56 replies to this topic

[RSNS]

Until very recently, it was common to listen to people referring to someone who drove fast in the road as 'who does he think he is? Bloody Fangio???'. In fact, Alain Prost's wife once said that to his husband: 'Pour qui te prends tu? Fangio??'

Nowadays I notice that this has changed: 'Who do you think you are?? Bloody Shumacher???'.

This gives the measure of his impact.

That is all - only one small point that caught my fancy.

[roadie]

You must be really old

I've never heard the Fangio version, only Schumacher.

[Josta]

Originally posted by RSNS
Until very recently, it was common to listen to people referring to someone who drove fast in the road as 'who does he think he is? Bloody Fangio???'. In fact, Alain Prost's wife once said that to his husband: 'Pour qui te prends tu? Fangio??'

Nowadays I notice that this has changed: 'Who do you think you are?? Bloody Shumacher???'.

This gives the measure of his impact.

That is all - only one small point that caught my fancy.

Actually, it was Stirling Moss. Apparently Stirling Moss once got asked that question by a copper.

[bogi]

In my country there is Senna and Schumacher version. 99% of folks don't know who is Fangio.

[Lifew12]

Originally posted by roadie
You must be really old

I've never heard the Fangio version, only Schumacher.

Oddly, last summer I was asked the same question by a nice policeman, but with Mansell as the name; I pointed out he was well behind the times and, in fact, I thought I was Raikkonen. I still got three points and a fine.

[lukywill]

in portugal it used to be fittipaldi. but now it´s senna.

[RedBaron]

I was crawling along the motorway the other day at about 30mph, got pulled over and the officer questioned who I was, Damon Hill?

[Vitesse2]

A probably apocryphal story is that Senna was once stopped for speeding in Britain by a copper whose first words were along the lines of "So who d'you think you are then, Nigel Mansell?"

[Buttoneer]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
A probably apocryphal story is that Senna was once stopped for speeding in Britain by a copper whose first words were along the lines of "So who d'you think you are then, Nigel Mansell?"

This is the version I have always thought was right I must say. It always seems to come with some added info that it was on the M25, near the M3 and Senna was in a 911. If it is a lie, it's a good one. All the best lies come with nice detail embellishment.

[as65p]

I call urban legend at 99 percent of these stories. Same as "I woke up in and missed a kidney..."

[donald29]

This reminds me of 2 funny stories, one incident where Senna was pulled over by police in this country and the copper said "Who do you think you are? Nigel Mansell?" and another with Schumi in America where the policeman pulled him over and said the same thing, Schumi replied "No, I am Michael Schumacher." The cop was clueles lol

[Perigee]

Originally posted by donald29
This reminds me of 2 funny stories, one incident where Senna was pulled over by police in this country and the copper said "Who do you think you are? Nigel Mansell?" and another with Schumi in America where the policeman pulled him over and said the same thing, Schumi replied "No, I am Michael Schumacher." The cop was clueles lol

I thought the story was that it was DC, who was driving all over the road in a crazy, senseless fashion, with no sense of purpose, direction or perceivable logic, colliding with vehicles at every turn in the road, and was stopped by the police who asked him "Who do you think you are - Lucky Will?"

[red stick]

The last one's an obvious fabrication. No cop in America would ask a motorist if he was trying to be Nigel Mansell. Richard Petty? Dale Earnhardt? Jeff Gordon? Now that's another matter.

[Beyond]

in italy they say schumacher

[hobbes]

The Schumacher version is the only one i have heard in my country

[rolf123]

from what i heard, Senna was going down the hard shoulder to get to the British GP in time and got pulled over. Or maybe he was just speeding and then they gave him escort down the hard shoulder. Somethign like that....

[Modern Lover]

Prost was once pulled over in France for speeding and the police officer asked him " Who do you think you are, Alain Prost?"

All the other stories are fabricated.

