Take a journey back in time and discover what was making motorsport news from Monaco and around the world in this fortnight over the last five decades as AUTO ACTION delves into its archives.
2013 – Volvo returns to Supercars
Volvo’s return to Supercars was front page news in Auto Action issue #1545.
A Swedish Supercars sensation developed a decade ago as Volvo announced its return to the top flight of touring car racing in Australia.
The brand revealed it would team up with Garry Rogers Motorsport to field two Volvo S60 Polestars in the 2014 Supercars Championship.
The announcement was somewhat of a surprise given just a matter of weeks earlier GRM had been on the verge of joining forces with Chrysler.
However, after “months” of discussions, Volvo took a chance on GRM and with the help of Scott McLaughlin, they captured the imagination of the Aussie racing world.
The return to Supercars resumed the Swedish brand’s connection with Aussie motorsport, having won the 1986 ATCC crown with Robbie Francevic in a 240T and the 1998 Super Tourers’ Bathurst 1000 with Jim Richards and Rickard Rydell.
Behind the wheel of the new S60, McLaughlin continued its history by “giving it some jandal” and winning six races when Volvo supported the team between 2014 and 2016.
Garry Rogers Motorsport founder and owner Garry Rogers was delighted with the “first class” opportunity.
“The opportunity to align ourselves with Volvo and Polestar is first class,” he said at the time.
“Most heartening of all, I am dealing with people who understand racing from an engineering perspective and the personal, day-to-day matters you need to have experienced to achieve success.”
Nico begins Monaco hat-trick
Nico Rosberg flies through the swimming pool section on his way to a maiden Monaco triumph in the Mercedes F1 W04. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch
Nico Rosberg followed the footsteps of his father, Keke, by winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
Exactly three decades on from Keke’s win, Rosberg junior dominated the 2013 edition of the famous Monte Carlo street race in dominant style.
It was the first of the 2016 champion’s hat-trick of Monaco glories and ensured the Rosbergs became the first and only father son combination to win at the Principality.
Rosberg led all 78 laps on his way to victory and led home Sebastian Vettel by 3.8s, while Australian Mark Webber stood on the podium in his final race around Monaco.
Although the German dominated the race, it was far from a simple Sunday cruise with a huge front-on shunt for Pastor Maldonado at Tabac bringing out the red flag on Lap 44.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa started the chaos by crashing into the barrier halfway up the pit straight, while Sergio Perez, Romain Grosjean, Daniel Ricciardo and Jules Bianchi were also involved in incidents.
In the background there was plenty of anger around the paddock about Mercedes’ domination after the team conducted a secret tyre test with Pirelli.
But Rosberg did not care, being ecstatic after scoring a special win at the place where he grew up.
“This is my home. I have lived here all my life, so to now win at home is very special,” he said.
“We have had such a difficult time behind us. In the last couple of races (starting from pole position) and dropping back so much.
“There was always that a little bit in the back of my mind in the race saying ‘I hope that its going to last and I’ll be able to pull it off and not drop back again.”
2003 – Skaife takes over HRT
Mark Skaife became the “new boss” of HRT in June 2003.
The multi-month month saga of who will take over the Holden Racing Team from Walkinshaw came to an end thanks to Mark Skaife.
In addition to leading the team in the #1 Commodore behind the wheel, the then three-time reigning champion became the new owner of HRT following the end of the Walkinshaw era.
Despite Skaife having won the previous three Supercars titles and two Bathurst 1000s, the move was described as the “biggest decision of his life” and he knew it.
“This is not going to be a walk in the park,” he said at the time.
“It is going to be a bloody big ask, but this is the best way to maintain the essence of the team and its momentum.
“My focus is to keep driving well. I do not want to lose this period of my career because I bit off more than I can chew.
“My goal is to win more championships than anyone else and to do that we have to make sure we have things in order.
“I will be looking at making sure we continue to have the best people in place to guarantee that.
“It is going to be hard, but we are going to give it 100 percent.”
Montoya masters Monaco
Juan-Pablo Montoya driving the BMW Williams FW25, leads Kimi Raikkonen’s McLaren Mercedes MP4-17D up to Sainte Devote. Photo: Photo: LAT Photographic
Columbian Juan Pablo Montoya ruled the streets of Monte Carlo after holding off Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher in a nail-biter.
Just 1.7s separated the top trio as a fast first stint allowed Montoya to rise from third and become the second driver to win both the Indianapolis 500 and Monaco Grand Prix.
Mark Webber was one of six retirements in the war of attrition as many drivers suffered mechanical dramas.
One of those who did not make the start was Jenson Button, who was sidelined after experiencing a high-speed shunt at the Nouvelle Chicane on Saturday.
With the race being one of just four not to feature a single overtake, Montoya got himself into a winning position with a fast start and jumped ahead of Williams teammate Ralf Schumacher in the pits.
It snapped an “embarrassing” two-decade wait between Monaco wins for the then front-running Williams, while it was also Montoya’s first finish at the Principality and he was relieved.
“It was neat,” he said post-race.
“It is the first time I have finished at Monaco in F1.
“The first year I laster three laps, the second about 40 something and now at last I have won it.
“Last year we were pretty competitive, but David (Coulthard) got the jump on me at the start.
“But this year I got the jump on Kimi and that seemed to help.”
