Nigel Roebuck | |
---|---|
Born | March 1946 (age 78) Manchester, Lancashire, England |
Nationality | English |
Occupation | Motorsport journalist |
Known for | Editor-in-Chief of Motor Sport magazine |
Nigel Scott Roebuck (born March 1946) [1] is an English journalist. Since 1971, he has reported on Formula One, [2] and is considered one of the sport's most influential writers. From 2007 to 2016, he was editor-in-chief of Motor Sport magazine. [2] Roebuck was educated at Giggleswick School in North Yorkshire, also the alma mater of Keith Duckworth, another well-known figure in Formula One. He wrote freelance articles for many publications, as well as being Press Officer for the Embassy Hill team in 1975. At the same time, he was writing for Autosport magazine and became their Grand Prix correspondent in 1976. [2]
Roebuck's weekly column, entitled "5th Column", [2] in deference to Emilio Mola Vidal, a Nationalist general in the Spanish Civil War, became a must-read for its insights into drivers, team managers, and some of the self-important bureaucrats running Formula One in the late 1970s and 1980s. While covering Formula One (a category of racing that he loved more than any other), he became close to several drivers, notably Gilles Villeneuve, [3] Chris Amon, Keke Rosberg, Mario Andretti, Eddie Cheever, Derek Warwick, Ayrton Senna, and Alain Prost. He is also a passionate collector of Roadster-era United States oval racing literature. Among Roebuck's freelance outlets were Autosport, plus Autoweek in the United States and a retrospective column in Motor Sport. At the end of 2007, he stopped writing his weekly articles for Autosport magazine and website, to concentrate on his new position as editor-in-chief of Motor Sport magazine. [2]
In 1982, Roebuck drove a Formula One Renault turbo at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. Roebuck was a commentator for the ESPN coverage of the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix. [4] His column was one of the most popular in Motor Sport magazine and ran for over nine years. In January 2017, Motor Sport magazine announced that Roebuck would no longer be writing for the magazine, returning to his spiritual home, Autosport magazine. [2]
Michael Schumacher is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles ; at the time of his retirement from the sport in 2012, he also held the records for the most wins (91), pole positions (68), and podium finishes (155)—which have since been broken by Hamilton—while he maintains the record for consecutive Drivers' Championships and number of total fastest laps (77), among others.
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, currently racing in Formula One as Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Sir Frank Williams (1942–2021) and Sir Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after Frank Williams's earlier unsuccessful F1 operation: Frank Williams Racing Cars. The team is based in Grove, Oxfordshire, on a 60-acre (24 ha) site.
Alain Marie Pascal Prost is a French retired racing driver and Formula One team owner. A four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Michael Schumacher surpassed Prost's total of 51 victories at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix.
Autosport is a global motorsport publishing brand headquartered based in Richmond, London, England. It was established in 1950 at the same time as the origins of the Formula One World Championship.
Jacques Villeneuve is a Canadian former professional racing driver and amateur musician who won the 1997 Formula One World Championship with Williams. In addition to Formula One, he has competed in various other forms of motor racing, winning the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series. He is the son of former Ferrari racing driver Gilles Villeneuve.
Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve was a Canadian racing driver who spent six years in Formula One racing for Scuderia Ferrari, winning six Grands Prix and earning widespread acclaim for his performances.
The Canadian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports car event, before alternating between Mosport and Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, after Formula One took over the event. After 1971, safety concerns led to the Grand Prix moving permanently to Mosport. In 1978, after similar safety concerns with Mosport, the Canadian Grand Prix moved to its current home at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec.
GP Racing, formerly F1 Racing, is a monthly magazine focused on Formula One racing that launched in March 1996.
The 1979 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 July 1979 at Dijon-Prenois near Dijon, France.
The 1980 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 September 1980 at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. It was the twelfth race of the 1980 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
The 1982 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 9 May 1982. It was the fifth round of the 1982 Formula One season. The race was heavily overshadowed by the death of Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, who died shortly after a crash in qualifying.
The 1997 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 October 1997 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Spain. Originally scheduled as the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit, it was moved when Estoril's management had financial difficulties. It was the 17th and final race of the 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship. The 69-lap race was won by Mika Häkkinen in a McLaren, his first Formula One race victory. His teammate David Coulthard finished second and Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve took third, which was sufficient for him to win the World Championship.
The 1982 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It included two competitions run over the course of the year, the 33rd Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 25th Formula One World Championship for Constructors. The season featured sixteen rounds between 23 January and 25 September. The Drivers' Championship was won by Keke Rosberg and the Constructors' Championship by Scuderia Ferrari.
Gianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni was a Swiss racing driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his debut season, driving for Ferrari. He remained with the Italian team until 1972. After a single season with BRM, Regazzoni returned to Ferrari for a further three years, 1974 to 1976. After finally leaving Ferrari at the end of 1976, Regazzoni joined the Ensign and Shadow teams, before moving to Williams in 1979, where he took the British team's first ever Grand Prix victory, the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Didier Joseph Louis Pironi was a French racing driver and later power boat racer. During his career, he competed in 72 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, driving for Tyrrell (1978–1979), Ligier (1980) and Ferrari (1981–1982), but his F1 career ended after a practice crash at the 1982 German Grand Prix. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 driving a Renault Alpine A442B.
Patrick Daniel Tambay was a French racing driver, commentator, and politician, who competed in 123 Formula One races between 1977 and 1986, securing five pole positions and winning twice.
Jacques-Joseph Villeneuve is a Canadian racing driver. He is the younger brother of the late Gilles Villeneuve, and uncle to Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One World Champion. He is sometimes called "Uncle Jacques" to differentiate him from his nephew, and is also known by the nickname "Jacquo". Villeneuve had a varied motorsport career, taking in Formula Atlantic, CART, Can-Am, snowmobile racing and Formula One, and remains a revered figure in Canadian motorsport circles. Villeneuve was the first three-time winner of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby.
Jonathan Mark Christopher Saward is a British Formula One journalist.
There have been 15 Formula One drivers from Canada, four of whom have scored points. Gilles Villeneuve, rated amongst the greatest drivers of all time, died while qualifying for his 68th race. His son, Jacques Villeneuve won the World Drivers' Championship in 1997. Canadian drivers were absent from Formula One since his departure in 2006, until the arrival of Lance Stroll in 2017.
Frederic Barry Opert, known as "Fred", was an American racing driver, car dealer, and founder and owner of the Fred Opert Racing team.