Marque1

A PROUD MOMENT IN HISTORY FOR YOUR MARQUE1 HOST

The photo above is from the ancient history department. I didn't know it existed until a friend e-mailed the image to me a few weeks ago. There's no real excuse to reveal it here except this moment in time was an interesting and fun experience that I'd like to share.

The date was early September, 1961. The location was the St. Eugene race track, located in Ontario on the Quebec border, built on the bones of a former WW2 air base. It was a day of sports car racing operated by a Montreal car club. One of the races was for a mix of unmodified sports cars and sedans. This is the front row of that event. You couldn't have asked for a more eclectic group than the three cars sitting on the starting line.

The first turn curved to the right and so pole position had been taken by, of all things, a slant-six Valiant sedan. I knew the driver and suspected he may have made some mods to the suspension but that didn't bother me although the car was fast in a straight line. Next to him, barely visible in red, was a Fiat Abarth coupe, a hot little car that had been picking up trophies all season long. On the outside was yours truly in a Porsche 356B, stock except for a de-cambered rear suspension. That's Maggie, my ex, smiling nearby.

An MGA is peeking its nose into the photo. Behind us was another Porsche 356, a Speedster, and a gaggle of small-class sports cars and sedans. I recall few of the driver's names except for Bill MacDonald in the Abarth and Jim Muzzin in the other Porsche. I should, but don't, remember the name of the Valiant driver as we were both radio announcers, him in Montreal and me in Toronto. What I do recall, though, was his comment to me when he wandered over prior to the start.

"Whatever you do, don't try to pass me on the first turn. This thing takes a lot of road when it drifts through the corners and there won't be room for both of us!"

The car that worried me, however, was the Abarth, more of a real racer than the 356B and with a very talented driver. Sure enough, he took the lead out of turn one. As for the Valiant, well... a race driver's a race driver. I ignored my friend's advice and passed him through the turn, which put me in second place. For three laps Bill MacDonald pulled away but suddenly, on the fast turn one, he drifted too wide, slid into the grass, and rolled over.

I saw this out of the corner of my eye and thought the race might be stopped but Bill had crawled out unhurt and the car was not a danger to the other drivers so we carried on. For the first time in my brief driving career I was running first overall! Racing a very fast VW in modified sedan events the previous year I'd won a class championship but never had the pleasure of being in front of the pack as at least a half-dozen of the competition had driven bigger, faster cars. So to find myself out in front was a welcome novelty.

The Valiant fell back and was passed by Jim Muzzin's Speedster but I kept pulling away and by the end of the 20-lap race was ahead by the length of the start-finish straight. In those years it was normal for the winning car to stop in the pits and pick up a passenger who'd hold the chequered flag out the window for a slow victory lap. That was almost as much a thrill for Maggie as winning was for me. From such little things come precious memories.

HOW TO BE A RACE INSTRUCTOR... AND SURVIVE

Like other young people of my generation I wanted to be a race driver. One of my heros was a remarkable Italian named Piero Taruffi who had trained as a racing driver and industrial engineer. He was also a writer who had a unique perspective on the art and science of motor racing. Taruffi drove for the works teams of Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, and others, in a career that spanned over 25 years and was crowned by his victory in the 1957 Mille Miglia. His book "The Technique of Motor Racing" has, in the words of Amazon.com, where it is still available, become the standard by which other driving texts are measured.

Before the book was published I'd read some of what Tarrufi had written about the art of drifting through turns. So one Sunday afternoon I found myself drifting a 1934 Buick coupe around an oval dirt track located, appropriately, behind a hospital for the mentally ill. This track was meant for walking, not racing, but it was empty of people and I had a partner willing to be frightened by my antics. The car, by the way, belonged to another friend whose father was head psychiatrist at the hospital.

About three-quarters of the way around our first lap, with the car in a nice 4-wheel drift, a man appeared out of nowhere, strolling onto the track. We were drifting through a left-hand curve so I immediately steered onto the grass on the right. This sudden maneuver plus the switch from hard surface to soft caused the car to flip on its side. We missed the pedestrian, who was actually a patient let out for an afternoon stroll and who kept on walking as though nothing had happened.

