122 replies to this topic

[Michael Ferner]

This is supposed to be pure and unadulterated fun, not a contest or a poll, but ever since I read the comment in passing in "The Miller Dynasty" by Mark Dees about Arvol Brunmier being "the most misspelled name in racing history" I have to think about that subject whenever I come across another mix-up in letters, especially since I never found that many occasions when AB's name was misspelled. Anyway, this will probably be most alluring to the researchers amongst us, or to those with blood pressure issues when they see "Mike Hawthorne" or "Bert Hawthorn" in print, but for sheer variety I think that John La Torraca will take a lot of beating. Actually, I'm not really sure THAT is the correct spelling for this unheralded driver and car owner of the pre-WW2 era from the Bay area in Northern California, as I've also seen all of the following:

La Torraco
La Torracca
La Torracco
La Toraca
La Toracca
La Toracco
Latoraca
Latorraca
Latarraca
Latarrocca
Latarocca
Latarocco
Latorraga
Lotarocca
Labarraco
Satawica (!?!)

About the only thing missing in this list appears to be "La Tobacco" or something to that effect... Can anyone beat that?

[LucaP]

...and I thought my surname was difficult...

[Michael Ferner]

Another good one is Miny Dagatta from upstate New York (again, apologies if I got the correct spelling wrong!), as I have the following variations for his name:

Dugatta
Dagotta
Dogotta
de Gato
Degata
d'Gata

... with his first name varying from Minny over Minie and Minnie to Minnio!

[Michael Ferner]

Guy Deulin was a relatively well known driver and car owner from the Pacific Northwest, yet the spelling of his name shows a lot of variety, too:

Deulen
Devlin
Duelin
Duelen
Dulen
Dulan
Geulin (!)

[Doug Nye]

Huh - on this morning's TV coverage of the Chinese GP, unless I 'mis-saw', Jenson Button was wearing a team cap lettered 'Jensen' while his pit board was headed 'Jenson'. So what chance does posterity stand?

DCN

[Michael Ferner]

Milton Fankhauser made it to Indy, yet his name was massacred all the same:

Fankhouser
Fankhouse
Frankhauser
Frankhouser
Frankhousen
Faukhauser
Funkhouser
Frank Houser (!)

I bet they still spelt Frankenstein all right...

[Michael Ferner]

A perfectly straightforward name (if you're German, that is!) like Engelbert Hellmueller morphed into:

Helmueller
Helmeuler
Hulmueler

... on a regular basis.

[Michael Ferner]

What's so difficult about Henry Ziegenthaler?

Zeigenthaler
Zigenthaler

[Lights]

Well, I don't have scientific proof, but Alguersuari is quite a mouthful. I just copied the name from a website, btw.

[Michael Ferner]

... or Mack Woolf?

Max Wolfe
Mark Woolf
Mack Woolfe
Mac Woolf
Max Woolf
Max Wolf

[Michael Ferner]

Johnny Wohlfeil, anyone?

Wohlfiel
Wohlfel
Wofield
Wilfield
Wohlfell
Wohlfield
Wholfield
Wohfield
Wohfiel

Woe me!

[Michael Ferner]

Aloysius Theisen was a Sprint Car Champion, but with a name like that you are never going to make it in America...

Thiesen
Theissen
Thiessen
Theison
Thieson
Thielson
Thiele
Pheison
Tyson

Perhaps he should've tried biting his opponents...

[Michael Ferner]

Dick Shuebruk saw his name spelt as:

Shuebruke
Shueburk
Shubruck
Shulbruk
Shuebuck
Shuebrock
Shuebrook
Schubrook
Shuebruck
Shurbruk
Shrubuck
Shrubruck
Shrubruk
Schrubruck
Sheubruck

... then decided to race as "Bob Gardner"!

[Michael Ferner]

I think at one point I stopped noting alternative spellings for Pete Romcevich...

Romovich
Romceviel
Romcevitch
Romavich
Romcer
Romzevich
Romicivich
Romecevich
Romevich
Runcevich
Roncevich
Roncevitch

Ronspeak is actually a delight compared with that!

