Motorsports Trivia Thread!

[Pete05]

Seat had a Toledo that they ran in the Spanish and French domestic series, but again, i'm pretty sure it was never run in the BTCC.

edit - Mitsubishi had a Lancer built for the Swiss championship and Hyundai a Lantra in the Australian. Someone also looks to have converted a Merc 190E to early Supertourer spec from DTM spec and used it in Australia, which is odd as the 190E had stopped being produced by '93.

As an Aussie, I can tell you we had some very unique & different local cars run as 2-Litre touring cars.

The Mercedes 190 was a converted Group A 2.3 16v car that was imported into the country in 1986 for the Bathurst 1000. I could be wrong but I think Phil Ward still has the car.

The Hyundai was a complete disaster from go to whoa.

We also had a local legend try a 2.0 in-line six jammed under the bonnet of an AE86 Toyota Levin/Sprinter.

There's a few more I'm sure but I would have to delve into the archives for more information.

 

[Liquid]

There was a Mitsubishi in the BTCC, a slow Galant and a fat Lancer in 1991, but no Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz or Dodge.

Just one more to get. Also from 1991, it made only one start and DNSed another four races.

 

[daan]

There was a Mitsubishi in the BTCC, a slow Galant and a fat Lancer in 1991, but no Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz or Dodge.

Just one more to get. Also from 1991, it made only one start and DNSed another four races.

Did you miss this? Rover sounds about right.

If I'm not mistaken, the two BTCC obscurities missing should be Rover and Mitsubishi?

I know Mark Hales briefly ran both a Galant and a Lancer in the early Super Touring years. Otherwise a Rover 200 made a brief appearance in around that time as well I believe. Can't remember the year(s) of the top of my head, though I want to say 1991-'92 without resorting to Google.

 

[Liquid]

Did you miss this? Rover sounds about right.

Evidently I did!

The list is:

Vauxhall 1991-00
BMW 1991-97
Toyota 1991-96
Nissan 1991-94, 1996-00
Ford 1991-00
Mitsubishi 1991
Rover 1991
Peugeot 1992-98
Mazda 1992-94
Renault 1993-99
Alfa Romeo 1994-95
Volvo 1994-99
Honda 1995-00
Audi 1996-98
Opel 1997

Jan Brunstedt entered a LHD Opel Vectra at Silverstone in early 1997.

 

[Jimlaad43]

How many occasions are there of a driver winning all three races in a round of the BTCC?
Please list them down below.

 

[Liquid]

Wasn't Plato the first to do it? I remember he did one in 2009 when he drove for Chevrolet.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Wasn't Plato the first to do it? I remember he did one in 2009 when he drove for Chevrolet.

Dan Eaves was first at Thruxton in 2005, I know Plato is a second to do it in 2009, but I'm not sure if anyone else has done it.

 

[Liquid]

I don't know about any other triples other than Plato and Eaves as mentioned by you but I do know Andy Rouse was the first double-header winner back in 1991 when it was first trialled.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and George Russell have scored their first F1 Pole Positions this year, making it three maiden pole-scorers in one season. The last time three drivers scored a maiden pole in the same season was 2008 when Robert Kubica, Heikki Kovalainen and Sebastian Vettel all did it for the first time.

The record is 1968 when Chris Amon, Jochen Rindt, Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti and Jo Siffert made it 5 in one year.

Ocon, Magnussen, Gasly, Schumacher, Tsunoda, Zhou, Albon and Latifi are the only drivers on the 2022 grid who haven't started on Pole, and Ocon is the only one in a car which I could see sneak it if the stars aligned.
It'll be hard to get a 5th I think.

 

[Dotini]

In the Indy car series the top six are bunched very tightly in points for this time of the season. Little more than one win separates any of them from taking the lead in the championship. Wouldn't it be cool if F1 were that competitive? When was the last time in F1 when the competition was this tight?

 

[Jimlaad43]

2012

 

[Dotini]

I see Fernando Alonso has been retained to drive for Aston Martin. I hope they'll produce a fast car for him.

Trivia question: What's the best result for Aston Martin in an F1 race?

 

[Pete05]

Off the top of my head, didn't they get a podium one year at Aintree, or am I thinking of something else?