Miraculously neither I nor my buddy Ron Gee were hurt. Our first concern was to get the car on its wheels before the police came along, an action amusingly delayed when Ron realised his wallet had fallen out of his pocket and dove back in to retrieve it, legs sticking out the window. Meanwhile several spectators who'd been nearby came over to check on our health and with their help we had the car upright and drove out of there, pronto. That Buick, by the way, had only a pair of minor fender dents. They're right when they say "they don't make them like they used to."

What caused me to recall this incident was the announcement of race instructor Ross Bentley's new book "Brake, Brake, BRAKE: The HPDE Instructor Manifesto." It is downloadable, free, an essential handbook for would-be and current driving instructors everywhere. Beyond helping students cut down on lap times, Bentley also wants to make use of his three decades of experience by making the learning process a safer environment. As he puts it “I hope that by reading and taking in all of this experience from the Manifesto, instructors will be able to shave off years of trial and error learning. I’d like everyone to be safer. We all know that there is a definite risk every time we get in the passenger seat with a student – I want to minimize that risk as much as possible."

Hmmm... Ross Bentley should have been with me in the Buick that day. No doubt his first remark would have been that if I attempted a drift I should be locked up behind the walls of that establishment, not in front.

Bentley (in photo above) wasn't even born then so the first time I saw him race was in the inaugural Vancouver Indy. Some local enthusiasts had raised the money to buy a car and put together a team. The car wasn't fast enough but anyone with a sharp eye could see that Bentley had what it takes to become a winner. Unfortunately he never got the ride he deserved but in subsequent seasons gained the respect of his fellow competitors and eventually turned his talents to teaching the art of race driving.

If you're a driving instructor, or even if you'd like to be, download "Brake, Brake, Brake: the HPDE Instructor Manifesto" by clicking here. For an interesting comparison between then and now, you can still order Piero Taruffi's book "The Technique of Motor Racing" by clicking here. As for my foolish drifting I did eventually become a small-time Canadian champion, road racing in modified sedans. Now, the only drifting I do is in my mind.

FORGOTTEN CUNNINGHAM REVIVED AS LIMITED EDITION MODEL

So much has been said and written about the famed Cunningham race cars that we sometimes forget the company also produced automobiles for everyday driving. Fortunately the folks at Automodello are aware of the Cunningham's history, and are offering a very limited edition 1:43 model. By "limited" I mean just 24 hand-numbered serialized units. They're being made available online by Diecast.com.

The model now on sale is a 1954 Cunningham C-3 Cabriolet Homage Edition signed by the Cunningham family. The exterior is Homage Black and the carefully detailed interior is in tan. It comes with a removeable convertible top.

In the 1950s Briggs S. Cunningham, a wealthy sportsman and yacht racer who made his home in both Connecticut and Florida, determined to see an American driver win LeMans in an American car. His initial try, in 1950, was attempted with two Cadillacs, one a near-stock sedan and the other a much-modified roadster. Not exactly the best choice for a 24-hour road race but the roadster, appropriately known as Le Monstre, did finish eleventh.

Cunningham then decided his best chance of winning lay in building an entirely new car using a production engine. The C1 used a stock Cadillac engine in a tubular chassis while the C2, looking almost identical, featured a 5.5 liter Chrysler V-8 delivering 185 bhp. The C2 finished a lowly 18th in 1951 but a Cunningham team compensated with a 1st, 2nd and 4th at Watkins Glen.

The C3 was a Vignale-bodied coupe. Power was now up to 220 bhp however the 3-speed synchro with overdrive transmission was replaced by a semi-automatic with torque converter.

The team was back for the 1952 race with C4R roadsters and a C4RK coupe. A 5-speed transmission was tried but had to be replaced at the last minute with a Cadillac 3-speed gearbox. The C4R finished 4th; the coupe didn't finish. 1953 was more promising: a Siata 4-speed transmission was adopted and the Cunninghams finished an impressive 3rd, 5th and 10th, clocking 154.81 mph in the speed traps.

