Following in the Footsteps, Damon Hill

29 June 2009

The son of Formula One racing's former legendary diver, Graham Hill, Damon Hill picked up where his father left off. Born in London, England on September 17, 1960, Damon's life - unlike his father's - seemed destined for the track. However, Damon wished to pursue a different type of racing, motorcycle racing.

He was a natural-born talent on the track, becoming a well respected motorcycle racer in his own right, but his true calling was with the single-seater Formula cars. Damon's career wasn't quite as successful as his father's, but most familiar with the sport speculate this is due to the very short career: 1992 to 1999. In this 7-season span, Damon participated in 122 races, wining 22, appearing on the podium for 42, earning 20 Pole Positions, earning 19 fastest laps, and winning a Championship.

Damon came over to the Formula side for good in 1984, where he slowly raced his way up the rankings in Formula Three and Formula 3000. Although he showed the occasional flashes of brilliance, he was widely considered an average driver until he broke into Grand Prix racing in 1992 with a Brabham team that had seen better days.

Hill managed to qualify for 2 Grands Prix races, and was also the test driver for the Williams-Renault team, and was promoted to the team alongside Alain Prost after Nigel Mansell left for Indy Cars in 93. During the middle of his first full season, Hill managed to pull off three consecutive wins in F1, becoming the first ever second-generation member of a Grand Prix family to win.

Hill moved up to become Ayrton Senna's teammate in 1994, and ultimately took over the slot after Senna's death. Hill was in the running for the Championship up until the last race that year, when an intentional collision by Michael Schumacher thwarted his attempts. In 1994, four of six race wins by Hill came when Schumacher was disqualified of suspended. For a few years, the pair was the sport's leading rivalry.

In 1995, Hill was beaten handedly by Schumacher for the title, but Hill sought his vengeance in 1996, winning the Championship. He was inexplicably dropped by Williams the following season. His next move was to Arrows, where his car was one of the most uncompetitive on the track. Hill quickly abandoned ship and joined team Jordan, winning a race with the squad. Hill won the honors of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1994 and 1996.

Damon Hill would call it quits after returning to Formula One in 1999 and posting his most abysmal year to date. Although Hill isn't considered one of the true legends of the sport, his abrasive racing style still made him a force to be reckoned with on the track. It says a lot about Hill's skill that Michael Schumacher - perhaps the greatest of all time - would rather intentionally wreck Hill than compete against him fairly.

Tags: alain prost, ayrton senna, graham hill, formula one, michael schumacher, formula 3000, damon hill, brabham team,
Posted In: Biographies, Formula One,

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