After failing to complete the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix, where he had made his debut six years before, Hunt issued a statement to the press on June 8, 1979, announcing his immediate retirement from F1 competition, citing his championship status, and was replaced by future world champion Keke Rosberg. Hunt said that he felt that "now is not the time" to return to Formula One, after missing the season-opening Canadian Grand Prix due to contract negotiations with Tyrrell Racing. He also expressed a desire to focus on his business interests outside of racing.
In fact, Hunt had been struggling with financial problems throughout most of 1978 and 1979. His career earnings were estimated at $750,000 in 1977 and $1 million in 1978; however, reports in 2009 indicated that his estate was worth less than $150,000.
Hunt's retirement came as a surprise to many people, including himself. He had just begun to win again after being beaten out of the 1976 and 1977 championships by Nelson Piquet (who later killed himself during practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix). Plus, just three months earlier, he had won the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.
After retiring from racing, Hunt opened a restaurant in London called Jimmy's Café de Paris. The restaurant failed miserably and was closed within a year.
Hunt died in grave financial problems despite having earned millions driving racing cars for Hesketh, McLaren, Wolf, and others. He left a remarkable driving career behind him, with 10 victories in 93 starts and the 1976 World Championship. But he also has to be counted among the many drivers who have gone bankrupt after retiring from competitive motor sport.
His downfall was due to his obsessive need for speed which got him into lots of trouble with the law and destroyed his marriage. His last race was in Japan in 1986 and he retired with two races still to run. But Hunt wasn't given permission to drive for another team so he could make money for his creditors. Instead, he went back to England without any money or credit cards and was refused entry to his own funeral.
He's since been declared dead by the British government. But perhaps that's where the irony ends; because while he was alive, he certainly didn't feel like it was all for nothing when they proclaimed him dead...
James Hunt (born August 29, 1947 in London, England—died June 15, 1993 in London) was a British race car driver who won the 1976 Formula One (F1) Grand Prix world championship by one point over his Austrian competitor, Niki Lauda. In 1969, Hunt began racing his own vehicle in Formula Ford competitions. He moved up to Formula Three in 1972, and that same year became the first driver in that class to win at Silverstone Circuit. In 1973, he won again at the North West Circuit. In 1974, he finished second to Ronnie Peterson at the season-ending United States Grand Prix held at Watkins Glen International Raceway.
Hunt's success in F3 led to him being offered a drive in the World Championship-winning Brabham BT19. He made his debut at the 1975 Italian Grand Prix, but an accident during practice left him with leg injuries that prevented him from competing further that year. The following year, he scored his first victory at the Spanish Grand Prix before going on to finish third in the standings behind Jody Scheckter and Peter Gethin.
In 1977, Hunt won three races while finishing second four times to Jacky Ickx's six victories. He took his total to 10 wins that year, but lost out on top spot to Ickx by one point. In 1978, he improved his tally to 12 wins but again fell short of the lead by two points to Ickx.
Death. Hunt died of a heart attack in his sleep on June 15, 1993, at his home in Wimbledon. He was 45 years old at the time.
Hunt's death came just over two months after he had been released from a London hospital where he had been treated for pneumonia. Prior to his death, Hunt had been suffering from recurrent chest infections and lung problems related to his smoking habit.
In 1992, Hunt's regular season in Formula One was cut short when he suffered serious injuries during a crash at the Portuguese Grand Prix. Hunt returned the following year but was unable to match his previous form and left F1 at the end of the season. After leaving F1, Hunt embarked on a career as a television commentator for BBC Radio 5 live sports car events.
Hunt was born on March 4, 1949, in Finchley, North London, the son of Jane (née Richardson) and John Hunt. His father was a mechanic who later became an engine builder and works manager at Ford's Dagenham plant. Young Jim began driving race cars at age 14 and won his first race three years later. By 1976, he had become one of Britain's top drivers by winning the World Championship for Makes and the European Championship for Sports Cars. That same year, he also finished second in Formula One.
Prior to his radio and television career, Hunt played 202 VFL games for Richmond, Geelong, and St Kilda between 1968 and 1978, earning two premierships with the Tigers. He was a hard-hitting defender who often led by example and was a member of three championship teams.
Hunt's father, Jack, played eight games for Melbourne in the 1950s while his uncles, Roy and Ray, both played for Melbourne and St Kilda respectively. His mother, Irene, was a champion tennis player who won the Australian Open girls' doubles title in 1945. She went on to become one of the nation's leading players before retiring from competition due to an injury. The family lived in poverty during World War II, when Jack served in the army before becoming employed at 3KZ Radio in Melbourne. He later became chief announcer at the station before moving to Richmond where he took up a role with the club as an assistant coach. He died in 1982 after fighting cancer for several years.
In 1961, at the age of 15, Hunt fell into a swimming pool at a party school where he was attending lessons, breaking his back. This caused him to miss most of the following season but he made a full recovery in time for him to play in Richmond's first ever game against Carlton on March 24, 1968.
Hunter-Reay made his racing debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Hunter-Reay began and finished the race in 23rd place after colliding with John McCraig on lap 22. Hunter-Reay returned to the series later in the season, competing at the Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex event. There, he finished 11th, just three positions behind winner Alexander Rossi.
He ended up finishing 10th in the championship standings that year.
After missing most of 2013 due to injury, Hunter-Reay came back in 2014 to win the inaugural IndyCar Series season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida. He went on to claim four more victories throughout the season to clinch his second consecutive title. He also became the first driver to win races in all three IndyCar series (CART/Champ Cars, IRL, and now INDYCAR).
Hunter-Reay announced his retirement from full-time racing following the 2017 season. However, he remained part of the team's lineup as a reserve driver during 2018 before announcing his return to the cockpit for the 2019 season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
In his career, Hunter-Reay has won seven championships (four in CART/Champ Cars, two in IRL, and one in INDYCAR). He has also earned 45 podium finishes across all three series.
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