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"Cult hero" drivers

Started by Andrew Hope , Jun 21 2013 01:56

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141 replies to this topic

#101 Currahee

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 08:37

Colin McRae. Valentino Rossi. JPM. Jean Alesi. etc.

#102 sopa

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 09:14

Wot about Luca Badoer? Unsung hero of Ferrari success. Legendary retirement from fourth in a Minardi. Many people were actually excited, when he made a comeback in 2009 as a gift for life-long services, despite him turning out rubbish.

#103 Taxi

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 11:17

Only guys how won little [so Kimi, Gronholm, JPM, kankkunen, Sainz, Piquet, Mansell, Hill are out]

Alesi: Pure passion for driving. Fighting the car, making stupid mistakes but wining the peoples heart. He's a Legend.

Giggi Galli: The same that Alesi but in a rally car. Always giving a show. **** efficiency.

Eddie Irvine: the talented playboy that got the best he could get and enjoyed it: Money, fast cars, women. Living la vida loca.

Olivier Grouillard: He was not that fast, nor that charismatic, but his helmet design was awesome and the front runners were afraid of lapping him co's he would never look at his mirrors. That's enough for me.

#104 Bloggsworth

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 11:51

Jean Behra - He had "Tiger"

#105 karne

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 12:18

Evgeni Novikov!!!!!!!!!

Sideways through the water splash at Rally Oz still gets some people talking! (Crazy Russians are good for many things.)

#106 EightGear

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 12:22

Evgeni Novikov!!!!!!!!!

Sideways through the water splash at Rally Oz still gets some people talking! (Crazy Russians are good for many things.)

He's a kind of Russian Colin McRae... If he keeps it on the road he will be a regular podium contender.

#107 Zeroninety

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 15:02

Ukyo Katayama, he seemed to always have something going on, and it usually was something weird.
Could be wicked fast on his day though, and at one time was considered for a Benetton-drive, which he turned down because he had cancer. He overcame the illness and stuck around for a few more years though, still doing his thing.

Quite a character outside the sport too, surviving cancer and having some 'adventurous' times with his other passion: mountain climbing.

Gotta love the story of how he decided he needed to race in the UK to improve his chances of reaching F1; so, he moved to Paris, on the mistaken belief that it's in Great Britain! :drunk:

#108 sopa

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 15:10

Kiyonari from bike racing.

Yeah I think whoever said that Japanese often tend to become cult heroes, sound about right. Their culture is a bit different and unique for others, it seems sheer and pure bravery is more in regard there!

#109 Longtimefan

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 15:16

Francois Cevert

#110 wrighty

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 22:44

(one for the purists then)

Rob Speak, stock car driver who has held the F1 world title AND the F2 world title (8 times!) AND has been banger world champ (a title of sorts but still deeply significant to everyone who's held the title or tried to) and on his day can either be the very best oval racer you ever saw......or can be a complete play-to-the-crowd-and-doesn't-wanna-win-in-the-wrong-way pantomime villian.....he's dynamarmite lol

This is vintage Speak, the first 6 or 7 laps are truly sublime, every shot efficient and measured and very effective....

This is also vintage Speak, panto thug ********.....lol

i know a guy with a Speaky tattoo on his back.....that's kinda above and beyond in stock car terms :stoned:

a real bonafide cult hero :up:

#111 Seanspeed

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Posted 22 June 2013 - 23:48

Noriyuki Haga.

#112 rubikimi

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 00:12

Garry-sideways-McCoy?

#113 LittleChris

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 01:17

Bruce Anstey and Cam Donald

#114 Tarvoke

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 01:17

Gilles Villeneuve
Clay Regazzoni
Ronnie Peterson
Patrick Depailler
Arturo Mezario

#115 ensign14

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 07:12

Oscar Koveleski and Tony Adamowicz, perhaps.

JD McDuffie.

#116 SonJR

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 09:09

Gotta love the story of how he decided he needed to race in the UK to improve his chances of reaching F1; so, he moved to Paris, on the mistaken belief that it's in Great Britain!

Haha, I didn't even know that one, classic! I do recall something about him just staying in bed for several days on end when he was younger, so he wouldn't have to eat and could use the money he saved on food for new tyres.

#117 Collombin

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 13:58

Werner Grissmann was the very epitome of a cult hero during his ski racing career, I don't know if he attained similar status within the rallying fraternity?

#118 britishtrident

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 14:19

Vittorio Brambilla, "The Monza Gorilla".

Brambills...................................

He could equally well have been called the Monza "guerilla" as he took no prisoners on or off the track and knew every trick that wasn't in the book.

The fact he was born in Lesmo and died (while mowing his lawn) in Monza only adds to his legend :-)

#119 britishtrident

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 14:31

This will get some of you Googling

Barney Olfield
Bernd Rosemeyer
Tony Brooks
Archie Scott-Brown
Innes Ireland
Chris Amon
Tom Pryce
Tony Brise
Ronnie Peterson
Gunner Nilsson
Rober Kubica

#120 britishtrident

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 14:35

Dan Gurney.

A truly nice guy apparently the only man Jim Clark worried about when he saw him in thr mirrors.

#121 chr1s

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 21:08

David Purley!

#122 OvDrone

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Posted 23 June 2013 - 22:55

The dudes who mentioned Gurney, Amon, Regazzoni, Peterson, Haga :up:

#123 Jovanotti

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 06:57

Jo Siffert !

