[DOF_power]

A nice Speed TV article.

A few snips:


Auto racing may have invented groupies. They were called ‘pit poppies.’”
...
“There is only one groove, where you can go wide open. It has something to do with some law of physics. And the size of your balls.”
...
“This isn’t tennis or some pansy sport; this is auto racing, and it’s a dangerous sport.”
...
“I’m not a good loser. I’ve seen a lot of ‘good losers.’ I don’t know about the ‘good’ part, but they’re ‘losers.’ If you’re good enough, you don’t have to be a loser.”
...
“There was one European, I’ll have to admit, who did look pretty good: Jimmy Clark. He seemed to be a little more like the rest of us, and not as much like the other foreigners.”

AJ said he could count on one hand and have a few fingers left over, of drivers who can do well in a poor-handling race car. Jim Clark and Eddie Sachs were two.
...
“Parnelli and Jim Hurtubise and I were the last to admit it-but the rear-engine cars were the cars of the future. They handled better and were faster.”

AUTO-RACING - LEARY: Is A. J. Foyt The Greatest Race Car Driver Of All Time? - SPEEDtv.com



{ P.S. Now technically I have to be a little disappointed for this being only about american drivers, and about Foyt's lack of knowledge, as others like Nuvolari and Jim Clark also drove and won in a lot of cars, and Tazio began as a motorcycle driver.
Not to mention the early "Indy drivers" like Jimmy Murphy, Dario Resta and such, who drove all sorts of cars on all sorts of tracks.}

[simple simon]

not for me he isnt

Mario is #1 for me by a good margin

another in the same conversation of top 5 all time for me is Nigel Mansell .... World Champion F1 driver is impressive ..... but Cart Champion in his rookie season is a great achievement imo

Schumacher was amazing ..... but he was pretty much a one trick pony which is a shame to me ...... much like most NASCAR drivers

i loved watching Dale Earnhardt as a driver .... but i wouldnt put him in the top 10 as an all time racer .... he just didnt do enough different things imo

[DOF_power]

Originally Posted by simple simon

not for me he isnt

Mario is #1 for me by a good margin

another in the same conversation of top 5 all time for me is Nigel Mansell .... World Champion F1 driver is impressive ..... but Cart Champion in his rookie season is a great achievement imo

Schumacher was amazing ..... but he was pretty much a one trick pony which is a shame to me ...... much like most NASCAR drivers

i loved watching Dale Earnhardt as a driver .... but i wouldnt put him in the top 10 as an all time racer .... he just didnt do enough different things imo

Others also did well as I mentioned.

Clark was both Indy 500 winner in 65 and F1 WDC, and Tasmanian champion as well defending british touring car champion.
He also came 3rd at Le Mans in 1960 in a really underdog car and would have won the RAC rally had his car not broken.

Tazio Nuvolari won on motorcycles then went to win the Grand Prix european driver championship and the 24h of Le Mans. He came to America for the race of 2 worlds Vanderbild Cup and won it in 36.
That's amongst many other victories.

[WestCoast]

I'm with SS on this one. Here are my picks...

American - Mario Andretti. Cart & F1 Champ. Indy + Daytona
World - Emerson Fittipaldi F1 & Cart Champ + Indy
Canada - Jacque Villeneuve F1 & Cart Champ + Indy

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

A nice Speed TV article.

A few snips:


Auto racing may have invented groupies. They were called ‘pit poppies.’”
...
“There is only one groove, where you can go wide open. It has something to do with some law of physics. And the size of your balls.”
...
“This isn’t tennis or some pansy sport; this is auto racing, and it’s a dangerous sport.”
...
“I’m not a good loser. I’ve seen a lot of ‘good losers.’ I don’t know about the ‘good’ part, but they’re ‘losers.’ If you’re good enough, you don’t have to be a loser.”
...
“There was one European, I’ll have to admit, who did look pretty good: Jimmy Clark. He seemed to be a little more like the rest of us, and not as much like the other foreigners.”

AJ said he could count on one hand and have a few fingers left over, of drivers who can do well in a poor-handling race car. Jim Clark and Eddie Sachs were two.
...
“Parnelli and Jim Hurtubise and I were the last to admit it-but the rear-engine cars were the cars of the future. They handled better and were faster.”

AUTO-RACING - LEARY: Is A. J. Foyt The Greatest Race Car Driver Of All Time? - SPEEDtv.com



{ P.S. Now technically I have to be a little disappointed for this being only about american drivers, and about Foyt's lack of knowledge, as others like Nuvolari and Jim Clark also drove and won in a lot of cars, and Tazio began as a motorcycle driver.
Not to mention the early "Indy drivers" like Jimmy Murphy, Dario Resta and such, who drove all sorts of cars on all sorts of tracks.}

I gotta agree.