1993 – Seton on the edge of glory
Glenn Seton sprays the champagne after another win as Holden’s search for greater speed made the cover of issue #576
Not even a “dramatic” new aero aid for the Commodores could stop Green Seton and Ford from continuing to dominate the 1993 ATCC season.
The Eastern Creek round was controlled by Seton, who won both races ahead of fellow Falcon drivers John Bowe and Alan Jones to extend his lead to an imperious 29 points.
After Ford had all of the first five rounds, new aerodynamic aids were allowed to run on the Holden VP Commodores on the eve of the Sydney race meeting in what was described as a “dramatic move”.
Whilst the approval process, timing and supply of the “wing kits” dominated the off-track chat, on track it did little to stop the “Blue Oval” brigade.
Seton took pole in “absurd circumstances” after more than half an hour of debate.
Originally John Bowe was on pole after both he and Seton were recorded as setting identical times.
However, it then became clear two of the track’s manual timing systems had malfunctioned and Seton was adjudged to be on pole by just 0.05s after re-issued data.
Despite drawing last in the Peter Jackson Dash, the Peter Jackson driver was untouchable when it mattered throughout the weekend.
Senna storms to sixth Monaco crown
Ayrton Senna celebrates his record-breaking sixth victory on the streets of Monte Carlo on May 23, 1993. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch
Three decades ago Ayrton Senna stormed to a record-breaking triumph around the streets of Monte Carlo.
For the third time in five races, Senna showcased his brilliance by driving a significantly disadvantaged McLaren Ford to victory over the all conquering Williams.
Amazingly it was Senna’s fifth successive win around the Principality and sixth overall – snatching a record previously held by Graham Hill and one that still stands easily to this day.
He did it by starting third and pouncing when his rivals hit trouble.
Alain Prost led early, but only after a jump start, which forced him to serve a stop-go penalty on Lap 12.
To make matters worse, Prost than stalled his Renault powered Williams when trying to exit and once it was finally fixed he rejoined a lap down in 22nd.
He would eventually fight his way back up to fourth. The Benetton of Michael Schumacher then took over the lead and controlled the field for a further 21 laps.
But Schumacher also found trouble, retiring in a cloud of smoke at the Loews Hairpin on Lap 33 due to a substantial hydraulics issue.
These surprises provided the lead on a silver platter for Senna and the brilliant Brazilian did not need a second invitation.
Senna dominated the remainder of the 78-lap race and won by 52s over Damon Hill, while third-placed Jean Alesi was the only other car to finish on the lead lap.
Despite the dominant win AUTO ACTION’s Joe Seward reported at the time it was no smooth ride for Senna throughout the weekend.
“Ayrton Senna crashed and hurt his hand on Thursday at Monaco, but on Sunday the race came to him,” Seward reported.
“Nowadays Senna always starts Monaco as favourite, but this year he really had his work cut out as the McLaren Ford is no match for the Williams Renault.
“In the first half hour of Thursday there were red flags everywhere. A McLaren was off in a big way and it was Senna at Ste Devote.
“He had gone off in a big way, running over a bump and smashing from wall to wall.
“‘I was lucky,” Senna said later.”
A tense Indianapolis 500 went to Penske’s Emerson Fittipaldi, who held off six Lola-Fords to claim his second win.
The Brazilian then broke a decades-old tradition by drinking orange juice rather than milk in victory lane.
1983 – Brabham peforms at Indy, Moffat takes “easy win
The spectacular roll over for Mike Burgmann at the Oran Park ATCC round was relived frame by frame on Auto Action issue #320.
Australia’s Geoff Brabham scored an impressive fourth at the 67th Indianapolis 500 won by Tom Sneva.
Brabham finished fourth behind Sneva, Al Unser and Rick Mears having ran as high as second.
Along the way the Aussie had passed greats such as Mario Andretti, Gordon Johncock, Panco Carter, Danny Ongais, A.J. Foyt and Kevin Cogan.
Up front, Sneva was thrilled to hold off Unser, who was one part of the first father-son combination to contest one Indy 500.
Sneva had previously finished second on three separate occasions and was the first man to officially break the 200mph barrier at the track, so he was naturally thrilled to finally drink the milk.
“Winning sure feels better than finishing second!,” he said.
“They (Unsers) made me work for it.
“The crew told me we had enough (petrol) to finish. I saw the light come on, but you just have to go with it.”
Allan Moffat made himself the “firm favourite” to win his eventual fourth ATCC crown by recording an “easy win” at Oran Park.
Moffat took control of the seventh round of the season by passing Peter Brock on Lap 6 of the 32-lap race.
Although he only held off Brock by 1.9s, Moffat “drove within himself” to take the chequered flag in the Mazda RX-7.
Off track, Allan Grice was shocked by “one of the most ill-judged decisions ever” by CAMS, which announced new Touring Car regulations.
1973 – Indy 500 tragedy
The high-speed tragedies at Indianapolis put the American racing world on the cover of Auto Action.
PRE-RACE favourite Bill Brown was beaten to victory in the Apeco Sports Sedan races at Amaroo Park.
Brown driving an “expensive and exotic” Porsche Carrera was downed by the car he gave up the previous year driven by Pete Geoghegan.
The 57th Indianapolis 500 was filled with tragedy after drivers Art Pollard and eventually Swede Savage passed away after heavy incidents, while pit crew member Armando Teran also died having been struck by a fire truck.
Another incident involving David Walther also left both driver and numerous fans severely injured.
After the rain affected race was held across three days, Gordon Johncock was declared the winner.
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