[Michael Ferner]

George Mehalis had his name spelt three different ways in one single race report, but still the author didn't get it right (afaik):

Mehalas
Mahalias
Mahalis

[Michael Ferner]

I believe that Lewis, Lew, Louis or Lou combined with the following family names:

Li Dell
Lidell
Liddell
Le Dell
Di Deel

... all refers to the same person - I only wish I knew which one was right!

[David McKinney]

Stick to this side of the Atlantic, Michael - variations are fewer

Edited by David McKinney, 18 April 2010 - 21:23.

[Geoff E]

He didn't (to my uncertain knowledge) race, but the person generally known as William Shakespeare left six known signatures - all of them different - including two on a single document (his will). None of them uses the spelling Shakespeare.

[Michael Ferner]

See, David? Nothing to do with the colonies...

[Richard Jenkins]

Wilbur D'Alene had at least 6 different spellings that I saw, probably many more.

Meanwhile numerous ill-researched books/websites still have Jackie Pretorius down as "Jackie Pretorious"

[Simpson RX1]

My Father worked, for many years, with rally driver Andy Dawson's co-driver/navigator Kevin Gormley (and I've probably spelt that wrong!); Kevin used to keep a list of the different ways he'd been referred to in correspondence, and it ran to several pages.

In deference to this list, we always called him Kelvin Gromley...............

[Gary Davies]

In terms of frequency (rather than variety), it has to be between Sterling Moss and Jim Clarke.

[David McKinney]

... not to forget Mike Hawthorne, of course

[raceannouncer2003]

...and Mark Donahue...

Vince H.

[Giraffe]

In terms of frequency (rather than variety), it has to be between Sterling Moss and Jim Clarke.

....and for circuits, Donnington Park every time.

[Frank de Jong]

Before my website was built up from a database, I had a lot of trouble with Klaus Niedzwiedz; I think I had him misspelled in at least 5 different variations, and that for a guy I have seen race quite a few times.
Niedzwiedz
Nietzwietz
Nietzwiedz
etc.

Edited by Frank de Jong, 19 April 2010 - 08:03.

[Giraffe]

FIA President Jean-Marie Balestre was a name alot of people misspelled, struggled to pronounce or simply had difficulty in remembering.

[Tim Murray]

I'd add Lafitte, Reggazoni, Carraciola and Seagrave to the regularly-misspelt list.

[kayemod]

I'd add Lafitte, Reggazoni, Carraciola and Seagrave to the regularly-misspelt list.

Tyrrell.

[Vitesse2]

I'd add Lafitte, Reggazoni, Carraciola and Seagrave to the regularly-misspelt list.

And Nazarro. Or even Nazzarro.

Not to mention the strange 1930s Italian habit of transliterating first names: "Raimundo Mays", "Rodolfo Caracciola", "Ermanno Lang" ...

[Michael Ferner]

For some reason, Germans appear to be very accurate when it comes to spelling, and I don't think I have ever seen misspellings of Niedzwiedz or Caracciola in print, but Donahue is a particularly good one: I believe I've seen it spelt wrong more often than right! Not trying to start an argument here, but perhaps there's something in the mentality of the various nations - you would expect a German to be a stickler for accuracy, wouldn't you? ;)

"Obersturrmbannführrerr! Sie haben Danzig falsch buchstabierrt!! Dafürr werrde ich sie auslöschen!!!"

[Vitesse2]

You can find quite a few Luigi Faglioli references on t'internet - which will only get worse since Bruce "Complete Encyclopedia" Jones apparently thinks it's correct!

[ensign14]

At least there's an indication in the title of said work that spelling is not Mr Jones' strong point.

[Henk]

Not to mention the strange 1930s Italian habit of transliterating first names: "Raimundo Mays", "Rodolfo Caracciola", "Ermanno Lang" ...

....Manfredo von Brauchitsch

or even..

