Michael Schumacher

Auto Racer

Michael Schumacher was the undisputed king of Formula One auto racing throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. As a teenager, Schumacher raced karts, becoming the German and European Karting champion in 1987. By 1991 he was racing Formula 1 cars, winning his first Grand Prix a year later. Racing for Benetton, Schumacher won his first World Champion title in 1994. After four years with Benetton, he began driving for Ferrari, and in 2000 brought them their first world title in 21 years. His 2004 year is now legendary: he won 13 races in 18 tries, and claimed an unprecedented seventh overall championship. Schumacher remained a dominant force in the sport of Formula 1 racing through 2006, when he retired at the end of the season.

Extra credit: Shumacher married his wife, Corinna, in 1995. They have a daughter Gina Maria (b. February 1997) and a son Mick (b. March 1999)... His brother Ralf Schumacher is also a Formula One driver... Michael Schumacher's final race was the Brazilian Grand Prix on 22 October 2006.

Schumacher is often compared with two other contemporaries dominant in their sports, golf's Tiger Woods and basketball's Michael Jordan.