The Motoring Polymath blog on Evo Community by HenryCatchpole

THE MOTORING POLYMATH

January 22, 2010 12:51 PM | Posted By: HenryCatchpole
7 Comments | 2349 Views
Related Categories: Rallying | Motorsport

So, Valentino Rossi’s had another go in a Ferrari formula 1 car. And he was quick, very quick. In a ’08 spec car on GP2 tyres at the Circuit de Catalunya he clocked a 1min 21.900sec. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly Massa goes when he takes over today… no pressure.

Meanwhile, in the snowy, icy, slushy and just occasionally dry hills above Monte Carlo Stéphane Sarrazin is having his yearly outing in a rally car. Despite being better known for setting pole position at Le Mans for the past three years, he is driving his S2000 Peugeot 207 right at the sharp end, beating full-time rally drivers. Raikkonen is being tipped to do the same in the WRC this year.

I’m not quite sure why, but I love the idea of the multitalented, the jack-of-all-trades and master of many. It’s why C.B. Fry has long been a hero of mine. It’s why I was really annoyed that the FIA wouldn’t grant Loeb a Super Licence so that he could compete for Scuderia Toro Rosso in Abu Dhabi last year.

In days of yore it was of course the norm that drivers would compete in several different class of car at the same meeting. Perhaps the ultimate motoring polymath was Jim Clark. Crowds could witness him three-wheeling his Lotus Cortina in the morning before driving his Lotus 25 through the same corners in the afternoon. He of course remains the only driver to win the Indy 500 in the same year as a F1 world crown, won the BTCC, very nearly won the RAC Rally and came third overall at Le Mans. Or was Moss, with his Mille Miglia win, F1 victories and second place in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally, the most adaptable? Or should Surtees be considered still more versatile for doing what Rossi perhaps still dreams of and converting from two wheels to four?

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COMMENTS

Monkey Harris at 6:02 PM January 25, 2010

Mike Hailwood. Nine championships on bikes. Second at the Italian GP in a car. Mechanical failure robbed potential Le Mans win in GT40. Came out of retirement in 1978 to race Ducati at Isle of Man TT, given no chance, promptly won. Legend. This is Goodwin's pet subject so will download him later.

Paul D at 3:40 PM January 23, 2010

I'm with Dickie on this- Quick Vic's The Man and he's a nice chap.

denisdjo at 7:40 PM January 22, 2010

Ickx ! Jacky started by winning on trial bikes in '63, 6 times Le Mans 24h, Dakar, Can-am & endurance champion; he beat F1s while driving an F2 on the wet Nordschleife. Also in the points at his first F1 race with Cooper, then got his and the first winged F1 (Ferrari) win at rainy Rouen, 2 minutes in front of Surtees.Also, do you remember the guy who decided against the running-to-your-car Le Mans style, started last, then brought his Gulf GT40 120 meters ahead of a Porsche 908 at the finish line ?Even his daughter's fast !Ickx !

jwolfcale at 6:32 PM January 22, 2010

I would also include Mario Andretti in this elite company. He's been successful in F1 (driver's championship), IndyCar (Indy 500 winner), NASCAR (Daytona 500 winner) and sports car (three-time 12 hours of Sebring winner). In his prime, he would regularly fly to and fro across the Atlantic to embarrass lesser drivers on both side of the pond in the same weekend. At a time in life when most people are considering retirement from their jobs as insurance salesmen, Mario was still out testing IndyCars and finishing strongly at Le Mans (which he never won) at age 60 behind the wheel of a Panoz LMP-1. As far as active drivers go, I think Juan Pablo Montoya deserves special mention. He's won Indy twice. He's won at both Monaco and Monza in F1 and was on the verge of winning in NASCAR during a very impressive season in which he finished 8th in points. Though he does appear to have let himself go a bit recently.

xeviuus at 4:49 PM January 22, 2010

i like valentino. i'm glad his testing is going well. but four wheeled racecraft? he might need more experience...

Martin Spain at 2:53 PM January 22, 2010

I agree, Räikkönen may be able to demonstrate similar versatility. He's never lacked the speed or on-track/stage commitment, only the motivation at times. Give him a competitive rally car, a sniff of victory (or even just points) and watch him fly. If he can rise back to his 2005-spec relentless best, he'd probably be equally competitive at 220mph down the Mulsanne too, if he ever turned his hand to endurance racing. He also a dab hand with a snowmobile and a choc-ice too, I seem to remember. Although not at the same time.

Dickie Meaden at 1:59 PM January 22, 2010

Clark, Moss and Surtees all displayed incredible versatility. I suspect Senna would have done the same, and Schumacher too if he ever had the chance. And Seb Loeb needs to do something else before he - and we - all fall asleep watching the others try and beat him. However for my money Vic Elford is The Man. His 1968 season is thought to be the greatest display of all-round driving ability ever. It began with his win in the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally in a Porsche 911. He followed by winning the Daytona 24H the next weekend. He was then second at Sebring a month later, then in May scored an epic victory at the Targa Florio, which is considered the greatest win in Targa history. Two weeks later Vic won the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers. Then in his first F1 race in July Vic took a badly out-classed Cooper T86B to a stunning fourth-place finish in the soaking-wet French Grand Prix. I think that makes him quite good... ;-)

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