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I am not really that much into motor racing to have any real favourites.

As a kid Jack Brabham was a legend. My kids now who he is - because Jack Brabham's name comes up often when we are driving. (Going fast - What do you think you are Jack Brabham?)

From my reading about the Ford GT40

Ken Miles was a pretty amazing driver - but for the French wanting to stick it to the Americans he would have won the big 4 endurance races in '66 and it was a shame that he lost his life with out his name on the LeMans trophy.

Probably the other names that come up in my reading are Clarke and Hill.

Hmm a fifth one - I will go with Jackie Stewart - my first race set was the AFX Jackie Stewart Pitstop Challenge

DM

It's a bit out of fashion lately, but:
Mario Andretti ranks near the top. Won in NASCAR, won in F1, won in sportscars. To me, the ability to win in various forms of racing is the mark of a legendary driver.
Yes, the best drivers often have the best equipment. Other times they are saddled with poor performers (think Honker II in CanAm) due to contracts, but the ability to win in different racing formats marks a top driver.

So Denny Hulme is right up there for me, and Michael Schumacher, and AJ Foyt.

There aren't too many anymore that get the chance to race and win in all of the various types of racing so modern drivers are at a bit of a disadvantage.

Edit: Of course, Sir Jackie Stewart. How could I have neglected him?

Clark: his drive in the Vollstedt (a pig of a car) at Riverside convinced me of that.
Foyt: Won in everything
Keke: Monaco one year other teams were cheering for him
Senna: His Monaco run in a pig of a Lotus.
Ickx: Just plain knew how to win in sports cars

Women Drivers?

1. Lynn St. James in TransAm
2. ?

Just 5?

Well in no particular order: Jim Clark, Juan Fangio, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Richard Petty.
See, there are so many more on my list it could go on for more than double that!

Richard Petty for sure.
Kenny Schrader I got to hang out with him a few times and he really is a good old boy who lives racing.
Mario was my open wheel hero growing up
Dale Sr. was other one.
And Colin Mcrea

This is a great question. It forced me to flip through my reference books and think so hard that smoke came out of my ears. In the end, here is my list of my favorite drivers based off of the lore that follows them. Unfortunately, I never saw any of them race.

Juan Manuel Fangio- From Sports Car road racing to F1, it seemed as though he could take any car given to him and drive it consistently at the limit. Reputedly his character was second to none, a rarity in the often self-centered world of drivers.

Stirling Moss- "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?" The international go-to name for top race car driver for years, few drove as consistently well as Moss. After "retiring" in 1961 from F1, he still went on to drive in and win many sports car races.

Rudolf Caracciola- Dubbed the Rain Master for being able to drive at untouchable speeds in the rain, and perhaps the greatest pre-war driver, he won all sorts of types of races from hill-climbs to grand prixs. He also has one of the most famous turns in motorsports named after him at the Nurburgring.

Clemente Biondetti- The Master of the Millie Miglia, won it in '38, '47, '48, '49 with a handful of top 5's thrown in from 1936 to 1954. It's fun to contemplate what his legacy would be if not for WWII.

Ken Miles- Even without the controversy of the finish of the '66 Le Mans, he is one of the greatest test drivers of all time, having had a hand in developing the SunBeam Tiger, Shelby Cobra, and Ford GT, along with several successful custom one-offs.


Honorable mention: Pierre Levegh- Anyone who can run 23 of the 24 hours of Le Mans single-handedly, and be forced out due to mechanical trouble while leading the race by a full three laps, deserves respect.

My favorites are:
Fireball Roberts
Richard Petty
Jim Clark
John Morton in Trans Am Showed them how it was done. Mark Donahue in the big cars.
Ayrton Senna

***FLASH*** Honorable mention -- For the past two weeks, Scott Dixon has just killed 'em in IndyCar. Three wins in three points paying races gives him 32 overall IndyCar wins. (My Andretti Autosport guys are gettin' shutout lately!)

Seriously, though, I'm glad to see someone else acknowledge Ken Miles. The guy was the best development driver the original Ford GT and Cobra programs ever had (as per Mr. Shelby), and drove some pretty good races in those brutally crude early Cobras. Yeah, the French screwed him at LeMans. Then the guy loses his life testing the Ford J car, which became the Mark IV that won Sebring and LeMans in 1967.
Since this is a list of favorites, I'll give you mine:

*A.J. Foyt, Jr.
*Dan Gurney
*Jim Clark
*Don Garlits
*Cale Yarborough

I'd also have to mention here: Tazio Nuvolari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna, Phil Hill, Jackie Stewart, Don Prudhomme, Mario and Michael Andretti, Mark Donohue, Jim Hall, lots of NHRA, USAC/Indy guys and Ferrari Grand Prix/sports car drivers... There are many others, it's hard to choose after so many years.

That's pretty much what my heart's telling me, anyway. Good to see the other responses.
Think about how many of these drivers you've "met" through the model car hobby... like Stirling Moss! (how can I forget him?) -- Ernie
***7/17/13 - I'm embarrassed - Harry just reminded me of Mr. Bruce McLaren - MY BAD !!

1. Dave Dobner
2. Kurt Moser
3. Cheater O'Connor
4. Dickie Pearson
5. Tom Terriah

Here's another quick list- see if you guys can recognize some of these names:

*John Cukras
*Howie Ursaner
*Sandy Gross
*Ernie Provetti
*Tony P.

Hint - think 1960's-70's -- Ernie

I should ban myself. This is a great thread and I had to be a troubklemaker.

The 1:1 Drivers for me:

1. Fireball Roberts
2. A.J.
3. The King
4. Dan Gurney
5. Bruce McLaren

AJ
Mario
Cale
The King
Speed buggy and Tink

Pzooc.