MotorsportMemorabilia 1996 Grand Prix commemorative cover signed DAMON HILL

With Michael Schumacher contracted to the less competitive Ferrari Team, Williams demonstrated its superiority in 1996.  The Driver's Championship was decided in the last race of the season.  Ultimately, Damon Hill became World Champion Driver with 8 wins in the Williams-Renault FW18, beating team mate, Jacques Villeneuve with 4 wins, by 19 points; Michael Schumacher finished third.  Together Hill and Villeneuve ensured that Williams-Renault won the Constructors' Championship by over 100 points from Ferrari; Benetton was just 2 points behind in third place.  The Ross Wardle artwork depicts Damon Hill leading the Australian GP at Melbourne, followed by team mate Jacques Villeneuve and Eddie Irvine in the Ferrari F310.

The third special is autographed by DAMON HILL OBE who, like his father, was a late starter to F1; he first raced bikes before progressing to cars in 1983.  After Formula Ford, he moved on to F3 for 1986 / 87, changing to F3000 during 1988.   By 1990 he had established himself as a very good driver and, in 1991 he was a pacesetter.  His performance encouraged Frank Williams to sign him as a test driver and he applied himself well, demonstrating his speed.  He graduated to F1 in 1992 with Brabham and did well to complete 2 races. His major breakthrough came when Mansell left Williams at the end of 1992, to race IndyCars.  He persuaded Frank Williams and Patrick Head to give him a chance as team mate to Alain Prost, and quickly showed himself to be mature enough to shadow the Frenchman. He was leading the British GP when his engine broke, and then suffered a puncture while leading again in Germany, but his first win finally came in Hungary. He followed it immediately with 2 more, in Belgium and Italy. By the end of his first season with Williams, he was third in the World Championship. In 1994, after Prost had retired, Hill found himself with Ayrton Senna as his teammate, but their partnership ended suddenly in the third race, at Imola, when Ayrton Senna was tragically killed.  He was thrust into the limelight as the Williams team leader and his battle with Michael Schumacher for that season's title was fraught with controversy; eventually he lost out by a point after Schumacher collided with him in the final race at Adelaide. The 1995 season began well with David Coulthard now established as his partner, however Michael Schumacher gained the upper hand and he finished again as runner-up in the drivers' points.  1996 was the pinnacle of his racing career, winning 8 of the 16 races and taking the title.  Unfortunately, his contract expired with Williams, and he transferred to the Arrows team.  He almost won their first F1 race, in Hungary but a technical problem caused his car to slow and allow Jacques Villeneuve to overtake in the final stages of the race.  His last two seasons in F1 were spent with Jordan, and in 1998 Hill swept to a splendid and historic first win for the team at Spa-Francorchamps.  At the end of the 1999 season, he retired from F1; the first son of a World Champion to win the F1 drivers' Championship.We usually have lots of other items up for sale so why not have a look