The final attempt was radically different. Gone were the big V-8s and in went a 3-litre 16-valve DOHC Offenhauser racing engine putting out 260 bhp. A 4-speed synchromesh manual was used and major changes were made to the suspension. Sadly this C6R wasn't quick enough and didn't make it to the finish line. That all-American effort put an end to Briggs Cunningham's brave efforts at LeMans.

While this was happening the factory did produce a small run of convertibles and coupes for everyday street use, one of which was the C-3 Cabriolet seen above in model form.

All Cunninghams were purposeful, handsome-looking cars, similar to Ferraris but with a muscular appearance symbolic of their American origins. Briggs Cunningham never earned a penny for his efforts, though; the street cars were sold at great loss. Needless to say, they are rare collectibles today, worth a great deal of money. At $235, the C-3 Cabriolet Homage Edition isn't cheap, either, yet its rarity and high quality certainly justifies the cost.

There's a stange co-incidence regarding this blog. For background information I turned to a book purchased nearly 50 years ago, which I'd all but forgotten was sitting on my shelf, titled The Book of Sports Cars. The foreword was written by (are you ready for this?) Briggs Cunningham.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER SKIING ACCIDENT

UPDATE JAN 01, 2014:

Michael Schumacher’s condition was stable but still critical overnight as he remained unconscious following a brain injury suffered in a skiing accident, his manager said Wednesday.

Sabine Kehm told reporters that his condition has not changed since doctors said he showed small signs of improvement on Tuesday, following his second operation.

DEC 30, 2013:

I've interrupted this morning's planned blog after hearing of Michael Schumaker's dreadful accident. The seven-times World Driving Champion remains in critical condition in hospital following a skiing accident in the French Alps.

The 44-year-old German was understood to have hit his head after falling during a family skiing trip at the Meribel resort on Sunday morning. A statement issued by the hospital in which Schumacher is being treated said he had suffered "a severe head injury with coma on arrival, which required neurosurgical intervention immediately." An accomplished skier, he was wearing a helmet but had hit his head on a rock after falling.

Early reports that day had said Schumaker was hurt but didn't indicate the severity of his condition. I learned that sad news while sitting in a Tim Horton's shop, of all places, staring at a TV screen. And I knew that when I came home it had to be priority on today's Marque1.

I've had the privilege of watching Michael Schumaker live and in every televised F1 event since he moved up to the top level of auto racing. And like so many fans I tired of Ferrari's and Schumaker's domination in race after race. But I also knew this was the most successful car/driver team in the history of the sport and this extraordinary athlete would join Ayrton Senna, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Tazio Nuvolari in any list of all-time greats. Perhaps at the very top. My only regret was that he tried making a comeback after retiring.

It is not unusual for race drivers to participate in other forms of speed sport after they've stopped competing. They enjoy going fast. They love the challenge. So we've seen them racing powerboats, riding motorcycles, flying airplanes and, like Michael Schumaker, skiing. Sadly, these activities have sometimes resulted in tragic accidents. Speed, in any form, is potentially dangerous.

Millions of race fans all over the world will be watching the daily reports, hoping for signs of recovery. I'm writing this on Sunday evening and perhaps, when you read these words, the hospital will be issuing some positive news. Michael Schumaker is still young and healthy, and deserves to be with us for many more years.

[Photo credit: fanpop.com]

FAST LADY'S PINK RACE CAR GOES TO AUCTION

When I first spotted this item on the Hemmings Daily newsletter I had to stop and think for a moment: "So who is Donna Mae Mims and why should I care?" The name seemed vaguely familiar but the pink Austin-Healey Sprite failed to register. I soon learned that this lady was the Sports Car Club of America’s first female National Champion. In 1963 she captured the SCCA H-Production Championship, driving a 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite Mk I whose first owner was Dr. Jonas Salk, originator of the vaccine that eradicated polio by the end of the 1950s.

