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Educated drivers

Started by Robbie , Aug 11 2001 12:59

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117 replies to this topic

#1 Robbie

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 12:59

There was a good thread on musical drivers last week.

I'm wondering, now, about educated drivers: nowadays they seem to be racing their whole lives, and doing nothing else. But there have been exceptions (Dr Farrina, Piquet, and of course rich privateers).

Anyone know anything about the sucessful drivers?

#2 No27

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 13:06

Not so very succesfull but off course we had Dr. Jonathan Palmer.

And what was Nelson Piquet's education?

#3 Robbie

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 13:14

Originally posted by No27

And what was Nelson Piquet's education?

Ooops! I though that NP was a Uni. grad. No?

#4 McSlick

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 13:23

Tony Brooks was a dentist before he started driving.

#5 Rob G

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 15:04

The late NASCAR Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki had a degree in mechanical engineering, I believe.

#6 Rainer Nyberg

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 16:52

Tiff Needell has a degree in civil engineering.
Dr. Jack Miller is also a dentist.

#7 birdie

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 16:56

I think Marc Gene has a degree, not sure what, maybe Politics

#8 McSlick

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 17:00

Gene was an accountant

#9 911

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 17:22

Bobby Rahal graduated from Dennison College in Ohio.

Tommy Kendall graduated from UCLA.

#10 MPea3

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 17:30

aah, perfect time for me to ask this question. i've read that jack brabham was an "engineer", but it was never made clear what exactly that meant at the time in australia. it seemed like when the term "engineer" was used, it might have meant something more like a machinist or person with some other training, not in the sense of a person having a dregree in engineering. can anyone shed some light on this?

i have to add that whether or not he was a trained engineer in today's sense, he certainly seemed to have a natural gift for engineering in the broad sense.

also, don't forget mark donahue. i believe he went to brown university.

#11 Mike Argetsinger

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 18:16

Originally posted by No27
Not so very succesfull but off course we had Dr. Jonathan Palmer.

I would have thought that making it in to Formula One was, in fact, the mark of a successful driver. Jonathan Palmer is a very good driver - and successful.

And he wasn't really "off course" that often!!

#12 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 19:03

Max Papis has a degree in Political Science from Milan and speaks several languages, including Swedish I belevie

#13 ehagar

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 19:28

Originally posted by Rainer Nyberg
Dr. Jack Miller is also a dentist.

I think I wouldn't call him a racing driver though... he is REALLY bad. Team Stewart (Indy lights Stewart) has a major laugh every time he hears that guys name. Inventing excuses in order to park the car...

Servia in CART has a mechanical engineering degree.

#14 Joe Fan

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 19:45

Educated drivers, well aren't they all road scholars? :lol:

I just had to put that in since everyone else has already beat me to Alan Kulwicki, Tony Brooks, Mark Donohue, and Dr. Jack Miller. NASCAR legend Fireball Roberts was not only a good ole boy but a college boy as well. He attended the University of Florida and was trying to get a mechanical engineering degree but he didn't complete the program. I guess he enjoyed racing and figured he could make a better living at it.

#15 Paul Medici

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 19:56

Nino Vaccarella, three time Targa Florio winner, Le Mans winner, and others, ......lawyer.

PJM

#16 Leif Snellman

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 20:08

By the way, some sources say that Nino Farina was a doctor of political science but other sources say that he was a doctor of engineering. Which one is correct?

#17 fines

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 20:20

Political Science/Law

I think Vaccarella was just a teacher (sorry, Barry!)

#18 Vitesse2

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 20:31

I seem to recall we recently established that Ottorino Volonterio was a lawyer...

I hope for the sake of his clients he was a better lawyer than he was a driver. :lol:

#19 Zawed

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 22:12

I think I read somewhere that Patrick Tambay had a Masters degree in economics.

#20 Barry Lake

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Posted 11 August 2001 - 23:54

Interesting that someone should mention Nelson Piquet. I seem to remember an interview in which he said he had never read a book. He said he read comics and watched TV.

As with a lot of others, though, Piquet was/is intelligent, if not educated.

