THE CHAMPIONS 1949 TO 1954

[Music] after the second world war people everywhere wanted to see Motor Racing many races were held in the streets of cities with little regard for safety in one such event in January 1949 Jean Pierre Vil the finest driver of those early days is killed in buos hes the champion has died just as racing is reborn but other men of his caliber are ready for the new age that is just beginning [Music] in 1949 sports car racing is off to a fine start with the Revival of the 24-hour Grand Prix of endurance at [Music] Lon the big french sports cars of of the 30s had many successes here but now a new generation is challenging the past an Italian Ferrari goes briefly into the lead on Saturday evening by midnight the Ferrari leads [Applause] [Music] [Applause] again on Sunday morning the 2 L Italian car is well away from the rest of the [Applause] field for 22 hours on this hot sunny weekend ketti drives [Music] single-handed by Sunday afternoon only 19 out of the original 49 cars are still running Ferrari's brilliant new V12 engine has proved as reliable as it is powerful it is a great Italian victory at Indianapolis there's a new generation of American cars and drivers but it's as hairy as ever [Applause] [Music] [Applause] few of the Sleek new cars are blown but one of the few Duke neon's Novi Governor is leading when an axle shaft breaks in spite of the fireworks no one is seriously hurt all day the lead goes to one of the many unblown cars that are beginning to dominate India the first 18 cars all have unblown 4 and 1/2 L often Houser engines and Bill Holland's 121 M an hour in a blue crown special is a record Europe continues to be the home of Grand Prix racing and a mechanic from the small town of balachi in the Argentine has been sent over by his government and given one of the latest [Music] Maseratis this is Sano where the new Maseratis first appeared triumphantly just a year ago there are no Alpha Romeos as the factory has withdrawn from racing after the death of Emil but the Argentinian mechanic gives the crowd a thrill as he gets his maseratti ahead of all the others Juan Manuel fangio is so little known in Europe that when he wins the cameraman picks the wrong [Music] driver a week later in the shadow of the panes at PO fangio is first again this time the right man is filmed his next race is nearby at pero and the incredible fangio wins his third race in a row but when the Belgian Grand Prix is held at spa Pano's Maserati is too tired to last even a lap this gives the slower Grand Prix cars their chance one of the 4 and 1/2 liter unblown lgo talbo is first driven by Louis Rosier at Reams the big French talbo have another victorious day [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this time Louis shiron is the winner the Grand Prix Ferraris haven't had many winds yet but one is being driven with increasing brilliance by Alberto ascari at Silverstone he beats farina's fast Maserati by 2 seconds [Music] [Applause] his first year with Ferrari brings stardom to the son of Antonio ascari the great Alpha Romeo driver of the [Music] 20s another Ferrari is driven in the Czech Grand Prix by a British driver Peter Whitehead is defeating the latest Maseratis and Lago telbo [Applause] [Music] Whitehead is the first British driver to win a major Grand Prix since dick Seaman's German victory in 1938 in September 1949 Ferrari reveals a new Grand Prix car the chassis is longer and the engine with two-stage supercharging is more powerful on its first outing Alberto ascari wins the European Grand Prix at Monza in 1949 pre racing lost much of its excitement with the withdrawal of alfar Rao but a new generation of cars and drivers is on its way up in the 1950 Mia there are 375 cars for 2 years running Ferrari has won this great race over the main roads of Italy but now his Champion long-distance driver biondetti is driving for the British firm of Jaguar Alfred Romeo have fangio at the wheel of a fast Saloon British cars impress everyone but spare parts are rumored to be in short supply [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it takes heroism to complete the thousand and more miles in such a poic [Music] weather outstanding is the driving of the comparatively unknown janino matato a wealthy textile manufacturer who wins in his Ferrari Saloon it's a royal occasion when silverston is chosen for the 1950 European Grand Prix moreover this year for the first time ever there is to be an official world champion driver it's to be decided on the points gained in six major races and this is the first Alfa Romeo are back this year with their 158 a superb new team includes Dr finina once again on an alpha and fangio the most brilliant of