle salesman who had also raced before the start of World War II.
“Mike the Bike” had a brilliant career in motorcycles, winning the prestigious Isle of Man TT fourteen times. From 1962 to 1965, he was the world champion in the premier 500cc class, riding for the Italian team MV Agusta.
In 1969, Hailwood achieved a third place finish at Le Mans alongside David Hobbs, driving John Wyer’s Ford GT40. He also won the 1972 Formula 2 Championship while driving for another motorcycle legend, John Surtees.
Although Hailwood participated in fifty Formula 1 races, his best result was a second place at Monza in 1972, behind Emerson Fittipaldi. Tragically, Hailwood lost his life in a car accident on March 23, 1981, at the age of 40. The accident also took the life of his nine-year-old daughter, Michelle.
On April 3, 1977, the USGP “West” took place in Long Beach, a port city located south of Los Angeles. This was only the second Formula 1 race held in Long Beach and the third grand prix championship race ever held in California (the first being the USGP in Riverside in 1960).
Jody Scheckter, a South African driver who had won the season opener in Argentina driving for Canadian oil magnate Walter Wolff, seemed poised to secure his second victory of the season. However, in the final laps of the race, Scheckter suffered a slow puncture in his right front tire.
On lap 77 out of 80, Mario Andretti thrilled the local surfing community of Southern California by taking the lead. Niki Lauda in his Ferrari was less than a second behind, but Andretti managed to cross the finish line first, claiming his third victory in Formula 1. To this day, he remains the only American driver to win his own grand prix. Scheckter managed a third place finish.
On April 7, 1966, Walt Hansgen tragically lost his life at Le Mans during rainy testing. The accident of his Ford GT40 Mk2 from Holman & Moddy resulted in the death of this talented sports car driver from New Jersey.
At the beginning of the 1966 season, Hansgen and Mark Donohue achieved a third place finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona race and a second place finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Hansgen competed in two Formula 1 races. Initially, he raced in the first United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1961. Unfortunately, he had to retire his Cooper Climax on lap 14 out of 100. Three years later, at the same venue, he secured a fifth place finish driving a Lotus Climax.
On April 7, 1968, the tragic death of Jim Clark occurred. This devastating event took place during a Formula 2 race in the rain at Hockenheimring, leaving the racing community in shock. After the race, Chris Amon expressed his dissatisfaction with the wet tires to Ferrari engineer Mauro Forghieri, stating that not even Jimmy (referring to Jim Clark) could surpass him.
To this, Forghieri replied: “Jimmy did not finish the race”. Surprisingly, it was Graham Hill, Clark’s teammate at Lotus, who finished ahead of Amon.
During this race, a young British driver named Max Mosley made his Formula 2 debut as a member of the London racing team.
Jim Clark is widely recognized as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He won his first championship in 1963 while racing for Colin Chapman’s Lotus team, the only team he competed for in Formula 1. In 1965, he triumphed at the Indianapolis 500 and won his second world championship.
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Sports fans are looking forward to the upcoming football season. With the arrival of new players and the expectation of great games, excitement is in the air. Teams are preparing intensely to ensure the best possible performance.
One of the most anticipated players is star forward Cristiano Ronaldo. His transfer to Manchester United caused a stir in the football world. Fans are excited about the possibility of seeing Ronaldo in action again wearing the United shirt.
Furthermore, Barcelona is also strengthening for the season. With the arrival of young talent Pedri, the team hopes to achieve great things. Pedri has impressed everyone with his skills and promises to be a key player in Barcelona’s success.
Another player who is catching the attention is Kylian Mbappé. The French striker has been the subject of various transfer rumors, with Real Madrid being the most likely destination. Fans are eager to see if the deal will come to fruition and how Mbappé will fare at the new club.
In addition to the players, the coaches are also under the spotlight. Zinedine Zidane has returned to the helm of Real Madrid and hopes to lead the team back to the top. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola continues to impress with his unique style of play at Manchester City. Fans are eager to see how these coaches will influence their teams’ performance.
The football season promises to be exciting, with many thrilling games and unexpected twists. Fans are counting down the days until the start of the championships and can’t wait to see their teams in action. It will be a season full of excitement and stories to tell.
