The Way It Is/ Recalling a great era

[SurfaceUnits]

ZIf you're a Motor Sport reader you'll know about the survey the magazine conducted this summer in which the readers chose Jim Clark by a large margin as their favorite of the UK's ten world champions. Clark drew 31.5 percent of the 5,500 votes well ahead of second-placed Nigel Mansell's 13.1 percent. The list included non-champion but four-time runner-up Stirling Moss who got 10.9 percent of the votes, three-time champion Jackie Stewart, two-time champion Graham Hill and one-time champions Mike Hawthorn, John Surtees, James Hunt, Damon Hill, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

It's interesting that the Brits have many more F1 world champions than any other country and further proof, if needed, that the UK has been at the center of F1 for the past fifty and more years. Brazil and Finland are ranked second, both with three world champions. Brazil's champions were Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna. Finland's were Keke Rosberg, Mikka Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen. America of course has two world titles to its credit--Phil Hill in 1961 and Mario Andretti in '78.

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2012/the_way_it_is_no351.html

[Ed_Severson]

Brazil and Finland are ranked second, both with three world champions.

Anybody else have to read that a few times before it sunk in? I knew, of course, who the three Finns were but it still looked funny to me in writing. When I think of all the places that have developed a reputation for churning out champion racing drivers, Finland doesn't exactly spring to mind right away.

[opinionated ow]

And over here in the antipodes we've managed four between Brabham and Jones.