I was very much involved in road racing that year as a commentator and occasional competitor but my activities were focussed on the Canadian scene, which probably explains why I'd overlooked the American championships and, therefore, Donna Mae Mims. Now that I've been brought up to date I realise that her racing accomplishments were exceptional, and why the car she raced will be of such interest at Gooding & Company's Scottsdale auction on January 17 and 18.

Mims would capture three SCCA National wins driving the Sprite plus enough points to deliver her the H-Production championship with a 10th-place finish in the final event of the season. By taking the championship, Mims had proven her abilities to handle a race car.

In 1964, she campaigned an MGB in D-Production, but reliability issues prevented capturing back-to-back championships. Mims would then go on to race everything from a Formula Vee to a big-block Camaro, and even drove a rented Cadillac limousine with co-drivers Judy Stropus and Peggy Niemcek in the 1972 running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. Following Mims’ ownership, the Sprite became just another used race car, though it was raced as recently as 1987.

The current owner acquired it in 2005 and completed an extensive restoration to 1963 specifications (assisted by Mims) in time for the Sprite’s 50th Anniversary celebration at Mid-Ohio in 2008. It will cross the block with no reserve, carrying an estimated price of between $70,000 and $90,000. The market for vintage race cars seems to be hot at the moment so it'll be fascinating to see what the Sprite will bring, especially with its winning history. Perhaps it's time to Think Pink again.

THE UNBEATABLE MISS SUPERTEST III

The following story is not about classic cars but the boat it honours is certainly a classic. And the race was a great moment in Canadian motorsport history. I think you'll enjoy it.

They were crowded onto the jetty, 50 people, maybe 60, the ladies dressed for a garden party, the men in suits, shirts, ties. Cheering, laughing, excited. At one end a video director was peering into the camera. Everyone was looking to their left, watching a massive race boat approach at well over 100 mph. Watching it head directly for the place where they were standing. Because of the way his camera magnified the image, the video director wondered if the boat was about to smash into the dock: should he run or keep shooting?

For a moment the crowd – politicians, dignitaries, race judges, invited guests – stopped smiling as they, too, became apprehensive. And then the driver flicked the steering wheel just enough to miss the jetty, spraying everyone with the boat's rooster tail, a huge arc of water trailing the stern for at least 200 feet. Sprayed? Drenched would be more like it. But no one complained, regardless of the effect on their fashionable wardrobes, because the speeding boat, Miss Supertest III, had just won the world's most prestigious powerboat racing trophy for the third straight year.

That remarkable event happened in the Long Reach section of the Bay of Quinte, near Picton Ontario, in 1961. The prize was the Harmsworth Trophy. Miss Supertest was a Canadian boat with a Canadian driver, Bob Hayward (which explains the enthusiasm of the onlookers). All the other contestants over the three years were American. As a result of the resounding three-in-a-row victory – she was the first non-US winner in 39 years – the Harmsworth was retired and not contested for a quarter century.

Those were the fastest race boats in the world, with wide hydroplane hulls (imagine a stingray fish seen from above) that had them running on just three points: the outer tips of the sponsons and the propeller. Unlike a conventional boat they skipped across the surface of the water, much like a flat pebble if you throw it properly. The race course consisted of two long straights joined at the ends by turns that required a reduced speed. Enter too late and a competitor could slip inside, just as in an automobile race. Too slow and he'd pass on the outside. Too fast and air could get under the hull, causing the bow to lift and in some cases turn the boat upside down in mid-air. Hydroplane races could be dangerous, as we will see.

Power was supplied by surplus WW2 aircraft engines, the kind used in high performance aircraft. Miss Supertest got her speed from a 2000 hp Rolls-Royce Griffon, a supercharged V-12 used in a Spitfire. She has been described as a 3-ton rocket.

