THE LASTING LEGACY OF FREDERICK ARTHUR STANLEY - 'STANLEY CUP'

Changes in design of Stanley Cup from the original to the existing

It was in the winter of 1888, at the age of 47, Frederick Arthur received an offer to be the governor-general of Dominion of Canada, which he accepted without any hesitation. The next five years was all about travelling the country, aiding the political developments, supporting the military arrangements before he resigned his position to return to his homeland, London to become the 16^th Earl of Preston. Before he left Canada, he donated a trophy for the best team in the Canadian amateur ice hockey - which we now know it as 'Stanley Cup'.

Born to a former prime minister of United Kingdom, it was evident Frederick Arthur Stanley would join the political affairs following his father's footsteps. However, being a poor orator when compared with his illustrious father, Frederick Arthur Stanley had other skills - most notably in matters related to administration. It is this 'skill' which impressed the political guardians of the United Kingdom and eventually landed him the post of 'Governor General of Canada'.

WHY THE CUP

Three of his sons took early interest to the game of ice hockey whilst in Canada. Being a sports fan, Frederick Arthur Stanley was often seen to witness the local ice hockey matches. Together with James George Aylwin Creighton, the Nova Scotian law clerk of the Senate in a 'sporty' gesture formed a junior ice hockey team under the name of 'Rideau Hall Rebels' in 1889. A year later, his son Arthur would form the Ontario Hockey Association.

However, the matches that were played in the Dominion of Canada were sparse and had no definite structure and Frederick Arthur Stanley felt the need to have some sort of 'challenge' to ensure the fine sport of ice hockey would have a 'symbol'. In this context, he proposed the need of a 'challenge cup' held annually in a competition which had rules and structure - and in the end, the winners would claim the 'trophy'.

THE CHALLENGE CUP

Montreal Hockey Club - 1st recipients of 'Stanley Cup' 

This proposal made at a dinner event for the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association in 1892 was heartily received by the members and Lord Stanley wasted no time in purchasing a silver cup 7" high and 11" wide for a sum of 10 guineas. He also formulated few rules which stipulated - the trophy never to become a private property of the winning team irrespective of the number of times a team wins and to oversee this and many other rules he appointed two 'trustees' - Ottawa Sheriff John Sweetland and Philip D. Ross to look after the matters pertaining to this 'Challenge Cup'. And like this, in 1893 the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association became the first recipient of 'Challenge Cup' when they topped the standings of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada.

AMATEURS TO PROFESSIONALS

Lord Stanley could not see the impact he had on the ice hockey community of Canada. He was back in England as the 16^th  Earl of Preston, replacing his deceased brother. Meanwhile in Canada, the Stanley cup had become a popular annual event. Up until 1910, only amateur clubs took part in the competition and with the formation of National Hockey League the same year, Stanley Cup became a competition for the professional clubs while the amateur clubs competed for 'Allen Cup'. It took further 15 years and disbanding of two other professional associations for National Hockey League to prevail on its own. After a lot of change in the rules in awarding the Stanley Cup, since 1926, the winners of the NHL have been awarded with the 'Stanley Cup', a tradition which is followed till date.

THE MODERN STANLEY CUP  

If one looks at the modern Stanley cup design and compare it with the original - there is a striking difference. The trophy has grown in size, literally, after many experimentations with the design through the years. From a plain silver bowl with a band, it now has a replica of the original bowl made of silver and nickel alloy - and weighs close to 16 kg. And the height! - it has increased four folds from the original size and is now 89.54 cm tall!

After all the permutations and combinations for the most 'efficient' design, the Stanley cup has a five band barrel to support the bowl. 13 winning team entries can be made per band and each team entry consists of the winning players, coaches, management and club staff engraved on its chalice. To prevent the cup from growing, when the bottom band is full, the oldest band is removed and a fresh band is attached to the bottom. The removed band is treasured in the 'Hockey Hall of Fame' just like it houses the original "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" and the "Replica Cup".  To this date, NHL does not own the trophy and through agreement with the two trustees of the cup, NHL awards 'Stanley Cup' to the winners. The trophy is not made each year due to its complex nature; instead winners keep it until a fresh champion is crowned - a sort of rolling trophy, if you may call it.

