Austria Post issued a new stamp on September 13 to honor Formula 1 racing legend Niki Lauda.
Andreas Nikolaus Lauda was born in Vienna on February 22, 1949, and to his family's displeasure, became interested in motor racing at an early age. He began with touring car racing, and then, from 1971 to 1972, took part in his first Formula 1 races in a March Ford, switching to BRM from 1976 on. It was during this time that he learned much about the cars, acquiring the huge specialist knowledge about the suspension and adjustment of the racing cars that was to benefit him so much at Ferrari.
When Enzo Ferrari made his acquaintance, he was so impressed by the young man that he offered him the opportunity of a lifetime – to drive for Ferrari. In 1975, of 13 starts, Niki Lauda finished twelve times, winning 5 of the races and grabbing his first Formula 1 World Championship title in the Ferrari 312T.
It was in 1976, at the Nurburgring that one of the most dramatic accidents in Formula 1 history occurred. The Ferrari crashed into a rock wall, collided with a number of other cars, the petrol caught fire and the car began to burn. Just in time, Lauda, unconscious, was dragged from the wreck with extremely serious burns to his skin and lungs. That he survived was due to his incredible will and the best of nursing care, and only 6 weeks later he was to be found back at the wheel of a racing car at Monza.
After his second World Championship in 1977, he had differences of opinion with Ferrari and switched to Team Brabham. In 1979, Niki Lauda left Formula 1 and, with two aircrafts, founded his own airline, Lauda Air. He was back in Formula 1 in 1982, driving for McLaren, and 1984 saw the pinnacle of his racing career with his third World Championship title. The following year he finally ended his motor racing career and turned his whole attention to his business, although he acted as part-time consultant to Ferrari in the 1990s, and as racing manager at Jaguar in 2001-2002.
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