This book explores the history and politics of motor racing, one of the most popular and lucrative elements in the international sport industry. Written by a group of international scholars and motor racing specialists it discusses the sport’s origins, the relationship of motor racing to nation building and modernity (noting its links to fascism and dictatorship), the links between motor racing and the automobile industry, motor racing and the politics both of gender and of race, motor racing, the media and postmodernity, and motor racing, the spatial and globalization. This book speaks to scholars in history, politics, sport studies, the sociology of sport, sport management and cultural studies, along with the many lay readers who are interested in the relationship between motor sport and society.
Author(s): Damion Sturm, Stephen Wagg, David L. Andrews
Series: Global Culture and Sport Series
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 779
City: London
Acknowledgements
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction
References
Part I: The Origins of Motor Sport
The Origins of Motor Sport in France: Sites of Racing Memory
Introduction
Paris
La Côte Fleurie
Courses de Côte
Gordon Bennett: Urbi et Orbi
Le Mans: Continuities and Changes
Conclusion
References
The Long Winding Road: The Politics and Development of the World Rally Championship
Introduction
The Formation of a World Championship
Media-driven Financialisation and Professionalisation
The Professionalisation of the WRC
A Period of Hope, Instability and Disaster
Red Bull and the WRC Promoter
The New Media Landscape
A New Political Outlook
Discussion and Conclusion
References
Part II: The Early Political Significance of Motor Racing
Racing and Racism: German Motorsport and the Third Reich
Introduction: Revisiting, Revising, and Rewriting Racing History in Germany
German Racing History: The Brown Beneath the Silver
German Motor Sport Before the Great War
Returning to Another Battlefield
The Money Behind the Myth of the Silver Arrows
Race, Motor Racing, and National Socialist Politics
Followers and Profiteers
When Racing and Racism Collide
Truth and Fiction
References
Henry Ford and the Rise of US Motorsport
Introduction
Henry Ford’s Direct Involvement in Motorsport: 1901–1913
Post-1913 Period
Conclusion—Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday
References
Benson Ford Research Center Archival Material
The Fascist Race Par Excellence: Fascism and the Mille Miglia
The Concept
The Event
The Route
Conclusion
References
Vargas, Perón and Motor Sport: A Comparative Study on South American Populism
Populism, Sports and Motor Racing
The Early Days of Motor Racing in Brazil and Argentina
Getúlio Vargas, the Gavea Circuit and Motor Racing in Brazil
The First Stages of Motor Racing in Peronist Argentina
Reaching for the Top: Argentina’s Move Towards the Motor Racing Elite
Approaching a Finish Line
References
Part III: Motor Racing and the Automobile Industry
Politics, Motor Sport and the Italian Car Industry, 1893–1947
Humble Origins
Motor Racing Moves Out of the Cradle
A Turning Point: The Great War
A New Scenario to Exploit
Mussolini, the Number One Testimonial
Protectionism and Victories on the Circuits
Sliding Towards a New War
The Rise of a New Scenario After World War II
British Motor Sport and the Rise of the Garagisti
Beginnings
The Constructors
Garagisti
Growth
Global Players
Challenges
Conclusions and Reflections
Part IV: Motor Racing and the Politics of Gender
It Was Ironic That He Should Die in Bed: Injury, Death and the Politics of Safety in the History of Motor Racing
Five Minutes After the Second Car Was Built: Danger and Early Motor Racing
Doing What They Enjoyed? Body Count and the Beginnings of a Safety Debate in Motor Racing in the 1950s and 1960s
Chicken Noises: Jackie Stewart and the Rise of Driver Militancy
Dead Drivers Are Bad for Business: Sponsorship, Safety and Motor Racing After the Death of Ayrton Senna
Conclusion
From Powder Puff to W Series: The Evolution of Women-Only Racing
Introduction
Early Auto Racing and the Woman Driver
Powder Puff
Women’s Racing Teams
Women’s Racing Series
Conclusion
References
The Awkward Gender Politics of Formula 1 as a Promotional Space: The Issue of ‘Grid Girls’
Introduction
Motorsport as a Male World
Women in Decorative Roles
The ‘Glamour’ of Formula 1
No More Grid Girls: Between Objectification and Empowerment
Conclusion
References
Part V: Motor Racing and the Politics of Race
A Political and Economic Analysis of South Africa’s Historical Relationship with Formula One Motor Racing, 1934–1993
Introduction
Origins of Motor Racing in South Africa
Rapid Change in the Post-War Period
South Africa Joins the World Championship Calendar
Political Forces Enter the Fray
Towards the End of the Road
Formula One’s Return in 1992–93
Conclusion
References
On Recovering the Black Geographies of Motorsports: The Counter-mobility Work of NASCAR’s Wendell Scott
A Reckoning in NASCAR
The Racialization of Racing
Motorsports as Mobility Politics
“The only way I can help…is to just be a…good race driver”
Scott’s Counter-mobility Work
Bodily Practices
Technological Practices
Social Practices
Concluding Remarks
References
Can the Formula One Driver Speak? Lewis Hamilton, Race and the Resurrection of the Black Athlete
Introduction
The Black Athlete (Re)Discovers Their Voice
Hamilton, Creating the Star: A (Single) Point to Win
Caribbean Roots, British Hero
Finding His Voice, the Black Athlete Speaks
Conclusion: Keep on Movin’
References
Part VI: Motor Racing, the Media, and Postmodernity
Formula One as Television
Introduction
Introducing Formula One
Formula One: Media Origins and Evolution
Formula One as Media Event
Formula One as Media Spectacle
Formula One as Televised Media Representation
Formula One and the ‘Death of Television’
Formula One’s Digital Future
Concluding Remarks
References
The Shifting Landscape of Sponsorship Within Formula 1
Sponsorship-Linked Marketing
Enter the Tobacco Industry as Key Sponsors
The Sponsorship Landscape in the Twenty-First Century
Social and Ethical Considerations
Conclusion
References
“Men Love Women, But Even More Than That, Men Love Cars”: Motor Racing on Film
Masculinity and the Sports Film
The Arrival of Fiction Cinema
Motor Racing in Early Sound Cinema
Motor Racing on Film in the 1930s
The Impact of World War II on Motor Racing on Film: A Female Race Driver?
