OD Rewind: Top 5 motorsport stories of 2016

Motorsport isn't always about who crosses the chequered flag first, and who manages to take home the most trophies. Although sometimes a little trophy here and there to help remind you that you're not half bad at this sport you love so much, helps. All life lessons that we learned while doing various motorsport stories for you, all of which we simply loved experiencing. Some involved actually racing, some involved witnessing historic motorsport events, some involved conversations with racers, and other involved little pilgrimages that we undertook because we needed to. All helped us make memories. Here then are the most memorable motorsport stories of 2016:

Dear Stefan

Stefan Bellof was a racer on the rise. He was Germany's big motorsport hope. He'd caught the collective eye of everyone in the F1 paddock. And then, suddenly, he was gone, losing his life in a crash at Spa-Francorchamps in 1985. He was only 27. But he left an indelible mark on motorsport and on Formula 1. Vaishali travelled to his hometown - Giessen in Germany - where she spoke to his brother Georg. The conversation resulted in this letter to Stefan. A small gesture of remembrance, for a racer whose brief time in motorsport had a big impact. Read the story here.

 Racing in the 2016 VW Vento Cup

Rishaad is fast. It's a fact that we're well aware of at OVERDRIVE. Which is why when the opportunity to race in the Volkswagen Vento Cup season finale at the BIC presented itself, we knew he was our best bet at some glory. And boy, did we get it. How many of you can say that you've stood on the podium at the Buddh International Circuit? Here's the story of how Rishaad managed exactly that, and how he was reminded of the fact that racing is the ultimate rush! Read the story here.

2016 Raid de Himalaya

Covering the Raid de Himalaya is tricky. There are early morning starts, late night finishes, average sleep time of three hours a night, perilous mountain passes, black ice, snow, altitude sickness. But people who hear the clarion call of the mountains do it anyway. In 2016 Rahul covered the Raid for the second time. It was challenging. Especially since this time around the Raid was visited by the Grim Reaper. Read his account of the most treacherous event Indian motorsport has to offer. And how one carries on in the face of adversity. Read the story here.

Trackside at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

What's it like to witness one of the biggest upsets in motorsport history? Pretty darned dramatic. We were trackside at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. And while we were keeping a very close eye on Porsche, it seemed like Toyota would win. Well, it didn't just seem like it, they were so close that they could almost taste the champagne already. And then it happened. Porsche won. Toyota lost. Le Mans seemed like world upside down. Tears, anguish, agony. Jubilation, celebration, joy. Many emotions at the Circuit de la Sarthe this year. Read the story here.

 Mattias Ekstrom speaks

If Petter Solberg was our most candid motorsport interview in 2016, we think Mattias Ekstrom managed to deliver our most honest interview. He spoke of the talent of the likes of Colin McRae and Sebastien Loeb, and spoke of how he used hard work and extreme amounts of preparation to help beat those talents. Honesty and self-reflection, then, seemed to be his weapons of choice in motorsport. It's a philosophy that's helped him achieve two DTM titles, three ROC wins, and finally a WRX title. Read the story here.