I think being "the Greatest Race Car Driver of All Time" means that you have to compete (and do well) in all sorts of race cars. Most of the folks being mentioned by our posters are open-wheelers, tho they may have successfully competed in several different open-wheel series, I think that's really what "one-trick pony" means. Foyt, for all his braggadocio, ran anything on wheels .. on any kind of track .. usually with good success. He didn't "travel abroad" much, probably because he had so many different venues "at home" to keep himself occupied and entertained. But when he did, it was just like most of his other automotive (ad)ventures .. successful.

But I'm happy with the list put forth in the article ("A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney top my list of the most versatile drivers of all time.") because I was able to see each of them race and followed their careers for a time. But I will also admit that there are other names, most of them supplied by DOF, that should also be on the list, who I haven't seen race nor followed.

Like any list, different people take issue with different parts of it, either identifying why one shouldn't be on it or that another should be. Like I said, I'm happy with it, but also know it's incomplete for whatever reason.

[WestCoast]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

I think being "the Greatest Race Car Driver of All Time" means that you have to compete (and do well) in all sorts of race cars.

Not so sure on that one, if you take the best at something and have them go head to head in the same equipment you will get the #1 spot.

Having motorcycle racing thrown in with auto racing is apples and melons.
Kind off like Kinser going against the Nascar guys or A.J racing a dragster.

Being #1 means you have proved yourself on the "World Stage" not in your local community.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

Not so sure on that one, if you take the best at something and have them go head to head in the same equipment you will get the #1 spot.

Having motorcycle racing thrown in with auto racing is apples and melons.
Kind off like Kinser going against the Nascar guys or A.J racing a dragster.

Being #1 means you have proved yourself on the "World Stage" not in your local community.

I agree on the motorcycles part. but being good in both is certainly a feather in the cap.

by your own standard, tho, Schumacher & Fangio would have to be on the greatest of all time list, tho you didn't include them...

[WestCoast]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

by your own standard, tho, Schumacher & Fangio would have to be on the greatest of all time list, tho you didn't include them...

Only if they raced and won against America's best in Cart & Indy.
I see those 3 being the triple crown of racing.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

Only if they raced and won against America's best in Cart & Indy.
I see those 3 being the triple crown of racing.

ahhh, the Triple Crown of Racing...

The Triple Crown of Motorsport is an unofficial motorsport achievement, most often regarded as winning three of the most prestigious races in the world in one's career: the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix.

Graham Hill is the only driver to have completed the Triple Crown, as he won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969; the Indianapolis 500 in 1966; and finally the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972.

An alternative definition replaces the Monaco Grand Prix with the Formula One World Championship, though Graham Hill is still the only driver to have accomplished this, winning the F1 Drivers' Title in 1962 and 1968.

Some American fans have suggested substituting the Daytona 500, long considered the most prestigious NASCAR race, in place of the Monaco GP or Le Mans. This would have made A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti Triple Crown winners, respectively.

Another rare feat in motorsport includes winning the Indy 500, CART Championship, and Formula 1 Drivers' Title, which has been accomplished by Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Jacques Villeneuve.

As of 2008, the only active drivers who have won two legs of the Crown are Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve. Villeneuve competed in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished in second place, a victory there would have allowed him to complete the Triple Crown (under the latter definition that includes the F1 Drivers' Championship, under the former definition of the Monaco GP his best finish was 4th in 2001).

Endurance sports car racing has its own Triple Crown which features Le Mans and has added 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring which has been won by A. J. Foyt

Source: Wikipedia

So, I guess it's a case of pick your poison...

[WestCoast]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

ahhh, the Triple Crown of Racing...



Another rare feat in motorsport includes winning the Indy 500, CART Championship, and Formula 1 Drivers' Title, which has been accomplished by Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Jacques Villeneuve.

I will go with this version, other opinions may differ.

[OregonSHRFan]

Any of you catch Robin Miller interviewing AJ on Wind Tunnel last week? I enjoyed the stories; AJ can spin a tale.

I don't know if he is truely the Worlds Greatest Driver, as you all have listed there are many contenders from many perspectives for that title. He is certainly one that has been a part of many great racing stories and memories.

[Bob Tanner]

Personally I believe that "Greatest if all time" is just to grandiose a title. I see no way anyone could logically compare the drivers of the first 25 years of the 20th century with the drivers of the second 25; those against the third 25 and then all compared against the final 1975-2000 years. There are just too many variables. Quality of cars, technology, tracks themselves plus the the differences in body conditioning itself.

My picks, by twenty-five year time frame might include:
1900-1925: Ralph DePlama, Barney Oldfield, Alexander Winton and Tommy Milton
1926-1950: Jimmy Murphy, Tazio Nuvolari, Wilber Shaw and Louis Meyer
1951-1975: Jimmy Clark, Bill Vukovich, A.J. Foyt and Junior Johnson
1976-2000: Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Dale Earnhardt

When I look a a list, even one as flawed and as basic as the one I offer, I find it impossible to single out a single driver as "The best of All Time."