Autosport and 1982

A 1982 extravaganza is promised this week, both in Autosport magazine, and on Autosport.com. The latter, in particular, are undertaking to publish all of Nigel Roebuck's 1982 race reports, and this will be a real treat.

Back in the 1980s, there seemed to be an understanding that the entire race weekend provided a captivating story, replete with numerous strands, which could be followed from practice on Friday all the way through to the end of the race. Each report duly began with an 'Entry and Qualifying' section, in which the context for the weekend was established, the main plot-lines drawn, and the technical innovations were explained, all tied together via anecdotes and conversations with the drivers. 

To some degree, things have changed irreversibly in the years since: the drivers are no longer directly accessible to journalists, and practice no longer features the mechanical dramas it once did. The engineers, however, continue to be reasonably open to enquiry, and there is still very much a weekend-long story to be charted. Thus, whilst the quality of the technical information these days is incomparably superior, and whilst the writers themselves are not to blame, something important has been lost from motorsport journalism.

Anyway, as some recompense, enjoy the video above of Keke demonstrating the art of overtaking at Zandvoort. Pay particular attention to how close he's able to sit behind Tambay going through Bos Uit, the fast corner onto the main straight. 

And watch out for Warwick's rear wing flying off in the corner of the picture as Rosberg overtakes Lauda!