[chunterer]

Looking back over last few decades there's quite a few racers who never achieved the greatness that they looked destined to in lower formulae. Some drivers got to F1 and faded, some never made it.
Some of them ran out of money, some of them never got a decent chance and then some of them were injured or lost their lives doing the thing they loved the most.

I've drawn up a list of some of some of the drivers who stood out for me (who incidentally also had bags of talent) some of you will agree others won't and it would be good to get your candidates.

In no particular order here's mine:
Mike Thackwell - Easy going guy who never got good breaks in F1 when needed them, despite usually being miles faster than other F2 drivers.
Jean Marc Gounon - Spectacular driver in F3000 who was perhaps too 'old' compared to his contemporaries and never really had a chance with Simtek.
Johnny Herbert - Legacy of Brands accident doubtlessly cost him vital time 'in the car' around a circuit. Without that hindrance, he would have got the chance with good cars and been a World champion without a doubt.
Alex Zanardi - Real racer who drove the wheels literally off his cars in earlier career. Unlucky in F1 first time round, tried too hard? Stunning in CART but return to F1 one of those mysteries.
Jan Magnussen - Still a mystery, too laid back?
Allan McNish - May still get another F1 drive but largely missed the boat. Should've been in F1 early 90's.
Martin Donnelly - Gritty, natural talent and was on the verge of a strong career before his awful accident. Good to see him bombing around in Radicals though!
Fabrizio Barbazza - Committed driver with plenty of bottle for an Italian driver (bit like Zanardi). Was quick in F3000 and earned a couple of Minardi drives with little money.
JJ Lehto - Has showed in GT and ALMS that he's still extremely quick. Could've achieved more if Benetton gave him time to recover from injured neck.
The late Greg Moore - Super cool and extremely quick. F1 was on horizon (Scott Dixon's style reminds me of him a bit?)
The late Gonzalo Rodriguez - Very aggressive driver who always put on a show overtaking people if had to come back from lower grid slot. Spa '99 display was awesome, miles quicker than anyone else through Eau Rouge!!

Both drivers much missed and would've been great additions to GPs!!

Does anyone have their own recollections of these guys? Looking forward to reading about other's heroes too!