It is a tradition on the podiums of motor racing as soon as the ceremonial anthems sre completed then drivers spray Champagne around. However, this well established scene has not always been the case, it is  the result of a happy accident that saw Jo Siffert retell the origin of the ceremony.

The story goes back to the origins of F1: July 2, 1950, at the Reims-Gueux circuit at the GP of France which Juan Manuel Fangio won. Upon arrival at the finish, the Argentine was offered a bottle of champagne by the famous local producer Moët et Chandon. This goodwill gesture is now widely accepted  on all circuits in the world (or almost), including Le Mans.

Jo Siffert, inventor of the Champagne shower.	The winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 are showered by their teammates!

Until the late 1960s, the drivers revelled politely and drank the nectar of champagne, but in 1966, the ceremony suddenly involved a tale which went down in  folklore. During the anthems at Le Mans, the cork in the  bottle given to Jo Siffert (winner of the Index Performance in a  Porsche 906 with Colin Davis) accidentally shot out, offering an unexpected shower to the public!

Spectators  wanted more, and the following year, Dan Gurney, a talented and cheerful prankster of a driver forever changed the destiny of the famous bubbles. The American, winner for Ford, decided to reproduce the scene from  1966 shaking the bottle that he had been given. The cork exploded out of the bottle and the public rejoiced. Siffert, again winning the Index of Performance with Hans Herrmann in a Porsche 907, is one of the first showered! Thanks to him, a new custom was born.

Julien HERGAULT / ACO / ILLUSTRATION FROM THE  FILM "Jo Siffert live fast die young".