59 replies to this topic

[James L. Kalie]

My apology's if this has been done before. I couldn't find a thread. We have all read about various Drivers Superstitions or Quirks and I'll bet our TNF membership knows a bunch of them. Numerology is a big one. I know the Ascari's seemed spooked by certain numbers. Wasn't Seaman leery of the number 13 while Rosemeyer embraced it and thought it was lucky for him. But let's through it open. I want all of them. I am going to risk this. I was told by someone who was there to see it that Jo Bonnier would unzip his pants before he got strapped in his car. Who knows? C'mon guys. This could be fun.

[Buford]

A lot of drivers in the 1950s refused to be photographed anytime in the immediate pre race period because so often those photos appeared in the papers the next day with the caption. "Last photo taken of XXXX XXXX."

[Kerb Bouncer]

Buford:

That seems less like a superstition, and more like the drivers had a good sense of the journalism and the urge for sensationalism. :

[rdrcr]

KB,

It might seem that way, but I imagine that if your friends were dropping like flies and you keep seeing images of your racin' buddies with that caption, you might think otherwise.


The strangest superstition maybe that no NASCAR driver will eat peanuts at the track.

Buz McKim, coordinator of NASCAR's history database, traces the superstition to a race in 1937 race in Nashville. One of the drivers had a beef with the race promoter. He was so upset that he hatched a devious scheme to get the first five qualifiers to drop out of the race. His ingenious plan was to sprinkle peanut shells on their cars. Why peanut shells would cause a driver to withdraw from a race has been lost. Anyway, those five drivers all wrecked, and one of them, Howdy Cox, died. Thus was born sports' strangest and most widely held superstition.

Walnuts, pecans, cashews? Fine, fine and fine--so far at least--as is everything else in the nut family. And please don't post to say the peanut is a legume.

Michael Schumacher's pre-race toilet trips are as much to do with routine as need and since brother Ralf's arrival in F1 it appears to be a family outing. Michael Schumacher, like many racing drivers, will only get into the car from a certain side.

Alex Wurz's odd colored boots carry over from when he won a race in his early career whilst wearing odd boots. As an observer it is easy to scoff that Wurz's good luck charm must be wearing thin yet still he persists. It is probable that Wurz's idiosyncrasy, like other drivers, has gone from being superstition to routine which aides confidence. Whilst not encouraged, as a rule sports psychologists are happy to except such rituals and superstitions provided they are as innocuous as putting a certain shoe on first. Indeed, it could cause a driver more unsettlement to try and change such behavior than to leave it be, only when such behavior is deemed irrational would sports-psychologists step in.

Such pre-race routine helps not only prepare the mind for the oncoming intense concentration needed but also the vital mind-body connection. Drivers will often talk of feeling mentally better when they are physically fit and vice versa.

Professor Sid Watkins, as a researcher in the 1950's, repeated a set of famous physiological experiments that measured the effects of heat stress on performance which has proved significant for his work in motor racing. Studying heat acclimatized volunteers, it was found whilst increasing the effective temperature had little effect on manual dexterity it greatly effected intellectual performance. This may explain why drivers have made what seem inexplicable mistakes in high ambient temperatures and highlight the importance of being physically fit and acclimatized to high temperatures not only to ensure the physical body can cope but that a driver can mentally perform too.

Another well documented demonstration of the mind-body connection, and a reason why stress relieving pre-race routines are encouraged, is heart rate. The psychological stress at the start of race can cause the heart rate of a driver to triple from its resting rate. In the early 1980s, Ferrari drivers Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve took part in a study of motor sports competitors and their physical performance. It is interesting to note that Pironi was always considered more 'highly strung' than Villeneuve and as such his pulse rate was higher. It is also interesting to note that their pulse rates were lower at circuits they knew well. While the spectator's heart pounds at the sight of an F1 car, the drivers must form an almost peaceful relationship with their machinery and surroundings.