Officially, the Harmsworth Trophy was a contest between nations, not boats, with rules requiring that they be built entirely by residents of the country represented, using materials from within that country. The first race, in 1903, was won by England's Dorothy Levitt in a Napier-powered boat at a scintillating 19.53 mph. France won in 1904, the United States in 1905, but from then through 1920 Harmsworth victories were traded exclusively between England and the US. Until 1933 the Americans had a monopoly on the trophy, the legendary Gar Wood taking the win eight times as a driver, nine times as an owner. Apparently Wood's success had a discouraging effect on other countries, there being no further attempts until 1949. The Americans won that one, too, along with the 1950 and 1956 races.

The Canadian effort dates back to 1950 when Colonel Jim Thompson, together with his father, J. Gordon Thompson, bought a hydroplane named Miss Canada IV. She was too slow to win major races so the team modified the boat as Miss Supertest, using the name as a promotion for the chain of Ontario and Quebec service stations owned by the family. When Miss Supertest also proved to be less than super they decided to build a new boat. In 1954 that craft, Miss Supertest II, took to the water, winning three minor races. During one of the events, in Picton, the boat set a new world straightaway record of 184.494 mph. Her record would be short-lived however; just 28 days later it was eclipsed by Jack Regas in Hawaii Kai III at 195.329 mph.

Now aware that they were capable of designing a potential winner the Canadian team decided to challenge for the Harmsworth Trophy, using an entirely new boat, Miss Supertest III. The United States had, for decades, promoted its national championship through the famed Gold Cup Races, thus its designers and drivers had more experience with unlimited powerboats and no one expected Miss Supertest III to be a serious contender. But the pundits were wrong. Beginning with the 1959 Detroit Memorial Regatta, her only non-Harmsworth appearance, Miss Supertest III started in ten heats over three years, finishing first in eight of them and second twice. In the 1960 Harmsworth race, attended by Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and with hockey star Bobby Hull as grand marshal, she set a world lap record of 126.226 mph on the 5-mile course.

Though stunned by these defeats the American teams were not about to give up and so they returned to Picton in 1961, but with only a single boat, Miss Detroit. The big hydroplane failed to finish the first heat on Saturday when an oil fitting came loose. Engine trouble struck again on the fifth lap of Sunday's 15-lap race, leaving Miss Supertest nearly two laps ahead in the 45-mile heat. In the deciding race Hayward opened up his big Rolls-Royce Griffon on the backstretch and pulled 200 yards ahead after just one lap. She was 500 yards ahead at the end of five miles and increasing her lead.

Although Miss Supertest III was designed solely for the Harmsworth and Miss Supertest II had been retired, his jubilant team encouraged Thompson to race the latter again, perhaps assuming they could add some performance tweaks learned from the newer boat's success. Competing in Detroit's Silver Cup races just one month after the Picton win, Bob Hayward slipped between two boats during a high speed turn. The media wrote that he was attempting "to take a turn faster than any driver in the history of speedboating (estimated at 140 mph)." No one could understand why it happened but fellow racer Bill Muncie thought "he must have been into the turn before he realized he was there."

A sponson dipped into the water, twisting the boat into a flip. Driver Don Wilson, at the wheel of George Simon's Miss U.S. I, said "I thought I was going to be killed. Supertest's sponson went right over my head." Amazingly she landed right side up but Hayward was dead, his body lying on the rear deck.

The Harmsworth Trophy would be resurrected in 1971 and raced most years in craft far different from the Supertest boats. But the risks remained the same. Stefano Casiraghi, husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, won the Harmsworth in 1989. He was killed a year later when his boat hit a wave in the Mediterranean and somersaulted. Powerboat racing remains a dangerous sport.

In honor of Miss Supertest and Bob Hayward, a ticker tape parade up Bay St. in Toronto after the Harmsworth win attracted thousands and the stretch of water near Picton was renamed Hayward Long Reach. Miss Supertest III spent several years at both the Science Center in Toronto and the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame but she's now stored in a private property near London, Ontario. Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp in August 2011 featuring the boat, driver Bob Hayward and owner Jim Thompson.

As for that video director who was tempted to run when Miss Supertest appeared to be heading straight for the jetty? He put his faith in the driver and stayed put, wet but happy. His name is Philip Powell.

