Welcome to Who? What? Where? When? Why? on the World Wide Web. Your comments, criticism and suggestions: editors#8w.forix.com (replace # with @).
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.

Featured stories

2026 Monaco Grand Prix Historique report
Celebrating the past while looking into the future

Stuart Hall, March 821, 2026 Monaco GP Historique

Stuart Hall and Michael Lyons further expanded their Monaco trophy cabinets, each claiming two more top honours at this year's Grand Prix Historique. Hall took wins in races E and G, Lyons in races D and F, thereby jointly claiming a clean sweep of the Formula 1 eras from 1966 to 1985. The excitement in this year's races was slightly underwhelming, as with the exception of two, they were all dominated from start to finish by the man that started on pole. Joe Colasacco fought his way up from fourth place to take the win in Grid B for 1.5-litre F1 cars, whilst Patrick Blakeney-Edwards was handed victory in the pre-war race on a plate when his rival Richard Bradley's Maserati ground to a halt in the very last corner – otherwise Bradley too would have joined the ranks of pole-to-win victors.

 

1949 Zandvoort GP
My name is Moss... Stirling Moss

One of the most important and ignored milestones in Moss' beginnings was his first international victory in single-seater racing, achieved in a modest support event for the 1949 Zandvoort Grand Prix. While Moss would present a gala performance in the meeting's Formula 3 race, one wonders how many of the F1 drivers who watched the race from the pits or the stands waiting for their turn to dominate the Zandvoort circuit, expected that that young British driver would become one of their fiercest rivals in the years to come...

Stirling Moss, Cooper MkIII, 1949 Zandvoort GP

 

1975 Bank Holiday Oulton Park 5000
Memories of a snowy day in Cheshire

Dave Walker, Chevron B28, 1975 Oulton Park 5000

In motorsport, a race can go down in history for several reasons. They can be related to on-track circumstances, such as the victory of an underdog, a spectacular overtake, a tragic accident or a decisive strategy, or they can be due to off-scene factors, such as heated discussions in the paddock, reviews of results made by stewards or even a team breaking the rules. Another factor that can turn a normal race into an epic tale is the weather conditions. Tazio Nuvolari's victory at the 1935 German GP under appalling rain is perhaps one of the most famous cases of weather conditions interfering with the outcome of a race. However, for the second round of the 1975 Shellsport F5000 Championship at Oulton Park, an icy surprise awaited drivers and teams, giving a special touch to this event. It was Formula 5000 on snow...

 

Other recent stories on 8W

 

Latest updates on 6th Gear