Speed came naturally to Nigel Mansell, the British-born son of an aerospace engineer. Like his father, Nigel also worked as an engineer before turning to auto racing in a Formula Ford in 1976 at age 23.

A year later, he captured the British Fusegear Championship with 32 wins in 42 Formula Ford starts. He subsequently earned a spot on the Unipart March Formula Three team, winning the International trophy race and gaining two second-place finishes in 1979.

In 1980, he debuted in Formula One as Mario Andretti’s Lotus teammate. In one memorable Formula One event in Dallas, Texas, Nigel gained his first pole, only to have his car lose power near the end of the race. Undeterred, he pushed the car across the finish line for sixth place, before collapsing in exhaustion.

Nigel’s breakthrough as a Formula One racer came in 1985, when he led the season with five wins and missed the overall title by two points. He again finished second in 1987 after securing eight poles and six victories, despite injuries that forced him to cut short his season. The early 1990s were a banner time for Nigel, as he picked up five wins and a second-place finish for the title in 1991, and a year later broke the record for most wins in a season with nine -- six of them, start to finish. The most popular driver on the international Formula One circuit, he was known in Italy as “Il Leone” (the Lion).

In 1993, Nigel became the first reigning world champion to switch to Indy Cars when he joined Newman/Haas Racing under Kmart/Texaco/Havoline co-sponsorship. He quickly adapted to the new circuit by winning the pole and race in his debut at the Indy Car season opener at Surfer’s Paradise in Australia. That year, he tied for the series high in victories at five and became the sole leader in poles at seven.

Before returning to Formula One at the end of 1994, he earned the distinction of becoming the first driver to hold both the Formula One and Champ Car crowns simultaneously. He retired in 1995 after compiling a record of 31 wins, 32 pole positions and 59 podium finishes in 185 Grand Prix races.

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