FIRST RHD AUSTIN HEALEY HAD A LEGENDARY FEMALE DRIVER

On a recent sunny November day I spotted an Austin Healey being driven down the main street of Sidney, BC. Top down, which must have taken  courage considering the temperature of only +5c (40 fahrenheit). What really got my attention, though, was the age of this Healey. It's not unusual to spot a big six-cylinder Austin Healey in our neighbourhood but a four-cylinder Healey 100? If the driver had stopped I'd have thanked him just for the privilege of admiring his classic sports car.

It was also a moment of deja vu, for I'd been at Abbotsford Airport back in the 50s, attending a day of sports car racing, when a gentleman from nearby Washington State appeared with a brand new Austin Healey 100. It was the first time any of us had seen one and we all rushed over to chat with the owner. Though disappointed by its 3-speed transmission, albeit with overdrive on the top two gears, we were impressed. We then persuaded him to demonstrate the acceleration but that, too, was less spectacular than expected. (The 3-speeder was later changed to a 4-speed with overdrive, which made a considerable difference in performance.)

In spite of my initial reservations I was still enchanted by the new car and those earlier concerns were quickly forgotten when one day I was asked to drive an Austin Healey 100S, the aluminum bodied competition version, which had been prepared for racing by the late Jim Ferguson. Driven, not on the track unfortunately, but through the streets of Toronto, sans muffler. To say that I attracted the attention of onlookers that day is a gross understatement.

Fast forward again to 2013, and a famous Austin Healey from the 1950s is about to be offered by international auctioneers Coys at their True Greats Sale in London on December 3rd. The first right-hand-drive Austin Healey in existence, it was originally owned by the legendary Betty Haig, who raced it in 1953 and 1954. It is the sixteenth of twenty pre-production Austin Healey 100s, hand built at Cape Works before production started at the Longbridge factory.

Betty Haig took delivery in 1953, driving the car at the Great Auclum speed trials on 8th August just three weeks after purchasing it. She raced the Healey again on the Paris to St. Raphael Rally in March of 1954 with Enid Riddell. She came first in the over 2-litre class, won a Coupe de Vitesse, and finished seventh overall. Reports at the time praised Betty for beating a pair of 2.5 litre Lancia Aurelias.

This truly special Austin-Healey 100 has matching numbers and several unique pre-production features, including a lightweight aluminum body, aluminum seats, hood safety catch and fan cowling. There are believed to be fifty differences between these early cars and the production derivative. Estimated at £100,000 to £130,000.

PS: Looking at the photo reminds me of how my tastes have changed. As the Healey acquired a six-cylinder engine, then became more luxurious, almost a Grand Tourer, I snobbishly looked down on the original 100. But now much older (and pretending to be wiser) I've come to appreciate the lighter, more agile Austin Healey 100 with its sidescreens, fold down windshield, and gutsy two-liter, four-cylinder engine. Indeed, I like many cars better now than when they were new. But then, that's the joy of being a classic car enthusiast.

WHY YOU SHOULD RUSH TO SEE THIS RACING MOVIE

You've heard about Rush, the new film based on Formula One motor racing. Maybe you've seen the trailers. Now it's come to town and you're wondering whether you should see it. Don't even hesitate, my friend. I've just returned from watching Rush and I'm still on the edge of my seat. This is a great film by any standard and far and away the best motor racing movie ever produced. And you don't have to be a race fan to enjoy it.

Now, I'm not a film critic so I'm not going to pretend that role. All I can do is outline my reaction, which surprised me because the story concentrates on just one racing season, 37 years ago. It's not contemporary F1 racing, it's history. But what history it was, an epic battle between two totally opposite characters, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, who fought for the world title right down to the last race. Hunt was the handsome playboy and woman chaser, Lauda his serious, unsmiling competitor and rival. This is a true story, obviously embellished for movie screens but more or less as it happened.

