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Post by Carl on Aug 28, 2024 21:43:33 GMT
In the banner, Gianclaudio ‘Clay’ Regazzoni in the beautiful Ferrari 312T on his way to victory during the 1975 Italian Grand Prix.   Teammate Niki Lauda would finish third to secure his first world title. A glory day for the Scuderia on home soil.  As you know, Clay also won for Ferrari in 1970. My friend and I had come to Monza in July to secure a hotel room and race tickets. We each paid 10,000 lire ($16 dollars) for choice front row seats in the small stand above the pits as seen in the bottom photo (but out of frame just past the finish line) directly above the BRM pit of second fastest qualifier Pedro Rodriquez. Early in the race, he came rushing in with an engine down on power for a fast consultation and blasted away right below us at unbelievable speed.
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Post by René on Aug 29, 2024 8:40:42 GMT
Monza 1970. Rodriguez takes the initial lead.  But it was Regazzoni who won…  … to the delight of the Italian fans. Carl, where are you?   |
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Post by Carl on Aug 29, 2024 17:57:40 GMT
Where was I? When the flag fell, I was chased by several women...
...who caught me at the Curva Grande and convinced me not to press charges. |
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Post by René on Aug 29, 2024 18:38:45 GMT
Where was I? When the flag fell, I was chased by several women...
...who caught me at the Curva Grande and convinced me not to press charges. Poor boy. But with some soft Italian whispers in your ear you were quickly convinced, I imagine. I hope it continued in the sultry Italian evening…  |
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Post by Carl on Aug 29, 2024 19:11:53 GMT
"The better part of valor is discretion" - Shakespeare
Au contraire, mon frère
------
On the grass adjacent to the Curva Grande, a small plaque
celebrates indiscreet whispers and sultry evenings never forgotten |
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Post by chrisb on Sept 13, 2024 8:51:58 GMT
very good Carl, memories are all the sweeter
I thought this Brabham one of the less attractive ones and pretty much forgotten when we think of some of the beautiful designs that did grace the grid.
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Post by René on Sept 13, 2024 10:14:30 GMT
I thought this Brabham one of the less attractive ones and pretty much forgotten when we think of some of the beautiful designs that did grace the grid. How preference and perception can differ. I have always found this a beautiful Brabham.   |
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Post by robmarsh on Sept 13, 2024 11:23:09 GMT
It's funny. I also found it very ugly yet a good friend of mine of the same vintage calls it gorgeous.
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Post by mikael on Sept 13, 2024 18:59:58 GMT
I'm also of the opinion that this was beautiful Formula One racer. At the time, as a teenager, the "futuristic touch" (with the digital-style numbers) impressed me greatly. The sharp edges also followed the fashion of the time(*). I also liked (and like) that they (Brabham) adopted the "triangular" wind shield as their "trademark" - a bit like the iconic front-grille of BMW (and like that of Alfa-Romeo, as depicted on the front of the very same car!).
When admiring these historic photos, I can't help feeling a bit sad that all these iconic teams disappeared: Brabham, Lotus, BRM, etc. etc. ...
After all, Brabham was "in business" for 30 years (1962-1992), Lotus for 40 years (1954–1994), and BRM for 26 years (1951-1977).
Williams Racing has been in business since 1977, so for 47 years now (and so, they must be the second-oldest team, after Ferrari). I do hope the will remain (as an F1-team), and that they will see better times - very soon.
(*) 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta
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Post by René on Sept 13, 2024 19:21:47 GMT
I agree Mikael. So many great names have disappeared over the years from the F1 grid. Except for Ferrari. The second oldest team is McLaren by the way.  McLaren M2B 1966 * nice Alfa |
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Post by mikael on Sept 13, 2024 19:29:29 GMT
The second oldest team is McLaren by the way.
Oh yes, certainly! How could I forget them ...  |
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Post by Carl on Sept 13, 2024 20:16:00 GMT
The second oldest team is McLaren by the way.
Oh yes, certainly! How could I forget them ... Ron Dennis  caused many memory lapses... |
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Post by René on Sept 13, 2024 21:58:52 GMT
Oh yes, certainly! How could I forget them ... Ron Dennis caused many memory lapses... And not least with himself ! |
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Post by Carl on Sept 14, 2024 0:27:59 GMT
Ron Dennis caused many memory lapses... And not least with himself ! I had an encounter with Dennis (or an empowered surrogate) on Motorsport's website. Soon after I had blamed him and the poison dwarf for Formula One's embrace of corporate dominance, a furious control freak appeared and charged me with an assortment of capital crimes. After a short pause, he triumphantly wrote, "I see you're an Amerikan", which shamed me into hiding for two weeks in the hayloft. If he felt I had fascist tendencies, he could have hailed a fellow traveler. Was it his genius that led him into falsehood? In any case, he disappeared when I began to judge his Ron Dennis impression as good in some respects but needing more loathsome rudeness.
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Post by mikael on Sept 14, 2024 8:17:46 GMT
... but of course, the "stern-part" of the Brabham BT-48 was extremely long - maybe even longer than that of the contemporary cars ...
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caused many memory lapses... 
