Jack Goldstein - 101 Amazing Facts about Michael Schumacher

Title Page

101 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

Jack Goldstein & Frankie Taylor

Publisher Information

Published in 2014 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

The rights of Jack Goldstein and Frankie Taylor to be identified as the authors of this work have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998

Copyright 2014 Jack Goldstein and Frankie Taylor

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

All information contained within this book have been researched from reputable sources. If any fact is found to be false, please contact the publishers, who will be happy to make corrections for future editions.

Introduction

From the age of just four years old when he became the youngest member of his local karting club, it was clear that Michael Schumacher would be a star. Progressing from Junior German Kart Champion through to becoming the greatest F1 driver the world has ever seen, Michael won legions of fans along the way. This fantastic book contains over one hundred amazing facts about the legendary racing king, covering everything from his upbringing to his controversial moments, his days of unsurpassed glory and his tragic skiing accident at the end of 2013. This excellent quick-read biography is perfect for both fans of Michael and those who just want to know more about the great man.

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Biographical

1. Michael was born on the 3 rd of January 1969.
2. This makes him a Capricorn. Classic Capricorn traits include a desire to be the best at things, to be admired by the world - and often to dedicate a little too much time to work!
3. He was born in Hrth, a town in the North Rhine region of Germany. For those not familiar with the region, it borders the historic city of Cologne.
4. Michaels father Rolf was a bricklayer, and his mother was called Elisabeth.
5. Michael is one of the worlds most famous Formula One drivers ever - and is usually listed as one of the greatest drivers from any motorsport discipline.
6. Most people will forever associate Michael with the red colours of Ferrari, the team with which he had his greatest successes in his career in Formula One.
7. Michaels Formula One career lasted an amazing eleven years, from his debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix to his final appearance in F1 at Brazil in 2012.
8. World famous racing circuit the Nrburgring in Germany has two corners (8 and 9) named after Michael. The Schumacher S, as the corners are known, had their name changed in 2007 in recognition of Michaels contribution to motorsport.
9. On track, Michael was famous for his dedication and determination, whilst off-track he is a very private man.
10. Michaels official website can be found at www.michael-schumacher.de

General Facts

1. Michael is a Roman Catholic, and in January 2005 he was granted a personal audience with Pope John Paul II.
2. A keen footballer, Michael even plays for a local amateur side based near to his Swiss home.
3. For a time, and by complete coincidence, his football coach was a man called Patrick Ferrari!
4. Michael has also been known to organise charity football matches with his good friends and legendary footballers Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.
5. Although you associate Michael with high-octane thrills, he does enjoy a nice relaxing game of backgammon in his down-time!
6. Along with the vast majority of F1 stars from the modern era, Michael considers Ayrton Senna to have been the greatest ever driver in the sport.
7. Michael once owned a luxury yacht, but sold it because he didnt think hed be able to enjoy it - he felt the paparazzi would always be able to follow him in it and take their invasive photos.
8. In one interview, Michael said that his favourite film was Silence of the Lamb s, the 1991 classic featuring serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
9. Michael has a number of nicknames; Schumi , Schuey and Schu are commonly used, as is The Red Baron - relating to the colour of his Ferrari and of course a nod to his German heritage (Manfred von Richthofen was the original Red Baron in WWI).
10. According to the official Formula One website, Michael is statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen.

Early Years in Motorsport

1. When he was just four years old, Michaels father attached a small motorcycle engine to his pedal kart. Unfortunately, Michael crashed it into a tree.
2. Despite this early setback, he seemed to have enjoyed zooming around on four wheels. His parents therefore took him to the Kerpen-Horrem karting track, initially as a trial and then after a few times signed him up as a member - at that time, their youngest ever!
3. By the time Michael was six, his father had made him a kart from spare parts - and the young Schumacher won his first championship in it.
4. As Michael had shown such promise, his father took on a second job so he could fund further racing efforts, however things werent going so well when Michael needed a new engine costing eight hundred Deutschmarks - and his father didnt have the money. Thankfully, local businessmen recognised the young drivers potential, and stepped in with sponsorship - Michael could race again!
5. At the age of twelve, Michael wanted to take a further step up the racing ladder, however the German authorities do not grant karting licenses before the age of fourteen. To get round this, Michael travelled to Luxembourg to obtain one!
6. Just one year later, Michael won the German Junior Karting Championship - this itself was still a full year before the German Authorities awarded him a license!
7. Over the next few years, Michael continued his excellent performances, winning a variety of championships in both Germany and further afield in Europe. He was spotted by Adolf Neubert who signed him to his Eurokart team in 1985.
8. By 1987, Michael had become European karting champion and was making waves on the wider racing scene. A year later he took part in both Formula Ford and Formula Knig series, the latter of which he won.
9. Michael was quickly spotted by well-known racing driver manager Willi Webber, who signed him to his WTS Formula three team... and Michael duly won the title in 1990.
10. Schumacher then took an unusual step; rather than progressing to Formula 3000 like many young drivers would, he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme for the World Sports-Prototype Championship. The thinking behind this was that it would give him experience of extremely powerful cars, long-distance races and professional press conferences - excellent training for a driver who showed the potential to make it to the pinnacle of Formula One.

Charity

1. Although Michael has never openly discussed his donations, it is thought that to date he has given an incredible fifty million euros to a range of charitable causes.
2. Whatever people thought about Michaels on-track personality (his most controversial incidents might lead one to think he had a selfish streak in him), when not racing he has always displayed a real dedication to good causes. In one interview, he said Its great if you can use your fame and the power your fame gives you to draw attention to things that really matter.