Ayrton Senna would often train in his overalls and helmet to re-create the race setting and learn to equate his 'uniform' with the necessary preparation to compete. This type of visualization, an imagined dress rehearsal which trains the body and mind to cope with the situation when it happens is a popular technique. The ability to remain calm and the positive effect this has on a driver's ability is a much desired quality and one for which Michael Schumacher has been admired. Bernard Dudot, technical director at Renault at the time, noted in 1995 that he was astounded with Michael Schumacher's mental capacity. Schumacher's ability to remain calm and relaxed in race and test situations means he is able to relay invaluable information from the car to pit radio. An ability to be able to communicate effectively during races gives both driver and team an edge.

Enough psycho-babble bullshit...

Another common held superstition in the racing fraternities is the color green. Many crew chiefs to this day, will not allow any green within the confines of their pit area.

I have a pair of lucky socks. Do they bring really bring bring me luck? I'm not sure, but of the of all of the races I've won, which is 17% of all races entered, they were on my feet 80% of the time. It couldn't hurt to keep wearing them!

[Buford]

Originally posted by Kerb Bouncer
Buford:

That seems less like a superstition, and more like the drivers had a good sense of the journalism and the urge for sensationalism. :

Agreed. But it also could have been because they thought it was a "jinx".

[Gary C]

didn't Ayrton also wear his racing gloves inside out for luck??

[petefenelon]

David Coulthard's lucky underpants?
(which I believe he still carried round long after they'd been cut off after an accident?)

[ensign14]

Stefano Modena did things like wear his gloves inside out, which were termed superstitions, but when he wanted to be taken seriously said it was for comfort.

Farina had a medallion of the Madonna della Consiliata which he always wore - to the extent that when he forgot it at the Dutch GP in 1953 he dashed off to get it (left at his hotel) and nearly missed the start.

Alberto Ascari's fatal crash came when he was not wearing his familiar baby blue helmet.

I think Joe Weatherly refused to start a NASCAR race because he qualified 13th - until the promoter decided he was in 12a-th position.

And 13 was taboo at Indy for years, in that a driver (Lou Schneider?) was told to renumber his car when he arrived with 13 on it. Green was as well, until a certain driver massacred that superstition...

The less said about Coulthard's lucky pants the better.

[WDH74]

I've read that Tazio Nuvolari considered his tortoise logo a lucky charm of sorts. Didn't Moss always try to get his cars numbered seven, or something divisible by seven?

-William

[Teapot]

There's an entire chapter about drivers' superstitions in Enzo Ferrari's "Pilots I have known"...

Below, some roughly translated quotes:

Sommer had only a worn out pair of gloves for race days

Chiron used to wear a little scarf, Mairesse only one particular pair of overalls, while Von Trips had a "lucky" foulard and Surtess an old helmet.

Musso crossed himself before races, and only his girlfriend was allowed to pass him the goggles.

Parkes refused to race with No.18 after Bandini's accident, and when forced to, in Monza, he changed the 18 in "17 bis".

Phill Hill climbed in race cars only if he was water soaked before . (????????)

[D-Type]

Numbers:
Moss - 7 was lucky
Hawthorn - 1 was unlucky
Any Chinese - 4 is unlucky ( the word for '4' sounds very similar to the word for 'death')
Italians - There is a number they consider unlucky I think it's 17 but I'm not sure
British, US and others - 13 (13 men at the last supper etc)

Colours
Blue - Ascari's helmet is famous
Green - was it Masten Gregory who insisted his Cooper was painted such a dark green that it looked black as he subscribed to the unlucky green theory

Various lucky charms
rcdr, your 'Calming effect of routine' theory makes a lot of sense.

NASCAR peanuts
I vaguely remember reading that this goes back to the prohibition days peanuts somehow caused a fatal accident to someone running from the revenue men.

And finally, isn't there a story that British racing green originated when Charles jarrot was encouraged to paint his car 'lucky' green to offset the 'unucky number 13'. or was it the other way round?

