Why You Should Learn About Niki Lauda and James Hunt

I suppose the title to this post got your attention, but I mean it in the most sincere way. If you are any kind of fan of motorsports racing, the story of the friendship and rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt will stand out for all of time.  The story will take you back over forty years to a time when Formula 1, or Grand prix racing as it was originally named, was much simpler.  Drivers were more at risk of losing their life than if they went into combat in WWII and fans could actually get close to their heroes at any given race.

I was so impressed with Niki Lauda as a young fan, I had to get his picture when he came racing at Watkins Glen in 1976.  And get his picture, I did.  That photo safari to the Glen lead me to write a book about that some 40+ years later. And to top it off, in 2015 I sent the three time world champion my photos with a request to autograph them. Never expecting such a busy and important figure to pay much attention to me, I was pleasantly surprised to get a package three months later with the 8 photos I send neatly wrapped and signed by the master!  Now that is class!

One of the photos adorns the cover of my new book,  "Echoes From The Glen", Reflections of Race Fans After Forty Years. For anyone interested, this is now available by clicking on the button to the right, and if you are within the continental, US I'm paying the shipping fees at this time to celebrate the start of the 2019 F1 racing season.

So here's the video "When Niki Lauda Meets Freddie Hunt.   (Freddie is late James Hunt's son), his dad having passed away at the young age of 45 of a heart attack.  This is a wonderful tribute to James.

Click Here For Video

And here's a cool commercial highlighting the NRING (Nürburgring) editions of the Alfa Rome Giulia and Stelvio.  You will love this.

Click Here For Alfa Romeo Action

"Echoes From The Glen" Available Now

The story of Niki Lauda's comeback from a crash that nearly killed him at the Nürburgring "Green Hell" circuit in August 1976 is one of the most inspiring stories, ranking along Tiger Wood's comeback to win the 2019 Masters.  ( Lauda won the World Championship in 1977 and missed winning the 1976 championship by 1 point).

I even gave a copy of the book to Indycar star, Robert Wickens who is on his journey of recovery since last year's crash nearly took his life. I told Robert his remarkable progress is an inspiration to all of todays young race fans, just as Niki Lauda's comeback was an inspiration to me as a young race fan. It has been an example for me throughout my life when things got tough- I always remembered how Niki overcame obstacles.  Robert is setting that example for a whole new generation of fans.

Robert Wickens receiving a copy of my book.

I hope you learn something from this post and gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of our sport.

                             This post brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Author and Publisher
                             of "Echoes From The Glen" and Carcamerastory.com