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Post by charleselan on Nov 28, 2017 12:33:09 GMT
A superb picture of M. Cevert at one of the great street circuits René.
Rob, your comments are very interesting and profound. A while back i had a debate with someone on MS about Francois being a future World Champion, and my belief that he was more likely to have been one than Bellof, I stand by that comment. I too loved the Tyrrell 006, there ere some fantastic cars that season were there not?
I think that the short wheelbase was possibly a factor in Francois terrible accident. The bend where he crashed was a challenging place and both JYS and Chris Amon in the other Tyrrell cars decided it was better to take it in a gear higher than what was the more natural gear for that corner. The reasoning being that it softened the car up and made it more drivable; Francois on the other hand made the choice of running one gear lower which made the car very nervous. He should have listened to Jackie and Chris sadly...........
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Post by charleselan on Nov 28, 2017 12:45:49 GMT
Time for some more F1 beauty; Team Lotus in the Spa pitlane, June 1965. The 33's of Jim Clark (17) and Mike Spence.
A beautiful photo, René.
The green Lotuses looked great with their red steering wheels and dashboards. I often wondered if there's a special story behind this unusual (steering wheel / dashboard) colour-choice. Since the colour apparently changed to black for the 1969 season and onwards I sometimes wondered if it was Jim Clark's choice; but it seems that all cars had red steering wheels up to and with the 1968 season.
Would love to hear / read about it if anyone knows about the story behind.
Sorry for stating a different question in the middle of the Senna discussion.
Mikael,
A very interesting observation indeed. You are correct about red leather covered wheels being used by some teams in the 1960's, however it was more or less exclusive to Team Lotus, although BRM also used them in the mid 1960's as well. I believe it was a thing with Colin Chapman as the red rimmed wheel and dash panel appeared in the late 1950's. As you so correctly point out Lotus used black rimmed steering wheels in 1969 and in all probability looked better on the red body work of the Golf Leaf sponsored cars. In fact they ran with black rims in 1968 also as the cars were in GLTL colours that year as well.
As an aside I have had my steering wheel recovered in red leather on my Lotus Elan as a personal touch. The wheel was fractured in the rim and the horrid original black vinyl had to come off to effect a repair anyway, so why not recreate the 1960's look. |
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Post by robmarsh on Nov 28, 2017 13:18:52 GMT
Charles your comments re Cevert and the short wheelbase being a factor in his accident are spot on. I think JYS said in his book that he was taking it one gear higher to settle the car. Jackie was a past master at making sure the car remained settled as long as possible and also that the strain on the cars mechanicals were kept to a minimum-at the same time driving faster that most others. I think Francois was going all out for pole and wanted to show the F1 world that he was as fast as JYS in the same car now that the championship was over and there were no constraints re finishing behind Jackie.
WRT to the red steering wheels and seats in the Lotus I always though they looked superb and artists will tell you that green and red go well together. I always wondered why the steering wheels in the Lotus 49 were offset to the driver's left. I think your Elan must have looked very nice with the red leather steering wheel. I got a lot of pleasure when driving my Honda and it had the same H in the centre of steering wheel that Senna and Prost had on their F1 cars.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2017 13:24:28 GMT
A superb picture of M. Cevert at one of the great street circuits René. Rob, your comments are very interesting and profound. A while back i had a debate with someone on MS about Francois being a future World Champion, and my belief that he was more likely to have been one than Bellof, I stand by that comment. I too loved the Tyrrell 006, there ere some fantastic cars that season were there not? I think it was with me, Charles, we disagreed on Cevert world champion in 1974.
Very good driver, mind, but the car suited Stewart like a glove and '74 was crowded at the top.
