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Champagne + Slicks
  • Aussie battler: Dick Johnson’s road to Bathurst victory 
    Uncategorised

    Aussie battler: Dick Johnson’s road to Bathurst victory 

    ByScott Russell October 13, 2024October 13, 2024

    If Hollywood had written Dick Johnson’s 1981 Bathurst 1000 victory, people would have said it was too far-fetched.

    Read More Aussie battler: Dick Johnson’s road to Bathurst victory Continue

  • Remembering Dave Walker 1941-2024
    Drivers | Obituary

    Remembering Dave Walker 1941-2024

    ByScott Russell July 17, 2024July 20, 2024

    A story you might have missed was the recent passing of Australia’s works Lotus Formula 1 driver, Dave Walker (1941-2024).

    Read More Remembering Dave Walker 1941-2024Continue

  • Ayrton and Roland, 30 years on
    Obituary

    Ayrton and Roland, 30 years on

    ByScott Russell May 1, 2024October 13, 2024

    Born 105 days apart in 1960, they died on the same black weekend, 34 years later.

    Read More Ayrton and Roland, 30 years onContinue

  • The Cruel Sport: Victory and Death at the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix
    Feature | Race Report

    The Cruel Sport: Victory and Death at the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix

    ByScott Russell March 16, 2024March 17, 2024

    It was only the hand of fate that saw Dan Gurney and Petrus Johannes Maria Alders cross paths.

    Read More The Cruel Sport: Victory and Death at the 1960 Dutch Grand PrixContinue

  • The Legend of the Flying Donkey: AGS and the Team Which Would Not Die
    Feature

    The Legend of the Flying Donkey: AGS and the Team Which Would Not Die

    ByForzaMinardi February 24, 2024February 27, 2024

    Every April, the inhabitants of the southern French town of Gonfaron gather to decorate an effigy of a donkey. As the sun sets, the effigy is burned on a bonfire as the townspeople have a party. Perhaps in today’s busy, materialistic world it’s a strange or parochial custom, but its good fun—and a way of…

    Read More The Legend of the Flying Donkey: AGS and the Team Which Would Not DieContinue

  • Movie Review: Gran Turismo (2023)
    Review

    Movie Review: Gran Turismo (2023)

    ByScott Russell August 22, 2023August 22, 2023

    It would be easy to be cynical about a Sony produced film about a Sony marketing campaign based around a Sony PlayStation game, but the Gran Turismo movie hits more than it misses.

    Read More Movie Review: Gran Turismo (2023)Continue

  • Tommy Byrne: Sex, Drugs and Gunshots
    Drivers

    Tommy Byrne: Sex, Drugs and Gunshots

    ByScott Russell May 22, 2023May 22, 2023

    Tommy Byrne’s career began with dreams of Formula 1 but ended in sex, drugs and gunshots in Mexican Formula 3.

    Read More Tommy Byrne: Sex, Drugs and GunshotsContinue

  • PODCAST: Champagne + Slicks on Lakeside Drive Podcast
    Podcast

    PODCAST: Champagne + Slicks on Lakeside Drive Podcast

    ByScott Russell March 26, 2023May 18, 2023

    Scott Russell joins James Baldwin on the Lakeside Drive Podcast to talk about ‘old’ and ‘new’ fans and where they fit in with Liberty Media’s F1 (HINT: there’s room for both!)

    Read More PODCAST: Champagne + Slicks on Lakeside Drive PodcastContinue

  • Slicks ’88 World Tour Tee Now Available
    Shop

    Slicks ’88 World Tour Tee Now Available

    ByScott Russell March 22, 2023August 22, 2023

    The Slicks ’88 World Tour Tee is back!

    Read More Slicks ’88 World Tour Tee Now AvailableContinue

  • Tim Richmond: Hollywood in a Race Suit
    Drivers

    Tim Richmond: Hollywood in a Race Suit

    ByScott Russell March 19, 2023March 21, 2023

    In a sport full of ‘good ol’ boys’ from the south, Tim Richmond was from another planet.

    Read More Tim Richmond: Hollywood in a Race SuitContinue

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champagneandslicks

Remember when we posted this clip from Brooklands Remember when we posted this clip from Brooklands and people absolutely kicked off about it?!
We didn’t realise just how good we had it. Now t We didn’t realise just how good we had it. Now that’s what a racing car should look like 😍
It’s one of the most bizarre things to happen du It’s one of the most bizarre things to happen during a race - a Boeing 767 making an emergency landing in the middle of a race meeting.

