Friday 29th August 1947
Born on this day, James Hunt, the 1976 World Drivers Champion. A young aristocrat with a devil-may-care attitude, Hunt got his Formula One break in 1973 thanks to funding from Lord Hesketh. Hunt moved to McLaren after Emerson Fittipaldi quit to join his family team and he scored six wins and took the title amid a downpour in the final race, in Japan, when friend and rival Niki Lauda pulled into the pits and said that it was too dangerous to race. Hunt stayed out and clinched the third place he needed to lift the crown.