Motorsports Trivia Thread!

[nostradavor2]

It's kind of gt4, 5 and 6 and car in general question.
It should be easy to explain but im not near my PS at the moment and am curious.
Honda s800 racing car became shortly famous for winning gt1 1000 km Suzuka race.
Since I always liked that car I was kind of pissed that's not premium but what I was actually wondering why is the number #25 on the car. If I understood correctly their biggest succes was made with the car number #28. If someone knows history better (maybe some Honda fan) can explain the story behind no #25 and that livery. Sorry for ignorance. Thanks in advance.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Since I always liked that car I was kind of pissed that's not premium but what I was actually wondering why is the number #25 on the car. If I understood correctly their biggest succes was made with the car number #28. If someone knows history better (maybe some Honda fan) can explain the story behind no #25 and that livery. Sorry for ignorance. Thanks in advance.

View attachment 813524

According to this the #25 is on display at Honda's motor hall (picture of the real car in this wiki).

 

[nostradavor2]

According to this the #25 is on display at Honda's motor hall (picture of the real car in this wiki).

Ok, thanks bro.. I was looking through this type of links before, never found any of their racing car made succes with #25 so I guess it's just random..

 

[Liquid]

I know they were already building bikes so it's not exactly from scratch but it is always astonishing that Honda went from building its first car to winning its first Formula One race in just 2 years.

Honda T360 - June 1963
Richie Ginther winning the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix - October 1965

 

[TenEightyOne]

I know they were already building bikes so it's not exactly from scratch but it is always astonishing that Honda went from building its first car to winning its first Formula One race in just 2 years.

Honda T360 - June 1963
Richie Ginther winning the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix - October 1965

Alonso would have left in September 1965.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Here's a question I saw elsewhere, I thought it was interesting:

Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button.

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Alan Jones and Alain Prost.

There's an interesting trivia fact that links those pairs of drivers... but what?

 

[Liquid]

Oh, I think we've had this. Is it they won the first and last race of the other driver? Schumacher won Button's first and Button won Schumacher's last and so on.

 

[Dotini]

The first race Prost started, Jones won.
The last race Jones started, Prost won

The first race Senna started, Prost won
The last race Senna started, Prost won.

The first race Button started, Schumacher won.
The last race Schumacher started, Button won.

In 1980, Jones won the first race of the season, Prost finished 6th in his first career finish.
In 1984, Prost won the first race of the season, Senna placed 6th in his first career finish.
In 2000, Schumacher won the first race of the season, Button placed 6th in his first career finish.

 

[-Fred-]

The first race Prost started, Jones won.
The last race Jones started, Prost won

The first race Senna started, Prost won
The last race Senna started, Prost won.

The first race Button started, Schumacher won.
The last race Schumacher started, Button won.

In 1980, Jones won the first race of the season, Prost finished 6th in his first career finish.
In 1984, Prost won the first race of the season, Senna placed 6th in his first career finish.
In 2000, Schumacher won the first race of the season, Button placed 6th in his first career finish.

Makes sense, except Schumacher won the last race Senna started, Prost had already gone into retirement.

 

[Liquid]

Open research question:

Louis Chiron was born in 1899. He is the oldest ever Formula One driver. Are there other top level post-war drivers born in the 19th century?

It doesn't have to be about Formula One explicitly. For the purposes of this question 1900 is in the 20th century; Hans Stuck was born in 1900.

 

[Dotini]

Open research question:

Louis Chiron was born in 1899. He is the oldest ever Formula One driver. Are there other top level post-war drivers born in the 19th century?

It doesn't have to be about Formula One explicitly. For the purposes of this question 1900 is in the 20th century; Hans Stuck was born in 1900.

Nuvolari was born in 19th Century. You can be the judge of his level post-war . Here is his Wiki entry:

In 1946 Nuvolari took part in thirteen races, winning the Grand Prix of Albi in a Maserati 4CL, finishing 4th in the Grand Prix of Nations and 13th in the Coppa Brezzi, and retiring from the others.[26] It was noted that when he raced at Milan in September, he mostly steered with one hand; the other held a bloodstained handkerchief over his mouth.[12]

Through 1947 and 1948 he raced eleven times, winning twice. He finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 7th, and retired from the remaining five races. His Maserati did not qualify for the 1949 Marseilles Grand Prix.[26]

His last appearance in competition was at the Palermo-Montepellegrino hillclimb on April 10, 1950, driving a Squadra Carlo Abarth Cisitalia-Abarth 204. He won his class and finished fifth overall.[5]

 

[Liquid]

Irrespective of the lack of a championship, 1946-49 Grands Prix definitely count. I did have an inkling that some of the European Champions raced after the war but I wasn't sure which ones. Caracciola did but he was born in 1901.

Good hunting on Nuvolari.

 

[Dotini]

Irrespective of the lack of a championship, 1946-49 Grands Prix definitely count. I did have an inkling that some of the European Champions raced after the war but I wasn't sure which ones. Caracciola did but he was born in 1901.

Good hunting on Nuvolari.

Here's another potential man - Philippe Etancelin.

He competed in several post war Grand Epreuves and F1 Grand Prix, usually at the wheel of the good-looking and reliable (but slow) Talbot-Lago. He achieved a 2nd at Monza, 1949, and was born in 1896. Pre-war he was a regular in the Euro Championship, and a winner at LeMans.

