Sports Car Racing
120 Years of Caracciola: 1926 Grosser Preis von Deutschland (Part II)
“No!” Porsche tosses the spark plug back towards the car. He catches the next “hot chestnut” in his handkerchief. Raises the magnifying glass to it. “No!” Rudi fumbles to remove the eighth plug – as the Mercédès creaks & cools – as cars stream past the pits – as the rain continues to fall. Was […]
Read More...120 Years of Caracciola: 1926 Grosser Preis von Deutschland (Part I)
One hundred & twenty years ago, on the 17th February 1901, a Mercédès car first entered a motor race – at Pau, France. 18 days prior – in Remagen, Germany – was born the man most synonymous with the racing Mercedes-Benz. One of the truly great drivers of the 20th century. Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola. […]
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Deal with Austrian Businessman Secures Daimler’s Racing Future
December 22nd 2020 will be the 120th anniversary of the first car, as we know it. Commissioned by the gentleman in the photo – Austrian businessman & diplomat, Emil Jellinek – the 35HP model was designed by Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler. A purpose-made long & wide steel chassis. A powerful 5.9 litre 4-cylinder engine, […]
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A Last Day in the Sun? – ’55 Targa Florio
Sicily – 16th of October, 1955. Snap! The tail of the silver machine snaps-out from under him… just like at Padova. No time to catch it at 100mph. Spin! Crunch! Falling… “Christ!” The Mercedes hits the rock-strewn ground, fully ten feet below the road. A sickening belly-flop. Landing with the full force of its 900 kilogrammes… and the […]
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Imola – beyond the Grand Prix
Last weekend Formula One returned to Imola – an iconic venue. Beyond the F1 history, Imola was a stop on the Mille Miglia… and it was there, in 1934 that a photographer captured a remarkable moment. History being created. The photo in question is at the top of this page. While the ‘riding mechanic’ oversees […]
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The 1955 Tourist Trophy, Dundrod
One of the many peculiarities of 2020 is the upending of the international sporting calendar. While we are worried & discombobulated, dealing with ‘the new normal’, fettling our Zoom background – wondering how we will pay the rent – the ‘powers that be’ have been scrambling to stage their marquee events. So, we find the […]
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The 1929 Tourist Trophy – Mercedes versus Bentley, in the Belfast Rain
It’s 90 years since the greatest racers did battle in Belfast. 17th August 1929 saw ‘Tim’ Birkin’s blower Bentley challenge the works’ Mercedes-Benz of Rudi Caracciola, in the rain, for the Tourist Trophy. There was a time when a Grand Prix car, a Le Mans racer, an endurance rally machine were one and the same. […]
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