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8W is forix.autosport.com's motorsport history section and covers the drivers, cars, circuits, eras and technology that shaped the face, sounds and smells of motor racing.

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The Caribbean single-seater races of 1960-'62
Racing Juniors in the tropics

Ah, the Caribbean... nowadays we remember it as a place of beautiful white sand beaches, sun, peace and tranquility. But 60 years ago, the Caribbean was also the land of motors. Cars zipped along at over 200 kilometers per hour on some of the most breathtakingly scenic sights on the planet: the beaches and historic center of Havana, the rainforest of Puerto Rico or the coral islands of the Bahamas. Most of the peculiar GPs and races in the region in the 60s had grand-touring cars as their main stars, but one of the most special categories that always participated in these contests was Formula Junior. Why was FJ so underrated? Lorenzo Baer dives into the history of racing Formula Juniors in the tropics.

Suzy Dietrich, Elva-DKW 300, 1962 Puerto Rico GP

 

2023 Algarve Classic Festival report
Crowning the magic

Ken Tyrrell, Tyrrell 011, 2023 Algarve Classic Festival

It’s a story that a screenplay writer would dismiss as being over the top, yet this magical tale has indeed come true – the American who happens to be the namesake of a legendary F1 team boss racing one of Ken Tyrrell’s cars to become the new champion of the series for 3-litre F1 cars. Finishing his remarkable season in style, Ken Tyrrell guided his Tyrrell 011 to victory in the final race of the season at the closing round in Portugal, after the win in the first race had gone to Soheil Ayari. The French driver, who was once dubbed ‘the new Alain Prost’ but failed to progress beyond F3000, followed up his pair of Estoril wins with another victory in his Ligier JS21.

 

2023 Spa Six Hours report
Nightmares and fairytales

Miles Griffiths, Andy Priaulx and Gordon Shedden took the win in the 30th anniversary edition of the Spa Six Hours when in a bone-dry race with numerous neutralizations, their Ford GT40 was glued to the front of the field right from the start, and, in the end, the only GT40 not to fall flat on its face before the chequered flag. In the support races, Antoine and Werner d’Ansembourg – sons of historic veteran Christophe d’Ansembourg – recorded their first major victories in historic motor racing, with Antoine grabbing a surprise victory in the second Masters Endurance Legends race on Saturday morning while Werner repeated the trick later on the day with a win in the second Masters Racing Legends race. In a weekend that combined nightmares with fairytales, the two Belgian brothers won after a terrible day for their team Front Row Racing.

Miles Griffiths/Andy Priaulx/Gordon Shedden, Ford GT40, 2023 Spa Six Hours

 

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