Jack Brabham was not a qualified engineer. The course he did with the RAAF was more along the lines of fitting and machining, and for three years, I think. He was a very good machinist. Obviously, as stated, he also had/has a very good grasp of engineering in a practical sense.

#21 red bull

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Posted 12 August 2001 - 03:08

Hi,

I believe that Ralf Schumacher and Alexander Wurz both have degrees in mechanical engineering, but I`m not really sure.
Also, I have recently visited www.cart.com and I was surprised at the relatively high number of drivers with higher education.

#22 cabianca

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Posted 12 August 2001 - 04:42

Vacarella was/is a Law Professor in Sicily. Tony Brooks was already racing befoe he graduated from Dental School. However, his career has been in the motor trade. Took advantage of his time with Ferrari and married a gorgeous Italian lady.

#23 fines

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Posted 12 August 2001 - 08:19

Originally posted by cabianca
Vacarella was/is a Law Professor in Sicily.

So he's both a lawyer and a teacher :lol:

But I distinctively remember him being mentioned as a "Volksschullehrer" (elementary school teacher) several times in German publications, must check that some time.

#24 leegle

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Posted 12 August 2001 - 14:05

I remember reading during the time of his heyday that Vaccarella used to go out and do a lap of the circuit after classes every day.

The impression of the story was that he taught at a school on the circuit.

#25 MrAerodynamicist

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Posted 12 August 2001 - 15:33

Isn't Mosley a trained laywer and failed driver?

#26 Darren

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Posted 13 August 2001 - 02:06

And son of Oswald, which would have been an education in itself.

#27 Milan Fistonic

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Posted 13 August 2001 - 08:41

Originally posted by leegle
I remember reading during the time of his heyday that Vaccarella used to go out and do a lap of the circuit after classes every day. The impression of the story was that he taught at a school on the circuit.

Vaccarella was interviewed in a recent Motor Sport magazine as part of a "Track Test" of the Targa Florio.

Walk past him on the street and you'd guess teacher. Or Lawyer. And you'd be right on both counts.

Vaccarella knew the 44 miles of the Piccolo Madonie off by heart.
"Every centimetre" he asserts. "I did hundreds of testing laps. Every evening after I had finished my work at school, I used to do two or three laps."

#28 Simon Davis

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Posted 13 August 2001 - 11:20

Hello,

Nigel Mansell attained a Higher National Diploma in Engineering at age 21.

Helmut Marko had a doctorate in Law.

Michael May was an engineer, but I am unaware of his exact qualifications.

David Murray was a chartered accountant by profession.

Dave Walker trained to be an accountant.

Simon.

#29 BRG

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Posted 13 August 2001 - 12:51

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
Max Papis has a degree in Political Science from Milan and speaks several languages, including Swedish I belevie

The Swedish would have come in handy at Mid-Ohio, to explain to team-mate Brack why Max had punted him off. And the politics would be useful to try to retain his seat...

#30 Kuwashima

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Posted 13 August 2001 - 13:00

Siegfried Stohr graduated in psychology.

#31 mat1

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Posted 14 August 2001 - 14:19

What about Bruce McLaren? Wasn't he a trained engineer?

mat

#32 RV_Canada

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Posted 14 August 2001 - 14:29

I thought Sir Jackie Stewart was recently awarded an honourary doctorate at a second-rate Canadian University.

#33 jvl

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Posted 14 August 2001 - 14:56

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
Max Papis has a degree in Political Science from Milan and speaks several languages, including Swedish I belevie

So i guess Max would be able to understand what Kenny said after he had punted him off the road in the last couple of races. :lol:

#34 Martyj

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Posted 15 August 2001 - 13:34

In 1992 Nelson Piquet remained in Indianapolis for a month or so to do therapy on his foot injuries. He was interviewed on local television and was asked if he was growing accustomed to life in America. He mentioned that he went to college in the USA before he turned professional race driver. During school vacations he traveled Europe and Brazil to learn his chops as a driver (must be nice being a rich kid.) He said he was was in school in America primarily to be on the tennis team (don't they have tennis in Brazil?). Anyone have further info on this? At any rate, I doubt that he ever completed a degree.