LEGACY

Stanley with the original Stanley Cup at Hockey Hall of Fame 

What started as a mere gesture to encourage a sport which his children took liking to - and had an active interest, it was little known that a donation of a cup would be the lasting legacy of Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley. He never watched a single game of 'Stanley Cup' in his life and at the time of his demise (in 1907), the competition was an 'amateurs' only tournament. I am pretty sure little did he imagine the kind of evolution that would take place in the following years for a cup worth of 10 guineas (50 USD) would change the face of ice hockey in Canada and globally. 

SPIRIDON LOUIS: THE HERO OLYMPIC MOVEMENT BADLY NEEDED

Panathenaic Stadium where I had the opportunity to run a few meters retracing Spiridon Louis route 

When I ran those 200 metres to the finish line on the Panathenaic stadium in Athens, I had only one motive - I wanted to retrace an historic path by Spiridon Louis whose victory at the Marathon event in 1896 heralded the beginning of modern Olympics.

  

Those humble beginnings to Spiridon Louis began in Marousi where his livelihood was earned through transporting fresh water to the inhabitants of Athens - a task that required endurance at a time when water filled tanks was a dream. It wasn't a surprise when he chose a horse and a cart from the Greek King as a part of a 'promise' which allowed winners to be granted with a wish. He knew 'fame' had an expiry date and he went about his usual business after being hailed as 'Greek's national hero' post the 1896 Olympics.

LEGEND OF MARATHON

Michel Breal, a friend of Pierre de Coubertin used his knowledge of history to good use when the first modern Olympic Games were being planned in 1894. He suggested Coubertin to include long distance running competition (25.8 miles) for the Olympics which would add local interest. Not surprisingly, the organisers were delighted with this proposal. The legend of 'Pheidippides' would now be re-lived. The distance 25.8 miles equivalent to 40 km happens to be the approximate distance from the plains of Marathon to the city of Athens. Pheidippides, in his role as a messenger ran 40 km to bear the surprise news of Greek's victory over invading Persians. He blurted out a message which is translated "Rejoice, we conquer" before he collapsed and died. This legend lived on through centuries from the time of Ancient Greece to the turn of 19th century and now an integral part of the Olympic movement.

AT THE OLYMPICS

Before the start of the Olympics, the locals had a disappointing games with no medals to their tally. All hopes were on the Marathon event. As a means to motivate their countrymen, a lot of rewards were promised for a Greek winner. Wealthy and noblemen in and around Athens threw in their offers before the event began. Odds for a Greek win were high as the 21 participants out of 25 finalists were from Greece. However, if anything to go by the performance of American and Australian athletes at the earlier events, a Greek win would surely be an extraordinary effort.

THE RACE

The initial part of the race belonged to the trio of non-Greeks who were the three medallists from the 1500m event. Frenchmen Albin Lermusiaux led the pack for more than 3/4th the distance. Behind him was the Australian Edwin Flack and the American Arthur Blake. The only other non-Greek participant was from Hungary and he was some distance away. The American was the first to pull out after 23 laps and then it was the Frenchmen nine laps later. Edwin Flack who already had two gold medals to his name from the games had eight more kilometers to claim glory. However, he was in an unknown territory of running this long a distance. He was stretching his physical limits and stopped his race just three kilometers from the finish. The news had spread - it was a Greek who was now in the lead and unlike others, his daily job allowed him to endure and not collapse like the other race favourites. He entered the Panathenaic stadium with crowd cheering every step he ran and finished the race just short of 3 hours. Spiridon Louis victorious and the first success story of Olympic movement was scripted!

