Some of sports’ most iconic figures are motoring legends; inspiring generations of drivers and petrol-heads throughout the years. Here, you will find the top ten motoring legends who were the best of the best and earned a special place in the history books.
Sir Stirling Moss
First win: 1955 British Grand Prix
As a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Stirling Moss is often considered the greatest racing driver of all time by many motoring enthusiasts. From 1951 to 1962 he won races across the globe, with a reputation for pulling off last-minute saves and astonishing reflexes. An accident in 1962 ended his racing career but he continued commentator for the sports for many years afterwards.
Nigel Mansell
First win: 1985 European Grand Prix
Nigel Mansell is a British racing driver who has won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series. One of his greatest achievements is that he the most successful British Formula One driver of all time in terms of race wins, with an amazing 31 victories in total.
Ayrton Senna
First win: 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix
This well-known Brazilian racing driver is probably as famous for his tragic end and rivalry with fellow racer Alain Prost as well as his glittering career. Senna began is motoring career with karting before moving up to open-wheel racing in 1981 where he went on to win the British Formula 3 championship in 1983. His last race was in 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix when he crashed into a wall during Lap 7 and was fatally injured.
Michael Schumacher
First win: 1992 Belgian Grand Prix
A German-born racer, Schumacher built his career with victories in the German drivers’ championships in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship. Over his long and successful career, Schumacher has also managed to keep the racing gene alive in this family; he and his younger brother Ralf Schumacher are the only brothers to both win races in Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton
First win: 2007 Canadian Grand Prix
Clearly a racing legend from an early age, Hamilton was signed up to the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme at the tender age of 13. He has gone on to forge one of the most successful careers in motoring history and, as of 2013, has an impressive 21 wins under his belt.
Mario Andretti
First win: 1971 South African Grand Prix
As one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR, Andretti is famous across the motoring world for his adaptive skill and technique. Sometimes known as the ‘US Stirling Moss’, Andretti has a wide fan base that stretches across the world and now works as a test driver for Road & Track and Car and Driver magazines.
Sir Jackie Stewart
First win: 1965 Italian Grand Prix
Now forging a successful career as a racing commentator, Stewart (nicknamed ‘The Flying Scot’) competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers’ Championships. Famous for his first race in which he took a staggering 25 second lead in 2 laps; Stewart is now a stalwart advocate for improving Formula One safety for both drivers and crew.
Richard Petty
First win: 1960 NASCAR Grand National
Nicknamed ‘The King’, Petty has won the NASCAR Championship seven times and has tallied up a record 200 races during his career. Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010, Petty has had a colourful career off track as well as on it, with numerous film and television appearances to his name.
So there you have it – the greatest motoring legends that have ever raced. Of course, not everyone in the world can afford a team of specialists and crews in order to stump up the cash to purchase cars for them, so for all of you, you can always find used cars for sale in Richmond or in your local area, or why not even try out a sports car experience where you can drive the car of your dreams and feed your need for speed.