It sounds far-fetched, but it really happened back in July 1983, at a de-commissioned Canadian Air Force Base in Gimli that was hosting a Winnipeg Sports Car Club event.

Somewhere overhead, an Air Canada 767 carrying 61 passengers had run out of fuel and desperately needed somewhere to make an emergency landing. 

The disused runway was perfect—apart from the hundreds of drivers and spectators in the area. 

With no fuel, reduced hydraulic power and front landing gear still retracted, the pilots skilfully managed to glide the ‘Gimli Glider’ down for a safe landing. 

No one was hurt, but you can imagine the reactions of drivers and spectators alike as the enormous jet dropped in!

📸 Winnipeg Free Press
Sights and sounds of Group C… turn it up 🔈 Sights and sounds of Group C… turn it up 🔈
Your Mexico City GP power rankings are in 💪🇲 Your Mexico City GP power rankings are in 💪🇲🇽 

(And apologies to our Kiwi friends… we’ve finally fixed the flag stuff-up 😅)

Who’s Hot 🔥

+3 🇬🇧 Oliver Bearman – It’s not just the P4 that was excellent, it’s how he got there — on merit. Bloody good drive.

+2 🇬🇧 Lando Norris – From on the ropes after Hungary to leading the WDC. PS. Where did pre-Baku Piastri go??

+1 🇲🇽 The Crowd – Sell-out crowd and an absolutely raucous atmosphere. Add it to your bucket list.

Who’s Not ❄️

-3 🧑‍🚒 Marshals on the track – Most of us have seen Tom Pryce’s accident and don’t want to see it again. Scary stuff.

-2 🏁 Late Race VSC – Deployed because checks notes Sainz was parked behind a wall. Late, confusing, unnecessary.

-1 🇬🇧 Booing Lando Norris – Is it just me, or is Lando nowhere near enough of a villain to warrant booing like that? Weird.

Standings After Round 20 – Who’s Hot 🔥
🇳🇱 12 Max Verstappen
🇬🇧 10 Lando Norris
🇲🇨 9 Charles Leclerc
🇦🇺 8 Oscar Piastri
🇧🇷 7 Gabriel Bortoleto

Standings After Round 20 – Who’s Not ❄️
🇫🇷 -8 Alpine
🇬🇧 -7 Aston Martin
🇮🇹 -6 Ferrari
🏁 -6 The race itself
🇨🇦 -5 Lance Stroll
Iconic celebrations 🇫🇷 1986 F1 World Driver Iconic celebrations 🇫🇷

1986 F1 World Drivers Champion Alain Prost taking the McLaren MP4/2 down Champs-Elysées in Paris - with the WRC title winning Group B Peugeot 205 for company. 

📸 Alex Duclos, Jean-François Galton
Vale Garry Rogers 1945-2025 An absolute legend of Vale Garry Rogers 1945-2025

An absolute legend of Australian motor racing - a colourful larrikin and a hard-nosed racer and team owner.
Your US GP power rankings are in 🇺🇸 Who’s Your US GP power rankings are in 🇺🇸

Who’s Hot 🔥

+3 🇳🇱 Max Verstappen – Crofty’s Jurassic Park analogy says it all: “there’s your T-Rex, ladies and gentlemen (Max), and Lando and Oscar are in the jeep.”

+2 🇲🇨 Charles Leclerc – Somebody give this man a car to fight for the WDC.

+1 🇬🇧 Jenson Button’s face – Really nailing the Jim Halpert ‘glare to camera’ whenever Danica Patrick speaks.

Who’s Not ❄️

-3 🇬🇧 Williams – All downhill after Sainz’s sprint race podium. 0 points on Sunday a poor return.

-2 🏁 The Race – Leclerc did his best to inject some interest into what was otherwise a real snoozer.

-1 🇦🇺 Oscar Piastri – Beaten by Max and Lando for the fourth weekend in a row. Needs to find some form again and fast.

Standings After Round 18 – Who’s Hot 🔥

1. 🇳🇱 Max Verstappen – 12
2. 🇲🇨 Charles Leclerc – 10
3. 🇬🇧 Lando Norris – 9
4. 🇦🇺 Oscar Piastri – 8
5. 🇧🇷 Gabriel Bortoleto – 7

Standings After Round 18 – Who’s Not ❄️

1. 🇫🇷 Alpine – -8
2. 🇬🇧 Aston Martin – -7
3. 🇮🇹 Ferrari – -6
4. 🏁 The race itself – -6
5. 🇨🇦 Lance Stroll – -5
The way it used to be. Spa-Francochamps in the ra The way it used to be.

