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Post by René on Jul 13, 2024 20:23:53 GMT
Then he was indeed half Danish. Like Max Verstappen is half Belgian, and so is Lando Norris and Lance Stroll for that matter. Romain Grosjean is half Swiss and I’m sure there are more. But of course, it’s the nationality they race with that people know. How times have changed when looking at those photos! Lots of beer and o-sake, must have been a great party!  |
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Post by Carl on Jul 13, 2024 22:52:03 GMT
I remember seeing Gunnar Nilsson at Long Beach. He was a great driver and an extraordinarily brave man. Terminal with cancer, he declined pain medications so he could communicate clearly with research specialists seeking a cure.
These friends died only weeks apart   |
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Post by chrisb on Jul 15, 2024 10:29:10 GMT
I rated Gunnar very highly and a definite world champion in the making until tragedy intervened, and how brave he was - I was at Brands in 78 when the security was a bit more lax shall we say and wandered into the infield, on the Friday anyway less so on the Sunday
those brave pictures of Gunnar talking and smiling said so much about him, so awful that we lost two of the brightest stars within weeks of each other.
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Post by René on Jul 17, 2024 13:05:29 GMT
This banner is in memory of Jules Bianchi, who passed away exactly nine years ago today.  Jules takes his first points in Monaco 2014. Charles with his godfather Jules in 2010. |
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Post by chrisb on Jul 26, 2024 14:18:59 GMT
my word was it 9 years ago? for me another needless tragedy.
And Rene Arnoux, happy smiling and go for it Rene, and those monster turbo's - yes, shame it didn't quite work out, I always thought he was more suited to the Renault but of course had to obey corporate orders - something a free spirit struggles with, now who does that remind me of....
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Post by René on Jul 26, 2024 17:37:46 GMT
my word was it 9 years ago? for me another needless tragedy. And Rene Arnoux, happy smiling and go for it Rene, and those monster turbo's - yes, shame it didn't quite work out, I always thought he was more suited to the Renault but of course had to obey corporate orders - something a free spirit struggles with, now who does that remind me of.... Jules' accident and death was a tragedy, Chris. It should never have happened. René Arnoux was an enigma, wasn't he? Blindingly fast but as you say, also a free spirit who never really fitted in the corporate stuff. Good on him. And he's still passionate about racing.  |
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Post by mikael on Aug 2, 2024 16:35:12 GMT
Great banner image of Laffite in the Ligier JS5 "Teapot", René  Comparing with other cars of that period, it was really very neatly made, considering many small details.
Thinking about it, was this oversized air-box/air-intake "the straw that broke the camel's back", and prompted the FIA to ban the tall air-intake altogether?
P.S. Here is a very nice recording (without any annoying narration whatsoever) of the glorious Matra V12 sound.
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Post by Carl on Aug 2, 2024 19:57:23 GMT
Great banner image of Laffite in the Ligier JS5 "Teapot", René Comparing with other cars of that period, it was really very neatly made, considering many small details.
Thinking about it, was this oversized air-box/air-intake "the straw that broke the camel's back", and prompted the FIA to ban the tall air-intake altogether?
P.S. Here is a very nice recording (without any annoying narration whatsoever) of the glorious Matra V12 sound.
I loved the sounds made by the Matra V12! Like a furious banshee out for revenge whose screams blasted into your ears and danced a jig in triple meter. P.S.- Mario Andretti annoys whenever he talks |
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Post by robmarsh on Aug 3, 2024 10:06:36 GMT
Carl, I thought I was the only one who found Mario Andretti's voice irritating.
I remember the V12 Matra in the back of the 1977 Ligier. I was sitting at Crowthorne at the end of the main straight at Kyalami. Jacques Laffite was caught up in a gaggle of four or five cars, the other four using the Cosworth engine and including the Shadow of the late Tom Pryce. As they accelerated away from the corner who could hear the Matra V12 starting to climb the rev range until it reached the rev limiter. By then the banshee shriek from the tailpipes had obliterated the sound of the four Cosworths.
Sadly as we know soon after this Pryce collided with Frederick Jansen van Vuuren, the 19 year old fire marshal who was crossing the track to attend to a fire on Renzo Zorzi's sister Shadow. Both Pryce and Van Vuuren were killed instantly and the now pilotless Shadow carried on at full speed down the straight until it collided with the unsuspecting Laffite at Crowthorne. Very sad.
The Matra cars were very well assembled using space age technology and the skilled workmanship expected from a missile manufacturer. I remember DSJ waxing lyrical about the Matra level of workmanship around 1969/70.
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Post by chrisb on Aug 13, 2024 16:23:54 GMT
The Ligier's were always a bit unique to me, something I always found interesting and that beautiful V12, yet for me anyway perhaps the best looking one was the Cosworth one, that really should have won at Brands in 1979
Ahh BlackJack, not someone who ever seems to feature in anyone's top 20 drivers yet was a triple world champion - I saw this car at a Race Retro show some years ago and what struck me was just how vulnerable the driver was - there was just nothing to it, yet it was deemed one of the safer cars of its era. Certainly one of the more successful ones.
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Post by chrisb on Aug 23, 2024 7:04:50 GMT
my word Rene, I haven't seen this car for year, and what a car it was, I can't remember if it was Nigel who was slightly 'critical' of it or BCE? I just seem to remember it being heavily criticised and in a way led to a change to the thinking of F1 and brought about massive changes. I could be wrong though,
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Post by René on Aug 23, 2024 18:23:25 GMT
my word Rene, I haven't seen this car for year, and what a car it was, I can't remember if it was Nigel who was slightly 'critical' of it or BCE? I just seem to remember it being heavily criticised and in a way led to a change to the thinking of F1 and brought about massive changes. I could be wrong though, Chris, this is Arturo Merzario in the Merzario A4 at the 1979 Dutch Grand Prix. |
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Post by Carl on Aug 23, 2024 22:10:45 GMT
The Ligier's were always a bit unique to me, something I always found interesting and that beautiful V12, yet for me anyway perhaps the best looking one was the Cosworth one, that really should have won at Brands in 1979 Ahh BlackJack, not someone who ever seems to feature in anyone's top 20 drivers yet was a triple world champion - I saw this car at a Race Retro show some years ago and what struck me was just how vulnerable the driver was - there was just nothing to it, yet it was deemed one of the safer cars of its era. Certainly one of the more successful ones. Jack Brabham deserves a prominent place on any top ten list. Practical and reserved at all times, and never the popular image of a World Champion, he advanced step by step from Australian dirt ovals to the top step in Formula One. Famously restrained, when another driver asked for advice to improve his laptime, Brabham replied, "More throttle, less brake", excellent advice when thought about. |
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Post by chrisb on Aug 24, 2024 9:15:27 GMT
my word Rene, I haven't seen this car for year, and what a car it was, I can't remember if it was Nigel who was slightly 'critical' of it or BCE? I just seem to remember it being heavily criticised and in a way led to a change to the thinking of F1 and brought about massive changes. I could be wrong though, Chris, this is Arturo Merzario in the Merzario A4 at the 1979 Dutch Grand Prix. Aye, I knew it was little Art, just wasn't sure the model/ year - I just recollect and I think it was Bernie and not Mr Roebuck who was highly critical of this car and vowed to raise F1 standards as a result of it. Which I thought was a bit unfair as surely it was never the 'worst' F1 car to ever grace the grids? |
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Post by René on Aug 28, 2024 19:46:46 GMT
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