Slot car galore

[mikael]

Dec 9, 2023 11:45:41 GMT René said:

How great would it be to have a woman racing in Formula 1!

Yes indeed!

I remain an optimist in that respect. If a woman could beat the likes of a young Ronnie Peterson at the Karting World Championship (even if it has happened only once in history), a woman could also make it into Formula One. 

Yes, hopefully some day ...

Karting World Champion 1966 Susanna Ragnelli (with Ronnie Peterson; 3rd place).

(The championship (one single event, held over a weekend) took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Second place was Leif Engström, Sweden.)

[Carl]

Leif Engström won second place in the World Championship, but apparently Ronnie won the lady champion's heart

[mikael]

Dec 9, 2023 18:59:33 GMT Carl said:

Leif Engström won second place in the World Championship, but apparently Ronnie won the lady champion's heart

Yes, Leif Engström looks rather miserable, whereas Ronnie looks quite content with the situation

Here is an unedited machine- (Google-) translated description of the 1966 World Championship event, taken from this very detailed Ronnie Peterson site (in Swedish):

www.ointres.se/ronniepeterson.htm

Ronnie Peterson came to the Amager track in Copenhagen to take home the World Cup title in Formula K Class A. Now it didn't happen that way - Susanna "Suzy" Raganelli from Rome had the best quali time, won the first attempt, the second attempt, the third attempt, the first final, the second final and the third final. It couldn't be more superior!

Now Ronnie didn't put up a bad contest by any means, but the weekend belonged to Miss Raganelli. This year's WC was arranged in the same way as in 1965 in Rome, but with the difference that the competition was not disturbed by any tropical downpours so that it could keep the program to the letter. This involved three practice heats of 15 laps on the 655-metre hyper-fast track, then the three finals (20, 30 and 50 laps) for the top eighteen drivers (the 24 men eliminated also had to run a 20-lap qualifying heat where the two top also went to the final).

Ronnie had a really unlucky weekend. After various unpleasantness in the trials, his starting position in the finals was such that no one dared to hope for a medal place, but with the offering of all his know-how, he still struggled up to third place. And this despite the fact that he drove most of the last final with a cracked exhaust flange and with most of the entire front end dangerously dangling from the muffler mounts.

Now instead Leif Engström became the best Swede with a second place after "unbeatable Suzy". Leif started the competition by winning his first attempt. Got a second place in the second and a fourth in the last. Number of places at the start of the first final was two - next to the master Suzy. Leif managed his pound well and came second in all three finals. Leif's car was able to show a wonderful low-rev pull and pulled away from Suzy in all final starts - and that with 4-6 cogs higher gearing!

Suzy is sometimes accused of winning on her engines alone, among others, Alan Burgess in the English Karting Magazine makes this assessment. The wizard Baroni, who has gained a tarnished reputation in Swedish karting circles since his creations were seen on the inside, looked after Suzy's engine like a baby. Baroni had come up with a very effective way to put a little extra bounce on the Parilla - instead of adjusting the nozzle as usual so that the engine starts four-stroke at the end of the longest straight, he set the engine so that it never four-stroke. With a super lean mixture, overheating and cutting should come like a letter in the mail, but instead Suzy put her hand over the intake as often as she could and "artificially choked" the engine. She won on the meager mix a terrible shot at the end of the straights and that was also where she decided the races.

On a related note, I came across some photos from a " Leif Engström memorial karting race" held just this (past) summer:

[Carl]

Mikael,

            Thanks for a fascinating race report about the world championship deciding event at Copenhagen!  Do you know what happened afterward for Leif Engström?  I wasn't able to locate anything online.  Did he continue and have success in racing?  Was Susanna Ragnelli's advantage her engine, as rival teams suspected?  In any case, according to a Peterson biography by John Tipler, she and Ronnie had a subsequent romantic relationship, evidence that photographs are often more telling than words.

            I found an interesting article in a Latvian Ferrari Club website, which features many great photographs of one of JC's all-time favorites.  I found the best way to connect is a google search:  Peterson: the flying Swede

     

                                     Monaco F3 winner 1969 

Italian Grand Prix 1971

Niki Lauda had great respect for Peterson's natural talent

Cheers, Carl

 

[mikael]

Dec 10, 2023 17:55:23 GMT Carl said:

Do you know what happened afterward for Leif Engström?  I wasn't able to locate anything online.  Did he continue and have success in racing?   

Carl,

It seems that Leif Engström proceeded to Formula Ford and that he was Swedish National Champion in that category in 1974. Apparently, he also raced in Formula 3; but not with as strong results as he had enjoyed in karting and in Formula Ford; see, for example:

www.driverdb.com/drivers/leif-engstrom

Best,

M.

[Carl]

Dec 12, 2023 15:10:29 GMT mikael said:

Dec 10, 2023 17:55:23 GMT Carl said:

Do you know what happened afterward for Leif Engström?  I wasn't able to locate anything online.  Did he continue and have success in racing?   

