James Hunt (born August 29, 1947 in London, England—died June 15, 1993 in London) was a British race car driver who won the 1976 Formula One (F1) Grand Prix world championship by one point over his Austrian competitor, Niki Lauda. In 1969, Hunt began racing his own vehicle in Formula Ford competitions. He moved up to Formula Three in 1972, and that same year became the first driver in that class to win at Silverstone Circuit. In 1973, he won again at the North West Circuit. In 1974, he finished second to Ronnie Peterson at the season-ending United States Grand Prix held at Watkins Glen International Raceway. Hunt's success in F3 led to him being offered a drive in the World Championship-winning Brabham BT19. He made his debut at the 1975 Italian Grand Prix, but an accident during practice left him with leg injuries that prevented him from competing further that year. The following year, he scored his first victory at the Spanish Grand Prix before going on to finish third in the standings behind Jody Scheckter and Peter Gethin. In 1977, Hunt won three races while finishing second four times to Jacky Ickx's six victories. He took his total to 10 wins that year, but lost out on top spot to Ickx by one point. In 1978, he improved his tally to 12 wins but again fell short of the lead by two points to Ickx.