Producer Ron Howard did a brilliant job of making the races realistic considering that few F1 cars of the period still exist, except those in vintage racing. His technique concentrated on close-ups rather than wide shots; cu's of cockpits, suspensions, driver's faces (and eyes), taken from unusual angles to add drama. The race scenes are very believable, using genuine race cars rather than trying to fool us with digital techniques. The crashes, which happen quickly, are frighteningly real, especially the one that became critical to the story.

Again, not being a film critic, I can't properly comment on the actor's performances except to say they were totally convincing. The Hunt and Lauda characters, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, even looked like the people they were portraying. But what struck me most about this film is the vast difference between yesterday's F1 cars and those that are racing today. The 70s cars seem absolutely primitive in driver safety whereas our modern race cars put a premium on protecting their drivers.

In some ways the earlier cars demanded more because gearboxes were manually operated, hence the heel-and-toe downshifting so artfully revealed by the movie. Today's cars use automatic transmissions with gears changed by paddle levers behind the steering wheel. But then, so much of modern racing is based on computer-generated technology, as is everything else in our lives.

There is a temptation to say that because of the risks and greater driver involvement yesterday's competitors were braver, faster and more skilful. I disagree. To drive a modern F1 car with its tremendous power and speed, wheel to wheel in situations where a mere 100th of a second can make the difference between winning and losing, to set up a car and manipulate the wing angles and other aerodynamic devices, takes tremendous talent. And yes, bravery.

What has changed little, however, is what goes on behind the scenes in F1 racing and for the unfamiliar, Rush will be quite a revelation. So, too, will be the glamour of international motorsport, which makes NASCAR seem bush league by comparison. Indeed, if F1's supreme leader, Bernie Ecclestone, were to spend a half-billion dollars on advertising he still couldn't buy the boost this film is going to give Formula One. Its years of relative obscurity in the USA are about to end.

All that aside, I recommend you see Rush for a very different reason. It's a whole lot of fun, perhaps the most exciting two hours you've ever spent in a movie theater.

SILVERSTONE CELEBRATES JIM CLARK, BRITISH RACING GREAT

I find it hard to believe that fifty years have passed since I watched Jim Clark compete at Mosport and at Indianapolis. But when you're my age, everything seems like yesterday. No doubt many of our viewers are too young to recall the era when Clark and Lotus creator Colin Chapman teamed up to dominate Grand Prix racing, so let me inform you of this amazing period. But first, a reason why.

The remarkable achievements of the double world champion will be celebrated at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July). Two historic Formula One races for grand prix cars dating back to the early Sixties era are being dedicated to Clark as well as a very special commemorative dinner. Among the invited guest speakers are several of his old team-mates, including Jack Sears and Sir John Whitmore, as well as period mechanics Bob Dance, Dick Scammell and Cedric Selzer from his title winning days at Lotus, and renowned designer Len Terry.

Born in Fife, Scotland, Clark won the Formula One World Championship title in 1963 and 1965, and was the first British driver to win the Indianapolis 500, again in 1965. At the time of his death, when racing a Formula Two car at Hockenheim in Germany in 1968, he had won more Grands Prix (25 from just 72 starts) and pole positions (33) than any other driver. Clark won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 20 July 1963 en route to his first World Championship crown almost 50 years ago to the day.

Cars raced by Clark will be present at the event, both inside the dramatic Silverstone Wing building and outside the building to welcome guests, but his former race cars won’t just be on static display. The entry list for the two "Jim Clark Trophy for Pre-1966 Rear Engined Grand Prix Cars" showdowns organised by the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association (HGPCA) is headed by a number of the Lotuses in which the talented Scot scored so many of his victories. Foremost among them is the very Lotus 25 in which he won the 1963 British Grand Prix. In total, Clark won the British Grand Prix on no fewer than five occasions – a tally that remains unbeaten to this day – and three of these victories were at Silverstone.

Much of Jim Clark's racing career was shared with Colin Chapman, whose lightweight Lotus Grand Prix cars were game changers. Interestingly, when F1 goes to the new 1.5 litre formula in 2015 it won't be for the first time; the Coventry-Climax FWMV V8-engine in Clark's Lotus 25 was also 1.5 litres in size.