#124 William Hunt

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 16:33

Inoue, no joke.

he has a great sense of humour.

#125 Longtimefan

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 17:20

David Purley!

Oh yes, and a true hero in every sense of the word.

#126 Fatgadget

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 20:21

Andy Dawson
Tony Drummond
Barry Lee

Nuff said!

Edited by Fatgadget, 24 June 2013 - 20:23.

#127 Vermont

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 01:33

Gilles Villeneuve
James Hunt

Oh come on, a world champion and the best driver of the late 70s-ear;y 80s? they are not cult drivers, they were la creme de la creme!!!!

#128 Vermont

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 01:56

For me....

JJ Letho: because he had the coolest name in F1 ever. And he was a great promising driver until he cracked his head

Lella Lombardi: a chick in F1 in the mid 70s....racing Huint, Lauda, Brambilla, Regazzoni, Scheckter, and so on. And scoring a top 6 in Spain in 1975. :up:

Taki Inoue for being possibly the worst F1 driver in moder era. And he agreed on Twitter. This was his F1 career highlight..... Inoue

Bruno Senna!!!!!! No reason to explain why!!!!!

Andrea De Cesaris, the fastest and most talented driver to never win a GP in modern F1 and the crashiest too

Elio De Angelis....born rich, born very good looking, born in Rome.....talented, gave Ayrton Senna a run for his money at first.....lost his life in one of of F1's worst ever cars

Ivan Capelli: raced Ayrton Senna face to face on a Layton House....goes to Ferrari...gone in 6 months. The loudest mental breakdown I can remember in F1

Stefan Johansson who replaced Arnoux at Fwerrari and led his second race with Ferrari at their 'home' race, the San Marino Grand Prix, and two laps from home passed Senna's out of fuel Lotus to the delight of the Tifosi and would probably have won if his Ferrari 156/85 had not run out of fuel just half a lap after taking the lead.

Mika Salo - never won a GP because he had to hand it over to Eddie Irvine

Arturo Merzario - If you had a chance to follow him in his after Ferrari days in the Merzario team.....I met him and his team in Rio de Janeiro in 1978 as a child....reminds me of an army in a Monty Payton movie....but the passion was infinite

#129 eronrules

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 03:13

Kimi-Matias Räikkönen

AKA the 'ICEMAN'

WAS (2001-2009)

IS (2012-)

WILL BE (as long as he likes)

the cult hero for me.... :love:

[P.S - i don't care what 'cult hero' definition is. it doesn't interest me ]

special mention

Peter 'holywood' Solberg :cool:

#130 Lemnpiper

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 03:41

I'm gonna add a group of guys i saw racing in person ,

Gary Scott one of the most determined flat trackers i ever saw , who finally won a American Motorcyclist Championship despite biting the hand of Harley Davidson to get the best bikes he could.

Lennie Pond all round nice guy who deserved better rides but a least showed you could win the Rookie title with a backyard garage team against a well funded long established team with a driver being groomed for nascar superstardom.

Lloyd Ruby, Vitor Meira the heartbreak of their careers is that they will never be on the Borg Warner trophy but despite that they tried their best as long as they could.

Baxter Price , Travis Tiller , Rick Newsome, Jabe & Ronnie Thomas , Carl Long , Nascar field fillers too most , but the very drivers most willing to take time to answer questions of the fans every chance they could.

Ed Carpenter you gotta love a driver who carries the baggage of being the step son of man who's actions many have diagreed with in the past , and is now becoming one of the better oval racers racing .

Paul

#131 Vermont

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 05:00

Kimi-Matias Räikkönen

AKA the 'ICEMAN'

WAS (2001-2009)

IS (2012-)

WILL BE (as long as he likes)

the cult hero for me....

[P.S - i don't care what 'cult hero' definition is. it doesn't interest me ]

special mention

Peter 'holywood' Solberg

Kimi is a WC, doesn't qualify

#132 Jeeves

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 06:21

For me....

JJ Letho: because he had the coolest name in F1 ever.

It's spelled JJ Lehto.

#133 ensign14

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 07:25

Arturo Merzario - If you had a chance to follow him in his after Ferrari days in the Merzario team.....I met him and his team in Rio de Janeiro in 1978 as a child....reminds me of an army in a Monty Payton movie....but the passion was infinite

Like those other tilting-at-windmill teams like Osella and Coloni. And, of course, Life...

#134 Collombin

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 09:05

Arturo Merzario - If you had a chance to follow him in his after Ferrari days in the Merzario team.....I met him and his team in Rio de Janeiro in 1978 as a child....reminds me of an army in a Monty Payton movie....but the passion was infinite

His cult hero status still seems to be alive and well - he was besieged by autograph hunters and well wishers at Goodwood last weekend. And looked the coolest guy in the place too.

#135 Lord Snooty

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 11:56

Johnny Herbert

Great guy, always positive and without, as far as I can see, a bad word for anyone. Racing career devastated by Brands hatch crash in '88 but he still came back to F1 and Le Mans.

:up:

#136 Currahee

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 21:46

Guy Martin?

#137 Callisto

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Posted 17 July 2013 - 23:20

Sir Sterling Moss

#138 Collombin

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Posted 18 July 2013 - 09:33

Sir Sterling Moss

I would have thought all the truly elite drivers would be ineligible under the terms of the OP.

And be very careful with spelling on a thread about cults.