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drivers, started his racing career at a mature age and was the
oldest driver in many of his races. Fangio had no compunction
about leaving a team, even after a successful year or even
during a season, if he thought he would have a better chance
with a better car. He drove for Alfa, BRM, Maserati, Mercedes
Benz and Ferrari. As was then common, several of his race
results were shared with teammates after he took over their
car during races when his own had technical problems. His
rivals included Alberto Ascari, Giuseppe Farina, Hawthorn
and fellowMercedes teammember; Stirling Moss.
Throughout his career, Fangio was backed by funding from
the Argentine government of Juan Perón.
Well covered in Chapter 19 is Fangio’s kidnapping in Cuba.
The Batista Dictatorship of Cuba established the non-Formula
One Cuban Grand Prix in 1957. Fangio won the 1957 event,
and had set fastest times during practice for the 1958 race. On
23 February 1958, two unmasked gunmen of Fidel Castro's
26th of July Movement entered the Hotel Lincoln in Havana
and kidnapped Fangio at gunpoint. The motive was simple; by
capturing the biggest name in motorsport the rebels were
showing up the government and attracting worldwide publicity
to their cause. But despite the shocking news spreading across
the globe, President Batista would not be outdone and ordered
the race to continue as usual. Fangio was taken to three
separate houses and was allowed to listen to the race via radio.
Convinced that he was not in danger he went on to develop a
case of Stockholm Syndrome, admitting afterwards that he
sympathised with his captors' actions: "Well, this is one more adventure. If what the rebels
did was in a good cause, then I, as an Argentine, accept it." Fangio was released after 29
hours and he remained a good friend of his captors
afterwards.
Not covered in the book was Fangio’s induction into
the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990. He
returned to the spotlight in 1994, when he publicly
opposed a new Province of Buenos Aires law denying
driving licences to those over 80 (which included
Fangio!). Denied a renewal of his license, Fangio
reportedly challenged Traffic Bureau personnel to a
race between Buenos Aires and seaside Mar del Plata (a
400 km distance) in two hours or less, following which
an exception was made for the five-time champion!
Finally -one of Fangio’s quotes, “Speed creates a sensation of being alive, more than alive.
But if there is one driver who has not waked in the middle of the night, fingers clutching a
sweat-soaked pillow, eardrums bursting with shrieking tyres, that man has tumbled from
another planet!”
Recommended!
Mark L. Jones
VSCC Librarian
Fangio leads Moss at Aintree, 1955
British Grand Prix
Fangio in Lancia-Ferrari D50,
Monaco Grand Prix 1956
Fangio (Maserati) fights Moss
(Vanwall) for second place early in the
1958 French Grand Prix, his last race.