On this day in 1977, Niki Lauda marked one of sport's greatest comeback stories by winning the German Grand Prix.
Almost a year to the day since his horrifying accident, where the Austrian suffered extensive burns and damaged lungs, he produced a typically polished performance to claim victory at Hockenheim.
Qualifying second behind the Wolf-Ford of Jody Scheckter, Lauda survived a first corner incident and soon passed the South African. He would go on to win in his Ferrari 312T2B, 14 seconds ahead of Scheckter and the Brabham of Hans-Joachim Stuck.
The race is also remembered for one of the most bizzare peformances in Grand Prix history. Despite not qualifying for the race, privateer driver Hans Heyer somehow snuck his Penske onto the grid and made the race start. When his gearbox failed after nine laps, the organisers discovered Heyer's ploy and disqualified him anyway, making him the only person in Grand Prix history to not qualify, not finish and be disqualified from the same race.
Browse this email to find the best collectibles and memorabilia on Niki Lauda, Ferrari and the 1970's.
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