Spiridon Louis at the 1896 Olympics 

THE HERO OLYMPIC MOVEMENT BADLY NEEDED

Going by his grandson's words, Spiridon Louis accepted none of the cash rich rewards and instead opted just for a cart and a horse. Along with the unofficial rewards, he was presented with the Breal's Silver Cup for winning the marathon. He quietly went back to his hometown Marousi, married his girlfriend and led a low-profile life farming and later as a local police officer. His final public appearance also happened to be at the Olympics, in Berlin 40 years later where he was received with much fanfare. He recalled that hour which made him a Greek hero for life -  “That hour was something unimaginable and it still appears to me in my memory like a dream… Twigs and flowers were raining down on me. Everybody was calling out my name and throwing their hats in the air…” 

A Greek winning the prestigious and historic event positively pushed the cause of Olympic movement. For those scenes, the joyous crowd running short of praise for their newfound hero was just the final touch Pierre de Coubertin was looking for when he had envisioned the idea of 'Olympics' and its revival. If not for that emotional connection, I am pretty sure, Olympics as a concept would have taken a different course. 

TWO OLYMPICS, TWO MEDALS.. SAME YEAR - CHRISTA ROTHENBURGER LUDING

CHRISTA ROTHENBURGER LUDING  - AS A SPEED SKATER AND AS A CYCLIST  

It took me some time to learn the tricks of cycling only to realise I could just ride and not perform tricks. Skating, as far as it goes I have managed once to wear the skating shoes and tried them on the roads, before my friend asked me to give it back. My time was over and 18 years hence, I still haven’t managed to buy myself a pair of skates. And now I do not have my cycle either. That’s another story.

Anyways, the above mentioned thoughts came when I got reminded of Christa Rothenburger Luding who holds a strange distinction in the world of sports. Six months younger than my mother, she holds the distinction of winning medals in both summer and Winter Olympics. I first read about her when I was researching few facts for my Sports Quiz few years ago and happen to discover the fact - that she remains as the first and the last athlete to have won both winter and Summer Olympics medals in the same year.

Born in the year 1959 in the city of Weisswasser (previously East Germany before unification in 1990) she competed in five Olympics editions in two different events. Her first participation was at the 1980 games at Lake Placid where she took part in the 500m and 1000m speed skating events. Although she didn’t manage to win any medals in the first edition, she did strike gold in her second attempt at Sarajevo Games (city previously in Yugoslavia and now in Bosnia-Herzegovina) in the 500m speed-skating event. Continuing her good form she went on to be the world champion in speed skating at the 1985 World Sprint Championship.

It was during the early 1980’s while she was being coached by Ernst Luding (whom she married 8 years later at the culmination of the 1988 Winter Olympics) she was convinced to take up track cycling during the off-season as speed skating and track cycling, both disciplines require speed and strength in addition to balance. Both events strike a resemblance - they take place in oval shaped tracks and hence the physical requisites required in both sports bear some similarities.

She received considerable amount of support from East Germany sports federation after the initial reluctance to allow her to compete in the cycling events. Having secured the permission from the President of the national Sports Federation, Christa took part in cycling championships and in the year 1986 she won a gold medal at the World Cycling Championships and thus became only the second woman after Sheila Young to become a world champion in both speed skating and track cycling.

TWIN STRIKES

The year 1988 turned out to be the best year of her life. She won the silver medal in the 500m speed skating and a gold medal in the 1000m at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Few months later, she was at the other end of the globe to the Far East in Seoul to participate in sprint cycling. Having earlier won medals at the Winter Olympics, she managed to win a silver medal in the 1000m track cycling event and thereby joining an elite league of athletes winning both summer and Winter Olympics medal.

Gillis Grafstrom from Sweden, Eddie Eagen from United States, Jacob Tullin Thams from Norway and very recently the Canadian Clara Hughes have achieved a similar feat - but none managed to achieve in the same year.

