Nigel Scott Roebuck (born March 1946) is an English

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. Since 1971, he has reported on

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

, and is considered one of the sport's most influential writers. From 2007 to 2016, he was editor-in-chief of ''

Motor Sport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...

'' magazine. Roebuck was educated at Giggleswick School in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, also the alma mater of

Keith Duckworth David Keith Duckworth (10 August 1933 – 18 December 2005) was an English mechanical engineer. He is most famous for designing the Cosworth DFV (Double Four Valve) engine, an engine that revolutionised the sport of Formula One. Early life ...

, another well-known figure in Formula One. He wrote freelance articles for many publications, as well as being Press Officer for the Embassy Hill team in 1975. At the same time, he was writing for ''

Autosport ''Autosport'' is a global motorsport publishing brand headquartered based in Richmond, London, England. It was established in 1950 at the same time as the origins of the Formula One, Formula One World Championship. Autosport began life as a we ...

'' magazine and became their Grand Prix correspondent in 1976. Roebuck's weekly column, entitled "5th Column", in deference to Emilio Mola Vidal, a Nationalist general in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, became a must-read for its insights into drivers, team managers, and some of the self-important bureaucrats running Formula One in the late 1970s and 1980s. While covering Formula One (a category of racing that he loved more than any other), he became close to several drivers, notably Gilles Villeneuve,

Chris Amon Christopher Arthur Amon (; 20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers to never win a Formula One Grands Prix, ...

, Keke Rosberg,

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an American former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to , and American open-wheel racing, IndyCar from 1964 USAC Championship Car season, 1964 to 1994 IndyCar se ...

, Eddie Cheever, Derek Warwick,

Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held ...

, and

Alain Prost Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Professor", Prost won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and� ...

. He is also a passionate collector of Roadster-era United States oval racing literature. Among Roebuck's freelance outlets were ''Autosport'', plus '' Autoweek'' in the United States and a retrospective column in ''Motor Sport''. At the end of 2007, he stopped writing his weekly articles for ''Autosport'' magazine and website, to concentrate on his new position as editor-in-chief of ''Motor Sport'' magazine. In 1982, Roebuck drove a Formula One Renault turbo at

Circuit Paul Ricard The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ...

in France. Roebuck was a commentator for the

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

coverage of the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix. His column was one of the most popular in ''Motor Sport'' magazine and ran for over nine years. In January 2017, ''Motor Sport'' magazine announced that Roebuck would no longer be writing for the magazine, returning to his spiritual home, ''Autosport'' magazine.

References

External links

Motor Sport Magazine

Autosport.com
1946 births Living people British motoring journalists People educated at Giggleswick School Formula One journalists and reporters English motorsport people Journalists from Manchester {{UK-autoracing-bio-stub