Five Good Men and True
On the eve of this year’s US Grand Prix in Austin, I thought it might be nice to have a look at some video cameos of the five American drivers who have to date won World Championship Grand Prix races (or a race). Thanks to Pathe and AP Movietone, I’ve put together a YouTube playlist of video content that to date has had very little airing; and, wherever possible, I’ve tried to steer clear of the obvious. Phil Hill, for example, is encapsulated by a charming (and I think very funny) video-documentary shot around his first GP win (at Monza, 1960). It features such advanced techniques as “sound recordings”; Phil reading a script, post-race; and the transfer of images, from Monza to Fleet Street, via “photo-electric cell”. Watch for the dispatch rider delivering said photos to the studios at Teddington – today’s home of F1 Racing, Autosport and Motor Sport News… For Mario Andretti, I’ve chosen some nice colour footage of the Lotus Cavalcade staged in Norwich in late 1978.
Where possible, I’ve left the original audio. The silent videos have been re-voiced.
So here they are (in the order in which they won their first race): Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Richie Ginther, Peter Revson and Mario Andretti
Peter: This is great stuff.
I particularly like the reference to Revson’s win at Gosport. It was a chaotic race in the fog, with a great deal of confusion about who was the winner. I was at the race, and had no idea who won until much later.
If you don’t mind a little (I hope constructive) assistance with pronunciation: The word Mosport is pronounced Mo-sport (it is short for Motor Sport) not Moss-port. Yes, Stirling (now Sir Stirling) was around when it was built, and may have won the first international race there, and some say had a hand in its design; but it is not named in his honour.
Keep up the good work. I enjoy all of what you do, and have done.
Yours Alex Norton Toronto ON
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Thank you Peter. I love seeing the vintage videos of earlier beginnings of F1, with the well known names and stars of that era.
Alex, good point regarding pronunciation of Mosport. From the vey beginning in 1961 this was always a common mistake re the contraction of Motor Sport being the correct way to pronounce Mosport. In fact if my memory serves me correctly, as I was at the first “Players 200” in June 1961, the tribute to Sir Stirling Moss was the naming of corners 5A and 5B as “Moss Corner”.
Stirling won that first international event in his Lotus XIX, with Jo Bonnier and Olivier Gendebien also competing. Big stuff for Canada in those early days.
Thanks for the ongoing flashbacks Peter.
All the Best,
Larry Stroh, Oakville, ON