• December 8 down the years

Reutemann rolls back the years

2004
Ferrari star of the 1970's - Carlos Reutemann - rolled back the years when he tested the modern Ferrari at the Fiorino test track. "It was an unforgettable experience," he said. "The car is impressive, especially in terms of the power from the engine. It is completely different to the car that I drove in my day. Watching on television Formula One today can look easy, but having tried it myself I can guarantee you that is not the case."

1999
No stranger to controversy on the track, Ireland's Eddie Irvine found a whole new set of people to wind up when he was asked to judge the Miss World competition. Miss Ireland, Emir Holohan-Doyle, claimed Irvine said "apparently you've got a nice arse", but a spokesman for Irvine said he had "only been joking". "Eddie was supposed to interview me but just went on about what he got up to the night before and how hungover he was," Holohan-Doyle said. "Before I knew it my three minutes were up. Then as I was walking to the next judge, he roared over - 'this is Emir, she's a Paddy'."

2002
"If you're Ralf Schumacher I'm Arnie Schwarzenegger." That was what a traffic policeman said when he asked Schumacher for his name after stopping him for doing 80mph in a 50mph zone near Kitzbuehl, Austria. He had to call his wife to the police station to prove he was who he claimed to be. Schumacher was banned for a second time - he lost his licence in April 2001 after clocking 100mph in a 60mph limit. His wife Cora's assessment? "Ralf causes accidents you'd expect from women."

1983
Neel Jani was born in Rarschach, Switzerland. He was the third driver for Toro Rosso during the 2006 season - driving in Friday testing. He drove for Team Switzerland in A1GP helping them win the 2007-08 title - splitting his cultural loyalty Jani, who has an Indian father, was also linked to Force India.

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