As much as we love to look back with rose-tinted glasses, reminiscing about the “golden days” of motorsports, dominance has always been a recurring theme throughout racing’s 120-year history. For a perfect example, head to YouTube and watch Shell’s fascinating half-hour documentary on the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix—a time capsule that takes us to when Spa-Francorchamps was a dangerous, 8.761-mile beast, and fans were “protected” only by a patch of grass and a surprising lack of barriers. It’s a journey into a world where Mercedes-Benz practically had the race in the bag.
The story kicks off with Eugenio Castellotti, who managed to grab one of the most unforgettable pole positions in grand prix history, despite being only in his fifth Formula 1 outing and third in a world championship event. His achievement came amidst the heartbreak and shock of the death of his teammate, the legendary Alberto Ascari. Castellotti’s pole was made even more remarkable given the backdrop of the Lancia F1 team being absorbed into Scuderia Ferrari—Ferrari had money, but they were constantly being crushed by the might of Mercedes-Benz on the track.
At the start of the race, Fangio’s W196 quickly took the lead, with Stirling Moss trailing in second. Castellotti’s retirement on Lap 17 marked the end of any serious opposition to the Mercedes juggernauts. Fangio held Moss at bay for the remainder of the race, ultimately winning by eight seconds. Behind them, Ferrari’s 1950 World Champion Giuseppe Farina finished a distant third, and Paul Frère’s Ferrari came in just behind him.
This was the second of Fangio’s four victories that season, a domination captured on the cover of this issue of Vintage Motorsport, where we dive deep into the Mercedes-Benz W196—a car that reigned supreme in Formula 1 for almost two years.
Can you imagine the stunned reactions of those watching the “streamliner” version of the W196 being unloaded from the transporter at Reims in 1954? Anyone unaware of Mercedes-Benz’s racing plans might have thought the German team had accidentally brought a sports car to a Formula 1 race. For those in the know, however, competitors were probably thinking, “Uh-oh.” Their concerns were well-founded. In its two seasons of racing, the W196 wasn’t always the fastest car on the track, but thanks to drivers like Fangio and Moss, it made up the difference and consistently outperformed its Italian rivals with superior reliability.
In a similar vein, though for different reasons, the Chaparral 2K didn’t spend much time at the top of IndyCar racing. In 1979, it faced persistent reliability issues, and by 1981, other teams had caught up. But for a brief, euphoric moment, Johnny Rutherford and Chaparral owner Jim Hall basked in the glory of an Indy 500 victory and Rutherford’s lone IndyCar championship. The 2K became an iconic symbol, immortalized on the cover of John Barnard’s 2018 biography, The Perfect Car.
While the dominance of the W196 and Chaparral 2K may have been short-lived, Porsche’s 956/962 family enjoyed a decade of unmatched dominance in sports car racing. Porsche became the benchmark, and it took concerted efforts from rivals like Electramotive Nissan, TWR Jaguar, and Sauber Mercedes to finally dethrone the 962. It wasn’t until 1985 that the 962 claimed its first victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona, but it wasn’t the Holbert Racing team that took the win—no, it was Preston Henn’s squad, thanks to a stellar driver lineup and exceptional teamwork.
Dominance in racing comes in many forms, and this issue of Vintage Motorsport highlights three of the most dominant drivers in history. First, we look back at Richard Petty’s incredible 1975 season—his sixth and penultimate NASCAR Cup Series championship, where he won 13 of 30 races. The fact that he also finished in the top three eight other times proves that Petty and his Petty Enterprises team had a perfect grip on race weekends. Petty’s reign continued with another championship and 22 more wins, bringing his total to a staggering 200 victories.
Next, we turn to Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher, who experienced multiple seasons of dominance. In 2002, he won 11 out of 17 races; in 2004, he claimed 13 out of 18. But it was his 1995 season with Benetton that truly cemented his status as the sport’s greatest talent. With the best engine on the grid, a Renault V10, and a less-than-perfect Benetton B195 chassis, Schumacher still made mincemeat of his rivals, including future world champion Damon Hill and David Coulthard. His combination of raw speed and tactical brilliance, particularly in the hands of strategist Ross Brawn, made him nearly unbeatable.
Finally, we revisit Jimmy Clark’s domination of the 1965 Indy 500. After two failed attempts with rear-engine cars in 1963 and 1964, Clark, Colin Chapman, and Lotus perfected the formula in 1965. Despite A.J. Foyt taking pole position in a one-year-old Lotus 34, Clark and his Lotus 38 took control from Lap 3 and led 190 of the 200 laps, ultimately winning by a staggering two-minute margin over Parnelli Jones—setting a record-breaking average speed in the process.
Stories like these, along with coverage from historic racing events like the Daytona and Sebring races, and the Taupo Historic Grand Prix in New Zealand, make this a must-read issue of Vintage Motorsport.