Greatest Underdog Performances in Motorsport

[Har1MAS1415]

Yes, I know, another new thread.

I promise not to get carried away this time.

For example:

Keke Rosberg winning the 1978 BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone in his Theodore TR1. I know it was a non-championship race, but we're talking a car that only qualified once in the first 7 races of the 1978 F1 season and never finished any other races.

 

[Grand Prix]

The 1935 German Grand Prix was the greatest of them all.

Tazio Nuvolari won the event in an Alfa Romeo P3, an aging design compared to the Mercedes W25 and Auto Union Type B, and was down by roughly 100 hp. Although it must be said, the wet conditions did allow the under powered P3 to compete on better terms. Nuvolari drove so fast the entire race that he had made up for a botched pit stop which cost him 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Manfred von Brauchitsch in the lead Mercedes destroyed his tires on the final lap just trying to stay ahead.


An excellent example of one of Nuvolari's 4-wheel drifts can be seen at 00:44.

Nuvolari embarrassed 8 Silver Arrows in front of a crowd of 300,000 German spectators and Adolf Hitler. Hermann Goering was seen tearing apart his planned victory speech in anger. No records of the Italian anthem were present for only a German victory was expected, so Tazio brought out his own from the trunk of his car for the podium ceremony. Overall, Nuvolari was given a lovely reception from the spectators.

 

[Har1MAS1415]

Damon Hill almost winning the 1997 Hungarian GP for Arrows.

 

[Har1MAS1415]

Nicolas Hamilton coming 6th in the wet at Donington Park in the 2023 British Touring Car Championship. He got up to as high as 4th at one point which would have retrospectively become a podium after Ronan Pearson was disqualified.

Bit biased, I admit, because of my own disability.

 

[Pupik]

Alan Kulwicki's 1992 NASCAR Cup title ranks up there.

Other drivers tried to be Driver-Owners in the sport but were never as successful after Alan's run.

 

[05XR8]

When you’re the number two driver on any Formula One team, you will always be the underdog.
The race I watched live on SpeedVision. Reubens Barrichello first F1 win. Starting from the back of the grid in the spare car. An eventful race with Schumacher out of the race after colliding with Fisichella at the start, a spectator got on the circuit and wet conditions when Barrichello was on slicks. I was nearly teary eyed when I felt he could win it with every place he moved up.


Watching this bit of Motorsport history was remarkable for the time. Mark Weber fifth at Albert Park in the Minardi.


Another race I watched live on SpeedVision. Roger Foo(driving with the flu, on his birthday) taking it to the big teams of Real Time Racing, Turner Motorsport and Mazda in his EG Civic and winning at Laguna Seca.

 

[Har1MAS1415]

When you’re the number two driver on any Formula One team, you will always be the underdog.
The race I watched live on SpeedVision. Reubens Barrichello first F1 win. Starting from the back of the grid in the spare car. An eventful race with Schumacher out of the race after colliding with Fisichella at the start, a spectator got on the circuit and wet conditions when Barrichello was on slicks. I was nearly teary eyed when I felt he could win it with every place he moved up.


Watching this bit of Motorsport history was remarkable for the time. Mark Weber fifth at Albert Park in the Minardi.


Another race I watched live on SpeedVision. Roger Foo(driving with the flu, on his birthday) taking it to the big teams of Real Time Racing, Turner Motorsport and Mazda in his EG Civic and winning at Laguna Seca.

What series was that last one?

 

[05XR8]

What series was that last one?

SpeedVision Touring Cars. It featured a separate class for GT( SpeedVision GT World Challenge) cars and one for Touring Cars.

A note about the GT cars, the early fields had Corvettes, Mustangs and Vipers versus M3, 911 and chalk this one up to another can’t believe they raced it…. Audi RS6! It was like the return of the Audi GTO.

I was at this race with my ex. Standing under cover at the outside of Turn 1, couldn’t believe the Audis were struggling(more like driver errors) in those conditions. Good stuff for my first visit to a circuit.

 

[Har1MAS1415]

SpeedVision Touring Cars. It featured a separate class for GT( SpeedVision GT World Challenge) cars and one for Touring Cars.

A note about the GT cars, the early fields had Corvettes, Mustangs and Vipers versus M3, 911 and chalk this one up to another can’t believe they raced it…. Audi RS6! It was like the return of the Audi GTO.
View attachment 1414183

I was at this race with my ex. Standing under cover at the outside of Turn 1, couldn’t believe the Audis were struggling(more like driver errors) in those conditions. Good stuff for my first visit to a circuit.

Wow! That's quite an amazing story and performance!

That Audi looks the bee's knees!

 

[05XR8]

Wow! That's quite an amazing story and performance!

That Audi looks the bee's knees!

Yeah, the wide fenders were crazy.

 

[Har1MAS1415]

Yeah, the wide fenders were crazy.
View attachment 1414210

Crazy but AWESOME!

Is that Randy Pobst?

 

[05XR8]

Yep.

 

[Har1MAS1415]

Yep.

Thought the name rang a bell

 

[05XR8]

Allan Moffat winning the 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship in a Group C RX-7. First championship for a Japanese manufacturer. First championship for Mazda and last championship for Allan Moffat.
Final race at Lakeside with Peter Brock winning outright and Moffat finishing 3rd, behind teammate Greg Hansford in his #31 RX-7.

 

[Har1MAS1415]

Ivan Capelli at Paul Ricard in 1990. Came within a few laps of winning in a Leyton House that hadn't even made the grid at the previous race.