RUSH Movie: The Most Anticipated Racing Movie of Our Time?

It’s been a long time in between bites at the box office, but fans of motorsport are set for a feast in the form of RUSH movie, Ron Howard’s up and coming big-budget Formula 1 racing film. The film’s nearing its September release, which means it’s time for a sneak peek and a trailer!

When the 1975 Formula 1 season drew to a close, Niki Lauda was on top and on form. He’d just become the first man to lap the fearsome Nordschleiffe in under seven minutes, held the world drivers’ title and had a seat in a car capable of defending his title in ’76.

And he immediately made good when things got under way in 1976, winning five of the opening nine races and securing a spot on the podium for all but the French Grand Prix. When the drivers returned to the Nordschleiffe, however, things went horribly wrong, and Lauda was involved in one of the sport’s most monumental and famous accidents, which saw him out of a Formula 1 car until a miraculous and inspirational return just three rounds later in Italy.

Not surprisingly, that accident changed the face of the championship and gave a similarly on-form James Hunt some space set up a dramatic fight for victory during the final rounds of the season.

RUSH movie picks up on the natural drama of this tumultuous season, heading back to 1976 and exploring the tense rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda during their fight for the 1976 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.

So the film certainly has the right subject matter, and with Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man) at the helm, a screenplay by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) and the roles of Hunt and Lauda being played by Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers) and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds), it has the talent to bring it all together.

We, along with race fans around the world, are hoping that it’ll be an honourable return to glory for racing movies, and a great film. Do you think it’ll live up to its potential?

See James Hunt punch a marshall in the head here

See 15 of the best James Hunt photos here

See James Hunt in classic Texaco TV ad here