Motorsports Trivia Thread!

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I think there will be more than one answer here. I've provided one, and you've arguably provided another.
 
MazdaPrice
I think there will be more than one answer here. I've provided one, and you've arguably provided another.
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Well the question said "name the driver", so I reckon you've got the singular answer.

Anyway I only posted mine as a bit of trivia (hey, it's what this thread is for right :P), if it turns out to be accepted you can still take the next question.
 
Dotini
Here's a pretty easy puzzler: His birthplace was in one country when he was born, another when he was racing, and now is in a third. Name the driver, please.
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MazdaPrice
John Love

Born: Southern Rhodesia, 1924
Raced: Rhodesia, 1960s, 1970s
Now: Zimbabwe, since 1980
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This is a brilliant and true answer, but not the one I had in mind, since John Love is dead and my guy is very much alive. I thought to give a big clue when I said "pretty easy". Since I should have worded my question more clearly, I will award the win to MazdaPrice.

Respectfully,
Steve
 
Dotini
This is a brilliant and true answer, but not the one I had in mind, since John Love is dead and my guy is very much alive. I thought to give a big clue when I said "pretty easy". Since I should have worded my question more clearly, I will award the win to MazdaPrice.

Respectfully,
Steve
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Who was your person?
 
Dotini
Mario Andretti. (Italy, Yugoslavia, Croatia).
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Wow. That is a stunning answer. I would have never, ever guessed that one.

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Now this one is very easy. Which is the only tyre company to enter F1 and not win races? How many races did they compete in?
 
I can;t think of anything, so to keep things mving along I'll ask something easy. Which was the first Italian GP in which the winner's average race speed exceeded 150 mph and who was that winner in what car?
 
SagarisGTB
I can;t think of anything, so to keep things mving along I'll ask something easy. Which was the first Italian GP in which the winner's average race speed exceeded 150 mph and who was that winner in what car?
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In 1971, Peter Gethin won the Italian GP at Monza at an average speed of 150.754 mph in his BRM V-12.

The race turned on a slipstreaming duel between the leading pack of of Peterson, Cevert, Hailwood, Ganley and Gethin. Almost unnoticed was Emerson Fittipaldi who finished 8th in his Lotus-Pratt & Whitney turbine car, despite his car having suffered early clutch failure.

Respectfully,
Steve
 
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Was the Indy 500 ever won by a front wheel drive car?
If so, name all the year(s) and driver(s).

For extra credit (only), briefly discuss why FF technology might have been utilized at the Brickyard.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve
 
1926 - Frank Lockhart
1928 - Louis Meyer
1929 - Ray Keech

I hope, anyway. I had to look this up, it's an interesting topic. Not a lot of information about the earlier years of the Indy, it seems.
As for why FWD would be run, the only thing I can think of is it saves the weight of having a driveshaft.
 
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TopGearFTW
1926 - Frank Lockhart
1928 - Louis Meyer
1929 - Ray Keech

I hope, anyway. I had to look this up, it's an interesting topic. Not a lot of information about the earlier years of the Indy, it seems.
As for why FWD would be run, the only thing I can think of is it saves the weight of having a driveshaft.
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I am very sorry, but your (correctly stated) winners were Millers, but not the front drive edition.

You do, however, receive extra credit for stating one possible advantage of front drive. They were often 200-300 lbs lighter, with much of the weight saved in the heavy rear axles.

Please try again.

Respectfully yours,
Steve
 
I like questions like these that impart knowledge. I never would have guessed that FF's competed in the Indy 500, never mind winning it.

It would seem that the following were all driving Front wheel drive cars.

1930 Billy Arnold
1932 Fred Frame
1934 Bill Cummings
1947 Mauri Rose
1948 Mauri Rose
1949 Bill Holland

(They all had "FD" in the car name anyway which I assume stands for Front Drive...)


Bill Holland 1947 Deidt Offenhauser "Blue Crown Special" Indy Car. "100 Years Indianapolis 500" Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011 by Antsphoto, on Flickr

And here's a nice picture that explains some of the benefits
indy-tech-05-0511-de.jpg
 
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daan
I like questions like these that impart knowledge. I never would have guessed that FF's competed in the Indy 500, never mind winning it.

