José Carlos Pace

One of Brazil's first great racing drivers, Pace was a contemporary and friend of countryman and two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Pace began racing in the 1960s and won three straight Brazilian national championships before moving to Europe to compete in the Formula 3 series. A versatile race driver, Pace competed in open-wheel formulas, sportscars, and rallys before getting his break in the ranks of the Formula 1 World Championship. Pace raced for future winning owner Frank Williams, driving a March. He then moved to Surtees, and drove well enough to attract the attention of Brabham, then one of the top teams. "Moco" proved his worth, taking several podium results and finally a win, at the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix, his home race. For two and a half seasons, Pace raced for Brabham, but he was killed in a plane crash in Sao Paulo, just after the beginning of the 1977 season. Pace was 32.