Most Unforgettable Car Races In The History
Racing has thrilled and will continue to thrill people. Nobody can deny the excitement of seeing car overspeeding each other. Wheel-to-wheel race, with underdogs competing for side by side seasoned racers, is something worth watching. If we’re lucky, we can get more action and watch a new star bring the home the bacon.
There are races that you never forget, no matter how long it has been. Some races are boring and some end up in a tragedy. Still, many races succeed in making the audience get up on their feet. Most of them are known for their awesome finishes and nail-biting track performance. To give you a preview of just how exciting a car race can be, here’s a list of the most unforgettable races of all time. It covers several race series, including Formula 1 and Le Mans series.
1. German Grand Prix 1957
Photo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_German_Grand_Prix
Often considered to be the greatest race in the history of Formula 1, the 1957 Grand Prix held at Germany held on the deadly tracks of Nürburgring still continue to awe people. The race was incredibly won by Juan Manuel Fangio, earning his 4th out of 7 victories in racing.
2. Daytona 500 1976
Petty was on the lead when Pearson overtook him. He tried to regain his position by turning under the latter racer during the final corner. However, he was not able to clear Pearson. Instead, both of the cars came in contact and gone spinning out of control towards the infield grass. Both are short on the finish line. The crowd is wondering whether both of them could still finish the race. Petty and Pearson tried to get back on the track. Unfortunately, Petty’s car refused to start. Pearson, on the other hand, was more successful in bringing his car back to life and he drove towards victory in a limp. This race is so great people are left wishing that more races offer more action like this.
3. NHRA “The Run” Drag Race 2006
The NHRA Drag race 2006, which is now known as “The Run” earned its spot on this list. When the top fuel championship was to decide during the last pass of the race, Tony Schumacher runs against Doug Kalitta. The race ended fast with Schumacher finishing in the most awesome time record ever—4.428 seconds. Nothing was quite like it. People was going nuts as the record was broken by a stretch. Kalitta missed his chance and Schumacher went down on history. The race earned Tony his 3rd consecutive win and 4th in the overall POWERade series.
4. Dijon GP 1979
Unlike the previous races, Dijon GP 1979 is not only known for the person who finished first. It also became renowned for the heated battle on the second spot.
This 1979 game held in France is the first race where a turbocharged car competed. Although he was troubled with the turbo’s reliability problem, Jena-Pierre Jabouille was still able to bring home the cup. He gained victory on his home soil using his country’s pride. He ran a Renault (a French car) on Michelin (French tires), which is powered by Renault (French engine) using Elf (French oil). No racer has ever made his country prouder that this racer.
While Jabouille’s win is astounding, what makes the race ever more known is the battle between Gilles Villeneuve, a Ferrari driver, and Rene Arnoux, another Renault driver. They were so close to each other that they were wheel-to-wheel on the final lap. On several occasions, they swapped position. The atmosphere is intense. Who will get to the finish line second? In the end, Villeneuve passes the line ahead of Arnoux, but only for a quarter of a second. Later on, the Ferrari driver described the event as his most memorable race ever.
5. Brazilian Grand Prix 2008
The Brazilian Grand Prix of 2008 happened under heavy rain, which added an obstacle to the drivers on the track. The fight was close between Felipe Massa, Ferrari driver, and Fernando Alonso, Renault driver. If Massa was to finish the line first, he would win. However, if Alonso came 5th and above, he would take home the cup.
Massa was riding wheel-on-wheel Jarno Trulli, a Toyota driver. Both were leading the race, Massa is seconds ahead. When the rain started pouring again, it was obvious that laps be made more carefully as the track is becoming more treacherous for drivers. However, Massa overcame the obstacle and still ended up first. It was a win truly deserved!
6. Canadian Grand Prix 2011
Photo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Canadian_Grand_Prix
In the race which is now known to be the longest, a racer who started at the bottom emerged to be a winner. Jenson Button came into collision with his teammate Lewis Hamilton, making both of them last. Sebastian Vettel was on the lead.
During the 26th lap, the race was suspended due to heavy rain. It started again after 2 hours. This time, Button became involved in another collision with Fernando Alonso. The crash led to the latter’s retirement and placed Button on the last place again. Nobody has set high hopes for him. He was bound not win, right? However, by unexpected turns of events he slowly moved from his place in the 21st to 1st, even passing Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber. Vettel came second. People were shocked. Well, it’s true that the winner is never announced until the game is finished.
7. Indianapolis 500 2011
On Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a race which was billed as the most important race in history took place. It was the 100th anniversary of Indianapolis and it did not fail to excite the people. It was a most exciting fight between racers.
J.R. Hildebrand, a rookie, took the lead with only two more laps to go. While others are going on pit stops, Hilderbrand refused to pause and is running a car on very low fuel. He was determined to finish the race with his tank, and it looks like he’s succeeding. However, to his disappointment, the decision led him to an upset victory. His car went high on the final lap and he hit the track’s outside wall. While he was in his wrecked car, Dan Wheldon easily slipped past him and took the victory. Hildebrand, who was able to get back on his wheels, came second place.