[ensign14]

Originally posted by D-Type

Hawthorn - 1 was unlucky

Reminds me - at Casablanca in 1958, Mike should have had number 2; but as Collins and Musso had both been killed in cars with 2 on them, he swapped with Gendebien and had 6 instead. He goes into some detail about freaking out about it in Champion Year. One wonders whether he would have been psyched out had the organizers refused to change the numbers and Moss would have been champ?

[WGD706]

Originally posted by Gary C
didn't Ayrton also wear his racing gloves inside out for luck??

I thought it was to keep the stitching on the gloves outside so as to not chafe his hands.
Warren

[rdrcr]

Originally posted by Gary C
didn't Ayrton also wear his racing gloves inside out for luck??

I was really curious about that Senna trait of wearing his gloves inside out and did some checking...

With Toleman


With McLaren


With Lotus


and Williams

Does any one have a shot of Senna with his gloves turned inside out?

Myth-busters...

[WGD706]

Originally posted by rdrcr


I was really curious about that Senna trait of wearing his gloves inside out and did some checking...
Does any one have a shot of Senna with his gloves turned inside out?
Myth-busters...

OMP makes gloves that are "Senna/Mito Glove Medium gauntlet, 2-layer Nomex, entirely padded palm and thumb, padded knuckles, entire glove sewn inside-out so you don't feel the seams, special extra soft white leather, elastic opening and elastic wrist. Designed for Ayrton Senna. "
Stand21 also makes gloves that have all seams sewn on outside.
Perhaps he started out by wearing the gloves inside-out, then manufacturers caught on and made them that way.
Warren

[David Beard]

Originally posted by petefenelon
David Coulthard's lucky underpants?
(which I believe he still carried round long after they'd been cut off after an accident?)

Are we supposed to ask what sort of accident?

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by David Beard


Are we supposed to ask what sort of accident?

Tony Rudd recalls that Raymond Mays was one of those who was particular about which side of the car he got in; he said that they would erect all kinds of obstacles but Mays would never break his own rule.

Apparently Alberto Ascari was very superstitious; in one race he found a number of black cats in the cockpit and was very upset. Curious though about the fact that he died on the sme date and I believe at the same age as his father.

And didn't Richard Seaman die on the 13th lap and marker 26 etc?

Ho hum; if I were racing I would be very happy to have number 13 or indeed any number!

PdeRL

[petefenelon]

Ascari was also very numerologically superstitious - I think the number '4' bothered him didn't it?

Derek Bennett apparently had real problems with the number 11 and multiples thereof after an accident, I've seen various claims about this (but you'll look long and hard for a B11, B22, B33 or B44):

David Gordon in Chevron - The Derek Bennett Story about Derek's accident on 11 July 1959:

On 11 July 1959, at Oulton Park Derek had a freak accident in the 1172 which was to spark off a lifelong superstition about the number 11 [...] Car no. 11 [Derek's 1172 spl] was taken away in a sorry state and Derek was removed to ward 11 of Chester Royal Infirmary to spend the night of the 11th and the next 11 days. Other 11s and multiples of 11 also came into the story, som remembered, some forgotten and others imaginary, but still now passed into myth [...] but the string of coincidence was long enough that it affected Derek considerably and from then on he refused to have anything to do with the number 11. The superstition stayed with him throughout his life. There never was a Chevron with the type number 11, or any multiple of it..."

Gordon also claims that

the same gaps were left when it came to numbering individual chassis

although I've seen evidence here to contradict this.

[stuartbrs]

At the British GP in 93, James Hunt remarks about Senna`s inside out gloves, and theres quite clear footage of them...you can see Senna relaxing his grip on the wheel down the straight and scrunching his fingers up to stave off cramp...

[Cogs]

Originally posted by D-Type
4 is unlucky ( the word for '4' sounds very similar to the word for 'death')

No wonder I stink at GPL!

Cogs

[Arjan de Roos]

Ukyo Katayama declined the #4 as it is also considred unlucky in Japan.
The motobiker Takazumi Katayam (family???) always had ball points taped to his bike frame for luck...

Alan Jones always stepped in from the RH-side, or was it LH???

