Graham hill autobiography
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There's plenty of funny little anecdotes in here, plus descriptions of tracks, countries, people, and other tidbits of British life. Despite reliability problems early on, Hill secured a full-time drive. Later that year, Hill suffered a serious crash at the 1970 United States Grand Prix, breaking both legs and prematurely ending his season.
The plane Hill was piloting crashed in dense fog at Arkley Golf Course, on route to Elstree Aerodrome, Hertfordshire. It was quite entertaining and very interesting to read.
Though he did manage to win America's Indianapolis 500 in 1966, Hill decided his Formula 1 fortunes could only be improved by going back to where he started.
Hill continued to race through 1972, when he shared a victory in sports cars with Gils van Lennep at LeMans.
Graham Hill
But Hill pitched into the depressed team and proceeded to haul it up by its bootstraps, leading by example, working hard and deliberately affecting an optimistic outlook that boosted morale and produced ever-improving results.
He finished second to Clark in 1963 and narrowly missed the 1964 title by just one point to John Surtees. He shifted focus to team management, mentoring Tony Brise. Known as “Mr. Clarkâs tragic death in 1968 left Hill in a tight championship battle with Jackie Stewart, which Hill won at the final race. In 1962 he won in Holland, Germany, Italy and South Africa to collect a World Championship he fully deserved.
Though he recovered, Hill never returned to the podium. He became a five-time Monaco Grand Prix winner in 1969, holding the record until Ayrton Senna surpassed it in 1993. Hill is very candid about his almost accidental entry into the motorsport world -- candid in a very old-fashioned, British sort of way. In his 18 seasons in Formula One, Hill secured 14 race wins, 13 pole positions, 10 fastest laps, and 38 podiums.
Beyond Formula One, Hill competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 10 times between 1958 and 1972, winning the event in 1972 alongside Henri Pescarolo in a Matra-Simca MS670.
But he did well until a crash in the United States Grand Prix threw him out of the cockpit of his car and broke both his legs.
Months of pain and a four and one-half hour operation in London followed. The drivers were older and less experienced; the cars were small, unreliable, and dangerous. He also entered the Indianapolis 500 three times, winning on his first attempt in 1966.