Before the German reunification in 1990, Christa competed for East Germany and afterwards for Germany. She remained a dominating figure for more than 10 years and was considered to be one of the world's best sprinters in speed skating. At the World Sprint Championships in speed skating, she became World Champion twice (in 1985 and 1988), won silver medal twice (in 1986 and 1989), and won 4 bronze medals (in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 1992). She has also won the 500 m World Cup 3 times (in 1986, 1988, and 1989) and the 1,000 m World Cup once (in 1988).

After winning a bronze medal at the 1992 World Sprint Championships (in which she was unable to win any of the 4 distances), Christa Rothenburger Luding ended her speed skating career.

At the turn of early 1990’s, International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided - that winter and Summer Olympics would bifurcate  and there would be a gap of two years between the events. Starting with Lillehammer in 1994, Winter Olympics was held and is being held alternatively with the main Summer Olympics event.

This decision ensured Christa Rothenburger Luding to remain the only athlete to have won medals in both editions of Olympics held in the same year. A feat, which is unlikely to be emulated. 

WILLKOMMEN DAVIS CUP IN DER SCHWEIZ

                                                     Team Switzerland with the 2014 Davis Cup title                             Image Courtesy: Guardian

Switzerland becomes only the 14th country to lift the prestigious World cup of men's tennis - Davis Cup. This is a fitting considering the Swiss team boasts of arguably one of the best tennis players ever. If winning the Davis Cup title is a single's challenge, then Federer would have found a way to win this annual event much before. Unlike the many singles titles he has won, Davis Cup is a team event. No matter how well you play, there are moments you sit tight, watch the action, cheering your teammate and hope he wins it for you, for the team and for the country.

With Stan Wawrinka playing as well as he ever did, Switzerland had two players going into the finals - who could dictate terms on their own at crucial phases of a game. They have tasted glory before for Switzerland - Remember Beijing Olympics in 2008? The iconic scene is still fresh in my memory. It was Stan and Roger show six years ago and now in 2014, it is the same story.

DAVIS CUP AND SWITZERLAND

The 2014 Davis Cup finals happened to be the second time Switzerland qualifying for the title showdown. Turn the clock back to 1992, a golden year for Swiss tennis. Marc Rosset, surprisingly and more impressively took the single's gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics - a feat which has not been emulated by a Swiss player till date. On back of a remarkable success on the clay courts of Barcelona, Marc Rosset and his teammate Jakob Hlasek competed against the mighty and talented bunch of players from the United States for the Davis Cup title. The limited resources of Switzerland hurt them dearly as they lost the finals tie 1-3 to a team which had Pete Sampras and John McEnroe play doubles while Andre Agassi and Jim Courier played singles. The sole consolation had to be Rosset's win over Jim Courier which was settled in five sets.

Marc Rosset (left) and Jakob Hlasek did their best in 1992 to win the Davis Cup and finished second to USA

A VICTORY FOR THE COUNTRY

Switzerland as a country is complexly united and never allow their individual differences to come in the way of being a single entity. While individuals might go and achieve great things, they are seldom secluded and revered or given a red carpet treatment. Yes, they are acknowledged as celebrities and that's where the distinction ends. Even these 'celebrities' are foremost Swiss citizens and here people as a group always takes priority over individuals. So, quite fittingly Davis cup victory is something this tiny country will be proud of, as the honour is bestowed to 'Switzerland' and not to individuals. 

GET SHORTY - EXPERIMENTS WITH TENNIS

                Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt face each other in 2015 for an experimental match       Photo Courtesy: News.au

The trend to get smarter, slimmer and compact keeping in view of the times and the time is catching up with tennis as well. While there have been changes implemented steadily, tennis fans worldwide would now soon be served with the fast food version of 'tennis'.

Starting this November, there will be two premier international tournaments held in different cities across Asia. The format is compact and the organisers have taken a certain degree of liberty to make it interesting and equally exciting.

In 2015, Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt will face each other (January 12) in Sydney for an exhibition match. This is no ordinary match and will certainly be different than the previous 27 games they played against each other.

