The Strange Case Of... Juan Manuel Fangio And The Cuban Grand Prix
As you might imagine, the kidnapping of Argentina's fastest milkman's quite the tale.
When you think 'Grand Prix', you don't immediately think of Cuba. During the late 1950s, however, the streets of Havana played host to the great drivers of the day, men like Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn and the one and only Juan Manuel Fangio.
Argentina's fastest milkman, the Balcarce-born Fangio was a five-time Formula 1 world champion. Almost as impressive as the number of titles he listed was the fact that he won (24) virtually half of the races he started (52). The only Argentine driver to have won his home Grand Prix - a feat he accomplished on four occasions - there was no bigger name in the sport in 1958. Which might be why at the 1958 event in Cuba, someone decided to kidnap him.
The Cuban Grand Prix was the brainchild of the right-wing Batista government who saw the event as a great way of luring wealthy foreigners to the country. By the time of the second event in 1958, the US-backed regime was coming under pressure from a left-wing revolutionary moment led by Fidel Castro, his brother Raul and their close friend Ernesto 'Che' Guevara.
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