 

[Roo]

I see Fernando Alonso has been retained to drive for Aston Martin. I hope they'll produce a fast car for him.

Trivia question: What's the best result for Aston Martin in an F1 race?

Vettel's second place in Azerbaijan last year is the best result for an Aston Martin in an F1 race. He was also disqualified from second in Hungary last year.

Edit: and since you didn't specify championship races, Roy Salvadori also finished second in a non-championship race at Silverstone in 1959.

 

[Dotini]

Off the top of my head, didn't they get a podium one year at Aintree, or am I thinking of something else?

Very good guess! They achieved a 2nd place and a new lap record at the Silverstone International Trophy of 1959, Salvadori up. Shelby was driving the other car, but it retired with big end bearing failure. Back then the Astons were absolute jokes.

 

[Liquid]

Back then the Astons were absolute jokes.

Fast forward 60-odd years...

 

[Liquid]

Having gone down a little rabbit hole:

Roberto Ravaglia was teammates with eight past or future Formula One drivers in his career:

Gerhard Berger (ATS, Arrows, Benetton, Ferrari, McLaren)
Roland Ratzenberger (Simtek)
Jo Winkelhock (AGS)
Ivan Capelli (Tyrrell, AGS, March/Leyton House, Ferrari, Jordan)
Emanuele Pirro (Benetton, Scuderia Italia)
Emmanuel Naspetti (March, Jordan)
Johnny Cecotto (Theodore, Toleman)
JJ Lehto (Onyx, Scuderia Italia, Sauber, Benetton)

Despite having never driven in Formula One himself.

It would be hard to investigate it but this must be close to record territory.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Max has done this, and there are plenty of examples of drivers winning F1 races despite spinning, crashing, serving penalties, not even leading a lap, repairing damage etc. Can we think of drivers who have won multiple races despite having the same kind of major "ailments" to their races, and something which usually would completely derail a victory shot?

 

[Liquid]

Alonso winning three times with the disease known as the Ferrari F2012.

On a serious note, Alessandro Nannini had the very real ailment of a crippled right forearm and won 3 DTM races, 6 ITC races and 1 FIA GT race.

Also Hamilton won a Grand Prix on three wheels but I don't think he's done it more than once. There might be some drivers who suffered mid-race punctures and still went on to win though?

 

[Jimlaad43]

Alonso winning three times with the disease known as the Ferrari F2012.

On a serious note, Alessandro Nannini had the very real ailment of a crippled right forearm and won 3 DTM races, 6 ITC races and 1 FIA GT race.

Also Hamilton won a Grand Prix on three wheels but I don't think he's done it more than once. There might be some drivers who suffered mid-race punctures and still went on to win though?

Hamilton has won races despite hitting the wall twice.

Monaco 2008 (there's a puncture and win for you) and Belgium 2010.

 

[Liquid]

I have been the teammate of Jacques Laffite, Nelson Piquet and JJ Lehto but I have never raced in Formula One.

Who am I?

 

[Roo]

Having gone down a little rabbit hole:

Roberto Ravaglia was teammates with eight past or future Formula One drivers in his career:

Gerhard Berger (ATS, Arrows, Benetton, Ferrari, McLaren)
Roland Ratzenberger (Simtek)
Jo Winkelhock (AGS)
Ivan Capelli (Tyrrell, AGS, March/Leyton House, Ferrari, Jordan)
Emanuele Pirro (Benetton, Scuderia Italia)
Emmanuel Naspetti (March, Jordan)
Johnny Cecotto (Theodore, Toleman)
JJ Lehto (Onyx, Scuderia Italia, Sauber, Benetton)

Despite having never driven in Formula One himself.

It would be hard to investigate it but this must be close to record territory.

@Liquid What counts as "Driven in Formula One"? For example, would a private straight line test on an airfield count, or, say, Colin McRae's run in a Jordan in 1996ish, or do we mean never having driven an F1 car in any capacity?

View attachment 1184073

Max has done this, and there are plenty of examples of drivers winning F1 races despite spinning, crashing, serving penalties, not even leading a lap, repairing damage etc. Can we think of drivers who have won multiple races despite having the same kind of major "ailments" to their races, and something which usually would completely derail a victory shot?

