Page 107 - Bespoke Issue

great for the sport and there should be more of it. As we’re on the subject of modern racing and cars, he thinks they are to technical, way to technical, that they swamp the drivers... The same as his views on the new ‘halo’ there seems to be a recurring theme amongst the older drivers he shares Niki Lauda’s sentiment that you needed to be part driver part hero but the rules of the sport and the society we are now in are taking that away bit by bit.
So, back to the book, it’s a weighty tome and I found it a fascinating read, I wasn’t that familiar with Hobbo or his career, but he’s raced with everyone and tells the tales very eloquently, but in a modest and understated way. His co author Andrew Marriottt has a long and illustrious career in motorsport journalism so once again David ‘Hobbo’ Hobbs nds himself next to another great team mate.
Hobbo, racer, gentleman, old boy and the great all rounder...
Moving on to race Indy Car in the McLaren M10B and the M16 he has raced many formula’s and series, which is what the guys back then did. David, known also as ‘motor mouth’ started his second career in 1976 as TV pundit and commentator. By this time David, his wife Mags and their two boys had moved to America and it was at NBC he found his home in television. He balanced both disciplines for some 14 years, racing and commentating, until he hung up his helmet in 1989 in favour of a full time TV career. This ‘second’ career lasted longer than his racing days at 41 years, it was only recently when the networks changed that he left his sports mic behind at NBC.
Hobbo has raced alongside many of the legendary names in motorsport, sharing cars or being team mates with them, so what does he think of our present crop of drivers? We talk about versatility and how his generation raced F1, Le Mans and Indy as a natural thing and he likens it to today’s doctors they are all specialists now, in his day they were just doctors... Todays drivers are the same, they specialise, they race their formula and the teams don’t want to risk them in other series. He thinks what McLaren is allowing Alonso to do is
"I LIKED FORMUAL ONE, BUT THE RACE I REALLY WANTED TO WIN WAS LE MANS."
WORDS CRAIG BLAKE-JONES
IMAGES B&W JENNIFER SCHAUERTE ARCIVE IMAGES FROM HOBBO WRIT TEN BY DAVID HOBBS & ANDREW MARRIOT T PUBLISHED BY EVRO PUBLISHING
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