Product description
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1976 Hunt V Lauda
Review
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James Hunt may have had the glamour and good looks but
it was Niki Lauda s tale that punched hardest in BBC Two s fine
documentary about the great Formula 1 rivals, Hunt vs Lauda. As
his Ferrari manager, Daniele Audetto, recalled how the Austrian
driver returned to racing just five weeks after his horrendous
c at the 1976 German Grand Prix had melted large as of
the skin off his face as well as most of an ear, it was hard to
feel anything but admiration for the man colloquially known as
the Rat because of his rodent-like features. As Lauda prepared
for his comeback race Audetto spoke of how, when Lauda removed
his balaclava, his face was a of blood my God, how can he
race? But race he did, coming fourth, which meant he and Hunt
were neck and neck by the time they got to the final Grand Prix
of the season, in Japan. Hunt may have won the championship in
the end but the fact that Lauda dropped out of that last
dangerous race because he d seen what death looked like and didn
t want to get close to it again looked a far nobler thing than
Hunt s driving in it so recklessly he gave himself two flat
tires. Still, there s no doubt Hunt was funnier. Niki, you re the
only person I know who could have been in a fire and come out
better looking, he is reported to have told Lauda after his
accident, apparently with affection. --The Telegraph
Flares and wide collars, a cartoon rivalry between two very
different but equally passionate men, and a world title to be
decided by the very last race of the season... no wonder O
winner Ron Howard has seized upon the 1976 Formula One
competition between James Hunt and Niki Lauda as fodder for his
next film- 'Rush', due in cinemas 13 September. In the meantime,
the BBC has sneaked in ahead, with Sunday evening's documentary
telling the same story. In Car 1, driving for Ferrari, the
disciplined, devoted husband, technically superior, perfectionist
Austrian Niki Lauda - 1975 champion, and everyone's safest bet
for the 1976 championship. Over in Car 11, driving for McLaren,
tousle-haired playboy British James Hunt. "He might have had a
good line for the cameras, and a roving eye for the girls, but in
the cockpit, he was very serious," was how his team manager
remembered him. The rest, as they say... the story is so strong
and colourful that, frankly, all the production team had to do
was dig out the footage, glue the best bits together, add some
heady 1970s tunes, interview lots of key players who remembered
the time well, and let James Hunt's blonde bobbing head and big
grin do the rest. Niki Lauda proved he could match him for
passion, particularly when it looked like his career was over
after his near-al c at the Nurburgring seemed to put him
out of contention, as well as leaving his face horrendously burnt
and permanently red. I'm sure there will be those who argue
that there are a host of other names - Prost and Senna, perhaps?
Or Hill and Schumacher? - Vettel and... okay, moving on... who
could contend for the title of F1's greatest rivalry, but the
combination in 1976 of nostalgia, glamour, and finally Lauda's
return to the pit a mere six weeks after Nurburgring for a final
duel with the blonde Brit is the stuff of which myths, and
movies, are made. Over to you, Mr Howard. --Huffington Post
Flares and wide collars, a cartoon rivalry between two very
different but equally passionate men, and a world title to be
decided by the very last race of the season... no wonder O
winner Ron Howard has seized upon the 1976 Formula One
competition between James Hunt and Niki Lauda as fodder for his
next film- 'Rush', due in cinemas 13 September. In the meantime,
the BBC has sneaked in ahead, with Sunday evening's documentary
telling the same story. In Car 1, driving for Ferrari, the
disciplined, devoted husband, technically superior, perfectionist
Austrian Niki Lauda - 1975 champion, and everyone's safest bet
for the 1976 championship. Over in Car 11, driving for McLaren,
tousle-haired playboy British James Hunt. "He might have had a
good line for the cameras, and a roving eye for the girls, but in
the cockpit, he was very serious," was how his team manager
remembered him. The rest, as they say... the story is so strong
and colourful that, frankly, all the production team had to do
was dig out the footage, glue the best bits together, add some
heady 1970s tunes, interview lots of key players who remembered
the time well, and let James Hunt's blonde bobbing head and big
grin do the rest. Niki Lauda proved he could match him for
passion, particularly when it looked like his career was over
after his near-al c at the Nurburgring seemed to put him
out of contention, as well as leaving his face horrendously burnt
and permanently red. I'm sure there will be those who argue
that there are a host of other names - Prost and Senna, perhaps?
Or Hill and Schumacher? - Vettel and... okay, moving on... who
could contend for the title of F1's greatest rivalry, but the
combination in 1976 of nostalgia, glamour, and finally Lauda's
return to the pit a mere six weeks after Nurburgring for a final
duel with the blonde Brit is the stuff of which myths, and
movies, are made. Over to you, Mr Howard. --Huffington Post
