‘James Hunt was not known for ­behaving ­appropriately. But never was he more outrageous than in the last two weeks of October 1976, when he was in Tokyo ­battling Niki Lauda for the title of ­Formula One world motor racing ­champion.
His preparations were unconventional, to say the least. He had spent the two weeks leading up to the race on a round-the-clock alcohol, ­cannabis and cocaine binge with his friend Barry Sheene, who was world motorcycle champion that year.
While Jackie Stewart famously abstained from sex a week before a motor race, Hunt would often have sex minutes before climbing into the ­cockpit. ‘   and there’s much more…