Category: Features

It was as I watched the closing laps of the 24 Hours of Dubai, with the eclectic mix of amateur drivers and professionals from a broad series of racing, that I began to imagine the dreams and aspirations of the men and women who will be hurtling round a circuit near you.

We all have dreams and ambitions. Some of these can be quite simple and incorporate every day life. Other dreams are on a different, some will have you think unachievable, level. It is that last word that defines the ‘can-do’s’ from the ‘self-doubters’. I am quite vocal on the point of distancing yourself from those types of people who say a dream is unachievable. The only person who can make that dream come true or not is you.

Motor racing is full of dreams. to get on that kart track for the first time. To step up into a junior formula. Attract the attention of those who can progress a career. Finish that race. Get in the points. Step on the podium. Win that race. Lift that championship trophy. Become a world champion.

These are the kind of dreams that racers, the world over, of different ages in a variety of series are mulling over right now.

Yes, everyday in the racing family from teams, to drivers, to media personnel and fans, we all know full well that money and importantly sponsorship plays a huge part in achieving dreams. To attract that lucrative offering of backing, first you must have talent and a big ingredient of talent is ambition. It is what drives (excuse the pun) a racer. Without that hunger to succeed, the desire to be the best they can, to enjoy moments that many of us mere mortals can only imagine. That is the key.

So, as we all sit here, gazing at the racing calendar with excited glee, there are those chosen few who are also thumbing their way down the calendar with an equally excited feeling in the pit of their stomachs. They will be stepping out living their dream and in a quaint twist of solidarity, they are taking us with them on their journey, so we can live it too.

The fact is, as fans, we do live it, breathe the atmosphere and taste every emotion our favoured heroes encounter because they live the dream most of us were unable to conquer. This is the start of the dream, a beginning to the ambition which will last all season (for some).

Wafting through the air is the scent of dreams because these racers never believed it was out of reach and they refused to let doubters dampen their spirit.

Good luck to every single racer, in every single series who steps out on the fabled tarmac of every circuit in the world.

Please come back safely so we can continue to live this dream with you once more.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

This letter hangs on the wall of my writing studio and is the next topic in “The Vault”

It is no surprise that motor racing took a back seat during the 1940’s. World War Two had ravaged every part of our world and the rebuilding process afterwards took some considerable time. However, this did not stop enthusiasts wanting to put motor racing back on the map.

Donington Park was the first permanent park circuit in England, it held the first motorcycle race along the narrow lanes of Donington Hall Estate in 1931 and later the track was widened to incorporate Grand Prix racing.

During World War Two the site was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence as a military vehicle depot and it was from here the above photograph told the story of how one such person, John Dugdale, wanted to return this park circuit to its former glory.

This letter from Field-Marshal Montgomery hangs on the wall of my writing studio and it answers the questions posed with regards to ‘handing the park’ back or the idea of a dual control committee between Donington and the MoD. Montgomery felt Donington Park was not suitable to revert back to be a racing venue.

The letter, dated 21st May 1948, was addressed to John Dugdale, although Montgomery himself just addresses the journalist as ‘Dugdale’ at the beginning of the letter. John Dugdale was a a journalist for Autocar magazine, starting out in 1933. He served in World War Two and won the British Military Cross. He went to New York and became Western Manager for Jaguar, before eventually taking the role of Vice-President in 1966.

Montgomery explained in the letter that Donington Park was ideally situated for the purpose of a Vehicle Reception Depot and had been developed by the army even after the war. There had been much money spent on the location and the MoD had commissioned the construction of buildings which Montgomery himself quoted as costing £300,000. With the war only four years gone and the era, this was a huge sum of money.

Montgomery’s concerns for the army evacuating the site were listed as such:

– Finding alternative accommodation.

– A move of several thousand vehicles, all of which would have to be towed.

– The erection at the new site of workshop buildings, sheds, petrol pumps, etc.

– The army would probably get no return for the £300,000 which it has already spent and might have to face additional expenditure in putting the track in order.