Edit:

Here's a definite! Luigi Fagioli, "the Abruzzi Robber", born 1898, was a GP winner both pre-war and post-war; Monaco, 1935 and France*, 1951, finishing 3rd overall in the 1950 F1 Championship.

*Shared with Fangio.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button.

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Alan Jones and Alain Prost.

There's an interesting trivia fact that links those pairs of drivers... but what?

The first race Prost started, Jones won.
The last race Jones started, Prost won

The first race Senna started, Prost won
The last race Senna started, Prost won.

The first race Button started, Schumacher won.
The last race Schumacher started, Button won.

You're there, but now I look at @-Fred-'s comment the Prost/Senna one is clearly not correct. Blame Reddit!

 

[Liquid]

It is, it's just a typo in Dotini's post.

Alain Prost won Ayrton Senna's first Grand Prix.
Ayrton Senna won Alain Prost's final Grand Prix.

It works as the other two pairs do.

 

[Dotini]

It is, it's just a typo in Dotini's post.

No, I blundered. Another "senior moment". Sigh.

 

[TenEightyOne]

It is, it's just a typo in Dotini's post.

Alain Prost won Ayrton Senna's first Grand Prix.
Ayrton Senna won Alain Prost's final Grand Prix.

It works as the other two pairs do.

That's right... I'd confused myself! @Dotini was still close enough to get the cigar, and now we can put the whole tortuous who-won-what-and-when to bed

 

[Dotini]

I attended an F5000 race in 1973 at Pacific Raceways, Kent , Washington. The race started 33 drivers and was won by Brian Redman. By my count, fourteen of the starting drivers were past, present or future F1 drivers. Name as many as you can.

 

[Liquid]

Dan Gurney must be one of them. Because the race was in the US I'd hazard a guess that Richie Ginther, Phil Hill and Mark Donohoe might have been there too.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I attended an F5000 race in 1973 at Pacific Raceways, Kent , Washington. The race started 33 drivers and was won by Brian Redman. By my count, fourteen of the starting drivers were past, present or future F1 drivers. Name as many as you can.

Graham Hill, Mike Hawthorn... erm... Jackie Stewart, Andretti?

 

[Dotini]

Dan Gurney must be one of them. Because the race was in the US I'd hazard a guess that Richie Ginther, Phil Hill and Mark Donohoe might have been there too.

Of these, only Donohue is correct.

Graham Hill, Mike Hawthorn... erm... Jackie Stewart, Andretti?

Zero!

For hints, see a recent post of mine in the S5000 thread.

Additional hints:
- the man who pulled Lauda from his burning wreckage who was also a decorated combat veteran.
- another man who won the F1 race with highest average speed.
- another was a five time LeMans winner and three times winner of the Daytona 24.
- one guy had a surname that sounded like a month of the year.

 

[TenEightyOne]

the man who pulled Lauda from his burning wreckage

There were four drivers: Guy Edwards, Harald Ertl, Brett Lunger and Arturo Merzario. So I'm going to guess one/all/some of those

another man who won the F1 race with highest average speed.

Keke Rosberg?

-another was a five time LeMans winner and three times winner of the Daytona 24.
- one guy had a surname that sounded like a month of the year.

No idea, although I'm sure I'll kick myself when I find out who the second one is.

 

[Dotini]

There were four drivers: Guy Edwards, Harald Ertl, Brett Lunger and Arturo Merzario. So I'm going to guess one/all/some of those



Keke Rosberg?



No idea, although I'm sure I'll kick myself when I find out who the second one is.

Yes, it was Brett Lunger, really quite a fellow of many outstanding qualities.

IRRC, Rosberg once held the fastest qualifying speed, but never the highest average speed for a race. During the period in question, it was at Monza, set in a BRM by....?

Ever heard of a fellow by the name of Tony Settember? No? I don't blame you, so don't kick yourself. But you should kick yourself for not knowing Derek Bell won LeMans 5x and Daytona 3x.

 

[Liquid]

In the 1990s, which factory manufacturer sports car team ran a car with an engine made by an independent, non-factory third-party supplier with no input from themselves?

 

[-Fred-]

Mazda? Though technically the MXR-01 was a Jaguar.

 

[Liquid]

Mazda? Though technically the MXR-01 was a Jaguar.

Excellent!

Due to rule changes outlawing their rotary engines, Mazda's successor to the 787B was the 1992 MXR-01. Mazda didn't have a clue on how to build a conventional sports car engine so used Judd's GV 3.5L V10 that they had been using in Formula One with Scuderia Italia the previous year. Mazda did, however, rebadge the engines as their own.

As you alluded to, the car itself was basically a reskinned XJR-14; given that Mazda was forced to use a 3.5L V10 and knowing that they couldn't modify the 787B, they had to very quickly find another car. I was going to add that you could argue that the entire car was basically supplied by (two) third-parties in TWR and Judd but thought that would be too much of a giveaway... evidently not.

The Judd engine at least was definitely a non-factory, independent engine bizarrely supplying a works manufacturer team.

Your turn.

 

[-Fred-]

Having researched 956s and 962s this week because GT Sport, I stumbled across an interesting piece of history. In 1991, the Unser family (Al, Bobby, Robby and Al Jr) raced a 962 at Daytona for the 24h. It qualified 9th, but sadly DNF'd due to an accident. What then happened with the car?

 

[Liquid]

Did it become the Dauer?

 

[-Fred-]

Yep, supposedly it became chassis #001.

 

[Liquid]

Someone else ask a question.