Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell (born August 8, 1953) is a British former racing driver who won world championships in both Formula One (1992) and CART (1993).

Related Topics:
August 8 - 1953 - British - Racing driver - Formula One - 1992 - CART - 1993

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Mansell was born in Upton-on-Severn, a small town in the English county of Worcestershire.

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Upton-on-Severn - Town - English - Worcestershire

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He spent most of his childhood and early adult years in Hall Green, Birmingham. He was a pupil at Rosslyn School, then Hall Green Bilateral, before studying engineering at Matthew Boulton College.

Related Topics:
Hall Green - Birmingham - Engineering - Matthew Boulton

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He had a fairly slow start to his racing career, using his own money to help work his way up the ranks. After considerable success in kart racing, he became the 1977 British Formula Ford champion, despite suffering a broken neck in a testing accident. Doctors told him he had been perilously close to quadriplegia, that he would be confined for six months and would never drive again. Mansell sneaked out of hospital (telling the nurses he was going to the toilet) and raced on. Three weeks before the accident he had resigned his job as an aerospace engineer, having previously sold most of his personal belongings to finance his foray into Formula Ford. Mansell and his wife Rosanne sold their house to finance a move into Formula Three for the 1979 season. His racing was consistent, but a collision with another car resulted in a huge cartwheeling crash which he was lucky to survive. Again he was hospitalised, this time with broken vertebrae. Shortly after this and hiding the extent of his injury with painkillers, Mansell performed well enough in a tryout with Lotus to become a test driver for the Formula One team. His F3 manager and team owner of Lotus, Colin Chapman, gave him an opportunity to test drive for Lotus, one of the top racing teams in Formula 1 at the time. Mansell's skill impressed Lotus enough to give him a pair of starts in F1 in 1980. In his Formula One debut at the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix, a fuel leak in the cockpit left him with painful first and second degree burns on his buttocks, but Lotus eventually contacted him to drive for them for the whole of the following season.

Related Topics:
Formula Ford - Quadriplegia - Aerospace engineer - Formula Three - 1979 - Vertebra - Lotus - Colin Chapman - Test drive - 1980

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Mansell's four years as a full-time Lotus driver were a struggle, as the cars were unreliable - he managed a best finish of third place. Mansell became very close to Lotus boss Colin Chapman, and was devastated by his sudden death in 1982. Following that death relationships at Lotus became strained. At the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix Mansell surprised many by overtaking Alain Prost in a wet race for the lead, but soon after retired from the race. The team's new managers were keen to make space for Ayrton Senna, and Mansell left at the end of the season.

Related Topics:
1982 - 1984 Monaco Grand Prix - Alain Prost - Ayrton Senna

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