THE INGREDIENTS

Forget the long hours waiting with baited breath, heart rate pumping as the final set goes on and on. Every point became agonisingly painful if you happen to support a player and is losing. In this experimental match, there is no slow death for a player; instead it is quick, precise and to an extent time bound. The format of the game will have four modifications to the conventional tennis rules.

a. No advantage scoring - Its 'deuce' and one error on either player's part, the game is gone. The pressure is intense on the player to hold the serve at deuce. This rule is a time saver.

b. No service lets - Let, first service. Now, how many times in a game does one hear this call? Without service lets, a lot of time can be saved.

c. Tie breakers at three games all - Match is poised at 3-3 and spectators have just warmed up. It's time for a tie breaker. To me, I believe just having six games before having to decide the set by a tie-breaker is too quick for my liking. Instead, I would go for a tie-breaker at 6-6 with first to reach 4 points taking the set. For now, I choose to be open-minded and participate as a spectator in this experiment.

d. Sets to first-four games - Whoever breaks the serve has the momentum as long as he holds the serve in the set. This is too quick for my liking and like I mentioned in the above point - I will wait, watch and then give my opinion.

IS THERE A NEED?

Though I belong to a group of traditional tennis lovers, I do see a point as to why there is an emphasis to have a shorter format of tennis. Cricket too underwent this change in the past decade and since, the shorter format has been commercially successful. The point which will be debated - Will we miss out on watching epic battles which test the skills, stamina and a lot more from the players before a winner is decided while there are 'quickie' tournaments where everything is clockwork and the game can be wrapped up under two hours.Which will appeal in the longer run?

In an era where people are content with mere headlines than the content that follows it, the shorter version of tennis, if approved by the International Tennis Federation will have commercial advantages and make a fantastic product for TV audiences. The question remains as to how will you integrate this format in today's tennis world. Will you have age-restrictions? or do you create a parallel tournament with a possibility of having shorter formats of the four major Grand Slam tournaments? Will there be a separate Davis Cup for shorter and longer formats? or will the tennis as a whole be truncated for the sake of time saving practices and taking the excess load out of tennis players? 

The ATP and WTA tour operators will be monitoring this closely as they would be quick to jump to the shorter format if there is more money to be made. Or will the idea remain rooted only at the club and social events?

ON A FINAL NOTE

Shorter format of tennis will reduce the time while basics of playing tennis would remain the same. The International leagues namely International Premier Tennis League (by Mahesh Bhupathi) and Champions Tennis League by Vijay Amrtitaj have big names on their rooster and have rules amended to suit the nature of this business-cum-sport venture. How will this and the exhibition match in January would impact the rule changes needs to be seen. It is too early to make an definitive opinion - however going by the trend in world of sports, shorter format of tennis is here to stay - whether one likes it or not.  

THE UNKNOWN LEGACY OF CARLOS PACE

                                  Carlos Pace after winning the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix                                            Courtesy: FOM

With two races more to complete yet another F1 season, one thing is sure - the eventual winner will be decided in the finale showdown at Abu Dhabi. Lewis Hamilton leading with 24 points to his closest rival and team mate Nico Rosberg. Hamilton can win this weekend and can take a lead of 49 points (assuming Rosberg does not finish) and yet lose the title if he fails to finish and Rosberg wins the last race. How? Courtesy of double points awarded for the last race; no matter what happens in Brazil, technically it is not over! and if recent history is to go by, last races have decided the world champions in the past.

Abu Dhabi is sometime away and for now the attention shifts to Autodromo José Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The circuit still famous for its traditional name 'Interlagos' named after its location in a region between two artificial lakes (Guarapiranga and Billings) - built in the early part of the 20^th century for water and power supplies to the city. Interlagos (translated 'between lakes') more known to world for its Formula One has been involved in the game since the 1970's. It is here in the vicinity we saw many household names emerge and one such driver happened to be 'Carlos Pace' - whose life was cut short with an air accident and lost his life at the age of 32.

