18 March: Today in Racing

In Formula 1 action on this day, Michael Schumacher dominated the 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix from pole position as he outpaced teammate Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard’s McLaren. There were also two Australian Grands Prix on 18 March — Kimi Raikkonen won first time out for Ferrari in 2007, but it was the man who replaced him at McLaren who impressed most as Lewis Hamilton delivered a mature podium third on his F1 debut. 

Also in Australia, Jenson Button won the 2012 race from Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull and Hamilton third again in the other McLaren.

Midway between Hamilton’s two Australian third places, Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax Lewis in his McLaren Mercedes race suit in to celebrate the Englishman’s first 2008 world championship on this day 2009. The Tussauds facsimile cost around £150 000 and took over six months to complete - a tiny fraction of what Hamilton earned that year!

In other single-seater action, Bobby Unser and Gordon Johncock raced to USAC Jimmy Bryan 150 Champ Car wins in 1972 and ’78 respectively, while off the beaten track, Jean-Luc Thérier and Jacques Jaubert steered their Alpine Renault A110 to 1973 World Rally Portugal victory.

Other 18 March race action included, 1973 Henri Pescarolo, Gerard Larrousse and Francois Cevert’s Matra-Simca beat the home favourite Ferraris of Tim Schenken and Carlos Reutemann, and Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman to win the World Championship for Makes 6 Hours of Vallelunga in Italy, Peter Gethin took his Chevron to 1978 European Formula 5000 victory at Brands Hatch and Bob Wollek, Manfred Schurti and John Fitzpatrick won the 1979 Mugello 6-hour in a Porsche 935.

The 12 hours of Sebring once again features significantly on 18 March – Hurley Haywood, Peter Gregg and Dave Helmick won in a Porsche Carrera RSR in 1973, Bob Akin, Rob McFarlin and Roy Woods' ’79 in a Porsche 935 and Hans Heyer, Stefan Johansson and Mauricio de Narvaez again in a 935 in 1984. Bob Earl and Derek Daly drove a Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo to the 1990 win, while Audi men Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro (R8) won in 2000 and Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish (R10) in 2006. Jordan and Ricky Taylor repeated dad Wayne’s win alongside Alex Lynn in a Cadillac in 2017.

Moving on to NASCAR, Herb Thomas and Rex White won the respective 1956 and ’62 Grand Nationals on this day, while David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Dale Earnhardt and Ken Schrader all scored 20th century Cup wins. Dale Jarrett, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr have since all been new millennium winners, while also in tin-top racing down under, Allan Moffat, Peter Brock, Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen all scored 18 March Australian Touring Car wins.

In other news this day, 1927 Wade Morton set a US production car speed record when he drove an Auburn 8-88 for 1600km at an average of 110km/h at the Atlantic City Speedway in New Jersey. ‘Dyno' Don Nicholson meanwhile became the first NHRA Pro Stock drag racer to beat 240km/h at the end of the quarter-mile at Gainesville, Florida on this day.

18 March race birthdays include US stock car legend Andy Granatelli, F1, NASCAR, Can Am and Trans Am star, among others, Mark Donohue, F1 drivers Michel Leclere, Larry Perkins, Alex Caffi and Timo Glock and NASCAR stock car racer Ryan Truex. Motor racing also said goodbye to Brazilian Formula 1 home GP winner Carlos Pace (32), who died in a light aircraft crash days after the 1977 South African Grand Prix that claimed Tom Pryce’s life, while German Grand Prix great Karl Kling passed on at 92 years old in 2003. (Photo: Red Bull)