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Post by robmarsh on Feb 7, 2018 6:50:48 GMT
Chrisb/Charles. You are both correct. The Alfa almost ran out of fuel in France and hicoughed on the last lap or second last allowing MA past. The same happened at Silverstone. That Brabham Alfa was a pretty competitive machine in Watson's hands and with a bit of luck could have won 3 GPs. It was a beautiful powerful looking machine but very thirsty. 1977 was a pretty competitive season and Watson could have been in the running for the championship had the car being more reliable or slightly less thirsty. He drove beautifully that year and as you have all said would be great to have on TV. The evening that Lucio and Jamie attended must have been very enjoyable with Watson and Maurice Hamilton. Two Irishmen with a great knowledge and love for the sport.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2018 8:34:39 GMT
John said exactly that, that the Alfa Romeo engine was a very good one, powerful, but indeed thirsty.
He said they - Alfa Romeo, Chiti - kept modifying it all the time, to the point Bernie and Murray had to ask them to stop and provide a fixed spec power plant. I suppose they were used to "off the shelf" DFV.
He also told of the BT46 with the surface aero radiators, which famously didn't work. He said they tested it at Balocco, Alfa's test track located between Turin and Milan. It was damn quick, very low drag, but engine temperatures were sky high. Then, back in England they installed the radiators on the nose and he said it felt like the car had the brakes on. He reckons, had the original idea worked, the car would have been seriously quick on the straights.
From what I have seen on Saturday, John comes across like a great guy indeed, down to earth and full of witty anecdotes.
He is only the second person I have ever asked the autograph (on the day's programme, I didn't bring any books); the first was Tony Southgate whom I asked to sign my copy of his autobiography, in the same venue. |
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Post by charleselan on Feb 7, 2018 13:17:34 GMT
Couldn't agree with you more Lucio & Rob.
The 1977 BT45 was a very good car and that Alfa Romeo Flat 12 was superb if a little thirsty. I do remember it sounding really gorgeous at the British GP where Wattie lead Hunt for lap after lap, and believe me there was no way James was getting by that day, much the same with Mario at Dijon for the French GP.
I returned home after the race and the next day began work on remodelling an older version made by Western Models into John's 1977 car, it worked out quite well in the end.
I'm with you on the autograph thing Lucio, I would have done the same. I only have one autograph in my whole life and that is Dan Gurney, somewhat embarrassingly on the back of my race ticket for one of the Indycar races at Silverstone in the late 1970's. I would have asked John in a trice.
As an aside; in the recent Gordon Murray interview with Peter Windsor he said that the surface cooling experiment did not work, but he had to try it! Another thing he mentioned which you will find interesting was his comments about Carlos Reutemann. He was very much a fan and said how superb he was on fast circuits as his style was just so smooth. He then went on to talk about Carlos' love of the BT44/44B cars; Gordon mentioning that Carlos would sit in the car for ages when in the workshop and up on the stands, all the while the mechanics were disassembling the car around him, he just loved the car so much.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2018 14:04:23 GMT
I knew both Bernie and Murray rated - still rate - Reutemann quite a lot. Carlos is one of those I didn't really pay attention to, only to realize much later that he actually was of the real top guns - with Mario, Jody and Ronnie.
You would say Lauda perhaps was a shade better (although Mario did commit to F1 only in the second half of the '70s, when he was already over 35), but after Niki there were those three guys, for me. After those, just slightly behind, I would put Watson and Patrese - personality, more than skill. And Clay - although Regazzoni between 1970 and 1974 was a different proposition. |
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Post by René on Feb 7, 2018 15:23:14 GMT
The BT45 was not only very good but also a very beautiful car (as were most Murray cars). Also a lovely livery.
I agree Lucio with your driver rating of the 70's. There was a handful of absolute top guns as you mentioned with maybe Niki as the number one for how complete he was as a racing driver; fast, clever, technical and a real team leader.
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Post by charleselan on Feb 7, 2018 18:06:08 GMT
Can't agree with that driver rating of the 1970's chaps, but then again I am hugely biased   . Bit like saying Sir Stirling Moss wasn't the best driver after Fangio, and up to 1962. |
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Post by Jamie on Feb 7, 2018 19:51:19 GMT
Can't agree with that driver rating of the 1970's chaps, but then again I am hugely biased . Bit like saying Sir Stirling Moss wasn't the best driver after Fangio, and up to 1962. Who's at the top for you John? |
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Post by charleselan on Feb 8, 2018 10:13:59 GMT
Can't agree with that driver rating of the 1970's chaps, but then again I am hugely biased . Bit like saying Sir Stirling Moss wasn't the best driver after Fangio, and up to 1962. Who's at the top for you John? Jamie, you need to ask  . Let us put it this way there was one guy after JYS retired that given a half decent car, something he rarely had, they all knew and admitted they had to beat. Just as it was with Stirling; Jim & JYS. |
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Post by Jamie on Feb 8, 2018 13:33:32 GMT
Mr Villeneuve 😉
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Post by Jamie on Feb 8, 2018 13:43:18 GMT
Irony is lost over the web....
so so just to be clear....I know you mean Ronnie 😂😂
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Post by René on Feb 8, 2018 14:58:56 GMT
I am sure we will all agree that both Ronnie and Gilles were two of the most naturally gifted drivers the sport has ever seen.  As for Niki, I believe that his professionalism and analytic approach combined with serious speed made him one of the greats of his time. Maybe not always the outright fastest (although he had many pole positions) he was always a force to be reckoned with. Had it not been for that dreadful accident he would have been a triple champion already in the seventies and probably even more titles would have followed had the relationship with Ferrari not soured and had he stayed. But I don't really believe in 'best of' lists. We all know who were/are the really great drivers of their time. The rest is personal preference. |
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Post by charleselan on Feb 8, 2018 16:33:06 GMT
But I don't really believe in 'best of' lists. We all know who were/are the really great drivers of their time. The rest is personal preference. That is the perfect sentiment, they do not come better than that. |
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Post by chrisb on Feb 8, 2018 18:50:08 GMT
am with you Rene and as JC says - the perfect sentiment
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Post by charleselan on Feb 9, 2018 12:01:41 GMT
Irony is lost over the web.... so so just to be clear....I know you mean Ronnie 😂😂 I like your sense of irony Jamie, it would have also been excellent on the MS Forum and passed way over the head of most who post there now . |
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Post by Jamie on Feb 9, 2018 14:48:19 GMT
Yes quite a few ‘mouth breathers’ on there now.....
Still a few gems of course, did anyone ever hear from Charles Norman?
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