Italy's champion drivers of the early 1950's are profiled in their world championship winning years for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari.
This programme focuses on triple world champion Sir Jack Brabham who is the only driver to have won the world championship in a car of his own manufacture - the Repco Brabham in 1966. Sir Jack also won the 1959 and 1960 world championships in the Cooper, the car that revolutionized Grand Prix racing and went on to Indianapolis introducing the rear engine cars there. Includes interview with Jack Brabham, John Cooper, 1967 World Champion Denny Hulme, Frank Gardner and designer Ron Taurenac.
This is a unique record of a controversial era in the history of motor racing, where national interest overwhelmed the sport. Between the world wars, two German companies, Mercedes and Auto Union, pushed racing to levels never seen before. With Nazi support, the teams staged a technical and organizational war, designed to help German prestige.
This documentary looks at the careers of Britain's 'golden boys' of the 1950's, Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, known for their lively characters and dare devil attitude to the sport and life. The programme follows their careers from Hawthorn's early days in a Riley Sports car, his breakthrough to Grand Prix success in 1953 and through the dramas and triumphs of the World Championship year in 1958. Featuring interviews with rivals and team managers of the time.
The history of the world’s most famous sports car race, from the beginning in 1923 up to 2002, it’s the race that all drivers like to have on their records. Full of drama the race is important to car companies as well. Some like Bentley and Jaguar made their reputation at Le Mans.
Fangio is compared with five-times world champion Michael Schumacher. Winner of 5 world championships, Fangio was the most revered figure in racing history. The Argentine set the standard for driving in the 1950's, and his reputation and integrity remain intact to this day.
Profile of the Cooper, which grew from a garage in Surbiton, London to show the way in GP racing and win world titles in 1959 and 1960. Interviews with John Cooper and Jack Brabham.
Focusing on the achievements of this debonair Englishman who is also father to the 1996 World Champion, Damon Hill. Graham Hill was a gritty driver who won two world titles in 1962 with BRM and in 1968 with Lotus, holding the team together after a season of tragedy.
The Nurburgring: Tucked away in the Eiffel Mountains in Western Germany is a racing circuit that is longer, more dramatic and more difficult to master than any other racing circuit in the world. Not known for a particular race, unlike Le Mans, Indianapolis or Monaco, the Nurburgring is famous simply because it is the most challenging circuit ever built!
Colin Chapman helped establish the British racing industry with his shoestring operation. His innovations led to a new approach racing and he also manufactured road cars too, such as the Élan and the Elite. The second part of the Lotus story with the 1960s Grand Prix racing cars. Innovations and world championships continued in the last flowering of Lotus' success in the 1970s
The Great All Rounder - Still considered the best all rounder of racing driving and having never won the world title, this documentary focuses on legendary driver Stirling Moss. His most famous win was the 1955 Mille Miglia in Italy - 1600 miles of public road, at 100 miles per hour.
Classic action from sports car racing around the world in the 1970's. Porsche were one manufacturer who produced sports cars that were faster than F1 cars and the result: spectacular racing.
Linked forever to the Le Mans 24 hours Jaguar began their success with the C type in 1951. We speak to the drivers and mangers about this famous car. A further development was the D type which continued Jaguar's winning at run at Le Mans in the mid 1950's and established the company worldwide.
The quiet Scottish driver formed a unique partnership with Colin Chapman of Lotus, winning the world Championship in 1963 and 1965, and the Indy 500 in 1965.
A famous name of the 1930’s through to the 1950’s. Their 250F is considered the classic front engine Grand Prix car, and won the world title in 1957 in the gifted hands of Juan Manual Fangio.
The individualistic John Surtees is the only person to have won world Championships on two and four wheels. An uncompromising man, Surtees was highly regarded and later became a team owner.
The Legendary Spa road racing track in Belgium, still retains some of its majesty as cars race through the Ardennes forests. A long history of Grand Prix, sports and touring car racing make this the racers’ circuit.
The blood red cars have been the lifeblood of Grand Prix racing since the start of the world championship in 1950. The most famous of names the most intrigue and the most drama. Enzo Ferrari dedicated his life and company to racing.
Silverstone: Silverstone is not set in majestic parklands or near an exotic beach; it is a windy former airfield in the midlands of England. Yet, it is the very heartland of motor racing and is the central point for most of the teams in Grand Prix Racing. Silverstone has always been renowned for its high speeds and is regarded by many as THE track to do well at. Indeed, if you win at Silverstone the world sits up and takes notice.
Monaco: The Monaco Grand Prix is the most famous race of them all and always provides the driver a tough race around the extremely tight circuit. Now the only round the houses circuit left on the Formula One calendar, Racing Through Time: Great Circuits charts all the action from the tracks illustrious past: From its origins way back in 1929 to the glitz and glamour it is famed for today.
Phil Hill was the first America driver to win a world title, in 1961 with Ferrari. He concentrated on Road racing rather than the oval track and stockcars that were popular in the States. Phil Hill pioneered the way for drivers like Mario Andretti to reach a wider stage.
Italy’s car company with a sporting pedigree goes back longer than Ferrari, - it’s Alfa Romeo, who pioneered racing cars in the1920’s and 1930’s. They led the way post war, with Farina and Fangio taking world championships with the Milanese company’s legendary 158 and 159 Alfettas.
Jaguar returned to sports car racing in the 1980’s. We pick up the story as the Cat comes back, to once again win at Le Mans.
Prestige sports car maker Aston Martin had long and it culminated in a victory at the 1959 Le Mans 24-hour race. They also tried Grand Prix racing in the 1950’s and sports car racing once again in the 1980’s.
Home of the ‘Tifosi’, Monza and racing are synonymous. The very word Monza sums up racing, and the history at this royal parkland north of Milan is long and distinguished, with famous battles from the 1920’s up to today’s Italian Grand Prix.
We see how Grand Prix racing has evolved into the big business it is today. Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Ferrari, McLaren, Toyota, BAR, the technology, the speed, the safety and the action.
