LE KAP
Lamborghini South Africa
instinctive technology
‘Racing Is Life And Life Is Risk’ Since December 2013 the media has focused on the events surrounding Michael Schumacher’s horrific skiing accident near Meribel in the French Alps. In this edition of Le Kap, we honour Schumacher for his outstanding legacy to Motorsport.
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BY RICHARD WEBB
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he first time I clapped eyes on ‘Schumi’ – as he’s affectionately known to his legion of fans – was at the 1988 Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival, a few miles from my hometown in the South East of Britain. However, his performance on that day did not foretell the greatness that was to come, as he crashed and did not finish that race. But his talent was obvious. He successfully raced in the German Formula Ford and Formula Koenig series, winning the Championships. This led to him to Formula 3, claiming the title in 1990. A year later, his Formula 1 (F1) racing career began when the Jordan-Ford Team asked him to compete in the Belgian Grand Prix. He qualified in a worthy seventh place, but retired on the first lap due to mechanical failure. But the die was cast, and the Benetton-Ford Team signed Michael again for the following race. His first year in F1 was not stellar, but all that changed in 1992, when he finished third in the Mexican Grand Prix and then in first place in the Belgian Grand Prix, ending the year in third place in the Driver’s Championship. Through all his ups and downs, he kept his head in all types of racing conditions in almost every race that he ever competed in. Rarely have we seen ‘Schumi’ lose his cool, but the most memorable example was at Spa, when he stomped after
David Coulthard to confront him in his pit after their crash on a raindrenched track. 1994 saw Michael win the first of his seven Formula 1 Driving Championships by relentlessly winning six out of the first seven Grand Prix. He successfully defended his Driver’s Championship title in 1995, adding ‘the youngest two-time World F1 Champion’ to his accolades. ‘I always thought records were there to be broken,’ he said at the time. The struggling Ferrari Team needed to reverse their poor performance throughout the early 1990s and Michael believed he could revive their fortunes. Schumacher knew he could help make Ferrari great again, and duly won the Constructor’s Title in 1999. It was at Monza in 2000, where he equalled Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 wins. In post-race televised interviews he showed another side of the emotionally composed ‘machine’, when he broke down, prompting archrival Mika Hakkinen to put a sportsmanlike and comforting arm around his shoulders. This was a side not seen before, or since – so much was the effect of winning at Monza in front of the tifosi (an Italian word to describe a group of supporters or fans, especially in motorsport) for the third time in five years. And who would forget his
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for unsportsmanlike conduct, but was then disqualified from the 1997 Drivers’ Championship. It was a dark time for the driver and I remember being distinctly unimpressed with his behaviour, but he never failed to admit his mistakes and accepted whatever penalties he had received with appropriate grace and contrition.
emotionally charged jump and ‘air punch’ on the podium, or his double elbow-pump whilst still in the cockpit of his car as he started his lap of honour? There have been many difficulties for the ace though, including first corner crashes in Hockenheim and Austria and also being overtaken by Hakkinen in Hungary and – most frustratingly – on his ‘own track’ at Spa.
He had announced his retirement at end of 2006 season after winning Italian Grand Prix prompting Niki Lauda and David Coulthard to hail Schumacher as the greatest all-round racing driver in F1’ s history. Ferrari president, Luca di Montezemolo always said that the decision to retire would be his alone. ‘But now that decision has been taken I feel a sense of sadness. We have lived through some unforgettable times together, some good and some bad, achieving results that will be hard to equal,’ he said.
Some of Michael’s best results were in races with wet racetracks, having won 17 of the 30 F1 races he entered in the lead up to the end of the 2003 season, earning him the nickname of ‘Regenkonig’ (Rain King). In 2004, Michael won a record 12 of the first 13 races on his way to securing his 5th World Championship in a row, bringing to a total of seven World Championships. Both of these records endure to this day.
On July 29th, 2009, he announced courageous plans for a return to Formula One with Ferrari, but two weeks later he decided against the comeback owing to a neck injury he had sustained during a motorbike accident earlier in the year. Obviously determined to compete again at the highest level, he announced a three-year contract with Mercedes GP before that year was up, ending his three-year retirement.
His time with Ferrari has seemingly brought out the best in the man. He always gave credit to his race team, who were obviously instrumental in reducing his pit stop times, which on occasion meant the difference between winning or not. He was quoted as saying that ‘when you start out in a team, you have to get the teamwork going and then you get something back,’.
His glittering motorsport career is one that is etched in the minds of his fans. The amazing outpouring of sympathy following Schumacher’s ski accident would suggest that even amongst his detractors, there are few that do not wish him anything other than a meaningful recovery from his injuries.
But it was not all milk and honey with Schumacher. Controversies raged early in his F1 career, when he was twice involved in crashes during the final races of the season. These were the races that determined the outcome of the World Championship. In 1994, the crash with Damon Hill and again, in 1997 in an accident that involved Jacques Villeneuve, Michael was accused of causing the accident when Jacques tried to pass him. Schumacher was punished not only
Last word goes to Michael: ‘I’ve always believed that you should never, ever give up and you should always keep fighting even when there’s only a slightest chance’.
Racing is the family business Michael Schumacher's son Mick has impressed the Formula 4 team Van Amersfoort Racing so much, they’ve signed him up as a driver. Frits van Amersfoort, the team’s owner has been impressed with Mick’s progress. ‘We have watched his skills in test driving and are looking forward to a successful season.’ The 15-year old Schumacher came an impressive second in the German kart championships. This latest signing bodes well for Schumacher junior to excel in Formula 4, the racing series for talented young racers.
BORN TO RACE Michael was born in Hurth, West Germany in 1969. His love of motorsport started when he was only four years old, when his Dad, Rolf, motorised his pedal powered go-kart using a motorbike engine. Michael soon became the youngest member of the KerpenHorrnm carting club . He won his first karting club championship at the age of six and went on to win the German Junior Kart Championship at the age of 14. This culminated in his winning the European Kart Championships in 1987.