Formula 1 & Other Motor Racing

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

OoO

 

I doubt we'll see Denny Hulme either, something in the following Wiki entry suggests he has no further interest in motor sports:

 

Death

A favourite event of Hulme's was the Bathurst 1000, held at the famous Mount Panorama track in Australia. In the 1992 event he was sharing a Benson & Hedges-sponsored BMW M3 with Paul Morris. After complaining of blurred vision Hulme suffered a massive heart attack at the wheel whilst travelling down the 200-mph Conrod Straight. After veering into the wall on the left side of the track, he managed to bring the car to a relatively controlled stop on the opposite side of the course. When marshals reached the scene they found Hulme still strapped in, dead.

 

4th Oct 1992 for the record.

[Octopus of Odstock 1,861]

OoO, I doubt we'll see Denny Hulme either, something in the following Wiki entry suggests he has no further interest in motor sports:

 

MPFC, FFS, I know Denny Hulme is dead. I watched that Bathurst race live and I'm a F*****g motor racing journalist so I know my oats. I answered your question, "will someone do a Hulme", to which I said "I don't think we'll see a Hulme" and you've turned that totally on me to "tell" me Hulme is dead. Read what I say before misquoting me, eh?

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

Sorry OoO, first post of the morning, not really with it and that. Still got more goin' for me than old Denny though!

 

So - as a motor racing journalist - do you think that masters series has legs on it? Personally I doubt it. I mean, if they want to make money off Borg and McEnroe rekindling the old magic it's do-able in the Albert Hall and profitable once they've sold half the seats. The cost of putting a few good un's and some also rans on the track yesterday in front of a meagre crowd must have been prohibitive. It'll only make sense if they get interest and media coverage and my freeview news didn't even mention it. There's a mountain to climb to keep them codgers racing. Shame, according to the site the lead changed hands seven times yesterday before Cheever romped home.

[Octopus of Odstock 1,861]

Sorry OoO, first post of the morning, not really with it and that. Still got more goin' for me than old Denny though!

 

So - as a motor racing journalist - do you think that masters series has legs on it? Personally I doubt it. I mean, if they want to make money off Borg and McEnroe rekindling the old magic it's do-able in the Albert Hall and profitable once they've sold half the seats. The cost of putting a few good un's and some also rans on the track yesterday in front of a meagre crowd must have been prohibitive. It'll only make sense if they get interest and media coverage and my freeview news didn't even mention it. There's a mountain to climb to keep them codgers racing. Shame, according to the site the lead changed hands seven times yesterday before Cheever romped home.

 

MPFC, that's okay. I was a bit cranky myself as the weekend was tiring. I feel sapped this morning, so sorry.

 

Honest evaluation?

PLUSES: Fan-friendly. Anyone who went got their boots filled. Everyone (except Emerson) were very friendly, and the fans got so many autographs, photos etc. Word of mouth has got to help, and only £30 to get in is another plus.

Great racing and grids will increase. Moreno, Boesel, Guerrero, Caffi and maybe Damon (one-off) will all be in it next year.

 

NEGATIVES:

Media coverage is appalling. You know, I thought I would have trouble in the media room getting a place. Not a bit of it. Bar the Autosport lot, there weren't many there. I think the reason it really took off was it was on the BBC and Murray was doing it. Murray is still doing it, but being on Sky Sports means more money for GPM, but less fans.

 

Let's see how it goes. There's a lot to look forward too, but there are concerns. Basically, anything Bernie doesn't endorse, always has a struggle. But the racing & the drivers are better than anything CART can throw up, so who knows? And crucially, the right men are in charge of the operations & in the key positions. We shall see.

 

I had a great weekend, though. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone who's got even a passing interest in F1.

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

Cheers OoO, maybe I'll put MPFC jnr in the Jag and check it out next year, I could do some: 'When I were you're age, lad' stuff as we wandered round before the race.

[Cowboy Ronnie 77]

Watching those old clips of F1 drivers crashing brought a tear to the eye. For the sport the way it used to be. A 19 year old marshall races across the track, in front of a blind hill, fire extinguisher in hand, trying valiantly to save someone but instead getting flipped over like a rag doll as a speeding car ploughed into him. Glad there was no HDTV back then. Nowadays it's all safety first, oh no, someone's got a flat tyre, wave the yellow flag, everyone down to 30 mph and stay in line for 4 laps. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

OoO, re your recent post about the recovered and racing Nannini, what shape is his once severed arm in these days?

[sympathyforthedevil 11]

OoO, re your recent post about the recovered and racing Nannini, what shape is his once severed arm in these days?

 

I doubt it's grown back.