Alberto Ascari was quite superstitious as mentioned earlier. But he also had his blue racing gear folded and stored by himself in a particular way. No one was allowed to touch it.

In contrast to Ascari's blue helmet, Niki Lauda had his helmet painted fluo red as he thought that if he was catapulted from his car in a shunt, he would more rapidly be found between the trees. Of topic I think as this is not so much superstition, more Niki's strange optimism.

[Mihai]

Originally posted by D-Type

Any Chinese - 4 is unlucky ( the word for '4' sounds very similar to the word for 'death')

The July 1996 issue of the French magazine Sport Auto mentions that in the 1926 Targa Florio died former twice-winner Giulio Masetti in the no13 car and since then, the unlucky number is no longer attributed to the competitors of an auto race, unless solicited. It was the case of Divina Galica, who was the last driver in F1 to race carrying no13 on the bodywork. Nice photo of her at FORIX.

Since no private entries are allowed anymore in F1, we may never see no13 in GP racing. This year, Sauber has 11 and 12 while the next team in the constructor’s championship, Jaguar, has 14 and 15.

Number 4 is bad luck for the Japanese because shi means four but also death. They actually avoid pronouncing it, instead naming it yo or yon. Satoru Nakajima argued with Ken Tyrrell in 1990 not to give him no4. Jean Alesi drove the no4 Tyrrell-Honda. Later, Ukyo Katayama drove the no3 car, despite not being the first driver in the team. Throughout the 80s and as late as 1995, Tyrrell cars were no3 and no4.

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Mihai


The July 1996 issue of the French magazine Sport Auto mentions that in the 1926 Targa Florio died former twice-winner Giulio Masetti in the no13 car and since then, the unlucky number is no longer attributed to the competitors of an auto race, unless solicited. It was the case of Divina Galica, who was the last driver in F1 to race carrying no13 on the bodywork. Nice photo of her at FORIX.

The problem with this is that Masetti, to my knowledge, is the only person who died with this number. What about Cissac's 48 from much earlier? Loraine Barrow's 5? Marcel Renault's 63? All those at Indy before 1926? None of these were tabooed.

[PLAYLIFE]

Originally posted by ensign14
Stefano Modena did things like wear his gloves inside out, which were termed superstitions, but when he wanted to be taken seriously said it was for comfort.

I believe Modena only wore his right glove inside out, the left as normal.

Also, if he was in the car and anyone touched him (before leaving the pits), he would get out of the car and then get back in.

I also read somewhere that he always wanted his car on the right-hand side of the pit garage, although I'm unsure if this was true or not.

I also remember Murray Walker saying that he would do his own seat-belts up and not allow anyone else to do them.

[Epsilon]

Originally posted by D-Type
And finally, isn't there a story that British racing green originated when Charles jarrot was encouraged to paint his car 'lucky' green to offset the 'unucky number 13'. or was it the other way round?

I recall reading that in F1 Racing about 4 years ago. The organizers of the French GP (non-championship, of course) had assigned him #13 and so they suggested his car get painted green, which is lucky in France.

[Arjan de Roos]

Originally posted by Gary C
didn't Ayrton also wear his racing gloves inside out for luck??

I would like to combine a few posts: Ari Vatanen claimed that somewhere between Paris and Dakar he started to wear he underpants inside out.
This wasnt supertition I believe...

[Henri Greuter]

Not F1 but....

Duke Nalon had a Saint Christopher's medal attached at the dashboard of his Front Wheel Drive Novi. In fact, if you have the opportunity ti check the cockpit of the IMS Museum FWD Novi, that was Duke's car and the medal is still there, in the outer left corner of the dashboard.


Henri Greuter

[PLAYLIFE]

Originally posted by Henri Greuter
Not F1 but....

Duke Nalon had a Saint Christopher's medal attached at the dashboard of his Front Wheel Drive Novi. In fact, if you have the opportunity ti check the cockpit of the IMS Museum FWD Novi, that was Duke's car and the medal is still there, in the outer left corner of the dashboard.


