Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion
Episode 5
30 minutes
The final part of Formula One's 'Rock 'n' Roll Years' archive series focuses on an era when motor racing lit up the world... with cigarette advertising. The sport was now largely bankrolled by sponsors who emblazoned their names all over the cars and the drivers. Those branded overalls needed big personalities to fill them and attract audiences to their brands, and none came bigger than Britain's James Hunt. BBC cameras followed this rake's progress from his time with the amateur Hesketh Racing, run by aristocrat Lord Hesketh, through to his later incarnation as Marlboro Man at McLaren. 'Hunt the Shunt' had charisma and charm to burn, but by the end of the decade he had burnt himself out. Show less