6th of November – Com a sua melhor atuação na pista até então, Damon Hill derrota Michael Schumacher na chuva torrencial da penúltima etapa de Suzuka e mantém para total desgosto do alemão que poderia ter assegurado o titulo naquele dia, as suas próprias chances ao titulo vivas para a decisão final em Adelaide.
3/8/1958, morre Peter John Collins.
O sempre alegre e imensamente talentoso Peter Collins tinha tudo para se tornar o primeiro campeão mundial de Fórmula 1 britânico. Mas ao entragar a sua Lancia-Ferrari ao Juan-Manuel Fangio, líder da equipe, durante o GP da Itália de 1956 em Monza, deixou este sonho para depois. Aos 25 anos e confiando no seu talento, o fez porque acreditando ter todo o tempo do mundo para vencer o mundial. Um acidente fatal nos treinos livres para o GP da Alemanha no Nürburgring dois anos depois tragicamente impediu a sua realização.
Born: 8th of November 1931 in Kidderminster, UK.
Died: 3rd of August 1958 in Bonn, Germany, aged 26.
8/10/1919, Jack McGrath dies.
The first driver to qualify for Indy at over 140 mph, McGrath had a fine record at the brickyard but never won the race. He was killed in the last race of the 1955 season.
Born: 8th of October 1919 in Los Angeles, USA.
Died: 6th of November 1955 in Phoenix, USA, aged 36.
6/11/1912, 95 years ago, Whitney Willard Straight is born.
6/11/1912, 95 years ago, Whitney Willard Straight is born in born in New York, USA.
American born Air Commodore Whitney Willard Straight CBE, MC, DFC was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and team owner, aviator and businessman. He became the youngest pilot in England at the age of 17 in 1929 and, like a lot of other wealthy young men of his generation, he took up motor racing.
In 1933 took British citizenship and after first sucesses in hilclimbs with a 2.5 litre 8C Maserati bought three single seater 2.9 litre 8CM Maseratis from the factory and retained Thomson & Taylor to set about modifying them to his own specifications. After finishing 2nd in the 1934 Vichy GP, 3rd in the Comminges GP, and 4th at Casablanca and Montreux he won the Donington Park Trophy and the Brooklands Mountain Championship.
Straight’s philosophy was to make racing pay and his commercial set-up was impressive with administrative headquarters in central London and a base in Milan which was convenient for the Maserati factory in Bologna and central to the major European Grand Prix circuits. Straight’s team was very successful, winning and taking good places in many Grands Prix. As a driver he had also made hismarka and was offered a works Auto Union drive for 1935, but he refused as he had decided to retire from driving. His last race was the 1934 South African GP, which he won.
A fighter pilot inWWII credited with four and a half kills and also recorded damage to many other planes, he was made managing director and Chief Executive Officer of British Overseas Airways Corporation in 1947. He reorganised the company and in 1949 was appointed deputy Chairman of the board. Later Whitney Straight joined Rolls-Royce as deputy Chairman.
Born 6th of November 1912 in New York, USA.
Died: 5th of April 1979 in Fulham, UK, aged 66.