Carl,

It seems that Leif Engström proceeded to Formula Ford and that he was Swedish National Champion in that category in 1974. Apparently, he also raced in Formula 3; but not with as strong results as he had enjoyed in karting and in Formula Ford; see, for example:

www.driverdb.com/drivers/leif-engstrom

Best,

M.

Mikael,
              Thank you! Then as now, results often reflect sponsorship resources and may have done so for Engström.  It's a shame that love of motorsport is seldom enough.

             Best, Carl

[René]

Slot cars on Autosport's front cover: www.autosport.com/general/news/how-a-retro-racing-favourite-has-embraced-modernity-to-retain-its-appeal/10559115/

[René]

Slot car end-of-the-year update - part I

It’s time for another update.  I expanded my collection with some very interesting new models. Most are new releases and some are older releases that I found for a good price.

First the new cars from one of my favorite brands, Policar. The Italian manufacturer has a beautiful range of classic F1 cars and they add more models every year. Fantastic detail and performance so absolute top quality slot models.

The most anticipated release was with no doubt Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari 126 C2. It’s a special edition release of the last car he drove during practice of the Belgium Grand Prix. Basically an exact replica of the car in which he lost his life.

And they released another car that has again the same tragedy attached to it, the 1970 Lotus 72 of Jochen Rindt. The car in which Jochen lost his life.

These may seem strange choices given the tragedies attached to these specific cars. But after seeing an interview with Policar’s boss Maurizio Ferrari (yes, that really is his name ), in which he said this was his tribute to a childhood hero (Villeneuve) and a driver whom he really admired (Rindt), I understand it completely and felt it was sincere.

They are beautiful models with special packaging. Two beautiful cars of two legendary drivers.








And then a few more 'normal' releases by Policar.

The beautiful BRM P160 of Beltoise.



And two 'odd balls' that would be even difficult to find as a static model! But great looking cars.






And I recently found an older set by Spanish manufacturer Fly Classics for the normal retail price. I missed out on it at the time but happy to have it now. Two Ferraris from the Belgian Ecurie Francorchamps team. Very cool.








There's more to follow in part II like the Scalextric Swedish Grand Prix set. A Brabham with a working fan! Coming soon. 

[mikael]

Amazingly beautiful models! Wauw!

[René]

Dec 29, 2023 16:32:53 GMT mikael said:

Amazingly beautiful models! Wauw!

Thanks Mikael. Yes the details on those cars is incredible. You would have to buy quite an expensive die cast model to have the same level of detail. Slot cars have really evolved tremendously.

[Carl]

René,

          I agree with Mikael.  Wonderful models!  

The exhaust on Jean-Pierre Beltoise's Monaco winning BRM had me spellbound

As I slowly scrolled up from the Ferrari GTB and GTO, I recognized that the number 22 and the absence of a rear wing defined the car in which Jochen Rindt lost his life.  His death and that of Gilles Villeneuve were comparable to the loss of Jim Clark, three of the very greatest gone within so short a time.

Cheers, Carl

  

[René]

Dec 29, 2023 17:06:04 GMT Carl said:

René,

          I agree with Mikael.  Wonderful models!  

The exhaust on Jean-Pierre Beltoise's Monaco winning BRM had me spellbound

As I slowly scrolled up from the Ferrari GTB and GTO, I recognized that the number 22 and the absence of a rear wing defined the car in which Jochen Rindt lost his life.  His death and that of Gilles Villeneuve were comparable to the loss of Jim Clark, three of the very greatest gone within so short a time.

Cheers, Carl

Not only the absence of the rear wing but also the front wings. A configuration that Jochen wasn't too happy about if I recall correctly.

[mikael]

The 1970 March 701 of Mario Andretti is also interesting in that it lacks the side-pods which were so characteristic for the 701. I wonder why Andretti had those removed ...

[René]

Yes it's interesting. But it's a correct depiction of the car as can be seen on these pictures.





And this is the Lotus on that fatal day in 1970..

[Carl]

Dec 29, 2023 17:19:55 GMT René said:

Dec 29, 2023 17:06:04 GMT Carl said:

René,

          I agree with Mikael.  Wonderful models!  

The exhaust on Jean-Pierre Beltoise's Monaco winning BRM had me spellbound

As I slowly scrolled up from the Ferrari GTB and GTO, I recognized that the number 22 and the absence of a rear wing defined the car in which Jochen Rindt lost his life.  His death and that of Gilles Villeneuve were comparable to the loss of Jim Clark, three of the very greatest gone within so short a time.

Cheers, Carl

Not only the absence of the rear wing but also the front wings. A configuration that Jochen wasn't too happy about if I recall correctly.

Yes, of course.  Someone at Lotus clearly believed an absence of wings would improve top speed and thereby lap times.  But failure is always an orphan claimed by no-one.  When all goes wrong, the compass of blame spins wildly. 

I still seeth at the craven failure of McLaren team manager Alastair Caldwell to accept responsibility for the structural failure of the rear-wing supports at Goodwood, the direct cause of Bruce McLaren's fatal accident.  He immediately portrayed himself as heroic for being first on the scene and carrying Bruce's lifeless body away, and quick to blame the mechanics, forgetting that he was there and in charge.