Henri Greuter

I do the same thing! I have a Saint Christopher (Patron Saint of Travel) medallion that I keep in my glovebox of my roadcar which was passed down through the family, who have never had a car accident in some 40 years.

[bkalb]

Antonio and Alberto Ascari both died on the 26th day of the month, but in different months. Alberto may have been numerologically superstitious, but it doesn't seem to have extended to this particular number.

[Lotus23]

rdrcr, like yourself, I had a pair of "lucky socks" I always wore when racing. An old girlfriend knitted them for me in '57. And I still have them!

Somewhere I read that AJ Foyt always wrapped a rubber band around his gearshift lever. It's a habit I've had for nearly 50 years now, in both race and street cars. While I don't consider myself superstitious, I figure it doesn't hurt!

[rdrcr]

Lotus,

I knew there had to be at least one other person in here with a pair!

I also have other "routines", like having my karts and cars always meticulously prepared. At best, they look great and it eases my mind as far as being able to tech the thing easily and I know that everything is in order. At worst, at least I don't get filthy wrenching on them. A fellow racin' buddy once told me after I showed up at the start of a new season; "Well, if you cannot be fast, at least you can look fast".

I also did my own brakes for the longest time until the race-prep was demanding too much on my time. That old 4 hours of wrenching for every hour of driving thing.

[PLAYLIFE]

Originally posted by bkalb
Antonio and Alberto Ascari both died on the 26th day of the month, but in different months. Alberto may have been numerologically superstitious, but it doesn't seem to have extended to this particular number.

If I remember correctly, both he and his father had their fatal accidents on fast a left hander 4 days after walking away from another huge accident.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

I ran my Crossle FF as a rookie out of a Ron Stott's race shop, Cherokee Industries, in Toronto in 1976. The shop backed and prepared a car for FF ace, Don McKnight. The year prior, though, Don ran out Brian Stewart's shop run where one fellow(I don't recall his name but he was an American out of the NE; let's call him Joe)kept his Lola 340. (Stewart went on years later to run a team in the Indy Lights series) Joe's car was always scruffy. A few dings in the fibreglass here and there, dirty, oil-smears collecting dirt in the engine bay, etc. As he told it at the Cherokee shops, one day, McKnight and a few lads in the shop pounced on Joe's Lola before he arrived and gave the 340 a thorough clean-up. Got it just shinin'. Joe arrived a while later to see his Lola, all spiffed up...and promptly went berserk! Instead of a hearty 'Thnak you' for tarting up the Lola, he flamed McKnight and all the other guys who chipped in with the cleanup. Evidently, Joe considered it the baddest of bad luck to clean the car during a racing season. Live and learn...

[ensign14]

Originally posted by bkalb
Antonio and Alberto Ascari both died on the 26th day of the month, but in different months. Alberto may have been numerologically superstitious, but it doesn't seem to have extended to this particular number.

And what was Alberto's last race number?

[David Beard]

Am I the only one of the opinion that a cool, professional racing driver should not be into all this mumbo jumbo?

I bet Michael Schumacher doesn't have silly mascots, favourite underpants, inside out clothing, etc, etc.

[SEdward]

I saw the interview with Tom Wheatcroft in the earlier thread about the documentary on Dutch TV covering Roger Williamson's accident.

Tom mentions the fact that the race started 13 minutes late and Roger was running 13th at the time of the accident.

It's a bit far fetched thinks I, because he was not driving car N°13, he did not start in 13th place on the grid and the race was not run on the 13th of the month.

Did he crash at the 13th marshalling post perhaps?

Edward.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by PLAYLIFE
I do the same thing! I have a Saint Christopher (Patron Saint of Travel) medallion that I keep in my glovebox of my roadcar which was passed down through the family, who have never had a car accident in some 40 years.

Frank Matich did likewise, I think he always had the St Christopher there in ever car he ran... but I may be wrong. Maybe he gave up on it after the huge crash he had in the 19B that put him out of racing for several months?

