English racing driver Nigel Mansell is the only athlete to have won two league titles: in Formula 1 (1992) and CART World Series (1993).
early years
Nigel Mansell was born in 1953 in the town of Upton-on-Severn, in the west of England. His childhood and youth passed in Birmingham. The head of the family, Joyce, and his wife Erica were not at all opposed when their seven-year-old child first got behind the wheel. Seeing once the victory of the Scottish racer Jim Clark, the boy decided to certainly achieve the same results.
The beginning of the way
Nigel began his sports career late and exclusively with his own money. Having achieved good results in karting, he ended up in Formula Ford. The 23-year-old has won 6 of 9 races, including his debut race at Mallory Park. In the new season in 42 competitions, he won 33 victories.
1977 brought great success to the athlete - the championship of the British Formula Ford. However, in the same year, at the qualification races, he almost broke his neck. Doctors predicted temporary paralysis and parting with sports. Contrary to all forecasts, the racer escaped from the hospital and returned to training. He was not going to give up his dream, because before the accident, the athlete refused prestigious work in the aerospace field. After taking 4th place in the competitions at Silverstone, Mansell decided that it was time to move to a higher level.
Formula 3
In this type of competition, Nigel performed in 1978-79. The debut season brought him 2nd place in the standings. But the car could not stand the competition, so the deal with Unipart had to be terminated. The new season brought him 8th place and a new injury, this time his vertebrae were broken. However, the driving style and determination of the rider attracted the attention of the owner of "Lotus", he was offered to pass a test pilot to participate in the "Formula 1", with which he coped excellently.
"Lotus"
In 1980, Mansell joined the Lotus team. The impression he made on the head of the company, Colin Chapman, was enough to get permission to debut at the Austrian Grand Prix at the wheel of an experimental car. During the competition, a fire started due to a fuel leak. The racer received burns, but retained a place in the team.
The next 4 years were not easy for the rider. Cars "Lotus" were not reliable, of the 59 starts to the finish managed to come only 24 times. During this period, the best result of the athlete was the “bronze” of “Formula 1”. The salary of the English athlete was 50 thousand pounds a year, he received 10 thousand for each race and Chapman paid the same amount for the risk. Such a contract made Nigel a millionaire. During this period, he became very close to the owner of the Lotus, the athlete experienced his premature departure as a personal loss. After this, relations with the company worsened, the new leader did not respect the driver, but continued to keep him in the team.
At the race in Monaco in 1984, he surprised many when he overtook eminent rivals. But on a slippery track, he lost further control and retired. At the Grand Prix in Dallas, the Englishman lost consciousness right at the finish line, the anomalously hot weather became the cause of the malaise. Nigel lost his place in the team, but out of 2 new offers from Arrows and Williams he accepted the latter.
"Williams"
In 1985, Mansell joined the Williams team. His partner was Keke Rosberg, whom Nigel considered the best in the history of auto racing. The athlete received the number Red 5, which became his mascot. Honda engines gave confidence, the athlete won 2nd place at the Belgian Grand Prix. Victory in Africa brought the famous racer deserved fame. A number of new victories elevated him to the rank of potential Formula 1 stars. Only an absurd accident did not allow the Englishman to win the league title in 1986, and BBC Sports declared the rider person of the year.
1987 brought not only 6 victories, but also a major mistake at the Italian Grand Prix. At the time of the accident on the Japanese track, the athlete injured his back. The new season brought him nothing but setbacks. Following the results of 14 races, he never climbed the podium.
"Ferrari"
A new stage in sports biography was the performance of Nigel as part of the Ferrari team. Enzo Ferarry personally invited the rider and presented him with a racing car. In addition, the car was equipped with an electronic gearbox, but had serious problems with the gearbox. Technical imperfections led the driver to disqualification in competitions in Canada and Portugal. Due to setbacks, the athlete was ready to leave the sport, only a contract with “Williams” allowed the Englishman to continue the path to victory.
1991-1992
The second agreement with Williams was more successful than the previous one. The updated gearbox allowed the athlete to demonstrate aerobatics racing, victories followed one after another. However, after summing up the results of the year, it turned out that Nigel was second in the standings.
1992, he began victoriously, but the nut, flying off a step from the finish line, threw the rider back. After changing wheels, he showed a record time and ahead of schedule became the champion of Formula 1.
Champion's Further Career
In 1993, Mansell left the team to join the American CART series. Already during the first race, the newcomer became the best. A number of unsuccessful starts offset new victories. Nigel was the only driver who won both Formula 1 and CART at the same time.
In 1994, the Englishman returned to Formula 1 and won a number of victories, which brought him a tidy sum.
In 1998, at the wheel of a Ford Mondeo, the athlete won the championship title in British highway racing.
