Michael Schumacher equalled Nigel Mansell's record of nine wins in a season at the Japanese Grand Prix, as well as securing the contructors' championship for Benetton, ending three years of Williams dominance. Williams had a bad day as both their cars, driven by David Coulthard and Damon Hill, spun off. Hill's day was particularly wretched as he went into the gravel while heading back to the pits to serve a stop-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Hill had only just signed a £5 million deal with the team for 1996 but already rumours were circulating Frank Williams was having second thoughts. "I've never felt this bad," Hill said. "I've made mistakes this season, I can't deny that. Just when you think it can't get worse, it does."
1951
Tiff Needell, born on this day in Havant, had a forgettable and brief F1 career with Ensign in 1980 - he retired from his first race and did not qualify for his second. He made a more lasting impression as a presenter of the BBC's Top Gear between 1987 and 2001, when it was scrapped before the current Jeremy Clarkson version surfaced. He went on to present Fifth Gear on Channel 5.
1956
A garage-owning member of the French Resistance, Louis Rosier was well into his 40s by the time he made his mark in motor-racing immediately after the war. A brace of thirds in 1950 were his best returns from 38 starts, but he spun his Ferrari at Le Mans - a circuit where six years earlier he had won the famous 24-Hour race - and suffered serious internal injuries when it overturned. He died on his day, three weeks after the accident He was posthumously awarded the 'Ordre de la Nation', the National Order of the Legion of Honour, France's highest civilian honour.
