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Post by mikael on Jun 24, 2018 8:36:40 GMT
Not exactly a driver portrait - rather driver's eye view, perhaps. But it's hard not to smile when seeing these early versions of an "onboard camera" 
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2018 2:46:16 GMT
(I'll put it here)
Just read this, it seems it was July the 3rd. Very sorry.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2018 3:27:25 GMT
This is how Mario is.
Zapelloni is a (usually very poor) Gazzetta's journalist, who says that the last Italian to conquer Monza was Scarfiotti.
Mario replied to him:
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Post by mikael on Jul 24, 2018 8:20:13 GMT
 Lorenzo Bandini |
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Post by charleselan on Jul 31, 2018 19:21:05 GMT
What more can one say, other than an iconic driver from the 1950's, the truly wonderful and charismatic Jean Behra. This has to be one of the most outstanding driver portraits ever.  |
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Post by Carl on Jul 31, 2018 20:09:00 GMT
What more can one say, other than an iconic driver from the 1950's, the truly wonderful and charismatic Jean Behra. This has to be one of the most outstanding driver portraits ever. Jean Behra impressed motor racing fans worldwide. His iconic helmet design has been the logo of Competition Press and Autoweek (now simply Autoweek) since its founding in 1958.
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Post by mikael on Aug 1, 2018 2:31:28 GMT
Yes, Behra's helmet design was truly brilliant. Another helmet design which I think was/is beautiful and which may probably also be characterized as iconic, is that of Giacomo Agostini. As Behra's, very simple, yet with a lot of symbolism, in the national colours of Italy and the golden band. (And Agostini did also try his hand at F1, although it was in non-championship races.)    Edit/addendum: If there ever was domination in motor sport: MV Agusta Road Racing / Grand Prix ("MotoGP") World Constructors' Championships: 500 cc class 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 350 cc class 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 250 cc class 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960 125 cc class 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960 Amazing how strong MV Agusta (and their riders!) were in their years of greatness! Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Agusta |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 3:26:19 GMT
Yes, with a beautiful swan song - for Ago and MV - at the 'Ring in 1976.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 3:36:05 GMT
37 world championship titles. Just counted them from Mikael's post. Never knew that. Amazing.
There is a retrospective article on the latest MS issue.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 3:54:35 GMT
Mat Oxley in the article quoted above:
Where the hell have we thrown our genius and energy?
We lost the war - rightly, as we shouldn't have been involved at all in the first place, lest with the wrong side - and won the post-war. Then the slide set in, unabated. Marchionne's demise is only the latest step in the decline.
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Post by Carl on Aug 1, 2018 4:50:27 GMT
Hormones and horsepower become important at about the same time and those of us affected by both absorbed motor racing and automotive knowledge, including Italian names and words important to racing in the mid-1960s. Pontiac's GTO (a fast car but never at the level of Gran Turismo Omologato) had us using "homologated" in conversation well before any of us knew its meaning. At the same time we learned about MV Agusta and Giacomo Agostini, the fastest man on two wheels, and the great designers Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini. Several years later in Europe, not yet 21 and so denied entry into the Casino in Monte Carlo, I consoled myself just outside by explaining all the features of a nearby Miura to English tourists who decided I must be the owner. That was better than winning at roulette...
Buonasera, Carl
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Post by Carl on Aug 1, 2018 4:59:29 GMT
Mat Oxley in the article quoted above: Where the hell have we thrown our genius and energy? We lost the war - rightly, as we shouldn't have been involved at all in the first place, lest with the wrong side - and won the post-war. Then the slide set in, unabated. Marchionne's demise is only the latest step in the decline. The dominant west has been supplanted by the east, Japan having shown the way for China, the emerging next global superpower. The entire balance of power is changing and you are too hard on Italy, a still vibrant country. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 10:54:47 GMT
I’m afraid not, Carl.
We have lost the thrust we had during the reconstruction and subsequent economic boom, which was already spent by the mid Sixties. We have forgotten too soon how it was when we were hungry, and settled in our chairs instead to stand and carrying on running as previously. Some – many – left to make a difference for themselves, and for the countries which gave us hospitality. The old country became more and more sated. Nepotism – not merit – rife and the only way to progress. That is how a country goes down the drain.
Anyways. Long story, alas long time foretold.
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Post by charleselan on Aug 1, 2018 11:59:30 GMT
Mikael,
Ago's helmet design was actually based on the equally iconic helmet of the greatest racer of motorcycles on tarmac there has ever been, one Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood. If memory serves me correctly Ago actually wore a very similar helmet design to Mike in his early years, before then adding the green and red sectors.
MV Augusta had a tremendous record throughout the 1950's and early 1960's in all four classes of Grand Prix road racing with their 125 & 250 twin cylinder machines and 350 & 500 four cylinder bikes. They always attracted the best riders of each generation and it has to be said that in the 1960's they faced little real opposition in the larger classes, that was until the Japanese machines came on steam.
However that being said there were some amazing machines made by Italian manufacturers particularly in the 1950's, with the likes of Gilera and Moto Guzzi. The Gilera 4 cylinder machines in the 350 & 500 classes were very similar to the MV Augusta's and in 1957 it was probably the better bike. Gilera then withdrew from racing at the end of '57, only to return under Geoff Duke's banner in the early 1960's but could not match the MV with Mike Hailwood aboard.
The Moto Guzzi team produced a truly astonishing 500cc machine in the 1950's with a V8 motor which was quick at times but never really reached its possible potential.
Another astonishing Italian race machine was the early 1960's Morini single that Tarquinio Provini raced with great success and actually challenged Jim Redman on the Honda four for the world championship in the 250cc class. Ago also raced one of these bikes in his early career, Provini went on to produce some amazing scale model plastic construction kits of both motorcycles and cars.
JC
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Post by chrisb on Aug 1, 2018 20:36:16 GMT
JC, thank you mon ami, but that picture of Jean, it is perhaps the most lifelike picture of the great man I have ever seen, he does look so alive in that photo, a bit spooky to be true but one of the greats and someone I admire greatly, in the BRM story Raymond Mays speaks of their professional relationship and how Jean was enjoying the BRM, and that awful weekend at Avus was nearly averted by BRM but tragically it was never to happen.
Lucio, I adore Italy - I have been very fortunate to visit this beautiful country on a few occasions and some of my ambitions include driving the Mille Miglia route one day, another is to watch a race at Monza and whilst on this subjec to visit Mugello - that is aside from wanting to visit many other places, as to its situation - how could I possibly comment when my own country is in such a state
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