This Week in Racing History (August 2-8)

This Week in Racing History

August 2 - Jean Behra dies in accident during the German Grand Prix at Avus (1959).

- Ronnie Bucknum debuts the Honda RA271 in the German Grand Prix with a DNF. It was also Bucknum's first GP (1964).

August 4 - Giuseppe Compari wins fifth Coppa Acerbo road race in an Alfa Romeo P2 (1928).

- Dan Gurney wears the first full-coverage helmet, a Bell Star, in an F1 race (1968).

- NASCAR star Jeff Gordon born (1971).

August 5 - Jerry Titus dies in accident during Trans- Am race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA (1970).

- Richie Ginther, who would give Honda their first F1 win, born in Los Angeles, California, USA (1930).

- At the Michigan 500 Indycar race, Al Unser Jr. sets a 500 mile average speed record of 189.7 mph (1990).

August 6 - Michael Tetu born (1941).

August 7 - Didier Pironi's F1 career ends in accident during last open practice session for German grand Prix at Hockenheim (1982).

August 8 - Nigell Mansell, Formula One and CART Indycar champion, born (1958).

Previous installments of This Week in Racing History can be found at the Motorsport News International website (http://www.motorsport.com/).

Michael Stucker Anadrill Schlumberger, Sugar Land, Texas stucker@$sugar-land.spc.slb.com Remove "$" from email address above. Copyright Michael J. Stucker 1998