Welcome to the Yorath.co slightly-difficult or sometimes fiendishly-hard motorsporting quiz. These are the answers. If you’re looking for the questions, click here first, or you’ll ruin the quiz for yourself. There’s a series of questions, and one answer links all of them. Good luck!
- Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta were revealed as team-mates for the 1999 Formula 1 season, alongside their distinctive BAR car. But what was it about the car that the FIA took umbrage with, forcing a change before the season?
Separate liveries. F1 regulations state that teams must run identical, or near-identical, liveries on both cars.
- What was “The Small Family Car” that caused uproar at the BBC, forcing a coverage blackout as Auntie Beeb clutched her pearls and left the venue?
The Durex Surtees TS19. The BBC, when turning up to cover the non-Championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in 1976, said that the condom sponsor was not appropriate for family viewing, and when Surtees refused to remove the logos, the BBC left. So there was no coverage!
- Which ex-F1 driver won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, STW and BTCC for the same manufacturer?
“Smokin’” Jo Winkelhock. He won Le Mans in ’99 with Pierluigi Martini and Yannick Dalmas in the BMW V12 LMR, Germany’s Super Tourenwagen Cup in 1995 with the BMW 320i, and the BTCC in 1993. He also took the Asia Pacific title in ’94.
- Who are the only pair of brothers to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
Dick and Bill Whittington, in 1979, sharing with Klaus Ludwig. Bill Whittington went on to be involved with Randy Lanier and his Blue Thunder Racing team in the mid 1980s. Randy was a decent racing driver, but also a very accomplished smuggler of cannabis – until he was caught in 1986, and jailed. Both Bill and Dick also served time, as did John Pauls Sr. and Jr., for their involvement in drug smuggling and money laundering.
- The 2021 Haas F1 car raised some eyebrows on its reveal. Why?
It had a blue, red and white “Uralkali” livery, which looked quite a lot like the Russian flag, despite Russia being banned from displaying their flag in athletics events – including F1. It would get worse the following year, as Russia invaded Ukraine and the team were forced to take the logos off, and went back into the spray booth. Or the sticker booth. The vinyl room? Whatever.
- With which team did Stefan Johansson score a surprise podium at the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix, one of the finest underdog performances of all time?
Moneytron Onyx. Moneytron, apparently a supercomputer that could predict the stock market, was in fact a gigantic scam. Who could have foreseen that? Probably not the Moneytron supercomputer – it didn’t exist.
- Which team, with a menacing all-black livery, dominated the ALMS’ LMP2 division between 2011 and 2013?
Level 5 Motorsports. Scott Tucker, the team’s founder and backer, is currently serving a 16 year prison term for financial crime.
- Why did Martin Brundle’s 1996 F1 car change colour (not just because he turned it floor-side-up at the Australian GP)?
The Jordan 196 started the season a mustard yellow, and later became a much more regal gold, to ensure cigarette sponsor Benson and Hedges would look best on TV.
The link, of course, is dodgy cash, controversy and banned sponsors. Separate liveries, “lewd” (clutch those pearls a little tighter, Aunty Beeb!) sponsors, “Smokin'” Jo, two brothers who served prison time, awkward and not-at-all subtle political advertising, a classic F1 financial scam, a classic real-world financial scam, and cigarette sponsorship.