Manfred di Brauchitsch

one may also find:

Brauchitch
Brauchitsh
Brauchisch
Brauschitsch
Brauschitch
Brauschitsh
Braushitsch
Brausitsch
Brausitch
Brautchitsch
Brautschitch
Brautschisch
Brautsitsch

….. of course with or without ‘von’

[simonlewisbooks]

For me it definitely Rudolf....er..Rudolph Carraci....Caracci...Carracc...... That German guy who raced for Mercedes in the 30s! He always causes me problems.

I have written his name, typed it and mispelled it hundreds of times over the years while listing books and photos . The correct version will not stick in my memory!

I was even taken to task for calling him Rudolf when the accuser insisted it was 'Rudi' - which wasn't a contraction but a stand-alone name... until I pointed to the cover of his autobiography.

[ChiliFan]

I imagine Charoensukhawatana Nattavude has caused some trouble over the years.

[simonlewisbooks]

....Manfredo von Brauchitsch

or even..

Manfred di Brauchitsch

one may also find:

Brauchitch
Brauchitsh
Brauchisch
Brauschitsch
Brauschitch
Brauschitsh
Braushitsch
Brausitsch
Brausitch
Brautchitsch
Brautschitch
Brautschisch
Brautsitsch

….. of course with or without ‘von’

Oh Gawd, yes him as well ! At least he didn't appear in as many book titles as Rudolf Carr...Caracc.... HIM!

[Rob]

You can find quite a few Luigi Faglioli references on t'internet - which will only get worse since Bruce "Complete Encyclopedia" Jones apparently thinks it's correct!

When I was first getting interested in motorsport, I noticed many instances of his name being spelt Faglioli, which confused my tiny little mind. I'm sure that I saw the name Umberto Faglioli written in one book...

[Mansell4PM]

As a child I always wondered who the bloke was who filled in for "former F1 driver Tiffany Dell" on Top Gear. I always assumed she was ill - perhaps even on maternity leave.

Whether this was a common mistake or not, I don't know.

[David Shaw]

When Bruno Giacomelli drove the F1 Alfa-Romeo in the 1980 Australian Grand Prix at Calder, one of the Australian crew had his name signwritten on the side of the car as Jack O'Malley

[Mansell4PM]

When Bruno Giacomelli drove the F1 Alfa-Romeo in the 1980 Australian Grand Prix at Calder, one of the Australian crew had his name signwritten on the side of the car as Jack O'Malley

Jordan also had Tim O'Glock written on the side of their car once.

The right time to start another thread, perhaps?

Edited by Mansell4PM, 19 April 2010 - 13:05.

[Nigel Beresford]

In terms of frequency (rather than variety), it has to be between Sterling Moss and Jim Clarke.

..and MacLaren

[Arjan de Roos]

Nicky Lauda
Niky Lauda
Nicki Lauda
Nyki Lauda...

[Giraffe]

Nicky Lauda
Niky Lauda
Nicki Lauda
Nyki Lauda...

"Louder!"

[Arjan de Roos]

"THE RAT"

[Jerry Entin]

Bob Schroeder in the middle around 1955
There are those amongst us that think Forum member Richie Jenkins is a Bob Schroeder clone.
As for me I believe Richie is an original.

I know this has very little to do with misspelling.


photo: Willem Oosthoek collection

Edited by Jerry Entin, 19 April 2010 - 14:27.

[alansart]

Jordan also had Tim O'Glock written on the side of their car once.

The right time to start another thread, perhaps?

...and I do believe Barry O'Kelly

[Twin Window]

When Bruno Giacomelli drove the F1 Alfa-Romeo in the 1980 Australian Grand Prix at Calder, one of the Australian crew had his name signwritten on the side of the car as Jack O'Malley

...which McLaren had already done in 1978.


(Copyright unknown)

Tyrrell is an oft misspelled name.

[alansart]

Top 3 finishes didn't occur very often in my illustrious racing career. When I did get a result, it always seemed the organisers spelt my name wrong.







Mind you. They did it when I crashed as well

Edited by alansart, 19 April 2010 - 15:04.

[RA Historian]

Then there is Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh. (I copied this down but even then am not sure of the spelling!)
Tom