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Its now just a few short weeks before the Formula One circus roars into Indianapolis for the first US Grand Prix since 1991. It promises to be a spectacular weekend as the likes of Hakkinen and Schumacher take to the wheel on the historic track, both needing to win as the championship battle heats up. But then the US Grand Prix is no stranger to drama. Since 1959 America has hosted 54 grand prixs on a record eight different tracks dotted around the country. Here are highlights of just some of those great races.
1959 - Sebring
Although F1 drivers raced at Indianapolis between 1950 and 1960 it was the race at Sebring, Florida that established the US as a perennial fixture on the Formula One calendar. The race was the scene of the season finale with Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, and Tony Brooks all vying for the title. The three title contenders would have started alongside each other on the front row of the grid had it not been for a flying lap from the American, Harry Schell late in the session. Schell's lap time was immediately plunged into controversy as the rest of the grid questioned how he had suddenly knocked six seconds off his time. The truth came out later when it was revealed that the American had found a short cut on the track, the discovery of which he put to good use when there was a lull in the traffic. The fact that he was able to miss out an entire section of the track just shows how alone the drivers were once they got away from the pit area. They raced without the host of TV cameras, marshals, and fans monitoring every inch of the track that is part and parcel of any race in the modern F1 calendar.
Stirling Moss took the lead at the start of the race but a gearbox failure after just five laps lost him the championship. With a first corner incident for Tony Brooks, which dropped him two minutes down the field, the championship was there for the taking for Brabham. He led for most of the race but as he came up to take the chequered flag his car slowed, having run out of petrol after he decided to start the race with less than a full tank of fuel. He managed to push his car up the hill to the finish line, coming home fourth to secure the championship, behind teammate Bruce McLaren, Maurice Trintignant, and Tony Brooks who had driven a sensational race to recover from the first lap incident.
1961 - Watkins Glen
The race at Sebring, although exciting on the track, had failed to be a success financially. After moving the race to Riverside, California the following year, the US Grand Prix found its permanent home in 1961 when it came to Watkins Glen in upstate New York. The race would stay there until 1980, when financial difficulties would drop it from the calendar.
The race was again the season closer and should have been a celebration, as Ferrari driver Phil Hill had become the first American to win the World Championship. However, after the death of teammate Wolfgang von Trips at Monza the team decided to pull out of the US Grand Prix having already won the Driver's and Constructor's titles. Hill was forced to be a mere spectator in his home event. In the race Moss overtook Brabham early on but fading oil pressure caused him to retire. Lotus driver, Innes Ireland took over the lead but was hounded by Graham Hill and Roy Salvadori up until they also retired. Ireland held onto the lead to score his only GP win and, more importantly, the first win for the Lotus Team.
1970 - Watkins Glen
The 1970 season was marred by tragedy after series leader Jochen Rindt was killed during practice at Monza. Bruce McLaren and Piers Courage had also lost their lives earlier in the season. A crowd in excess of 100 000 watched the race as Jackie Stewart took the lead on a track that had been dampened by a shower before the race and the Scot began to pull away. Graham Hill, meanwhile, was sitting in a puddle of fuel due to a leak, and was forced to pull into the pits as the fuel was burning his skin. The team doused him in water but Hill returned to the pits as he was still in discomfort and asked for a change of overalls. When told that there were none he grabbed John Surtees, who had already retired from the race, and stripped him of his clothes and returned to the race.
Jackie Stewart had pulled out a minute lead on second-place man Rodriguez but his car began to trail smoke as the Tyrell lost oil, giving up on lap 83. Rodriguez now led but Lotus rookie, Emerson Fittipaldi, in his fourth race, was closing. On lap 100 Rodriguez was forced to pit for fuel, handing the lead to Fittipaldi. The young Brazilian went on to win his maiden F1 race, and in doing so secured the World Championship for the late Rindt.
1977 - Long Beach
Formula One had grown in popularity in America by the mid-1970s and was granted a second date on the calendar bringing F1 to Long Beach in 1976. In soaring temperatures, Niki Lauda and Mario Andretti lined up in the top two spots on the grid but as the race began it was third-place man Jody Scheckter who took the lead. A slow puncture, however, allowed Andretti to close up and overtake the South African to take the lead and thrill the crowd. Lauda also got by Scheckter and kept Andretti in his sights but could do nothing to overtake the American, coming home less than a second behind an ecstatic Andretti. Mario remains the only American to ever win the US Grand Prix, a statistic that doesn't look set to change in the near future.
1979 - Watkins Glen
Unknown to Ferrari at the time 1979 would prove to be the best season they would have for many years to come. Despite Michael Schumacher's arrival at the team in1996, Ferrari has still not managed to better their 1979 performance. Jody Scheckter had already secured the Driver's Championship for the team by the time the F1 circus arrived at Watkins Glen so the race was a free-for-all fight for victory. It was Ferrari teammate Gilles Villeneuve who stole the show, however, with one of his scintillating performances. Villeneuve was one of only six men who took to the track on Friday and in heavy rain was nine seconds faster than Scheckter. Alan Jones in his Williams took the pole on Saturday, ahead of Nelson Piquet and Villeneuve. But on a wet track on Sunday, Villeneuve took the lead on lap one and led for the rest of the race, mastering the tricky conditions to come home 48 seconds ahead of Arnoux's Renault, increasing the Canadian's tally of season wins to three.
1983 - Long Beach
This would be the final Formula One race to be held at Long Beach as the following year the decision was made to put the venue on the CART calendar instead, despite the fact that the race had proved popular with fans. On race day, it was the spectacular performance of John Watson and Niki Lauda in their McLarens that wowed the crowds. Having started the race from 22nd and 23rd, the two drivers were able to carve through the traffic into third and fourth. Second-place man Ricardo Patrese made a failed attempt to get by race leader Jacques Laffite, and allowed the two McLaren drivers to pass. Within two laps they passed Laffite who was struggling with his tyres, and went on to score a sensational one-two.
1990 - Phoenix
The penultimate year that the US Grand Prix was held saw rookie driver Jean Alesi battle with eventual World Champion Ayrton Senna. Alesi qualified his Tyrell in fourth place and took the lead after outbreaking pole-man Gerhard Berger. Senna moved into second place and began to home in on the Frenchman. He dived down the inside of Alesi on lap 34, but Alesi took the outside line and held onto first. Senna successfully passed Alesi in the same place a lap later but the young Frenchman had proved himself as a star of the future coming home in second place ahead of the Williams of Thierry Boutsen.
2000 - Indianapolis
So what about this year? Will Jacques Villeneuve have the advantage as a former Indy 500 winner or will it be business as usual with Ferrari and McLaren vying it out for top spot. Whatever the outcome it will undoubtedly be a thrilling race for drivers and fans alike. Hopefully, with F1 coming to the home of American racing, the series has finally found a US venue that can both prosper financially and deliver exciting action on the track.
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