Racing is a sport of heroes and legends and greatness. It's also a sport with its fair share of villains and petulant assholes. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten biggest dicks in auto racing history.
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Photo Credit: Associated Press
10.) Max Mosley
Suggested By: Kiwi_Commander
Why he brings the dickishness: It's not the being caught in the weirdo S&M sex party that makes Mosley a big dick. Nor his being the son of a famous British fascist. it's his reaction to all of it, which was to try and cripple press freedoms.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
9.) Danica Patrick
Suggested By: SennaMP4
Why she brings the dickishness: When she first popped up on the scene in 2005, the undeniably attractive and spirited Patrick seemed like a breath of fresh air and attitude in a sport that needed it. Since then she has managed to create a solid reputation as a second-rate driver and first-class whiner, constantly griping about setup and blaming everyone except herself for her disappointing showings.
Spare us the anatomy quips, please. "Dickish" is the perfect word.
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8.) Michael Schumacher
Suggested By: Litrecola
Why he brings the dickishness: Combine Senna's audacity and win-at-all-costs mentality with Prost's mental strength and political skills, and you're well on the way to understanding why the seven-time champ was so successful — and why he is still reviled by many. A private and civil person off-track, the enormously gifted German is an utterly ruthless competitor who has no problems edging over ethical lines. Ask Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
Photo Credit: Getty Images Sport
7.) Colin Chapman
Suggested By: For Sweden
Why he brings the dickishness: Brilliant engineer, nearly sociopathic human being. Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman could be the face for the dark side of racing, the one that values results and sponsorships over all else. Yes, racing was exceedingly dangerous in his era, and driver safety was not well understood, but his clear willingness to focus on winning and treat all else as disposable was inexcusable.
Photo Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty
6.) Enzo Ferrari
Suggested By: JackTrade
Why he brings the dickishness: Il Commendatore grew up wanting to be an opera singer; lacking the necessary talents, he instead ran his racing team as if it belonged onstage at La Scala. His legendarily imperious attitude, tendency to engender in-house antagonisms, and ability to get under the skin of his drivers and crew was unrivaled and all but directly resulted in several deaths.
Photo Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty
5.) AJ Foyt
Suggested By: Quattro-luvr
Why he brings the dickishness: Equal parts all-American hero and top-shelf jerk. Never the most personable or approachable human being in the first place, Super Tex has seen his reputation as a grand race legend fade as his unchecked temper overwrites his significant accomplishments.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
4.) The Stewards Of the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally
Suggested By: DoctorNickRiviera
Why they bring the dickishness: In what still stands as the ultimate dick move in motorsports history, the inspectors at Monte Carlo disqualified the top four finishers — three Mini Coopers and a Ford Cortina — and six others for running "illegal" headlights. (Seriously.) The win was awarded to a very unhappy Pauli Toivonen in a Citroën ID, which had, yes, that same kind of headlights.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
3.) Kyle Busch
Suggested By: For Sweden
Why he brings the dickishness: Most drivers have enough respect for their competitors and concern for general safety to not be stupid or belligerent. Kyle Busch is, safely, not like most drivers. Even before his aggravated assault on Ron Hornaday last November, Busch had a deserved reputation as a hothead and ill-mannered competitor who steadily faces the world like a pouting four-year-old.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
2.) Bernie Ecclestone
Suggested By: rawtoast
Why he brings the dickishness: The billionaire Muppet runs Formula One as a petite dictator and remains one of the most irritating presences in motorsports, willing to infuriate both fans and race organizers in pursuit of as much money as possible. If there's controversy or political squabbling or uncertainty around Formula One, Bernie's likely dead in the middle of it and trying to add to his fortune the whole time. Besides, anyone who would smarmily jerk everyone around over the upcoming Austin GP while kissing up to Bahrain's bloody-handed rulers is a prime dick.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
1.) Tony George
Suggested By: Phlip425
Why he brings the dickishness: This is the man that destroyed a grand legacy of open-wheel racing in America, certainly for now and perhaps permanently. George's crusade to make the Indy 500 an exclusively American race was a jingoistic slap at what has always been among the most international sports, and the divisions he fostered eventually led to the nearly irrelevant spec-racer series we see today. A sullen, entitled personality wraps up the package.
Photo Credit: Associated Press