BRAZILIANS IN FORMULA ONE

Till date, there have been 30 drivers from Brazil who have competed in F1. There were five drivers who tried their hand unsuccessfully in the 1950's. It was not until the 70's the world saw the emergence of Brazilian drivers in Formula One. It started with Emerson Fittipaldi - who by winning the 1972 and 1974 driver's world championship helped to popularise the sport across Brazil. A contemporary of Fittipaldi, Carlos Pace too had to relocate to Europe to secure a future in F1. After a series of decent performances, Pace made debut in F1 with Team Williams in a March chassis Cosworth powered engine in 1972 - the same year when Brazil hosted the first F1 Grand Prix. It is safe to say, along with the Fittipaldi brothers, Pace was one of the early pioneers from Brazil to have made a mark in Formula One.

SAO PAULO - HOME OF FORMULA ONE IN BRAZIL

Sao Paulo has been the theatre of many spectacles as far as F1 goes in Brazil. It is no surprise, out of the 30 drivers sixteen of them were born in this part of Brazil. If you exclude Nelson Piquet (born in Rio and only non-Sao Paulo Brazilian winner of the home event), there are no other names to talk about in detail. The Fittipaldi brothers, Ayrton Senna, Barrichello, Massa and Pace - all had their humble beginnings in Sao Paulo.

In the late 1970's, the F1 action shifted from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. Jacarepaguá Circuit now known as the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet hosted the Brazilian GP in the 80's coinciding with the rise of Nelson Piquet's stature as a triple world champion. Towards the end of the 80's, the attention again shifted towards Sao Paulo and it was not a coincidence that Brazil in Ayrton Senna was the next big star and he hailed from that part of the town. By this time, the circuit had been modified to meet the safety regulations and the name was also changed to ' Autodromo José Carlos Pace' in honour of Carlos Pace.

THE INCOMPLETE CAREER

Let us rewind back to the mid-70's, when Carlos Pace left Surtees team after having an altercation with John Surtees to race with Brabham midway through the 1974 season, a move which saw him perform more consistently. In the next year, he won his maiden Grand Prix in front of his home crowd much to the delight of thousands of fans who were gathered inside. It was Graham Hill's last appearance in Formula One and it was overshadowed by the 1-2 finish achieved by the local boys Pace and Emerson Fittipaldi. Pace would win two more podiums and finished sixth in the overall driver's standings to round-off his best season in F1. 1976 was a season to forget as far as Pace was concerned and all he could manage was 14th in the driver's standings.

The season 1977 started on a bright note with a second place in the inaugural race of the season at Argentina. A retirement in front of his home crowd and a 13th place in South African GP which is notoriously remembered for the deaths of Tom Pryce and the track side marshal Frederik Jansen van Vuuren.

The next race was at Long Beach and before that there was Race of Champions at Brands Hatch - a event which Pace didn't take part. He was back in Brazil on some business. On March 18th 1977, the private flight he was on along with his two friends collided with a hill near Sao Paulo during a storm and claimed their lives. Carlos Pace was 32 and another F1 driver casualty as a result of 'accident' - though this was outside racing.

Personally having followed (through books, documentaries, interviews) F1 personalities during the dangerous era, one can safely assume about drivers being shaken when they see their colleagues die and more so if it was on track. Racing was the only time when drivers were able to focus without too many doubts hanging on them. Formula One was indeed a lot different back in the 1970's and beyond; it was popular, had money, gave the thrills and all that could be lost in a matter of seconds, through no fault of drivers at times! It still retains the essence of old days - but is a lot safer!

The passing away of Carlos Pace was due to an accident though not on track. Nevertheless, it was an accident which cut short his life and thereby abruptly ending yet another talented driver in Formula One.

LEGACY

In 1985, in honour of Carlos Pace, the track Autodromo Interlagos was renamed to its current name Autodromo José Carlos Pace and since 1990, it has been a place which has decided world championships. Who can forget Kimi Raikkonen's amazing drive to beat Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in 2007? the very next year, do you recall the scenes of the heartbroken local boy Felipe Massa to lose the title in the dying seconds of the race to Lewis Hamilton?

Bust of Carlos Pace at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace - home of the Brazilian Grand Prix

The legacy of Carlos Pace is that he along with Emerson Fittipaldi inspired a racer in Senna - who enthralled everyone with this ruthlessness on track and humility off it. It is not a surprise to hear this from Senna when asked about Brazilian racing in 1989 - " In Brazil we have had Emerson (Fittipaldi), (José) Carlos Pace, and now it's me. After me there will be another one. This is unrefusable." And since Senna, we have had Barrichello and Felipe Massa, who happens to be the last Brazilian driver win at home.

On a parting note this is something to remember. Most of the F1 fans were thrilled to have seen 'Rush' which chronicles the life of James Hunt and focuses on his championship winning season and the duel he had with Nikki Lauda. Carlos Pace was racing in 1976 though he did not play a part or had any influence in the outcome of the season. While the actual season was in progress, Carlos Pace did play the stunt double for Al Pacino for driving scenes, who in his role of Bobby Deerfield happened to be a F1 driver. This was a fictional account of an American racer who falls in love with a Swiss woman. Carlos Pace was credited for his contribution for driving his Brabham BT45 for the movie and by the time the movie was released, Pace was no more.

Carlos Pace as the stunt double for Al Pacino 

The movie was dedicated to Carlos Pace. He might not have been a champion remembered by people globally - he surely remains one of the favourite sons of Sao Paulo to have raced in Formula One. And a testimony to that is - the name of the track still remains in his honour in spite of Senna and his heroics. 

WHAT JINX? THE CURSE OF NUMBER '13' CAR IN F1

The age-old jinx in Formula One has finally been broken and it took some time coming. A F1 car with the number '13' has scored points in a race for the first time.

At yesterday's US Grand Prix, when Pastor Maldonado made a brave move to pass successfully Jenson Button before being overtaken by Vettel - the mercurial Venezuelan driver was threading a thin line in the 10th place, knowing it might all change if there was a slight error from his part. With less than 2 laps to go, Maldonado pulled off another overtaking manoeuvre on Jean-Eric Vergne. He finished the race in the ninth position and yet it was not certain if he would hold on to his place.

With a five-second penalty owing to exceeding speed limits in the pit lane - a further five seconds was taken off which placed Maldonado in tenth position. After the investigations on Vergne's sudden plunge at the first corner which forced Romain Grosjean out of the racing line, Maldonado was reinstated to ninth place placing Vergne in tenth position (he too received a five seconds penalty).

Amidst all the confusion, for the first time in the season Pastor Maldonado has scored points and personally I believe this was the second talking point of the race after watching Lewis Hamilton become the most successful British F1 driver with 32 victories.

In my other article early this year (Read: Return of number 13 in F1) - I stressed upon the reluctance of F1 drivers and FIA to a great extent in using number 13 in the livery. Pastor Maldonado chose to be brave and ignored all the previous superstitions associated with '13' - when drivers were given the option to choose numbers starting from 2014, instead of FIA allocating numbers depending on constructor's championships. The last time number '13' car appeared dates back to 1970's. What a myth F1 was creating for itself!

With team Lotus, in 2014 Maldonado had a disastrous season which saw him retire four times, finish outside of points scoring position on 11 occasions and in Monaco, he did not even start. Such numbers are not worth talking about and sooner or later, Triskaidekaphobia (fear of number 13) might have hovered all around him and the team. His teammate Romain Grosjean equally had a terrible season and has 8 points courtesy of two top ten finishes. It was not driver's fault - blame goes to Lotus and their incompetent cars.

I am happy for once this jinx has been settled once in for all. For a sport which deals with billions of dollars, such superstitions only makes one message to be heard loud and clear - "Irrespective of how big the organisations grow, how much ever the profits are - as long as you have humans involved, there can never be all-logic". This probably explains why till date only four drivers ever muster the courage to have '13' on their livery.

On an interesting note - I now wonder what would have happened if Maldonado would have finished the season with no points. Would he have considered a change in the number?