the newcomers [Music] [Applause] finina pioneered this relaxed driving position the correct way to drive modern racing cars [Applause] Pano in second place waits for any chance to move up but has to obey orders as a member of the [Applause] [Music] team the alpha pitwork has been timed to the second for each car uses up 200 gallons in a 300 M [Applause] [Music] race just a few miles from the end comes an unexpected stroke of bad luck an oil pipe fractures on fangio's car and a conrod [Applause] breaks Bina starts the competition for World Championship with a healthy lead on points while fangio polite applauding in the background gets [Applause] nothing at Monaco the position is reversed Bina spins on the first lap and the cars behind pile into the confusion fanjo has an easy win and draws level with Farina Alphas don't enter the Netherlands Grand Prix it's not a championship event all the same it makes a pleasant aversion and and introduces a friend of fanio Fran [Music] Gonzalez the two Argentinian Maseratis are a good match for samir's big Lago telbo the unblown car uses less Fuel and can do 300 Mi on a tank full but there's little gained when Sam is burning up tires and thoroughly enjoying himself Gonzalez is refueling his thirsty engine when his hopes go up in Flames the Wild Bull of the pampus was second but now he will have to wait for another day to show if he is a champion oier driving AO TBO with great skill doesn't stop for fuel or tires and wins the first Netherlands Grand Prix the German Grand Prix is back at the Newberg ring this year it's for the less powerful Formula 2 cars the second formula with its limmit of 2 L for unblown cars encourages the use of ordinary sports car engines [Music] the Germans have an AFM and two Veritas all based on BMWs there's a team of British hwms besides several of gordin's French simers but the car that dominates this second formula is the 2 L unblown version of the V12 Ferrari it's an easy win forari at last Britain has its new Grand Prix Challenger the brm this revolutionary British car with its V16 engine and centrifugal supercharger should be the most powerful of all 1 and 1/2 L blown cars Raymond S himself is driving it in the silverston international Trophy and taking on the complete Alpha Team and everyone else Sterling Moss has one of the hwm the brm arrived late and is given two practice [Music] [Laughter] LPS it's typical of Samir that he jumps at the chance to drive such an exciting but unproved machine the brm's transmission has cheered and the race becomes yet another high-speed procession of alpha [Music] Romeos Sterling M brings the Formula 2 hwm into sixth place only one lap behind finina brms will race again but this is the last appearance of that most Gallant Enthusiast Raymond S A few weeks later to lose his [Music] life on the 3rd of September Comes the final round for the world championship the Italian Grand Prix and the cat's really among the pigeons ascari has one of the two new Ferraris that approved as fast as the alphas in practice both new Ferraris have unblown 4 and 1/2 liter engines the alphas are challenged at last with ascari in second place ahead of fangio but the new Ferraris don't last their first [Music] race the 1950 world driving Championship is is won on an Alpha Romeo by Dr jepe [Applause] [Music] Farina in 1951 there are more new cars at lemon than ever including a team of white American [Music] cunninghams outstanding is the C Type Jaguar and after five laps Moss takes the lead [Music] [Applause] [Music] at midnight Jaguars are first and second but a third is already out with a mysterious loss of oil pressure Before Dawn M has the same trouble and by morning there is only one Jaguar left driven by Walker and Whitehead they lead by an easy 80 mil but are two of the most anxious men on the [Applause] [Music] circuit at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon Whitehead brings in the first British car to win at Lamar for 16 [Applause] years Pango goes out in front in the 1951 silverston International trophy [Music] but the scene is changing for Alfa Romeo Parnell in an unblown Ferrari is right on fangio's tail in the first heat Farina just manages to go a little faster than both in a second heat and in doing so breaks the lap [Applause] record before the final a sports car race nearly finishes off Roy Salvador's promising career then as the final heat begins it starts to rain the Italians and argentinians are less used to this sort of Summer than the British but it is evidence of the handling of the new Ferrari and of the sheer guts of Parnell that he is in front of both Farina and fangio when the race is stopped a few weeks later it ped again as Fano wins the