Spa-Francochamps in the rain, 1968. A farmer milks a cow as Graham Hill blazes by in the Gold Leaf Lotus 49B.

📸 Unattributed
Pics that go hard 👌 Pics that go hard 👌
This is Australia. This is Australia.
Sometimes I remember Holden doesn’t exist anymor Sometimes I remember Holden doesn’t exist anymore and then I get sad 😭
Jean Alesi testing the Ferrari F92A at the Nardò Jean Alesi testing the Ferrari F92A at the Nardò Ring —a 12.5-kilometre, constant radius high speed test oval in Southern Italy opened by Fiat in 1975 (the ring is now owned by Porsche Engineering).

The track’s four lanes or ‘rings’ are each banked at the exact angle for drivers to be able lo drive without having to turn at speeds up to 240km/h—walking pace for the V12 powered Ferrari!

It wasn’t the only Formula 1 appearance at the track. In 1977, Niki Lauda tested Ferrari’s six-wheeled 312 T6 here, with the Austrian making cautiously optimistic comments about the unique car afterwards. 

📸 Unattributed
Onboard footage is part and parcel of motor racing Onboard footage is part and parcel of motor racing coverage today, but it wasn’t always the case. For John Frankenheimer’s 1966 movie Grand Prix, enormous movie cameras were strapped to cars during practice sessions to record onboard footage for use in the film. 

The shift to live onboard coverage began when Australian TV network ATN-7 installed a 70kg camera in Peter Williamson’s Toyota Celica at the 1979 Bathurst 1000. 

Footage was relayed back to the pits by microwave transmitter and helicopter, giving viewers in-car access, complete with Williamson’s commentary. 

Innovations including Bumpercam, Roofcam and Clearview (to remove grit from the lense) added to the viewer experience as the technology went global—by 1991 Rick Mears would win the Indy 500 with Racecam technology in his car.

📸 Unattributed / Channel
Your Singapore GP power rankings are in! 🌃🇸🇬

Who’s Hot 🔥

+3 🇬🇧 George Russell – Before the start of the year, we doubted George was the man to lead Mercedes. We were wrong.

+2 🇪🇸 Fernando Alonso – If we were awarding points for f-bombs, Fernando would be +5 alone for his post-race radio messages. Great drive to P7.

+1 🇬🇧 Lando Norris – After benefiting from Piastri’s help lately, Lando repaid Oscar with a brash (but fair) Lap 1 move. Advantage Lando… for now.

Who’s Not ❄️

-3 🟢 Race direction – Made the race seem more boring than it was, missing some good scraps up and down the field.

-2 🏁 Singapore circuit – Err, sure we want a sprint race here in ‘26? We like the track, but does it work with today’s gargantuan cars?

-1 🇯🇵 Yuki Tsunoda – As Max continued RBR’s late season resurgence with P2, Yuki finished a lap behind him in 12th.

Standings After Round 18 – Who’s Hot 🔥

1. 🇦🇺 Oscar Piastri – 9
2. 🇳🇱 Max Verstappen – 9
3. 🇬🇧 Lando Norris – 9
4. 🇲🇨 Charles Leclerc – 8
5. 🇧🇷 Gabriel Bortoleto – 7

Standings After Round 18 – Who’s Not ❄️
1. 🇫🇷 Alpine -8
2. 🇬🇧 Aston Martin -7
3. 🇮🇹 Ferrari -6
4. 🏁 The race itself -4
5. 🇨🇦 Lance Stroll -4
Where are you sitting? Where are you sitting?
Nigel Mansell in a Lotus 87 vs JPS Velden Powerboa Nigel Mansell in a Lotus 87 vs JPS Velden Powerboat 😲

How about Nige slowing down on the grass at 115mph!
Rare photos of Denny Hulme testing a CART Galles R Rare photos of Denny Hulme testing a CART Galles Racing March at Australia’s Calder Park Raceway in 1986.

The Calder Park decals on the car and Bob Jane logo of Denny’s overalls suggest the drive was a promotional activity for Jane’s Calder Park. 

Do you know any more details? 

Let us know in the comments 👇

📸 Unattributed
Vale Enzo Osella - one of Formula 1’s last ‘ga Vale Enzo Osella - one of Formula 1’s last ‘garagistas’
“Honestly your cars are so quick that we would s “Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger“

- Jochen Rindt in a letter to Colin Chapman in 1969. Rindt would lose his life driving a Lotus at Monza the following year.
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