I drafted Niki Lauda’s obituary at the German Grand Prix. Anybody who knew his injuries was sure he could not survive. Guy Edwards’s bravery pulling him from the burning Ferrari was recognised with a Queen’s Gallantry Medal. Later features on his team’s verdict after he lost the world championship to James Hunt, taken up in the Italian press, resulted in a lively correspondence I had with Enzo Ferrari. I can now do a new obituary.
Read MoreMorgan Plus 8
The Guardian was an unlikely medium for a sports car feature. In 1969 I was its motor racing correspondent, a contributor to its motoring column and now that Morgan has made its last V8, here is what I wrote about its first. I drove to Malvern to try out the first demo Plus 8, along with Autocar’s Eoin Young. I don’t expect The Guardian, or me would write about “a masculine car” any more. This was half a century ago.
Read MorePoor McLaren
McLaren hasn’t won a Grand Prix for six years. Vandoorne was a lap down in twelfth and Alonso didn’t finish at Monza. 1968 was the year of Bruce McLaren’s first win in his own new McLaren car, at Spa. My race report is a 50th anniversary tribute to one of Formula 1 racing’s best men.
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