Articles

  • Morning Qualifying – Makinen Maximizes Mini edition

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    In the 1960’s, no rally team was more talented than the BMC works team of Rauno Aaltonen, Paddy Hopkirk, and Timo Makinen.   Aaltonen, nicknamed “The Rally Professor”, was the epitome of professionalism, always prepared, technically proficient on tarmac and loose surfaces.  Paddy Hopkirk , the marketable face of the BMC team to its English…

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  • Morning Qualifying – HMS Jaguar meets USS Galaxie edition

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    The early years of the British Saloon Car Championship were dominated by Jaguar’s Mk1 and Mk2 saloons.  Raced by privateers like John Coombs Racing, Peter Barry Racing and Equipe Endeavor, and piloted by the cream of the British racing community, the Jaguars took the top step of the podium in 33 consecutive BSCC races between…

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  • Morning Qualifying – Stirling Silver Arrows edition

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    Mercedes-Benz owned the world of international motor sport in 1955.  The W196 grand prix car, introduced at the 1954 French Grand Prix, won 8 out its first 11 races.  The 300SLR, itself derived from the W196, was equally dominant in sports car endurance events.  The Mercedes works team, already led by the reigning champion, Juan…

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  • Morning Qualifying – History Lesson, Part VIII

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    As the effects of the Second World War slowly receded, auto manufacturers in Europe were anxious to gain whatever market share they could in their own countries, while capitalizing on the consumer goods boom in the United States.   Governments gave every possible incentive for auto makers to export, and enacted protectionist measures to assist…

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  • Morning Qualifying – It's 3! 3! 3 kinds of racing in 1! edition.

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    Question: What race combined time-speed-distance rallying, circuit racing and hillclimbs into a single event?   The answer, as the photo clearly shows, was the Tour de France Automobile.  First run in 1899, the TdF generally consisted of 17 sections, covering more than 3600 miles, including 10+ hours of circuit racing.   For 1964, Ford brought…

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  • Morning Qualifying – Welcome to Brands Hatch edition

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    In 1964, the British Ground Prix, designated that year’s European Grand Prix, found its way to a new home at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.   The front row of the grid featured the winners of the season’s first four races; Jim Clark won the pole in his Lotus 25B, with a 1:38.1. Clark…

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  • Morning Qualifying – Can-Am…azing edition

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    In July of 1971, Watkins Glen hosted, on the same weekend, the final race of the 1971 International Championship for Makes, the Watkins Glen 6 Hours, and round 4 of the Canadian American Challenge Cup.   Since Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari had already spent the money to ship their 917Ks, T33/3s and 512Ms to…

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  • Morning Qualifying – Paranormal Activity edition

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    In 1971, Pontiac engineer Herb Adams wanted to build on the racing development work that he’d done with Jerry Titus and TG Racing during the 1970 SCCA Trans-Am season.  There was just one problem.  Pontiac management didn’t want to do it; In fact, GM management wanted nothing to do with racing at all.  Jerry Titus’s…

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  • Morning Qualifying – 3 is a Magic Number edition

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    1961 was shaping up to be an especially fine vintage for Scuderia Ferrari.   In Formula 1, the 156 Dino swept away all before it in the hands of Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips.   In the World Sportscar Championship, Ferraris, in either their 250 TR/61 or 246 Dino SP, had dominated the podiums…

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  • Morning Qualifying – Bittersweet edition

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    By 1972, Graham Hill and Joakim Bonnier were nearing the end of their illustrious racing careers.  Both men broke into the sport in the mid-1950’s; Bonnier excelled in sports cars, notching overall wins at Sebring, the Nurburgring, Reims, twice at Montlhery, and twice at the Targa Florio.  Hill, while highly successful in British sports car…

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