[Death Watch Beatle 40]

Watching those old clips of F1 drivers crashing brought a tear to the eye. For the sport the way it used to be. A 19 year old marshall races across the track, in front of a blind hill, fire extinguisher in hand, trying valiantly to save someone but instead getting flipped over like a rag doll as a speeding car ploughed into him. Glad there was no HDTV back then. Nowadays it's all safety first, oh no, someone's got a flat tyre, wave the yellow flag, everyone down to 30 mph and stay in line for 4 laps. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Well said Ron. An idea I have been considering for sometime, which I think would bring back some exitement to a rather watered-down sport these days is the re-introduction of the "Le Mans" start - with a twist of course - well actually about twenty turns around a broom-handle held to your forehead after consuming 8 pints of cider on an empty stomach. Think of the hilarity as the drivers weave across the track towards their cars and then repeat the performance in their motors.

 

Just a thought.

 

DWB

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

Cheers OoO, yeah I realised from your earlier post he wasn't gonna get into a GPM. Maybe he Alan Jones and Lauda could do the GPM one lap challenge some day, I always wondered how he'd driven the touring car.

[TLC 9]

Well said Ron. An idea I have been considering for sometime, which I think would bring back some exitement to a rather watered-down sport these days is the re-introduction of the "Le Mans" start - with a twist of course - well actually about twenty turns around a broom-handle held to your forehead after consuming 8 pints of cider on an empty stomach. Think of the hilarity as the drivers weave across the track towards their cars and then repeat the performance in their motors.

 

Just a thought.

 

DWB

If you combine that with what we used to do to first years at school (year 7 I think it is these days?) when we were 6th formers.... I'd better explain that : -

 

After spinning them on a chair for...erm...frankly however long we felt like (we used to count out loud up to 10 but it bore no relation to the amount of completed revolutions) they then had to get up and run as fast as possible down a narrow gap between two straight rows of chairs, touch the wall and then run back again. It's funny how they'd often so nearly make it all the way back before suddenly veering off at the last moment.

 

So, combine the empty stomach, cider, spinning hilarity and the 'chair gauntlet' and there's some quality entertainment. Maybe after that, pit-stops would become more interesting and 'ad hoc' due to the added random element of the sudden deterioration of drivers' stomachs.

 

Perhaps a time penalty for each chair moved from its original spot would be appropriate? Not that Mr Ecclestone showed any interest last time I mentioned it, with some people it's restraining order this, restraining order that...

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

An alternative could be the Gutlords Grand Prix in which those who've gone to seed; Nannini, Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg etc circulate in racing cars and at each lap a different set of tempting treats, made by tv chefs, are wheeled out into the pits. The challenge is to see how long they can keep up the old discipline and not give in to an iced bun, bottle of beer etc.

[M.Lawrenson 11]

An alternative could be the Gutlords Grand Prix in which those who've gone to seed; Nannini, Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg etc circulate in racing cars and at each lap a different set of tempting treats, made by tv chefs, are wheeled out into the pits. The challenge is to see how long they can keep up the old discipline and not give in to an iced bun, bottle of beer etc.

 

Or they could attach an oven to the car (possibly using the excess heat generated by the engine) and using the telemetry computer to shoot a pie out of the airbox every time a driver gets a fastest lap in. The first one to eat all the pies will be declared the winner.

 

Overtaking would, of course, be impossible due to the sheer width of the chassis.

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

Lawrenson, you do have a habit of lying low and then appearing right at the second your expert knowledge is most required.

 

Indeed, cooking in the car as it went would be torture for those lads. If all the pies were steak and kidney we could add Niki Lauda to the race, he'd scuttle them up and have them dissected to find a match for his next transplant, or summat.

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

In other words, these guys practiced for Grand Prix but never made it to a proper start?

 

Cheers OoO.

 

In your expert opinion with added insider knowledge, which of the two obvious contenders will be world champion this year? I don't bet and don't claim real exopertise here but I think Schumi is the most likely.

[Octopus of Odstock 1,861]

In your expert opinion with added insider knowledge, which of the two obvious contenders will be world champion this year? I don't bet and don't claim real exopertise here but I think Schumi is the most likely.

 

Hmmm.. I'm not really an insider to modern day F1. If I have insider knowledge, it tends to come from other series. It's hard to see past Schumacher as the momentum (I expect him to win tomorrow, or at least finish ahead of Alonso) is with him & will be going into Italy. But, what is in Alonso's favour is the points system. It's hard to make up ground when there's potentially only two points in it between 1st & 2nd. I'll plump for Schumi to win in the last race & that'll also be his last GP.

 

One insider tip for the future, though. Kubica will be a World Champion in years to come. You mark my words. Dave Morgan says so, Hans Joachim Stuck says so, and since they both drove in F1, they know their oats.

[M.Lawrenson 11]

One insider tip for the future, though. Kubica will be a World Champion in years to come. You mark my words. Dave Morgan says so, Hans Joachim Stuck says so, and since they both drove in F1, they know their oats.

