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Racing, like any sport, has its so-called “golden eras”. Times when the competition was greater than ever, the cars more iconic, and the drivers more heroic than the usual. Sometimes this can span many years, like with pre-war Grand Prix racing, or it could span a single season. Everyone, however, has that one season they look back upon the fondest.
I thought about this for a while, and in the end, I had to decide on 1988. The 1988 season, across almost all categories of racing, produced some truly incredible results. Most legendary of all, of course, was the Formula 1 season with the beginning of the epic Ayrton Senna/Alain Prost rivalry in the dominant McLaren MP4/4. To say that’s the only incredible season that year would be selling it far short, however. Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries, Andy Wallace and Jaguar finally broke Porsche’s stranglehold on Le Mans; Lancia took the iconic Delta Integrale to a second consecutive World Rally Championship title with the help of Miki Biasion; and across the pond fan favorite NASCAR driver Bill Elliott took his first and only Winston Cup title.
Now let’s hear from you. What is your favorite single season in racing history?
Photo Sources: f1fanatic.co.uk, motortrend.com, tvnet.lv
For me it has to be the 2008 Formula 1 season. As a person of mixed heritage (black/white) Lewis Hamilton winning the driver’s championship that year just holds a special place in history.
Maybe 1985… F1 and turbos, I didn’t care who/what was winning, it was spectacular to watch. Ditto WRC, Group B at the height of the techno war between Audi, Peugeot and Lancia, with MG throwing their hat in and Ford limbering up on the side lines. 1986 should have been better but the loss of Toivonen for me was similar to the loss of Senna in 1994.
I think it was around 1997 or so, can’t honestly remember. I do specifically remember, however, being a kid (and I DO mean a kid as in I spent my summers riding my bike and playing kickball) sitting in my basement and watching a TV channel that only came on a pair of rabbit ears. It was my first taste of WRC, and my life has honestly never been the same.
97 WRC was a very very good year! The first year for the World Rally Car regulation, Tommi Makinnen was a real bulldozer that year, fighting spectacular battle against Colin McRae (still my favorite rally driver ever). A very good year indeed!!
91 F1 Season. Nothing beats the Senna/Prost wars.
The 1990 season was better, Ferrari gave Prost a dog of a car in 91, and it was Mansell in the Williams that was Senna’s main rival that year.
Ah, I clearly got my years backwards somehow. Yes, 90 was what I was thinking.
Started following racing right around 98 – since then the 2000 CART season does it for me. Sweet cars, great mix of drivers, lots of different winners (Moreno in Cleveland!), and a title fight that went down to the wire.
1973 because Alpine took the first World Rally Championship title and Matra took the World Sportscar Championship title.
1999 F1 season was nice..