Motor Racing on Film in the Post-War Era
Changing Class and Race Portrayals in the 1970s
The 1980s and 1990s and Another (Rare) Female Driver
Twenty-First-Century Drivers, Plus Ca Change…
Conclusion
References
Filmography
‘Who D’You Think You Are? Stirling Moss?’ British Racing Drivers and the Politics of Celebrity: 1896 to 1992
Introduction
Racing Drivers and the ‘Motor Ascot’: Speed, Technology and the British Elite
The Road to Stirling Moss: Class, the Automobile and the (Partial) Democratisation of British Motoring
Stirling Moss, Memorable Moniker
Graham Hill: Performing ‘Graham Hill’
James Hunt: Consumed by Celebrity
Nigel Mansell: The Guy You Would Chat to in the Pub
Conclusion: British Motor Racing and Celebrity—What Ordinary People Lack?
The ‘Star in the Car’: Formula One Stardom, Driver Agency and Celebrity Culture
Introduction
Introducing Sport Stardom
Sport Stardom and ‘On-Field’ Performances
Performing Formula One Sport Stardom on the Racetrack: Is the Car the Star?
Sport Stardom and ‘Off-Field’ Performances
Performing Formula One Sport Stardom Off the Racetrack: Corporate Stardom
‘Corporate Puppets’: The Hyperreal Formula One Star Simulacra
The Robotic Winning Machine: Michael Schumacher
Hyperconformity and Minimalism: Kimi Raikkonen
A Joker in the Pack? Jacques Villeneuve as Formula One Maverick
Concluding Remarks
References
Neoliberal Interpellation in the F1 2018 Video Game
References
Ecclestone out, Liberty Media in: A Look into the Shifting Ownership Structure of Formula One
Introduction
Ownership and Control in Media Sports
Formula One Group Ownership Structure
Ecclestone Takes Control
Ecclestone Sells Shares
Liberty Media Corporation
Conclusions
References
Part VII: The Globalisation of Motor Racing
The Circus Comes to Town: Formula 1, Globalization, and the Uber-Sport Spectacle
Introduction
F1, Globalization, and Uber-Sport
F1 as Uber-Sport Spectacle
F1, Spectacle, and Sustainability
Conclusion
References
Circuits of Capital: The Spatial Development of Formula One Racetracks
Confinement and Commercialization of Sporting Landscapes
The Enclosure and Partitioning of Auto Racing
The Development of Formula One Racetracks
Transforming the F1 Spectacle (1981–1998)
Globalizing the F1 Spectacle in the Twenty-first Century
Conclusion: Spaces of F1 Racing
References
Formula 1 as a Vehicle for Urban Transformation in China: State Entrepreneurialism and the Re-Imaging of Shanghai
Introduction
State Entrepreneurialism and Sport-based Urban Place-Making in China
Regenerating Metropolitan Shanghai, New Town Development, and the Arrival of the Chinese Grand Prix
Suburbanization and the Socio-spatial Consequences of the Chinese Grand Prix
Conclusion
References
Mega-Event on the Streets: The Formula 1 Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan
Introduction
Mega-Events as Private Spaces of Exception
Formula 1 as Urban Mega-Event
Baku’s Eventful Turn
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s Temporary Spaces of Exception
Assembling the Event Infrastructure
Securitization and the Militarization of Public Space
Restriction on Movement
Post-Event Baku
Discussion
Conclusion
References
Motor Sport in the Middle East: Regional Rivalries, Business and Politics in the Arabian Gulf
Sport, Globalization and Localization Debates
Motor Racing
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the New Mover
Motor Racing and GCC Rivalry
References
Stray Dogs and Luxury Taxes: What Happened to the Indian Grand Prix?
Introduction
Greater Noida, October 2011
The Indian Middle Class, Sport, and Glocalization
Bringing Formula One to India
Redeeming the Nation
Formula One as Sport Or Entertainment?
Additional Failures
Concluding Notes
Greater Noida, October 2020
References
Formula One and the Insanity of Car-Based Transportation
Introduction
Formula One’s Corporatization
The Formula for Climate Change?!
Alternatives
Conclusion
References
Index
