Kings of Cool: James Hunt

This is easy this one. Ask 10 people on the street who the coolest racing driver in the world is and I reckon 8 of them would say James Hunt. He is the epitome of racing cool. I mean look at him (in a non-homosexual way).

First off, lets look at JB's list of requirements to be a cool racing driver and how Mr Hunt fairs:

• Good looking - if I was a woman... More seriously, he was the heartthrob of the time. Maybe cos he was up against people like Emmo actually.
• Successful - 1976 World Champion would suggest he was. Plus 14 poles and 10 wins. Thats more than lots of people. Not as much as any. I'd like to have won that much. And he did win in the Hesketh in the 1975 Dutch GP which is the equivalent of Bryson turning up drunk with a Vauxhall Astra and winning a GP.
• Wild Private Life - Rumours persist he didn't go to bed the night before he became champion until 6am. And not alone.
• Danger - Considering he was helped to the title by Lauda's crash on the Nordschleife, it can be successfully argued that Hunt raced in a dangerous world.
• Crashes - Many of his early races were punctuated by massive accident. In one of his early Formula Ford races he managed to somersault into a lake. He would probably have drowned if he'd been wearing seatbelts. But he wasn't. Cos he couldn't afford them.
• Early End - James left us after suffering a massive heart attack just hours after proposing to his girlfriend.A tragic end to a life that was in it's prime. The sport of F1 is a sadder place for it.

And yes, I've conveniently ignored the budgie thing.