[Rinehart]

I was stopped for speeding in the UK as recently as 2007 and the policeman said to me, 'who do you think you are, Damon Hill'. 'Damon Hill' I thought? What an insult. 'I didn't think I was driving that slowly', I replied. Needless to say it went right over his head.

[Odseybod]

Slight variation. I was brung up with the family phrase (when stuck behind a particularly slow/erratic/incompetent driver) "Not everyone drives like Fangio."

[HDonaldCapps]

The real deal -- Barney Oldfield....

Then entire routine of a cop pulling over a car and asking the driver, "Who do you think you are, Barney Oldfield?" began with, amazingly enough, Barney Oldfield. It began as part of the publicity done by Oldfield to get people to attend the race meeting. It was, to the best of our knowledge, the brainchild of Oldfield's manager, Bill Pickens, and first used in the 1905/1907 timeframe. It was reported in the newspapers and repeated endless after that whenever a driver was pulled over for speeding.

[SevenTwoSeven]

Originally posted by red stick
No cop in America would ask a motorist if he was trying to be Nigel Mansell. Richard Petty? Dale Earnhardt? Jeff Gordon? Now that's another matter.

Why not? In 1993 Mansell, i got the impression, was pretty well known over there after his expliots in the PPG indycar championship? Maybe not so much in 1994, however, and maybe not so much now.

[red stick]

Nigel did make a splash in '93. Still not the first driver that a cop would mention, either through his own preferences or through assuming the guy he just stopped would have any idea what he was talking about.

[Jerome]

Thanks Don for the factual support. The phrase 'Who do you think you are, Fangio' is part of an urban legend told in the sixties/early to late seventies by racedrivers to fans, at least by Dutch racedrivers. I grew up partly in Zandvoort, and many of the racing friends of my parents told me this story to impress me.
In the Netherlands it got famous because of one of the few books written about mottoracing 'Het gaat niet om geld' (It's not about the money) by Tonio Hildebrand.

It was quite a long story actually, with all kinds of embellishments. About a car driving at high speed in the mist, somewhere in the mountains, that kind of thing. A truck that is turning on a narrow road, close to a ravine. The fast car, being thrown by the driver in a controlled spin, and stopping a hairlength in front of the truck. The truckdriver, green about the eyes, screams: 'Who do you think you are...'

Etcetera.

[Frans]

Over here they call the fast one's "Verstappen" or "The Boss" ....... or just plain "Jos".

but that's no news...

[StefanV]

I went to a bordello the other day and asked for five women. The owner looked at me and said: "Who do you think you are??? Bloody Max Mosley???"

[MONTOYASPEED]

Originally posted by Frans
Over here they call the fast one's "Verstappen" or "The Boss" ....... or just plain "Jos".

but that's no news...

Do you have gravel on your roads and if so do you get pulled over if you go off on them?

[SKL]

I'm dating myself, but growing up, it was "who do you think you are, Phil Hill?"

[StefanV]

Originally posted by MONTOYASPEED


Do you have gravel on your roads and if so do you get pulled over if you go off on them?

I think that if they ask if you are Jos, they have not pulled you over, they have pulled you out.

[Jerome]

Originally posted by Frans
Over here they call the fast one's "Verstappen" or "The Boss" ....... or just plain "Jos".

but that's no news...

Frans is joking, ofcourse. Or he is talking about Limburg. In the Netherlands in the last ten years, I've never heard any other name than 'Schumacher' when someone drove too fast. (Although my students sometimes mention Raikkonen, oddly enough, and that started WAY before he became World Champion. He rings a bell, someway.)

[Jerome]

Originally posted by SKL
I'm dating myself, but growing up, it was "who do you think you are, Phil Hill?"

For a moment, I thought you were getting all metaphysical. 'He's dating himself?'

[Georg_Kuyumji]

Funny my uncle always says "Who do you think you are? Niki Lauda?

[Rabbit123]

Most of todays people wouldn't remember Fangio. They'd get confused and say "who's 'e" . A lot of people know Schumacher or have at least heard of him. They know him as "the ultimate racing driver" and "the master of speed" and so it's much more effective.

