Enlightening interviews are given by Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Jack Brabham and others. The archival action footage and narration by Neville Hay is a retrorocket time machine…transporting us back to the 60’s. What a trip. Interesting anecdotes from the DVD:

In 1960 John Surtees went back and forth from motorcycles to cars. He finished second at Silverstone in only his second Grand Prix. He remains the only person to win the World Championship on two wheels and four.

In 1960 Phil Hill won Monza-the last victory by a front-engined Grand Prix car.

The open-face helmets that gave us such remarkable views of the drivers at work also had some tragic flaws. Alan Stacey was killed at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1960 when he was hit in the face by a bird. Jim Clark was also hit in the face by a bird in the 1966 French GP but survived. Thank goodness full face helmets are now used.

In 1961 roll over hoops were designed to be higher than the driver’s head and able to support the weight of an overturned car.

At Reims in 1961 G. Baghetti won his very first Grand Prix start. (G. Farina is the only other driver to do so.)

In the 1961 Dutch GP all 15 starters finished.

Dan Gurney won Porsche’s first GP at Rouen in 1962.

The 1962 Nurburgring was an unusual event. Graham Hill crashed in practice after hitting a camera dropped by another race car. He recovered to win the race. Jim Clark may have lost the World Championship when he started his engine but forgot to switch on the fuel pumps. He recovered to pass 16 cars on the first lap but finished 4th.

Ferrari won the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was the last overall victory there by a front-engined car.

Jim Clark finished second in the 1963 Indy 500…behind Parnelli Jones’ oil dripping roadster. Clark went on to win the Indy car race at Milwaukee where he lapped everyone but second place A.J. Foyt. Clark won the Indy 500 in 1965. In 5 Indy 500s he had a first, two seconds and a fifth.

Look for the massive “land yacht” 1963 Ford Galaxie driven by Dan Gurney at the International Trophy saloon car races. It looks like Jim Clark’s Lotus Cortina would fit in the Ford’s gigantic trunk/boot.

Frank Gardner’s (of the Brabham team) quote should bring a smile. “The only failures were driver failures…putting your helmet on and leaving your brains in the pits.”

In 1965 Richie Ginther won the Mexican GP for Honda’s first victory.

1968 was a pivotal year for Formula One racing. Sponsorship on race cars had not been permitted in Europe. But BP, Esso and Firestone withdrew and were replaced overnight by cigarettes, drink and cosmetics. Familiar colors representing the different countries of origin of the race cars were replaced by sponsor’s colors. Team Lotus’s familiar green and yellow was replaced by the Red and Gold of Imperial Tobacco’s “Gold Leaf” brand.

Wings sprouted on the rear of Grand Prix cars. (Witness a bizarre wing collapse at 1:51:58 of the DVD).

“The History of Motor Racing: 1960’s” is a nostalgic trip back in time that rates four out of five lug nuts.

Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for 'Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain','The SPEED Report', book reviewer and columnist for SPEEDtv.com. (SPEED Photo) » More Photos

Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for “Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain” and
Book Reviewer for SpeedTV.com.

Leary was track announcer for Hooter’s IHRA Drag Racing at National Events in the USA and Canada and entertained event crowds during “down time” by conducting “crowd participation” and product giveaways with the Hooter’s Girls. He was Marketing and PR Director and track announcer at Lake Erie Speedway.

As Photo Editor, feature writer, columnist and swimsuit calendar chief photographer for “Sports Jam Magazine,” Leary covered Auto Racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. He has photographed dozens of celebrities from A-Z…including Mario Andretti, Jim Brown, AJ Foyt, Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Mark McGwire, Paul Newman, Walter Payton, Alex Zanardi and Presidents Gerald Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton. Gregg’s wife, Lynn, live in Jefferson, Ohio, daughter Caitlynn is a student in Raleigh, and his son, Sean is a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Leary has conducted motivational seminars and performed stand up comedy around the country. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and Exeter University in England. Gregg has hitchhiked 40,000 miles through 36 states and 10 European countries and is a licensed pilot and skydiver. Leary is available for motorsports consulting on a limited basis.