This week in motor sport from the Archive and Database, as Ligier begins the season with victory, plus nods to Gilles, Pedro and Foyt and more.

January 16

1903: Resistance fighter and Grand Prix winner, and all-but forgotten, W Williams is born. In profile

1930: Luki Botha, one-time GP starter, is born. In profile 

1935: Le Mans winner and US racing great AJ Foyt is born. In profile

1937: Formula Ford winner and Grand Prix starter Luiz-Pereira Bueno is born. In profile

1952: F3 champ, F1 racer and sports car winner Piercarlo Ghinzani is born. In profile

January 17

1895: Le Mans winner John Duff is born. In profile

1938: Rally driver, and Le Mans starter, Rauno Aaltonen is born. 

January 18

1940: The frighteningly fast Pedro Rodriguez is born. In profile 

1942: Johnny Servoz-Gavin, F3 and F2 champion who qualified on the front row on F1 debut, is born. In profile

1950: Gilles Villeneuve is born. In profile

1950: Gianfranco Brancatelli is born. In profile

1971: IMSA champion Christian Fittipaldi is born. In profile

January 19

1907: Briggs Cunningham is born. In profile

1914: “Mr Bob” Gerard is born. In profile

1969: Carlo Salamano, Italian Grand Prix winner, dies aged 69. In profile

1980: Jenson Button is born. In profile

1984: Karun Chandhok is born. In profile

January 20

1957: Bentley Boy and father of the BRDC, JD Benjafield passes away. In profile

1975: Norberto Fontana is born. In profile

1991: GP2 champion and Renault F1 racer Jolyon Palmer is born. In profile

2004: Alan Brown dies of a heart attack. In profile 

January 21

1975: Yuji Ide, former Super Aguri driver, is born. In profile

1979: Jacques Laffite wins the Argentine Grand Prix. Report

January 22

1959: Mike Hawthorn is killed in a road accident. In profile

2007: British Grand Prix winner Emmanuel de Graffenried dies at the age of 92. In profile