[gio66]

Originally posted by lukywill
in portugal it used to be fittipaldi.

In Italy was the same, some years ago.

[Frank Booth]

The one I've heard in the US is

Way to go Mario when someone passes you, however I'm sure now days they would say some NASCAR driver.

Have you ever noticed when someone passes you they are a crazy man and if someone in front of you is going to slow they are a jerk?

[Josta]

Originally posted by Rabbit123
Most of todays people wouldn't remember Fangio. They'd get confused and say "who's 'e" . A lot of people know Schumacher or have at least heard of him. They know him as "the ultimate racing driver" and "the master of speed" and so it's much more effective.

It would also work if a policeman caught someone parking in the middle of the road. "Who do you think you are? Schumacher?"

[Rob G]

For me it was, is, and will always be "Who do you think you are, Mario Andretti?"

[Frank Booth]

Originally posted by Josta


It would also work if a policeman caught someone parking in the middle of the road. "Who do you think you are? Schumacher?"

Or if you were to rear end someone after the light changes. "Who do you think you are? Hamilton?"

[Juan Kerr]

I remember someone being stopped by the police(was it Senna) and the officer saying 'who the hell do you think you are Nigel Mansell ?'

[Spunout]

Originally posted by lukywill
in portugal it used to be fittipaldi. but now it´s senna.

Here in Finland it´s "Who do you think you are? Spunout?"

[Jerome]

Originally posted by Spunout


Here in Finland it´s "Who do you think you are? Spunout?"

Very funny! But how is Kimi in Finland? Doesn't anyone yell: 'Hey Kimi! Pipe down, will ya!'


BTW: I pm'd you.

[goGoGene]

When I got pulled over for speeding they asked "Who do you think you are, Danica Patrick!?!", but I was wearing a two-piece bikini at the time, so it might have been that.

[Frank Booth]

Originally posted by goGoGene
When I got pulled over for speeding they asked "Who do you think you are, Danica Patrick!?!", but I was wearing a two-piece bikini at the time, so it might have been that.

Nice

Do you have leather seats in your car? Was it a hot day?

[MichaelPM]

Originally posted by StefanV
I went to a bordello the other day and asked for five women. The owner looked at me and said: "Who do you think you are??? Bloody Max Mosley???"

never gonna get old

I doubt it ever happened to any F1 driver, to many people claiming different versions. If true i'd have to say Prost was the original...because he was awesome!

[fastlegs]

Originally posted by roadie
You must be really old

I've never heard the Fangio version, only Schumacher.

Growing up in British Columbia, Canada I use to hear the Stirling Moss version.

[Levike]

Somewhere i have reading a story about Prost, in the Renault year, going to a gas station and the employee told him that he was doing a great job against that bastard Prost. (He was thinking that he is Rene Arnoux)

Levente

[Jerome]

Originally posted by Levike
Somewhere i have reading a story about Prost, in the Renault year, going to a gas station and the employee told him that he was doing a great job against that bastard Prost. (He was thinking that he is Rene Arnoux)

Levente

THAT story strikes me as being true. Don't know why, but stuff like that does happen often.

[giacomo]

Last time I fell out of my car, drunk as a lord, blow up dolphin in my arms, the policeman asked me "Who do you think you are? Keke Rosberg?"

[RSNS]

Originally posted by roadie
You must be really old

Not really, but I have a time machine

[united]

It's Schumacher here, even for those, who don't know anything of F1.

[edelweiss]

I always thought this was the original story.

Fangio was driving in a car with his manager Giambertone. They missed a corner whilst overtaking a truck and where both thrown out of their convertible. The truckdriver went to Giambertone (he thought he drove the car) and asked him: "and who do you think you are? Fangio?" "No", said Giambertone, "Fangio is lying over there".

True or not, the oldest version I ever heard.

(source: several yearbooks of Heinz Prüller)