Love him or hate him, there can be no doubt that few administrators have had such a marked impact on their sports as has Bernie Ecclestone, who was born on this day in Suffolk. Starting out selling second-hand bikes, he had a brief career as a driver but as his business expanded, he moved into ownership and management. He twice quit F1 when his drivers died - Stuart Lewis-Evans in 1958 and Jochen Rindt in 1970 - but in 1972 bought Brabham and made it a major player. He also formed the Formula One Constructors' Association and took control, along with Max Mosley, of the sport's finances and management, turning it from a fairly ramshackle series of races into a multi-million dollar business. In more recent years he has been accused of putting money before anything else but he remains the glue that holds F1 together.
1951
Juan Manuel Fangio secured the first of his five world championships with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix with a controlled display of driving and a little sleight from Alfa Romeo who fooled Ferrari into thinking it had fitted additional fuel tanks to the side of its cars - they were dummies - and in so doing convincing them to alter their pit-stop strategy. But for Fangio the celebrations were muted. Later that evening he was informed Alfa was in financial problems and was withdrawing from racing. It signalled the start of two years in the wilderness for Fangio.
1981
Almost three-and-a-half years after the event, Riccardo Patrese was cleared by a Milan court of the manslaughter of Ronnie Peterson at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix. Patrese denied claims he drove recklessly, triggering a chain reaction which resulted in Peterson's death. In the first such trial in F1 history, James Hunt had said: "For me, the responsibility for the accident is completely Patrese's", going on to accuse him of a dangerous move to the left while other cars were braking at speed. The starter was also cleared of charges he had started the race when some backmarkers were still moving.
1876
Henri Rougier, born on this day in Marseilles, was a pioneer of motor racing, winning the first Monte Carlo Rally in 1909. But he featured in the earliest races at the turn of the century right through to the mid 1920s. He was also a car manufacturer, albeit on a small scale, and a record-breaking aviator.
