Like Father.......

[Wizzo]

As Markus Winkelhock took to the sodden track of last week's European Grand Prix in Nuerburgring he went where one Winkelhock had been before, his father Manfred Winkelhock.

Winkelhock junior's first grand prix -- and possibly last for some time, now that Christijan Albers' vacated Spyker seat has gone to Sakon Yamamoto -- will be talked about for years to come. His decision to run on extreme wet tires on lap three saw him leading the race by 33 seconds before the race was suspended for the second time. And, although his race ended with hydraulic failure, and future drives in Formula 1 are by no means certain, he joins the rare club of drivers who have led a grand prix on their first race.

It was at Nuerburgring that his father Manfred Winkelhock raced his last Formula 1 grand prix. Never a contender -- he scored only two points from 47 starts -- he was nevertheless a popular driver with the home crowd. Sadly, eleven days after the 1985 German Grand Prix at Nuerburgring, Winkelhock was killed driving a Porsche 956 at a World Sportscar event in Mosport Park, Canada.

Manfred's brothers Joachim and Thomas Winkelhock were also racing drivers; Joachim entered seven grands prix in the 1989 season but did not pre-qualify, so didn't race.

"My father did his last F1 race at the Nuerburgring and now I'm doing my first," said Markus last Sunday, "that is something special."

Underneath his Spyker overalls, Markus wore a chain around his neck, as he always does when racing. On it was the wedding ring belonging to the father who died when Markus when only five years old -- a good luck talisman given to him by his mother.

Formula 1's history has many such tales of sons following fathers into racing careers -- and in some cases the second generation drivers lost their fathers at an early age. Fatalities have been so rare in F1 in the last two decades that it's easy to forget quite how dangerous an activity it once was.

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve had celebrated his eleventh birthday a month before his father Gilles, the legendary Ferrari driver, died in practice before the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. Such was his status in Canada, that his remains were returned to his homeland aboard a jet of the Canadian Air Force, on the request of the government.

Knowing the dangers inherent in the sport, Villeneuve junior entered F1 in 1996. He started his first race from pole position and just missed out on the top step of the podium to his Williams team-mate, Damon Hill. In his next season Villeneuve junior achieved what his father rightly should have done, he won the World Championship.

Hill too was the son of a racing legend. Graham Hill was champion in 1962 and 1968. With the dashing demeanor, and pencil moustache, of a World War 2 flying ace, he projected an image of the true sporting Brit. But, behind the scenes, he was a tempestuous man who could be both vain and reckless.

Graham Hill died in 1975, when Damon was 15. It is often assumed that the sons of famous drivers who follow their fathers into the sport are drifted into their seats on a wave of nepotism and inheritance. Not true of Damon, who had to work as a motorcycle courier in London to pay for his start in motor racing.

Graham Hill didn't die racing. He died trying to land a Piper Aztek airplane in fog. The plane was not properly registered or insured and Hill died along with his five passengers (including Tony Brise, who was racing for Hill's F1 team at the time). The families of the bereaved had no choice but to sue the estate of Graham Hill for compensation.

Another F1 champion to sire a racing son was American Mario Andretti. He won the 1978 world championship for Lotus and also having a successful career in the US oval circuits in both Champcar and NASCAR. His son Michael entered F1 in 1993, paired with Ayrton Senna at McLaren. But, despite his success in Champcar, Andretti junior failed to make an impression in Formula 1 and was replaced, after just 13 races, by Mika Hakkinen. He would be the last American to compete in F1 until the appearance of Scott Speed in 2006.

The current F1 grid contains one F1-sibling and one F1-offspring. Ralf Schumacher, of course, is brother to seven-times world Champion Michael (and living proof that driving talent isn't necessarily inherited). And Williams driver Nico Rosberg is the son of Keke Rosberg, the Finnish driver who won the world championship for Williams in 1982.

Three-time world champion Jack Brabham's son, David raced for Brabham and Simtek in 1990 and 1994 without ever scoring points. And two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi's son Christian raced for three seasons in the early 1990s, scoring a total of 12 championship points.

Are there other sons-of-champions waiting in the wings? Tomas Scheckter, son of Jody Scheckter the 1979 world champion, tested for Jaguar in 2001 but was fired. He now races in the A1GP series and looks an unlikely F1 contender.

1992 world champion Nigel Mansell has supported the racing careers of sons Leo and Greg, who have both raced in single-seat racing formulae but, again, without looking obvious F1 contenders (though Greg is only 19). And four-time world champion Alain Prost's son Nicolas has had some success in the feeder formulae but, at 25, is considered old compared with young blood such as Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel.

Nelson Angelo Piquet, son of three-time championship winner, Nelson Piquet is a test driver for Renault.

[Neil.P]

Smokin' Jo Winkelhock I remember when he was doing touring cars, still love that name now 

Neil.P

[johnbull]

I thought Christian Fittipaldi was Wilson's son not Emersons.

Oddly enough I have just written an article for a local motorsport magazine about local sons of motor racing fathers.

I enjoyed writing it and researching it. I've put a career highlight of each too, which was fun.

[Chameleon]

Talking of Nelsinho...

Nelson's Piquet Sr.'s real name was Nelson Piquet Souto Maior.  The story goes that, because Nelson's father disapproved of even the idea of his son going motor racing, Nelson had to abbreviate his name to Piquet and mis-spell it as "Piket" to hide his racing activities.  That has always struck me as a bit strange.

If you were reading the newspaper one day and came across a mention that someone named Nelson Piket had won a kart race somewhere, wouldn't it strike you as funny that the name was so close to your son's first two names?  And if you saw another similar article a little while later, would you not become a little suspicious and begin to search for photos of this rising young star with the familiar-sounding name?