And it was, perhaps, to this that David McKay alluded when he discussed Greg Cusack's huge non-injuring but career ending crash at Longford with Mike Kable. Cusack was also a Catholic, but neither Mike or David were... "S..s..s..snt Christopher w...w...wears a C...c...cusack badge!" David said.

The Richard Seaman thing (VAR1016...) was elaborated upon in Neubauer's book... 13km post... number 26... died on the 26th of the month... room 39 at the hospital...

As for Senna and the stitching on the gloves, I can well believe that. He was so sensitive to touch that his hands would have felt that for sure.

[ReWind]

Originally posted by D-Type
Numbers:
Italians - There is a number they consider unlucky I think it's 17 but I'm not sure

It is # 17. In 1977 Italian Renzo Zorzi drove Shadow # 17 in the first three races of the season. From Long Beach onwards he had car # 16 because after the events of Kyalami he insisted on changing the number (although Tom Pryce had been killed in car # 16).

In his biography of Alberto Ascari ("The Man with Two Shadows", 1981) Kevin Desmond has a paragraph on the subject of this thread.

In his book, "Speed Was My Life", the German Race Manager, Herr Alfred Neubauer recalled: "I've known very few ace drivers who did not suffer from superstition in one form or another. Hermann Lang's wife always nailed a small horse-shoe to the Pits; on one occasion in the Prix Masaryk at Prague (sic) she forgot it and Lang crashed. Tazio Nuvolari wore a golden tortoise with the letter 'N' on its back, a present from the famous Italian poet, Gabriele d'Annunzio; Rudi Caracciola's wife was never without their monkey Anatol..."
Stirling Moss has explained: "Most of the drivers that I know are pretty superstitious - maybe their reasons are the same as mine - that it costs nothing therefore you might just as well be superstitious as not. I always carried a gold horse-shoe on a chain round my neck, given to me by my sister, and I always tried to wear it the right way up to keep the good luck in it."
Mike Hawthorn's superstitions were a lap ahead. He first wore his blue bow tie with white polka dots, when an ordinary one had flapped in his face. Afterwards he always sported a bow tie. He always wore a black helmet and a light green jacket, always pulled his socks up and turned them over twice, always wore his belt which was covered with charms, always climbed into the cockpit of a Jaguar, Vanwall or Ferrari from the righthand side.
Hawthorn, driving for Ferrari, won the World Championship in 1958; that same year, his friend Peter Collins, who would always race with a child's seaside bucket and spade in his cockpit, was killed at the Nürburgring. Hawthorn was deeply upset. He died in January 1959, while speeding along the Guildford by-pass, his 3.4 liter Jaguar going into a violent sideways skid for 100 yards, smashing a bollard in the center of a greasy road, snaking across into the oncoming lanes, clipping the tail of a lorry, ploughing up the grass verge, wrapped itself round a tree and ended up - ironically, in a hawthorn hedge.
Archie Brown (sic) always wore his yellow-striped, British Racing Green helmet; Graham Hill always carried his rowing colors as an emblem for his racing helmet, while Jackie Stewart always had a Tartan round his helmet. An Argentinian racing driver called Carlos Pace started his career by sporting a helmet with an arrow which came from the back over and down to his forehead, and met with no success. Back in the Argentine, Pace is said to have consulted a local guru, who told him to change the direction of the arrow on his helmet so that it was pointing upwards. He did so and his luck changed somewhat. So it goes on.

Well, Carlos Pace in fact was from Brazil but otherwise the story is true. He changed his helmet design after the 1974 season and in 1975 won his home Grand Prix. Maybe somebody should have told this story to Derek Daly...

[stuartbrs]

not superstition, but still says a lot about the man, after his Spa crash didnt Jackie Stewart have a spanner taped to his steering wheel, in case of an accident?

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by ReWind
It is # 17. In 1977 Italian Renzo Zorzi drove Shadow # 17 in the first three races of the season. From Long Beach onwards he had car # 16 because after the events of Kyalami he insisted on changing the number (although Tom Pryce had been killed in car # 16).