#35 calissa

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Posted 16 August 2001 - 18:07

I think , Tony Brise had attended a university but I'm not sure if he finished it ......

#36 Frank de Jong

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Posted 16 August 2001 - 19:27

Alain Prost, according to "Life in the fast lane" (I'm by no means a Prost addict, but hey, it was cheap) wanted to be a gym instructor and says "I should add that I was not much of a scholar, however, though I was fair at modern languages." He left school 1 year ahead of the final form at 19.

Andrea de Adamich might have a degree (studying law)
Tont Brise had a (honours) degree in business administration
Mark Donohue had a Bsc in Mechanical Engineering
Nigel Mansell is "a qualified engineer"
The last 4 from "Formula one drivers' profiles by Simon Scott.

#37 MattFoster

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Posted 16 August 2001 - 22:30

I am pretty sure I read that Andrea de Cesaris had a degree in Architecture or was a Draftsman or something like that.

#38 leegle

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Posted 17 August 2001 - 00:22

He never seamed to need that when he was re-shaping the scenery! :lol:

#39 FLB

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Posted 27 August 2001 - 16:30

Bernd Schneider has a Civil Engineering degree.

Nino Farina had a Political Science PhD (at least according to the French, as was constitutes PS is very different depending on culture)

Bobby Rahal's degree from Dennison is in Military History.

#40 f li

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Posted 27 August 2001 - 20:10

Jim Hall - graduated from California Institute of Technology.

#41 mhferrari

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Posted 28 August 2001 - 17:37

The thing that confuses me, especially with the newer drivers, like Wurz and Ralf, how can they go to college when they spend so much time on the track?

#42 josh.lintz

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Posted 31 August 2001 - 00:42

Race on Sunday, go to class on Monday...."Uh, I couldn't make class because I had practice and qualifying." I don't think that would fly with my professors. (Maybe I'll bring up the fact that Fireball Roberts was a Florida Gator.)

I think Piquet went to California to play tennis, not really to pursue a degree. What about Harald Ertl, he was a racing journalist too; did he get a degree somewhere?

#43 birdie

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Posted 31 August 2001 - 12:38

Also, I have recently visited www.cart.com and I was surprised at the relatively high number of drivers with higher education.

I think higher education is more ingrained into US culture - I'm a middle class, privately educated Brit and it was by no means certain that I'd go to university but it's a lot different for my American friends. Mind you, there's only about 4 US drivers in CART now isn't there?

The thing that confuses me, especially with the newer drivers, like Wurz and Ralf, how can they go to college when they spend so much time on the track?

The British drivers now almost certainly leave school at 16, or sooner if they have tutors or homeschool. McLaren are making their 16 y/o protege take A levels at least though.

#44 LittleChris

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Posted 31 August 2001 - 14:06

Birdie,

Shame on you.

I'm a middle class Brit who was a result of a comprehensive school education and I'm pretty certain that your statement should read

" Mind you there ARE only about 4 US drivers in CART now ARE'NT there "

Just being picky !! It's what you are saying that counts !!!

Chris

#45 birdie

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Posted 31 August 2001 - 15:55

#46 LittleChris

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Posted 31 August 2001 - 16:03

Jeez,

Hope this doesn't start up a public ( Private school in the UK ) vs private ( Is that a public school elsewhere ?? ) school education !!

:lol:

#47 birdie

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Posted 31 August 2001 - 17:26

UK
Public/Private/Independent

=

Anywhere else
Private

lololol (sorry Chris ;))

#48 Vitesse2

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Posted 31 August 2001 - 22:36

Originally posted by LittleChris
Birdie,

Shame on you.

I'm a middle class Brit who was a result of a comprehensive school education and I'm pretty certain that your statement should read

" Mind you there ARE only about 4 US drivers in CART now ARE'NT there "

Just being picky !! It's what you are saying that counts !!!

Chris

Actually Chris, it should read:

" Mind you there are only about 4 US drivers in CART now AREN'T there "

Just being picky !! It's what you are saying that counts !!!
:lol: