I have been waiting for months to see the movie, but as of yet, I have not since they are not showing it locally. I sure hope to see it within the next week or so. From what I've heard it's a good movie but may not provide a lot of background or necessary include some key pieces. So with that in mind I am posting a couple of articles I read and inserting some of my own experiences.

I would love to hear feedback if you enjoyed the movie and anything else about their battle you can share.

1976 Formula One Battle: Hunt vs. Lauda at Watkins Glen

Director Ron Howard’s film “Rush” chronicles the rivalry of Formula One megastars James Hunt (played by Chris Hernsworth) and Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Bruhl) during their drama-filled battle for the 1976 world championship. Watkins Glen was a key player in that struggle, serving as the backdrop for the penultimate race of the season. Hunt took the checkered flag at The Glen on a chilly October day. My wife and I were there to see a pivotal victory that helped catapult him to the title two weeks later in Japan.

James Hunt

He won 10 Formula One races during a career that spanned from 1973 to 1979, including victories at Watkins Glen in 1976 and 1977. He won the Formula One world title in 1976. Hunt died of a heart attack in 1993 at age 45.

Niki Lauda

An Austrian who competed in Formula One from 1971 to 1979, and from ’82 to ’85. Lauda won 25 career races, including the 1975 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, and was world champion in 1975, ’77 and ’84.

Lauda, age 64 in 2013, lives in Austria with his family. He runs two airlines and is involved in F1 as part of management of the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.

The Stars

Lauda was an Austrian who started his Formula One career in 1971.

The son of a British stockbroker, James Hunt became known for his spectacular accidents, earning him the nickname Hunt The Shunt. This native of England, joined the circuit two years after Lauda and made an immediate mark with upstart team Hesketh Racing. Lord Hesketh, the former Conservative treasurer, ran the team. Hunt’s best result in 1973 was a runner-up showing at Watkins Glen.

The first of the two to make it big was Lauda, whose victory at Watkins Glen in 1975 helped produce the first of his three career world titles. That same year, Hunt broke through for his first career victory, a hugely popular win, at the Dutch Grand Prix, holding off Lauda’s dominant Ferrari, before leaving Hesketh for McLaren in 1976.

Hunt had a reputation as a playboy, and was also known for having a temper.

Lauda picked up the nickname “the Rat” because of his jutting front teeth. He later embraced the nickname, and Lauda’s helmet stickers proudly displayed monikers such as “King Rat” and “Super Rat.”

Many fans fell either into the Lauda camp or the Hunt camp as their rivalry took off. They were also on rival teams in 1976, with Hunt driving for McLaren and Lauda for Ferrari.

Lauda was poised to win the 1976 season title after driving his Ferrari to five victories in the first nine races. But he was nearly killed on August 1st at the German GP at the notorious Nurburgring track, with his numerous injuries including severe burns that left him permanently scarred.

Lauda was so desperate to beat the Briton that he insisted on returning to the track just six weeks after a near-fatal crash in which he lost an ear and lapsed into a coma. The accident had caused him to miss two races and allowed Hunt to close the gap in the championship. Lauda returned to racing at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

There were two Formula One races in the U.S. for the 1976 schedule. Long Beach, California hosted the U.S. Grand Prix West and Watkins Glen hosting the U.S. Grand Prix East. The Formula One races at Watkins Glen weren’t perfect. The track gained a reputation for attracting rowdy fans, particularly to the “Bog” area close to Turn 11. The inherent danger of the open-cockpit cars also led to tragedy, with Francois Cevert killed in a qualifying crash at Watkins Glen in 1973, and Helmuth Koinigg killed there during the race in 1974.

Lauda had led comfortably with five wins in the season's first nine races, before his horrifying and life-threatening crash at the Nuburgring. Hunt then won three of the next five races, including Canada. There was just a week between the Canadian race and Watkins Glen.

Friday's first qualifying session saw a thoroughly wet racetrack with Hunt on pole in his McLaren-Ford, ahead of Jody Scheckter’s 6-wheeled Tyrrell-Ford, and the Marches of Ronnie Peterson and Brambilla, and Lauda's Ferrari fifth. Saturday's rain was worse than Friday morning's had been, so the times from Friday afternoon made up the grid.

Overnight, snow fell on the circuit, but the sun eventually came out on Sunday October 10th and warmed things up quite a bit as 100,000 fans, the largest paying crowd ever at The Glen, came out to see the Championship battle.

Scheckter and Hunt began to draw away immediately, with the Tyrrell 2.5 seconds ahead after five laps. After being held up by Brambilla for four laps, Lauda moved into third, 5.8 seconds behind Hunt.

On lap 15, Jacky Ickx went wide in Turn 6 (known as The Boot). The car suddenly snapped right and hit the Armco barrier head on. The nose went under the bottom rail, and the car split in two with the rear section spinning back onto the track in flames. Ickx stepped out of the wreckage of the cockpit and hobbled to the grass, where he collapsed with injuries to both his legs and ankles. He was incredibly lucky to be alive.

On lap 37, Hunt moved inside at the end of the back straight and took the lead from Scheckter but on lap 41 he missed a gear in the chicane while trying to get around some back markers, and Scheckter was through again. The South African maintained his lead until lap 46, when Hunt again passed him at the end of the straight and took the lead for good to claim his sixth win of the season. Just six laps from the finish, on lap 53, Hunt set the fastest lap of the race, as Scheckter made sure of keeping his second place.

Lauda, struggling with over steer on hard tires in the cold, barely beat Hunt's McLaren teammate Mass to the line to keep his third place. The Austrian's courage was evident to the well-wishers, photographers and VIPs around him when he stepped from his car and removed his helmet to reveal a balaclava soaked in blood. He claimed four valuable Championship points, however, and still led by three points with one race to go.

Donna and I attended The Glen race, driving our yellow 1972 Triumph Stag from Michigan. We arrived early and spent time in the pits the day before the race where Donna got James Hunt's autograph. Having an eye for pretty girl's he signed it, To Donna With Love! We spent time the day following the race in the F1 garages as well. The crews where dismantling the racers for shipment to Japan. It was then we saw Niki Lauda's burns up close. We could not believe he was racing in that condition. Other autographs Donna got included two Brazilians: Carolos Pace driving a Brabham-Alfa Romeo (winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix the year before) and Emerson Fittipaldi (two time world F1 champion 1972 and 1974 who shocked the F1 world by leaving McLaren in 1976, after finishing 2nd in the 1975 F1 championship to Lauda to drive for his brother’s unsuccessful Fittipaldi F1 team for the next five years).

As they went to the final round in Japan two weeks later, Hunt was only three points behind. The Japanese grand prix was torrentially wet and Lauda withdrew after two laps, and Hunt remained on the track.

After leading most of the race, Hunt suffered a puncture, then had a delayed pit stop and finally received mixed pit signals from his team. However, he managed to finish in third place, scoring four points, enough for him to win the world championship. Hunt beat Lauda to the 1976 Formula One championship by a single point.

“I think it was really a brave decision for Niki to stop. I really feel for him,” Hunt told Sports Illustrated. “Niki’s decision not to carry on was perfectly reasonable. In his situation, with the accident at Nurburgring and everything, who wouldn’t have made the same choice?”

Years later I read Lauda pulled out of the Japanese GP that was torrentially wet because he was unable to blink because of facial burns from his crash. At the time the announcers all thought it was because the conditions were so unsafe.
On the History vs. Hollywood web site they asked the question - Did the real Niki Lauda quit the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix because of the rain? And the answer was Yes, but it wasn't just because he felt that the rain-soaked track was unsafe. To complicate things, Lauda's tear ducts had been damaged by fire during the horrific crash at the German Grand Prix earlier in the season. His healing injuries left him unable to blink and his eyes were watering excessively during the race. This complication from his injury, combined with the rain, caused him to retire himself from the Japanese Grand Prix after two laps, as he felt is was unsafe to continue. Lauda's decision to withdraw from the race hurt his previously amicable relationship with Ferrari.

It should be noted that James Hunt also argued that the race should not take place due to the pouring rain and unsafe conditions. McLaren was irritated with James's position, telling him that if he doesn't race then they won't get the world championship.

Despite the rain continuing to fall, the race organizers decided to start the race after a delay of nearly two hours. They chose to do so because they did not want to lose money from the television contracts if the race was cancelled.

"It was not a difficult decision for me," says Lauda, "because the circuit was flooded. There was so much rain that nobody could drive. For two hours nothing is happening and then the race director came...and said, 'Now we gotta start the race because it's television time and at six it's dark.' And then I said look, the circuit is flooded like before. Why the hell do you want the same result? ... This for me at the time was completely stupid. I think four other guys with me did not race because of the stupid decision. James did and won the championship, no problem." Lauda says that he would still make the same decision today, despite Hunt winning the world championship as a result of that race. -Carjam TV

"When you are a normal racing driver not affected by an accident, you have reserves," says Lauda. "So that means your level of risk taking is higher than like in my case when you've just come out of death, and have had everything happening to you. And then a couple of races later you have to face this more difficult situation with the water and rain and risk going up, and at that time I was not prepared to take this extra risk because of the accident."

Hunt repeated as Watkins Glen winner in 1977 and continued to race until 1979, when he retired in the middle of the season. He remained in the sport as a broadcaster until his death at age 45.

Lauda bounced back from the disappointment of 1976 to win another series title the following year, clinching the championship at Watkins Glen. He added a third series title in 1984 before retiring after the ’85 season.

Watkins Glen stopped hosting Grand Prix’s in 1981 for financial reasons before declaring bankruptcy, leading to a down period for the track before NASCAR rejuvenated it.

2013 Movie “Rush”

Blackbushe Airport in England had the task of replicating Watkins Glen and other circuits in the series.

In production notes for the film, production designer Mark Digby went into detail on the process. “In addition to the race cars, there were lorries and caravans, ambulances and other support vehicles,” he said. “There was the paddock area at each of the tracks where the mechanics work, and bunting and signage to indicate we’re in a different country at a different Grand Prix.” Director Ron Howard, who was not very familiar with Formula One before his involvement with “Rush,” said he wanted to make sure the film was true to the sport. “It was arduous, unbelievably demanding on everyone, but we’re thrilled with what we got and how much of the flavor of Formula One we were able to capture,” he said in the production notes. “We also captured a lot of the pre-race moments, life in the paddock, the culture of Formula One. And I believe we’ve re-created this period in a way that captures the glamour, the daring and the excitement of a very colorful time.”

Lauda has praised both the film and actor Bruhl’s depiction of him. He also told London-based newspaper The Telegraph that Hunt would have been a fan. “The sad thing is that he isn’t here now,” Lauda said. “I wish he could have seen the movie, because I know for sure he would have enjoyed it.”

The Glen today - 2013 Vintage Racing Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slz7y...ature=youtu.be

Sources: Sources:
The Telegraph, UK, July 9, 2011
Elmira NY Star-Gazette Sunday, Sept 22, 2013
http://www.historyvs...lfaces/rush.php
Wikipedia.org

 

Nice write-up.....thanks.

The August 2013 issue of "F1 RACING" magazine has articles on Hunt, the '76 epic racing dual between he and Lauda, the movie and an interview with Lauda.

 

Enjoyed reading this, Dave. I remember Hunt and Lauda's rivalry. Ahhh, the sweet old days of F1 racing. sigh.

 

Lauda on Rush: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=O0O7viDuNZ4

 

Good find Val.

 

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

I saw the movie last week. It was very well-made and very moving. You will like this movie even if you are not a racing buff. The script is very well-written and I could not help but think that certain scenes were edited in the final cut so the movie could come in close to the 2 hour time-frame. If they ever release a directors cut edition on DVD, then I will have to get that. I am certain that a few cinematic liberties were taken in the making of the film, but that is expected of a Hollywood production.

All the promo material airing on national TV has been showing James Hunt as the star of the movie possibly because Chris Hemsworth, the actor playing Hunt, is more of a known quantity here than Daniel Bruhl (who plays Lauda). As the movie unfolded, I found myself rooting more and more for Lauda, with his brusque manner and ability to set up the car. Even slamming Ferrari for building a car that did not handle well. The pain and agony that follows the accident at the Nurburgring and then his comeback at Monza where he struggles to get his vision adjusted to come through for a strong finish and keeping the fight alive. The movie is somewhat ambiguous about Lauda dropping out of the Japanese Grand Prix. I remember reading that water was coming through the helmet and getting in his eyes. Not having eyelashes it was hard for him to keep the water out and see therefore leading to his retirement. The movie does not quite end there as the championship is still in the play. Hunt needs to make up spaces in a torrential downpour in order to win the championship else lose it to Lauda.

Lauda is the narrator of the movie and by his characters admission, is entirely to blame for the accident at the Nurburgring. As the movie ends, Lauda's character reflects upon the battle for the title and his relationship with Hunt. They were never friends, had a rivalry right from their days in junior formulae, and could be verbally critical of each other. But each of them pushed the other and in that sense helped each other more than a friend or team mate could.

Be warned, the movie has grisly scenes and does not try to romanticize the era. It has horrifying scenes of carnage and injuries including those of Lauda post-accident. Hunt is not just a party boy and the movie does show the darker side of him. You will love and hate both characters.

 

There are sources elsewhere which I've come across which say that Lauda and Hunt, while rivals, were not necessarily enemies as the movie portrays.

From Wikipedia:And the movie kind of wants you to believe that the reason Lauda pulled out of the race in Japan was because he felt it was too dangerous (comments made by Hunt that they surely would cancel the race due to the heavy rain and it being dangerous) and because Lauda felt he had too much to lose. They flashed images of happy moments with his wife on the screen as things he is thinking of while driving in the torrential rain.

Also, the timing on when they had the driver's meeting in which Lauda suggested they not hold the Nurburgring race, some sources I've read indicate that didn't happen on the race weekend, but actually more like a week before. I don't know one way or the other for sure.

Don't get me wrong... I enjoyed the movie, and they did go to great lengths to try to be accurate in the cars they used, backdrops, etc. I'm just jaded.

 

The cause of 1955 LeMans tragedy never became totally clear until many years later, so you can't believe everything you read. Since Lauda never brought up his eye issue in the movie or in interviews before or after I would have to think his stopping was based totally on his judgement of the risks rather than anything physical. I remember watching the race (on Speed Channel as best I can recall) and it truly was BAD conditions but none-the-less I love the great equalizer of rain racing!

 

Hmm. That's true, but now... I just read what you wrote so where does that leave me?

And besides, why wouldn't he take into account his physical condition when assessing the risk? Maybe the watering eyes were worse on a wet day since they wouldn't be able to dry themselves well (dunno, just guessing on that)? It's all part of the equation and he seems like the type who would factor in all critical data points including his own physical condition.

 

Lauda to me seems like an incredibly private person only willing to share information if it had any relevance. He probably did not deem it fit to make public that he also had a problem with his eyes at the time.

This is an interesting link that compares what actually happened to events in the movie:
http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/rush.php

Did the real Niki Lauda quit the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix because of the rain?

Yes, but it wasn't just because he felt that the rain-soaked track was unsafe. To complicate things, Lauda's tear ducts had been damaged by fire during the horrific crash at the German Grand Prix earlier in the season. His healing injuries left him unable to blink and his eyes were watering excessively during the race. This complication from his injury, combined with the rain, caused him to retire himself from the Japanese Grand Prix after two laps, as he felt is was unsafe to continue. Lauda's decision to withdraw from the race hurt his previously amicable relationship with Ferrari.

It should be noted that James Hunt also argued that the race should not take place due to the pouring rain and unsafe conditions. McLaren was irritated with James's position, telling him that if he doesn't race then they won't get the world championship.

Despite the rain continuing to fall, the race organizers decided to start the race after a delay of nearly two hours. They chose to do so because they did not want to lose money from the television contracts if the race was cancelled.

"It was not a difficult decision for me," says Lauda, "because the circuit was flooded. There was so much rain that nobody could drive. For two hours nothing is happening and then the race director came...and said, 'Now we gotta start the race because it's television time and at six it's dark.' And then I said look, the circuit is flooded like before. Why the hell do you want the same result? ... This for me at the time was completely stupid. I think four other guys with me did not race because of the stupid decision. James did and won the championship, no problem." Lauda says that he would still make the same decision today, despite Hunt winning the world championship as a result of that race. -Carjam TV

"When you are a normal racing driver not affected by an accident, you have reserves," says Lauda. "So that means your level of risk taking is higher than like in my case when you've just come out of death, and have had everything happening to you. And then a couple of races later you have to face this more difficult situation with the water and rain and risk going up, and at that time I was not prepared to take this extra risk because of the accident."

What I really want to know is whether James Hunt actually roughed up a journalist that questioned Lauda repeatedly on whether his marriage would survive the scars on his face from the accident at a press conference.