This week in motor sport – January 16

F1

This week in motor sport from the Archive and Database, as Ligier begins the season with victory, plus nods to Gilles, Pedro and Foyt and more.

January 16

1903: Resistance fighter and Grand Prix winner, and all-but forgotten, W Williams is born. In profile

1930: Luki Botha, one-time GP starter, is born. In profile 

1935: Le Mans winner and US racing great AJ Foyt is born. In profile

1937: Formula Ford winner and Grand Prix starter Luiz-Pereira Bueno is born. In profile

1952: F3 champ, F1 racer and sports car winner Piercarlo Ghinzani is born. In profile

January 17

1895: Le Mans winner John Duff is born. In profile

1938: Rally driver, and Le Mans starter, Rauno Aaltonen is born. 

January 18

1940: The frighteningly fast Pedro Rodriguez is born. In profile 

1942: Johnny Servoz-Gavin, F3 and F2 champion who qualified on the front row on F1 debut, is born. In profile

1950: Gilles Villeneuve is born. In profile

1950: Gianfranco Brancatelli is born. In profile

1971: IMSA champion Christian Fittipaldi is born. In profile

January 19

1907: Briggs Cunningham is born. In profile

1914: “Mr Bob” Gerard is born. In profile

1969: Carlo Salamano, Italian Grand Prix winner, dies aged 69. In profile

1980: Jenson Button is born. In profile

1984: Karun Chandhok is born. In profile

January 20

1957: Bentley Boy and father of the BRDC, JD Benjafield passes away. In profile

1975: Norberto Fontana is born. In profile

1991: GP2 champion and Renault F1 racer Jolyon Palmer is born. In profile

2004: Alan Brown dies of a heart attack. In profile 

January 21

1975: Yuji Ide, former Super Aguri driver, is born. In profile

1979: Jacques Laffite wins the Argentine Grand Prix. Report

January 22

1959: Mike Hawthorn is killed in a road accident. In profile

2007: British Grand Prix winner Emmanuel de Graffenried dies at the age of 92. In profile

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