Swiss Grand Prix and his first points towards the 1951 championship in the Belgian Grand Prix a Ferrari driven by vesi actually takes the lead for several [Music] [Applause] laps this however is farina's day and he drives brilliantly to give Alfa Romeo their second major win of the Year besides getting the lead himself for the world World Championship farina's Wheels Spin and he is Left Behind as fangio catapults into the lead in the 1951 European Grand Prix at [Music] Rees but for 8 laps it is a Ferrari driven by ascari in first place and the lead changes many times before fangio gets in front vesi can't hold him Pano wins for Alpha and gets the lead back from Pina at silverston for the British Grand Prix there are two brms but they arrived too late for Parnell and Walker to practice this time fanjo breaks the lap record and leads the Alphas [Applause] parnell's brm is lapping faster than pina's winning speed of only a year ago but he and Walker are way [Applause] back the sensation is Gonzalez who out driving everyone on an unblown Ferrari brings about the first Alpha defeat for 5 years fi is [Music] second by the time of the German Grand Prix the Rivalry between finina and fangio is secondary to the threat from the Ferrari [Music] team fio takes the lead but asari is tailing him pitilessly then the Ferraris go ahead one alpha has already gone but Peach isn't hurt for the time fanio snatches back the lead but the supercharged cars have to refuel twice and this gives ascari the race it is Ferrari's biggest Triumph yet with his cars first third fourth and fifth the alpha Romeos have been worked on night and day in preparation for their greatest battle yet with the new Ferraris the Italian Grand [Music] Prix Farina anticipates a hard race he is the reigning champion but fio at present leads on points asari is within challenging distance Gonzalez also has the title Within Reach vesi claims that the microphone makes his pulse flutter and his tongue [Music] TR fangio on 38 challenges finina for the lead as they streak away ascari and Gonzalez are third and fourth [Music] [Music] [Applause] it's Farina and his engine is smoking he looks equally overheated when he comes in for a quick [Applause] check asari leads fangio by yards as the two finest drivers of the new generation fighted out in an epic battle between the two greatest racing cars of their day parari and Alpha Romeo [Music] close behind the two leaders is a second Ferrari with Gonzalez this is a Race of Champions and the others are all being left further and further [Music] behind with 12 laps gone as Ki appears on his own a tire has gone on fia's Alpha [Applause] Gonzalez waves happily as Ferraris take first and second [Music] place it cost fangio 34 seconds and these are like gold to engineer lamr and his boss Enzo Ferrari at halfway fangio's engine breaks and he's out of the race [Music] [Applause] ascaron 2 leads but he cannot [Music] relax Farina has taken over Bono's car and although more than a lap behind is catching up fast Farina now passes ascari and gets onto the same lap as he drives one of the greatest races of his life much will depend on ascari's last pit stop for Farina is lapping at well over 120 faster than anyone today but ascari refuses and changes tires in a bare 40 seconds and although he leaves chaos behind no one can catch him now as Ki wins the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari at an average speed of over 115 Ferrari like Alfa Romeo have now won three major events this year the Spanish Grand Prix is the last and decisive race of the year the world championship is still anyone's but the real battle is between the drivers of Alpha Romeo and Ferrari Ferraris have fitted smaller Wheels since Monza to get even more acceleration and it is two Ferraris that streak into the [Music] lead Asar on two leads for the first three [Music] [Applause] [Music] laps then fangio starts to drive it his most brilliant lapping AO talbo to gain a few yards on ascari even the great Farina spins so does [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] vasi the greatest mistake of all is the Ferrari decision to change to smaller Wheels all the team have to make pit stops when the tires fail to stand up to the [Applause] PACE panio drives magnificently on towards his first world championship in the race that is to be the swans song of the8 Alpha Romeo for this is the last major Grand Prix run to the first post-war formula [Applause] [Music] the 1951 World Championship is the recognition of a man who combines intelligence skill and courage to such an exceptional degree as to make him one of the greatest racing drivers of all time the Champions have come into their own [Music]