Juan Manuel Fangio
Juan Manuel Fangio, also known as “The Maestro”, a legendary race car driver. Master of Formula One when it first began, Fangio was a 5-time World Champion. His record of wins was only recently defeated by Michael Schumacher who himself said that he could never be greater than Juan Manuel Fangio.
Juan Manuel Fangio was born in Argentina on 24 June 1911. His parents were originally from Italy. Fangio’s grand racing career began in 1934. He chiefly took part in long-distance races on the dirt roads of South America. Fangio won the Gran Premio del Norte of 1940, a race that takes some 2 weeks and covers a distance of 10 000 km. Following World War Two, Fangio began racing in Europe. Although one of the oldest drivers around, Juan Manuel Fangio quickly caught the eye of spectators. Fangio’s success truly came when he began racing with Alfa Romeo in 1950, winning his first championship title in 1951. In 1952 he was racing for Maserati when he sustained a neck injury in an accident at Monza. The next year he continued with Maserati, coming in second for the season. Fangio moved to Mercedes in 1954. He once again took home the World Championship title. Mercedes later discontinued participating in racing after the Le Mans disaster of 1955.
Juan Manuel Fangio went on to race for Ferrai in 1956 and won his fourth title. Maserati once regained Fangio in 1957. He again cruised to victory, winning his fifth title. Very few will forget his remarkable performance at Nurburgring of Germany. Fangio drove his last race in 1958, the French Grand Prix. An amazing driver many believe that no one will ever meet Fangio’s record for wins against starts.
Following his retirement as an F1 driver, Juan Manuel Fangio became a representative of Mercedes-Benz. He became an International Motor Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 1990. In 1995 Juan Manuel Fangio died at a grand age of 84 and is now buried in the Balcarce cemetery in Argentina. The tale of Fangio is one that will continue to be told for many generations to come and Formula One fans will never forget Fangio, the racing legend.