In his biography of Alberto Ascari ("The Man with Two Shadows", 1981) Kevin Desmond has a paragraph on the subject of this thread. Well, Carlos Pace in fact was from Brazil but otherwise the story is true. He changed his helmet design after the 1974 season and in 1975 won his home Grand Prix. Maybe somebody should have told this story to Derek Daly...

Actually Mike Hawthorn's helmet was blue.

PdeRL

[Teapot]

Originally posted by stuartbrs

not superstition, but still says a lot about the man, after his Spa crash didnt Jackie Stewart have a spanner taped to his steering wheel, in case of an accident?

Monza 1969. Photo from "Grand Prix Fascination Formula 1" by Rainer W. Schlegelmilch

[bill moffat]

Somewhere I read of the unwritten rule that it was unlucky to have your wife/children photographed in your car. Having said that I have many photos of Damon Hill sitting in Graham's cars..this doesn't seem to have affected their racing careers too much.

[Mihai]

Originally posted by ensign14
The problem with this is that Masetti, to my knowledge, is the only person who died with this number. What about Cissac's 48 from much earlier? Loraine Barrow's 5? Marcel Renault's 63? All those at Indy before 1926? None of these were tabooed.

People had since the beginning of time this need to find laws of nature where they really ain’t. We often do strange connections between facts that aren’t related at all. Maybe that no13 phobia in a very dangerous sport like auto racing was greatly exaggerated by the media. Pretty much like the curse of the Faro in the 20s. In fact, Masetti’s fatal crash in the no13 car happened in 1926.

The drivers themselves are paying much attention to signs, coincidences, things that one can consider as common, but in their mind all these are taking symbolic proportions. The thought of failure, fear of death or simply the anxiousness before every start - all of these are disturbing their inner equilibrium. I think it comes easy to understand why so many race drivers have superstitions or strange behaviour (dressing rituals) in the tensed moments before the start.

[bill moffat]

There is an article in Classic and Sportscar this month about a guy who collects famous helmets. One of the prize exhibits is an open-faced Bell in that mythical dark blue/white peak colour scheme. Yes, one of Jimmy's, used at Indy, and with a dedicated signature above the peak.

Story goes that JC was not over-keen on donating this helmet to the collector..only to be told (and this is from memory as I'm at the Office) that it was bad luck to continue using the same helmet after 2 spins at the Brickyard.

Either way the collector got his helmet (what on earth would that be worth now?). A story that further underlines Jimmy's gentle and trusting nature.

[Mihai]

In an interview post-Bahrain GP Michael Schumacher told RTL’s Kai Ebel that he forgot his amulet in the hotel and consequently he raced without it. What would have happened if Schuey had it in Manama? He would have lapped Rubinho as well ?

The Romanian national TV is broadcasting live F1 but the commentators are two complete *******, and for this reason I watch all the races on German RTL, like so many of my countrymen.

[doc540]

Perhaps not "superstitious", but NASCAR's most senior driver, Dave Marcis, always wore black Wingtip dress shoes when racing (for 33 years).

His racing motto: "We have done so much, with so little, for so long, that now we can do almost anything with nothing".

Notice those racing shoes.

[Keir]

Chris Amon, when given #18 at the 1970 Monaco GP, had the number changed to 28.

This, of course, in keeping with the Bandini crash during the '67 GP.

[petefenelon]

Just thinking about this - Colin Chapman's "lucky" green check shirt that he wore when driving - there's something in Crombac about Hazel having to wash it in borax solution or something, to make it vaguely fire-resistant!

[Pils1989]

Andre Pilette didn't like the number 13. He had a race accident when staying in a hotel room nr. 13 the night before and his father, Theodore, died in a car accident a friday 13th.

[Arjan de Roos]

Rdcr, you mentioned indeed that Alex Wurz wears a blue and a red boot. However some people believe he changes when the first pair (red-blue) is worn out. Then he wears blue-red. Is this true?