Personally, I think that when Nelson got to Britain to compete in F3, he realised that the Brits would never be able to make a decent stab at pronouncing his real name and so he abbreviated it to something a little easier for us to handle.  Knowing his sense of fun, I can just see him making up the "disapproving father" story for our entertainment. 

A couple of decades ago, Coventry City had a young Zimbabwean footballer sign for them.  His name was Peter Ndhlovu and the poor media announcers tied themselves in knots trying to pronounce it.  Eventually they came to a sort of gentleman's agreement to call the guy "Unlove" and he must have been too polite to point out how hopelessly wrong they were.

The name is Ndebele (the language of the Matabele tribe, an offshoot of the Zulus) and it is pronounced Nnn-shhh-low-voo.  Easy enough if you've ever lived in southern Africa but apparently it's impossible for a Brit to get his tongue around.

Having said all that, I could kick the guy who told Murray Walker that the correct way to pronounce Ayrton Senna is Ay-air-ton.  Even if it's true, it irritates the life outa me!

[johnbull]

Ayrton Senna da Silva shortened his name to Ayrton Senna when he settled in Europe with Formula Ford then F3.

Interestingly the Italians are always very keen on pseudonyms. There were so many of them when I was racing. Here are a few:

Alfio Vitale raced under the name Jimmy. Jimmy was a super fellow. He always insisted I stayed at his house when I raced anywhere near his area, and he would make poor Maria go well out of her way to cook up some delicious meal for their special guest. I'm glad to say we reciprocated many a time when Jimmy raced in Malta. Unfortunately Jimmy died of a massive heart attack some years ago. We met Maria again last year when she was in Malta on holiday. We had so many stories to recount.

Both Jimmy and I used to race Group 5 cars in the 1000cc class in Malta. I raced a lightweight 970 Mini and he raced an Abarth 1000 TC. After some 4 or 5 results with wins for me with Jimmy second every time, I remember he came up to me just after an event and said: "Listen Joe, you're my friend and I don't want to protest you, but I want you to put my mind at rest. I want to follow you down to your garage and I want you to take the cylinder head off your car so I can measure it to satisfy myself that it really is a 1000." I obliged. The bores measured at 999cc which I knew they were anyway - 40 thou overbore on the standard 970 makes it 999 cc. He insisted he would pay for our meal that evening.

Giuseppe Rosso raced under the pseudonym of Flash. Don't ask me why. He raced an indedently quick Fiat Ritmo Abarth 1600 in Group 2.

Gian Carlo Russo raced as Geki. And we had Pal Joey, and Amficar, and Tex Ritter, and so many others.

I'll have to dig out some old results to remember them, but if you google Targa Florio 1972 you'll see a load of them on the results there. You'll even see my name - car number 51. 

[The Stig]

Found the real thing that looked good.


Stig

[Dare]

nice one Stig,I always thought Elford looked like
what you thought a racing driver was supposed to look like

[johnbull]

I've just spent some time looking at some Targa videos in you tube. This one really hits it. Oh the memories.



Towards the end of the lap, through Collesano, then Campo Felice di Roccella and onto the Bonfornello straight. That straight was my undoing. I got carried away tucked in the slipstream of an Alpine and blew it.

I've been back twice in the last 9 months and should be doing another lap of the 47 mile Madonnie circuit next month when I visit Sicily again with some like minded friends to watch the Coppa Monti Iblei, a hill climb to the lovely little mountain village of Chiaramonte Gulfi in the south of the island. I did that hillclimb for 5 consecutive years between 1978 and 82 and won my class the last 3 times there, so it carries a very special significanse for me.

I shall probably be taking a motorcycling holiday in the Targa area again in November, so that will be another lap. In the meantime here's a pic taken last November. Very little has changed since the 60s if you compare it to the you tube video. The pits and paddock are still the same and the timekeeper's tower still looks imposingly over the whole area. Absolute bliss. You know, I can just sit on that pit wall for hours and just dream.

[johnbull]

Just found another beauty. Take a look at this.



This is the Collesano - Piano Zucchi hill climb, all 12 kilometres of it. I did it in 1981 when it was a round of the European Mountain Championship, and I won my class there too.

The you tube film is from a recent run in Runfola's car. It is now also used as a special stage on the Targa Florio Rally. Incidentally Runfola had taken part in 81 with a Landia Stratos, so he should know the hill by now.

This is another of my favorite visiting spots on trips to Sicily. In fact we drove up it for a meal at the restaurant at the top in Piano Battaglia last April.

[Steven Roy]

Christian Fittipaldi was Wilson's son.

Piquet was his mother's maiden name.  Quite a few drivers have used that trick.

[Dare]

Tomas Schecter drives in Indy Car

[cosworth151]

Marco Andretti, son of Micheal and grandson of Mario, is racing in the IRL and has tested for Honda in F1. The thought over here is that he may make the move once he wins the Indy 500.
NASCAR driver John Andretti is the son of Mario's twin brother, Aldo.

A bit of trivia about Mario and Aldo: Mario won the Indy 500 only once, in 1969. He wrecked is primary car in a firey practice crash, then put his back-up car on pole. When the traditional front row photo was taken, Mario still had flash burns on his face. He had Aldo put on his driving suit and show up for the photo.

The greatest driver in the history of NASCAR, Richard Petty, is a second generation champion. His father, Lee, was a former NASCAR champ and the winner of the first Daytona 500. Richard Petty's son, Kyle, still races and Kyle's son, Adam, was killed in a NASCAR accident a few years ago at the New Hampshire race.