SPECIAL REPORT with Jan Janssen

ThethrilloftheHunt

THE WILDEST MAN IN THE HISTORY OF RACING, ’S MATINEE IDOL LOOKS AND DEVILISH SWAGGER TURNED HIM INTO ONE OF THE GREATEST SYMBOLS OF MOTORING MACHISMO IN HIS TIME, AND HE DID EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO LIVE UP TO THAT REPUTATION.

James Hunt's roguish, flamboyant only two laps. To his credit, ways would be inconceivable in refused to allow his team to offer today's era, as drivers stick to pre- an excuse on his behalf that he had programmed platitudes when dropped out due to mechanical describing their performances in post- reasons. "I quit the race because ... my race interviews and are often forced to life is worth more than a Formula One submit formal apologies after daring title ... I don't mind admitting that." to criticise dangerous driving by fellow As it turned out, Hunt, who had racers or incomprehensible strategic started second from the grid, errors by their teams. aggressively passed polesitter Mario Apart from his Bacchanalian aura, Andretti to move into first place on Hunt was also one of the most fearless lap 1 and remained in the lead for most racers in Formula One. He willed of the race. Pushing his McLaren M26 to himself to the world title in 1976 by the limit on the rain-soaked track, Hunt racing all-out in the final race of the managed to survive severe tyre wear and season in Tokyo under the worst a puncture to finish third and thereby conditions imaginable. The potential claim the world title from defending loss of millions in TV revenues from an champion Lauda by a single point. expected record live audience of 30 It was one of the most exciting million spectators obliged race closes to any Formula One season and organisers to go ahead with the event served to crown James Hunt as one of during a massive downpour that should the most charismatic champions and have led to the race being postponed. sportsmen in history. The risks were so great that Hunt's life and his epic 1976 battle pilot Lauda, who suffered with is best known to the severe burns and nearly died in a fiery casual fan from “Rush”, the 2012 film crash earlier that season at directed by . It was the Nürburgring, decided to pull out of first feature film about Formula One the race and return to the pits after racing since John Frankenheimer's epic

12 –SPECIAL REPORT 1965 movie, “Grand Prix”. Starring 70s. They were true gladiators whose of an era where an average of four Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers’ Thor) chariots were akin to lightly armoured, drivers died every F1 season: “There’s as Hunt and Daniel Bruhl (The Fifth high velocity, jet-fuelled torpedoes a lie that all drivers tell themselves: Estate, Inglorious Basterds) as Lauda, that offered little protection in the death is something that happens to “Rush” did a reasonable job of adding event of a crash. other people. That’s how you find the to the legend of the wild Englishman. Hunt himself had to drag fellow courage to get in the car in the first After completing the movie, race car driver out of place. The closer you are to death, the Howard, who had been accused of his burning car when track marshals more alive you feel. But more powerful sanitising Hunt's life, explained that he were too afraid to do so. (Peterson later than fear itself, is the will to win.” had to tone down his treatment of the died in hospital as a result of faulty In Hunt’s day, the individual driver libidinous Englishman’s sexual exploits medical treatment.) even still mattered. Not so much in terms of “because no one would ever believe it!” won the 1970 F1 championship determining the outcome of the race – Lauda, who died last year, enjoyed posthumously after being killed prior usually the best car would win, a more convivial relationship with to the end of that season. something which is much truer today Hunt despite the fierce rivalry Whereas Hunt and the F1 drivers – but with respect to defining a sense depicted in the film. Three years of his era entered each race with a 20 of the man behind the wheel. before Hunt’s death, Lauda met him in percent statistical risk of dying, It was only fitting that Hunt made London and, to his horror, discovered today’s cars offer near-absolute his debut in F1 racing for a team that his friend looked more like a hobo protection against paying the ultimate personally financed by Lord Thomas than a glamorous playboy. price. Prior to Frenchman Jules Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, the flashy “He was dishevelled, his clothes Bianchi’s death from a brain injury British aristocrat who identified with were dirty, and he met me at this suffered at the 2014 Japanese Grand Hunt’s dashing looks, aggressive cheap restaurant in London on a Prix, Brazil’s – generally driving style and equally decadent bicycle that had no air in its tyres,” acknowledged as the greatest F1 lifestyle. And even though Hunt recalled Lauda. driver of all time, and who won the wrecked more than his fair share of “James explained that he had no an astonishing five cars while driving for Hesketh – money. He asked me for 300 pounds, times in a row, six times overall – was so much so that he was given the and I gave it to him but told him to the last man to die in a race. nickname “Hunt the Shunt” – fellow stop drinking. I looked at him and said, Said Hunt of driving at the tail end drivers, including Niki Lauda who had ‘James, you're going to kill yourself.’ I had to do this a second time and then he got clean.” Lauda would see Hunt shortly before he died and was delighted to see that his friend had turned his life around. Still under contract as BBC co-commentator for Formula One alongside Murray Walker, Hunt “had stopped smoking and drinking, and he was happy”. Sadly, a few days later Hunt was dead. “It’s too bad that he didn’t go get medical help that night he wasn’t feeling well,” recalled Lauda. Hunt had called a doctor late one night from his house in Wimbledon but was told to go to sleep and not to worry. “He shouldn't have died.” Lauda later added: “James was a man you never forgot once you knew him. He is one of the very few people who are still alive [in my mind] even though they’ve been dead for many years. Hunt was a big part of my life – he’s still alive for me.” Today's F1 pilots certainly have nothing in common with Hunt and the generation of drivers from the 60s and James Hunt with Niki Lauda – note the body language.