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Post by Carl on Nov 28, 2017 19:17:50 GMT
A superb picture of M. Cevert at one of the great street circuits René. Rob, your comments are very interesting and profound. A while back i had a debate with someone on MS about Francois being a future World Champion, and my belief that he was more likely to have been one than Bellof, I stand by that comment. I too loved the Tyrrell 006, there ere some fantastic cars that season were there not? I think that the short wheelbase was possibly a factor in Francois terrible accident. The bend where he crashed was a challenging place and both JYS and Chris Amon in the other Tyrrell cars decided it was better to take it in a gear higher than what was the more natural gear for that corner. The reasoning being that it softened the car up and made it more drivable; Francois on the other hand made the choice of running one gear lower which made the car very nervous. He should have listened to Jackie and Chris sadly........... That is also my understanding of what happened according to both teammates. The more experienced Stewart and Amon knew better... As you write, if only Cevert had heeded them. I saw Jackie Stewart and Francois Cevert (and Amon in a third Tyrell with a more standard nose) at Mosport two weeks prior in what sadly was the last race for both. My friend and I were standing at the fence just before the very fast downhill sweeping Turn 2. When Jody Scheckter tried an imprudent inside pass on Cevert, both cars careened at speed onto the grass verge and were out. After Jody climbed out, he raised and threw down both arms, seeming to acknowledge that he'd messed up again. This wasn't enough for Cevert, who hobbled over quickly (one leg had been injured) and slapped Jody's helmet very hard!! |
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Post by Carl on Nov 28, 2017 19:53:38 GMT
Here is an ominously beautiful photograph of James Dean on the day of his terrible accident. I was familiar with this gas station for years before I learned of its connection to legend. On the northeast corner of Ventura Boulevard at Beverly Glen in Sherman Oaks, very close to Dean's house and not far from where I lived at the time, this station is where he gassed up before his fateful drive north. The couple in the Cadillac were likely coming or going from the Cadillac dealer across the street to the west, Casa de Cadillac, still there today. For several decades after the gas station closed, there was a florist's shop in the small main building. The gas pumps were gone but the concrete islands and overhead canopies were still in place so you could pinpoint just where he'd been standing, although few people were even aware. All of what had remained has recently been demolished. Attachment Deleted |
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Post by Jamie on Nov 28, 2017 20:40:51 GMT
After all the interesting discussions time for an iconic shot again. How cool is this!?  François Cevert in the Tyrrell-Ford 006, Spain 1973.  Thank you Rene, a wonderful shot of one of my very favourite drivers. Cevert just had that special 'something' very hard to put your finger on but seems to have been universally loved by those he encountered. To hear Sir Jackie and Lady Helen talk of him, and so obviously miss him dreadfully, all those years after that awful accident....well, thats the mark of the man. What a tragedy.... I would thoroughly recommend a book called 'A Contract with Death' by Jean-Claude Halle regarding Francois. There is a passage in the book which deals with his mother visiting a medium after his death, rather than ham-fistly try to precis it here, Adam Cooper talks of it in a Motorsport article a good few years ago and its well worth a read. Its on the archive. It sends shivers down my spine upon reading every time, what a terrible, terrible waste.......... |
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Post by Jamie on Nov 28, 2017 20:57:02 GMT
As if he wasn't cool enough..........Francois with Bridgette Bardot........lucky bugger  Attachment Deleted |
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Post by chrisb on Nov 28, 2017 22:03:25 GMT
there is that awful clip of Francois leaving the pits for the last time, and minutes later tragedy, I think one of the most poignant comments ever made was about Peter Revson's fatal accident, he'd been playing tennis beforehand with? I'm sorry I can't quite recollect and then killed but back at his hotel room his tennis clothes still soaked with his sweat, that really made me think -
Would Francois been WDC? I had my doubts he could lead a team and whilst acknowledging his speed I wasn't sure about his mental capacity to be champion, another senseless death for one incredible human being, I did read a story that his sister refused to open Francois's briefcase until last year?
thank you Carl, that is a sad story about James Dean, and I spoke to someone once about that Porsche and he was saying that he had a replica or tribute - and he understood why Jimmy had been killed, apparently the accelerator is positioned so that it was easier to push down flat than cruise, I don't know if that is the case?
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Post by René on Nov 28, 2017 22:17:56 GMT
My friend and I were standing at the fence just before the very fast downhill sweeping Turn 2. When Jody Scheckter tried an imprudent inside pass on Cevert, both cars careened at speed onto the grass verge and were out. After Jody climbed out, he raised and threw down both arms, seeming to acknowledge that he'd messed up again. This wasn't enough for Cevert, who hobbled over quickly (one leg had been injured) and slapped Jody's helmet very hard!! Jody was a bit rough around the edges in the beginning.  Came good though. |
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Post by René on Nov 28, 2017 22:20:31 GMT
Here is an ominously beautiful photograph of James Dean on the day of his terrible accident. Great photo. |
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Post by René on Nov 28, 2017 22:21:54 GMT
As if he wasn't cool enough..........Francois with Bridgette Bardot........lucky bugger Well, he had the looks and the cars. The nice ladies will follow...  |
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Post by René on Nov 28, 2017 22:29:29 GMT
WRT to the red steering wheels and seats in the Lotus I always though they looked superb and artists will tell you that green and red go well together. Indeed Rob, red and green are so-called complementary colours. They are each others oppositie like black and white. Or like yellow and purple or blue and orange. They form a strong contrast but always match well. |
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Post by René on Nov 28, 2017 22:47:12 GMT
was Ayrton the most driven of racers we have known? An intriguing question with to me only one possible answer: yes. I don't know of any other driver who was so convinced of his god given talent, literally. There are many more drivers for whom racing is or was life, who know nothing else but racing. Just ask young Max. But Ayrton was convinced he was here with a purpose. Like an angel guided by the creator. Alain Prost thought that was spooky at times. |
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Post by Carl on Nov 28, 2017 23:13:56 GMT
thank you Carl, that is a sad story about James Dean, and I spoke to someone once about that Porsche and he was saying that he had a replica or tribute - and he understood why Jimmy had been killed, apparently the accelerator is positioned so that it was easier to push down flat than cruise, I don't know if that is the case? Chris, Dean was accompanied by his mechanic that day and after a stop, decided to continue in the 550 Spyder, common practice in the 1950s The accident was caused by another driver turning in front of the Porsche at the "Y" shaped intersection of California State Routes 46 and 41 near the small town of Cholame. Dean apparently assumed the driver of the oncoming car had seen him. Tragically, he had not. |
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