The seventh of June has played host to four grands prix over the years.
Starting in Holland 1953, Alberto Ascari beat Ferrari 500 teammate Luigi Villoresi and José Froilán González’ Maserati at Zandvoort. Pedro Rodriguez took his BRM to his second of two Grand Prix wins over Chris Amon’s March Cosworth, Jean-Pierre Beltoise in a Matra in the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. Debutant Ignazio Giunti’s Ferrari ended fourth in the final GP won on Dunlop tyres.
28 years later it took three attempts to get the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix under way between stoppages to remove wrecked cars from the Montreal racetrack before Michael Schumacher sped to victory in his Ferrari F300 ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella’s Benetton and Eddie Irvine in the other Ferrari.
Jenson Button continued his march toward the 2009 driver’s title for Brawn Mercedes with another emphatic victory over Red Bull Renault duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in the Turkish Grand Prix.
Back in Canada in 2015, Lewis Hamilton led all but one lap as he beat Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg and Valttieri Bottas’ Williams Mercedes to further extend his title advantage .
Elsewhere, Rudolf Caracciola’s Mercedes-Benz won the 1931 Nürburgring Eifelrennen, Achille Varzi the 1933 Gran Premio di Tripoli in a Bugatti 51 on the same day that Karl Alfred Ebb’s Mercedes-Benz SSK took the 1933 Helsinki Elaintarhanajot, while Jean-Pierre Wimille Bugatti T59/50B won the ’39 Coupes de Paris.
Piero Taruffi’s Ferrari 375 Thinwall Special won the 1952 Ulster Trophy at Dundrod, Reg Parnell the ‘54 Goodwood Whitsun Trophy in a Ferrari 625 and Spencer Martin’s Brabham Climax the 1964 Warwick Farm Aussie Tasman round. Over in the US, AJ Foyt, Bobby Rahal, Arie Luyendyk, Alex Zanardi, Al Unser Jr. and Scott Dixon each won an Indy race on this day.
In sportscar racing, today’s highlight was Allan McNish, Laurent Aiello and Stephane Ortelli’s Porsche 911 GT1 winning the 1998 Le Mans 24-hour. Other successes include Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman’s Aston Martin DBR taking the ‘59 Nurburgring 1000, while over in the US, Jochen Mass and Bobby Rahal’s Porsche 962 took Mid-Ohio ’87 and Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas’ Riley-Lexus the 2008 Grand-Am Six Hours of the Glen.
Away from the racetrack Hans Stuck broke two standing start world speed records in a grand prix Auto Union Type D with a 171km/h one kilometre and 201km/h mile marks in 1937. The first Brazilian driver to win a Grand Prix, Chico Landi passed away aged 81 on this day 1989 and NASCAR boss Bill France Sr. died aged 82 on 7 June 1992.