The National Collision Repairer – 13 SPECIAL REPORT

competed against Hunt in the lower won the and looked very Having said that, if there had been Formula series, knew that he was not fast throughout qualifying. Even two cars out there, the second would only “quick” but an intense competitor. though he ultimately crashed out on have been mine.” After Hesketh Racing ran out of lap 32 due to a stuck throttle, he had But Hunt and 20 other drivers money after three seasons in F1, Hunt served notice that he would be a stayed out on the wet track to race was fortunate to land a ride with the serious contender for the title. He and despite the danger. Hunt led for most McLaren team just prior to the Lauda would trade victories over the of the race but on lap 62, while 1975 season when Brazilian driver course of the season until the latter’s running comfortably in second – he left to start his own near-fatal crash at Nürburgring that only needed to finish third to win the Copersucar race team. It was the burned the flesh off his forehead, championship – the rain had stopped decisive moment in Hunt’s career. He erased his eyebrows, melted most of and, as a result, the dry track peeled finally had a competitive car that would his right ear, and seared his lungs. the tread off Hunt's soft-compound enable him to challenge his arch-rival Lauda would spend anxious days rain tyres. With eight laps remaining, Lauda and the dominance of Ferrari. in a coma and at one point a priest his left front tyre blew, and he had to Interestingly, Hunt had turned down delivered the last rites to him – but he pit, causing him to sink to sixth. an offer to race for Lotus, believing that miraculously survived and returned to Furious and desperate, Hunt re- team owner ’s cars were race again six weeks later while Hunt joined the race and drove like a essentially “flying gas bombs” and even scored several victories in his absence. madman, passing the fourth and fifth too risky for his liking. Indeed, many By the final race in Japan, Hunt had place cars on a single corner on his people in F1 held Chapman liable for reduced Lauda’s lead to a mere three way to the third-place finish that would World Champion driver Jochen Rindt’s points and the title was there for the make him world champion. But there death several years earlier. taking. However, although some was considerable confusion amongst Gerald Donaldson, the legendary people claim that Lauda's accident race officials about whether Hunt had Canadian motorsport writer who had effectively given the 1976 possibly finished fourth, which would wrote arguably the definitive book on championship to Hunt by default, it is have made Lauda champion. Finally, Hunt (James Hunt: The Biography), worth noting that both men, either by the stewards checked their stated that Hunt had a “rage to injury or mechanical failure, failed to chronometers and it was determined compete” and was willing to “race finish five races apiece. that Hunt had indeed finished third. more on the limit, and for longer” than On race day in Tokyo, the rain was It was the most thrilling climax in almost any other driver of his era. so heavy that visibility was less than the history of Formula One racing and The 1976 F1 season was essentially 100 metres and during the warm-up earned Hunt his place in the pantheon a mano-a-mano duel pitting Hunt, lap most drivers complained that they of world champions. To this day, few piloting a McLaren M23, and Lauda, could hardly see anything due to the individuals personify the risks and driving a Ferrari that he had forced heavy spray that the cars in front of rewards of a life lived on those early, notoriously arrogant owner Enzo them were channelling into their visors. lethal days on the track. Ferrari to re-design to his own Hunt himself would comment This article was written by Jan exacting specifications. In the opening after the race was over: “I thought it Janssen exclusively for the National race, the , Hunt was pathetic that they made us drive. Collision Repairer in Australia.

Hunt in his Marlboro McLaren.

14 –SPECIAL REPORT