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Motorsport's Magic Moments

Auto Express has provided two decades of the best racing coverage from around the world. Here we look back at some of the highlights that have thrilled us most.

By James Disdale

February 2008
What is your favourite sporting mem­ory of the past two decades? Well, whether you chose Jaguar’s Le Mans 24 Hours victory in 1988, Nigel Man­sell’s long-awaited F1 world champ­ionship triumph or Andy Priaulx’s tin-top title haul, you’ll have read about it in the pages of Auto Express first.

Over the course of 1,000 issues, the racing coverage in Britain’s favourite car news weekly has been second to none. And to celebrate the landmark, we look back at the moments which inspired a motorsport generation.
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Lewis Hamilton   Jaguar at Le Mans   Ford Sierra RS Cosworth   Nigel Mansell
1. Lewis Hamilton

Rookie stuns F1 in 2007 

No Formula One debutant has made a bigger impact than Lewis. After winning in every junior formula he entered, the 22-year-old clinched his first grand prix victory in only his sixth race. Amazingly, he missed out on the world title by just one point.



  
2. Jaguar at Le Mans
Victory in 24 Hours, 1988

Brit drivers Johnny Dumfries and Andy Wallace helped end Porsche’s seven-year grip on the enduro, and sealed Jaguar’s first win in 31 years.

  
3. Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Late-Eighties domination

Spectacular, fire-spitting Fords left the rest of the BTCC pack trailing in the Eighties. They delivered more than 500bhp, and could hit 185mph at some tracks. Star drivers included Andy Rouse, Robb Gravett and Tim Harvey.

  
4. Nigel Mansell

F1 World Champion 1992 

‘Our Nige’ finally won the ultimate motorsport prize 12 years after his F1 debut. In his triumphant season, he drove his Williams-Renault to a then record-breaking nine GP victories. The following year, he went to race in America and claimed the CART title.
 
Volvo 850 estate   Alfa 155   Colin McRae   Damon Hill
5. Volvo 850 estate
Surprise of '94 season

When the Swedish company took to the track in 1994, fans could barely believe their eyes. Volvo was famed for its boxy estates and entered the then new load-lugging 850. It was very quick, and finished the season in a respectable fifth place.

  
6. Alfa 155
1994 Champion

In its first BTCC campaign, Alfa beat works BMW, Peugeot, Ford, Renault and Vauxhall entries. And Gabriele Tarquini’s on-the-edge driving – often on two wheels – took him to a debut title.

  
7. Colin McRae

1995 World Rally Champion

With his flamboyant style behind the wheel, the quietly spoken Scot became the first Brit to win the World Rally Championship. His year-long battle with team-mate Carlos Sainz went down to the wire, with McRae claiming an emotional home victory on the final round.



  
8. Damon Hill

F1 World Champion 1996

Capitalising on the superiority of his Williams-Renault, Hill took the F1 crown in 1996. The son of two-time champ Graham retired in 1999, with 22 grand prix wins under his belt.
 
Richard Burns   Bentley at Le Mans   Michael Schumacher   Andy Priaulx
9. Richard Burns
2001 WRC Champ

Impressing with his silky-smooth driving, Burns powered his Subaru Impreza to world title glory in 2001, ahead of arch-rival Colin McRae. He also won became youngest winner of British crown in 2003.


  
10. Bentley at Le Mans
Victory in 24 Hours, 2003

The Crewe firm clinched a one-two in 2003, ending a series of 73 years without a win. It also interrupted Audi’s seven-year 24H victory run.

  
11. Michael Schumacher

Multiple F1 World Champ

Arguably, Schumacher is the greatest grand prix driver of all-time. His record speaks for itself: from 250 starts, the German scored seven drivers’ crowns, 91 race wins and an incredible 154 podiums. Such were Michael’s achievements on the track, they will probably never be bettered.



  
12. Andy Priaulx

Three-times WTCC Champ

The king of the tin-tops over the past four years. Andy claimed the European Touring Car Championship in 2004, then followed this victory with three successive world titles.
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