 

Dave Morgan? Wasn't he the driver who was most famous for being punched by James Hunt after collision during an F3 race in 1970? Who's one F1 race was driving a dodgy Surtees with an F2 rear wing (on Surtees's insistence)? If I recall he was also involved in another F1 team in the 1990s but I'm nearly on my second bottle of rose (shades of Hunt there!), so I can't remember which one. I'll be watching tomorrow to see how Kubica shapes up.

 

HJ Stuck though, he's one of my cult racing heroes. A man who raced in teams run by Max Mosley, Bernie Ecclestone AND the (rather peculiar) Hans-Gunter Schmidt of ATS wheels. He must have had the patience of a whole cathedral of Saints. Is it true that he's not going to retire before he's driven the Le Mans 24 hours with both his sons?

[Octopus of Odstock 1,861]

Dave Morgan? Wasn't he the driver who was most famous for being punched by James Hunt after collision during an F3 race in 1970?

 

HJ Stuck A man who raced in teams run by Hans-Gunter Schmidt of ATS wheels. He must have had the patience of a whole cathedral of Saints. Is it true that he's not going to retire before he's driven the Le Mans 24 hours with both his sons?

 

The very same. Morgan worked with Kubica last year in the WR Series, where Kubica won the title. Morgan says he has the same approach to racing, and driving indeed, as Alonso (then ergo Schumacher). Morgan, of course, has also worked as an engineer to Alonso in lower formulae so that's an interesting comparison.

 

Stuck is still annoyed about the ATS days. Maybe annoyed is the wrong word but I think he hoped for more time in F1 & better treatment from Schmid. Even though Schmid is dead, Stuck was still not 100% complimentary of the man, to put it mildly. Yes, he'd like to try Le Mans with Johannes & Ferdinand, but the one on top of his wish-list would be to do Paris-Dakar just once, but he's not sure if he will.

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

I'm humbled in the presence of the knowledge of OoO and Lawrenson.

 

Have either of you guys read the biography of my cult F1 hero Chris Amon. I was excited when it came out but the drive by reviews on Amazon are savage so I've not given the tome a punt as yet.

[M.Lawrenson 11]

I'm humbled in the presence of the knowledge of OoO and Lawrenson.

 

Have either of you guys read the biography of my cult F1 hero Chris Amon. I was excited when it came out but the drive by reviews on Amazon are savage so I've not given the tome a punt as yet.

 

OoO is a pro motor racing journo. I'm just a fan who reads a lot, so I can't really compare.

 

I bought 'Forza Amon' by Eoin Young about 2 years ago. I can't say it was the most thrilling read I've experienced. More text and less line spacing would have been good, especially as Young is an old mate of Amon's, so he must know more than what he wrote. Whether the stories of the 'Ditton Road Flyers' days with Mike Hailwood and Peter Revson would be printable is another matter entirely.

 

If you're a big fan of F1's 'Mr Unlucky' (though Amon doesn't consider himself unlucky - he raced in F1 from 1963 to 1976 and he's still alive) , then you'd probably be happy with it. I'd've liked more substance, though.

 

Anyway, a book called "The Lost Generation : The Tragically Short Lives of 1970s British F1 Drivers Roger Williamson, Tony Brise and Tom Pryce" is about to be released, so I'm waiting for that.

[Octopus of Odstock 1,861]

I bought 'Forza Amon' by Eoin Young about 2 years ago. I can't say it was the most thrilling read I've experienced. More text and less line spacing would have been good, especially as Young is an old mate of Amon's, so he must know more that what he wrote.

 

Agree.

Eoin took ages to write that book but it was a letdown in the end, I thought. Particulary as Lawro says:- so he must know more that what he wrote.

 

When I was at the GPM, I got a free copy of Steve Olvey's book.. um.. Rapid Response. I haven't read it yet, but it looks good & is fascinating as it deals with the dark side of the sport (countless deaths from Vukovich to Moore) as well as the good human nature stories (Zanardi & other recoveries).

I'm on the look out for other good bios. Zanardi's was excellent, so if you haven't already read that, I suggest it's worth the money & shelling out for that one.

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

Thanks guys. I reckon I'll cruise Amazon until some cheapo second hand copy of the Amon book appears. I'll look out for Rapid Response and the one on the Brise, Williamson etc.

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

Octi, with your insiders knowledge and that, have you heart any follow up of Mika Salo's announcement after surgery that he had carbon dust in his lungs. It' s no so much him that I was wondering about but he speculated that since Schumi and others had done many more Grands Prix than him, breathing in carbon dust off brake pads, their long term health might be in danger.

[Magere Hein 1,397]

According to Bild, a German tabloid even less reliable than Wikipedia, Michael Schumacher will retire from F1 racing after this season.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with their parting shot:

Gib Gas, Schumi!

regards,

Hein

[maryportfuncity 10,017]

I'll believe nowt until the true authorities OoO and Lawrenson have spoken. The Octopus appears of the opinion that Schumi will shuffle off, quite possibly as world champion. If he gets an 8th title I reckon no-one is ever likely to touch his record.