Clark's other major contribution to motoring history happened when he became the first British driver to win the Indianapolis 500. The car was again a Colin Chapman design but with a 4-cam Ford V-8 providing the power. Both Clark and Dan Gurney drove the small, mid-engine Lotus Fords that dominated Indy's traditional roadsters and changed the face of oval racing forever.

"Jim Clark was without doubt one of the greatest racing drivers of all time and a hero to all of us mere mortals. He wore the BRDC Badge with pride and was a notable member of the Club and a true Silverstone hero – that’s why we are so pleased and privileged to be honouring his incredible career," said Derek Warwick, President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club. “The superb Classic presents us with the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to past champions and the inaugural BRDC Silverstone Classic Dinner is clearly going to be a very, very special evening."

So there you have it, folks. If you didn't know Jim Clark before you now know why he remains one of motor racing's legendary greats. Those who attend the 2013 Silverstone Classic are a fortunate group, indeed.

[Photo Credits: Top: ESPNf1/Mid: Bernard Cahier Collection]

GOODWOOD HIGHLIGHTS RARE APPEARANCE OF HISTORIC RACE CARS FROM ALFA ROMEO MUSEUM

Marque1 contributor Nigel Matthews is an Alfa Romeo enthusiast. At the moment he has a collection of one, an Alfa 1750, but I'm sure he hopes to add another some day. On the other hand, he's a world renowned concours judge who regularly gets to see some of the most beautiful and superbly restored Alfa Romeos. Nigel also manages a rare Alfa for an Italian collector whenever the owner wishes to show it in America.

Given all that I wasn't surprised when my friend e-mailed to remind me of Alfa Romeo's participation at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, July 11-14. This year Alfa Romeo celebrates the 50th anniversary of Autodelta, its official racing division established in March 1963, and the 90th anniversary of the 'Quadrifoglio Verde', the legendary symbol that has identified some of Alfa Romeo's sportiest models. It has chosen Goodwood for the UK debut of the exciting new Alfa 4C. Alongside the 4C, show-goers will be able to see several historic examples from the Alfa Romeo Museum.

Oldest, but one of the most remarkable because of its styling, performance, and racing history, is the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Speciale tipo "Le Mans" (above). The car was designed and engineered for the 1938 Le Mans 24 hour endurance race, driven by Biondetti and Sommer, and led for a long time before retiring with a valve breakdown. The engine is the same as in the P3 single-seater, while the body represents Carrozzeria Touring at its pre-war best. Power comes from a 2905 cc twin-cam supercharged inline 8 developing 220 hp @ 5800 rpm. The beautiful aerodynamic body must surely have contributed to the top speed of 150 mph.

With that kind of performance the drivers probably paid little attention to what was happening behind, which excuses the charming but inadequate rear window.

Moving ahead almost three decades, Alfa Romeo introduced the 33 Stradale Prototipo ("sport prototype"). By now the factory and Autodelta had already been involved in a major racing program and together they produced this delectable sports car. There were no links to any production Alfa; it was a pure competition machine. The Stradale did, however, represent the return of the 8-cylinder engine layout for Alfa Romeo.

The 2-liter 90-degree twin-spark V-8 delivered 230 hp @ 8800 rpm, giving the car a top speed of 163 mph. Built by Autodelta in the factory of Settimo Milanese, it includes an advanced magnesium frame weighing a mere 54 kg. Credit for the Stradale's body design goes to Franco Scaglione and I should add that many people consider it to be the most beautiful racing sports car ever built. Rest assured it will never lose that title to the current LeMans prototypes.

Other historic Alfas appearing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed include a 1951 Gran Premio Tipo 159 Alfetta, 1954 2000 Sportiva, 1970 1750 GT Am, and a 1975 33 TT 12. Altogether a tasty dish for an Alfa Romeo enthusiast and I'm sure Nigel would like to be there, as would I. Three years ago I was privileged to attend the Goodwood Revival but the Festival of Speed is the one I really want to see.

[Nigel Matthews is the Sales Director of Hagerty Canada]