Do we get to include Button's 2011 Canadian GP as he managed almost all those things in one race?

Hakkinen won the '98 Australian GP despite communications issue related tour of the pitlane (although team orders), and the '00 Belgian GP after a half-spin.

 

[TheCracker]

I have been the teammate of Jacques Laffite, Nelson Piquet and JJ Lehto but I have never raced in Formula One.

Who am I?

Steve Soper?

 

[Jimlaad43]

Do we get to include Button's 2011 Canadian GP as he managed almost all those things in one race?

Not really, as he may have had everything in one race, but none of the chaos happened to his race wins again. Apart from Canada, he never collided with a team mate and won, he never won a race despite serving a penalty, he never won a race despite suffering a puncture, never won a race despite being last at one point. This was his only win with a last lap overtake. The only really noticeable setback Button didn't experience in Canada was a trip through the gravel - because he did that on his way to the 2010 Australian GP victory.

Any driver can win a chaotic race. Perez's first win saw him running last at one point after being involved in a 1st lap crash, but in his two subsequent wins that never happened.

Juan-Manuel Fangio, Jochen Rindt, Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen have both won races by taking the lead on the last lap on two different occasions.

 

[Liquid]

@Liquid What counts as "Driven in Formula One"? For example, would a private straight line test on an airfield count, or, say, Colin McRae's run in a Jordan in 1996ish, or do we mean never having driven an F1 car in any capacity?

For me I would say being a registered entrant for a Grand Prix. DNP minimum, DNPQ/DNQ preferred minimum. Driving a Formula One car is not the same as driving in Formula One.

Steve Soper?

Correct! Soper was teammates with Laffite, Piquet and Lehto in sportscars as well as having Laffite as his teammate in the DTM.

 

[TheCracker]

Correct! Soper was teammates with Laffite, Piquet and Lehto in sportscars as well as having Laffite as his teammate in the DTM.

I know Lehto and Soper had raced together in the McLaren/BMW in sportscars and that Piquet had done Le Mans a few times around that era, probably also with McLaren as he had ties with BMW due to his time with Brabham in F1. Laffite i knew had done touring cars, so the posibility that his paths had crossed with touring car supremo, Soper, were probably quite high. 👍

 

[Jimlaad43]

I have just seen a post on Reddit saying there are 7 degrees of separation between Farina and Verstappen, the first and most recent F1 champions respectively. However, this went by "they raced against", rather than our patented team mate tracker method.

What is the smallest team mate path you can find between Nino Farina and Max Verstappen?

 

[Roo]

I have just seen a post on Reddit saying there are 7 degrees of separation between Farina and Verstappen, the first and most recent F1 champions respectively. However, this went by "they raced against", rather than our patented team mate tracker method.

What is the smallest team mate path you can find between Nino Farina and Max Verstappen?

Not limiting to F1 teammates, I assume? If so:

Nino Farina -(Ferrari, 1953 F1)-> Mike Hawthorn -(Maserati, 1956 Belgian GP)-> Stirling Moss -(Audi, 1981 BSCC)-> Martin Brundle -(Jordan, 1996 F1)->
Rubens Barrichello -(Honda/Brawn, 2006-09 F1)-> Jenson Button -(McLaren, 2013 F1)-> Sergio Perez -(Red Bull, 2021-22 F1)-> Max Verstappen

So 7.

Should both Carlos Sainzs ever team up, you can reduce it to 6 by going:

Martin Brundle -(Toyota Castrol Team, Rally GB, 1999 WRC)-> Carlos Sainz Sr -(???)-> Carlos Sainz Jr -(Toro Rosso, 2015 F1)-> Max Verstappen.

 

[Liquid]

A welcome return for the Stirling Moss/Martin Brundle shortcut.

 

[Pupik]

I was up to 15-16 drivers in an F1-only list, but hadn't confirmed many of them.

Raced against? I'm guessing Farina - Trintignant - Graham Hill - Lauda - Senna/Prost/Patrese - Schumacher - Hamilton/Alonso

You could substitute Fangio and Amon for the first three, as I recall they raced together in a non-champ race at Australia with Maserati 250Fs but I'm not entirely sure.