It would seem that the following were all driving Front wheel drive cars.

1930 Billy Arnold
1932 Fred Frame
1934 Bill Cummings
1947 Mauri Rose
1948 Mauri Rose
1949 Bill Holland
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This is a correct and complete list of Indy winners with front drive.

We note in passing that front drive made its first appearance in the 1925 event, and its last in the 1953 event.

As noted in part by the graphics, front drive allowed a lighter, lower and narrower car. But the original inspiration for front drive at Indy, provided by legendary driver Jimmy Murphy, was for a safer car. This was because the bricks making the surface, always slick enough to race on, inevitably became coated with oil as the race wore on. Since front drive cars have less of a tendency to spin out, they were greatly admired by the drivers for this reason. As engineers learned to make their engines, breathing and oiling systems more reliable, as tires got better, and finally the bricks themselves paved over, the era of front wheel drive at Indianapolis passed into history and legend.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve
 
Dotini
Indy FWD history
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Yeah, I was thinking that it would be easier to put the power down with no real risk of spinning out with front wheel drive. As I noted earlier, I was surprised to find front wheel drive cars winning at Indy but would also add to that how late they were winning. They were competitive nearly until Lotus/Clark/Hill turned up.
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Now, a fact that I noticed the other day and thought it would make a good question.

In the multi-class (A, B, C & D) BTCC of 1982-1990, I noticed one race won outright by a car that wasn't from the top class. Who was it? What was he driving? And where and when was it?
 
vompatti
Frank Sytner, BMW M3, 1987 Donington Park?
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That's the one. Your go.

I had been unaware that a class B car had ever won a BTCC race outright. More knowledge gained due to this thread.
 
Okay, let's try. I hope this isn't too easy, I'll try to mix it a bit to make it harder :)


When you look at the podium, you can see Riccardo Patrese in the middle, with Nicola Larini and Alessandro Nannini on 2nd and 3rd places. Race, year and car?
 
Well it's not F1, as Larini's only podium was at San Marino 94, and we all know that Schumacher won that one.
 
Doubly not F1 as Patrese never won an F1 race.

I don't see it as being a junior Formulae race (F3, F2, etc) either as there is a big age gap between them.

I'm guessing it's an Italian touring car race. I've found out that Patrese won one of them, in an Alfa 75 turbo, but I have no idea if Larini and Nannini were 2nd and 3rd.
 
daan
Doubly not F1 as Patrese never won an F1 race.

I don't see it as being a junior Formulae race (F3, F2, etc) either as there is a big age gap between them.

I'm guessing it's an Italian touring car race. I've found out that Patrese won one of them, in an Alfa 75 turbo, but I have no idea if Larini and Nannini were 2nd and 3rd.
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I count Patrese has six wins to his name >_>

I agree though, it's not an F1 race, struggling to find out what it could be though.
 
F1 fan
Patrese won six Grand Prix. His first win, was famously the Monaco Grand Prix that "no one wanted to win", 1982.
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The one where something like four race leaders all retired on the last lap? That was really funny :P

I thought it might've been one of the Grand Prix Masters races, but Patrese never had much luck with those, so that's out.

Perhaps the Macau Grand Prix? He won that twice, but I feel it might be a bit before the other two's time.
 
TopGearFTW
The one where something like four race leaders all retired on the last lap? That was really funny :P
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Yes.

TopGearFTW
Perhaps the Macau Grand Prix? He won that twice, but I feel it might be a bit before the other two's time.
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Patrese started his F1 career in 1977, so he is quite a bit older than Nannini and Larini. My best guess is that this is some kind of touring car race. Nannini and Larini competed in touring cars, but I'm unsure of Patrese.
 
I can't find any record of Patrese entering touring cars as of yet. Nannini and Larini were team-mates in DTM for several years, but so far I haven't found a race where they came 2nd and 3rd.
 

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