The war hero believed that handing the park back would involve a great loss to the State and this just was not acceptable. He approached the option of dual control, which Dugdale had obviously mentioned in previous correspondence, saying he considered this to be impractical due to vehicle being parked at the edge of the track in regular, disciplined rows. It was not possible to move them further away due to tree lines and fencing which would mean it impossible for spectators to congregate on the grass to see any racing whatsoever. Montgomery was also concerned with what he stated as “pilferage” of army equipment if the public were allowed inside the venue. His trust in the public and the idea of racing at Donington was clear to see in the letter, he had no interest.

He suggested to Dugdale that he and the War Office took the view that there must be other parks in the country just as suitable to house a racing track. He conceded this would involve much capital expenditure but stated it would be far less than the loss of money to the State if the army were to give up the location.

In closing, Montgomery stated he sympathised with the desire to return motor racing to Donington Park but he was satisfied that the view of the War Office to keep the depot as it was being used for the correct decision. He felt he was not justified to intervene in the matter.

That was the end of the matter with regards to Donington Park hosting motor racing again until 1971 when Tom Wheatcroft funded the rebuilding of the circuit and the rest is history.

This letter is a fascinating insight into the thoughts of Montgomery who had no interest in assisting with Dugdale’s request of intervening with the War Office to return Donington to its former glory, it is difficult what Dugdale hoped to achieve by writing directly to a career military man asking him to side with the motor racing community against the army.

Every picture tells a story.

See You At The Chequered Flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

The next post of “The Vault” comes from this photograph which hangs on the wall of my writing studio.

This is Rouen-Les-Essarts and it was the location for the 1968 French Grand Prix. The track was wet.

In this photograph, Denny Hulme in his McLaren-Ford leads John Surtees in the Honda followed by Bruce McLaren. Notice the lack of any run-off area whatsoever, the raised curbs on the edge of the circuit and the trees, branches hanging over the track. In the background, behind Bruce McLaren, to the left you will notice a clump of trees set on a bank. No barriers. No tyre walls. No safety. This was motor racing in the sixties.

This was the sixth race of the season. Graham Hill lead the championship with twenty-four points, Jackie Stewart was second on twelve and then came Pedro Rodriguez, Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren.

It was Jochen Rindt who took pole for the race, he had Jacky Ickx and Jackie Stewart behind him on the grid. This was not going to be Rindt’s race, he would retire on lap forty-five with a fuel leak. He faired better than his Brabham-Repco team mate, Jack Brabham, who retired on lap fifteen with a fuel pump problem.

These retirements paled into insignificance after the tragedy on lap two. Honda, who had their sole entrant John Surtees in the race, had been experimenting with an air cooled car which Surtees himself had tested. He would tell Honda that it was not ready to be raced and was a potential deathtrap. Honda, with financial assistance from Honda France, decided for reasons of their own to enter the car for the French Grand Prix and gave the drive to forty year old Jo Schlesser.

Schlesser started out in rallying in the 1950’s, he took a break from racing whilst working in Africa and then returned once again to drive for Mercedes in the Rome-Liege-Rome Rally. He would go on to compete in Formula Two, then Le Mans where he was involved in an accident. On his return to racing he competed in the European Formula Two Championship and joined the Matra works team. He raced at the 1966 and 1967 German Grand Prix, held at the Nurburgring, in a Formula Two specification car before Honda came knocking to invite him to drive their new experimental F1 car, against the advice of Surtees. He also competed in NASCAR at the 1964 Daytona 500.

On the second lap of the race, Schlesser’s Honda slid wide at the Six Freres curve, just before the tight Virage Du Noveau Monde right hander. He crashed into a bank close to the circuit and the car erupted in flames. It was laden with fifty-eight laps worth of fuel and the magnesium bodywork just ignited. Schlesser stood no chance of survival.

During the race, Jacky Ickx battled furiously with Pedro Rodriguez for twenty laps. Ickx had a brief spin, even though he was on full wets unlike the rest of the field. He lead from the opening lap to lap eighteen, Rodriguez briefly took over but after his spin Ickx was back in the lead and pulled away. Surtees, in the Honda, finished second and Jackie Stewart in third completed the podium positions.

This was a tragic reminder of the dangers which faced racing drivers in this era. In Formula One championship or non-championship sponsored events, fourteen drivers lost their lives from 1960 to 1969. It was an extremely dangerous period to be a racing driver.

Jo Schlesser was a good friend with Guy Ligier, the future team owner of the Ligier Formula One team and if you look at all the Ligier cars over time that raced in Formula One, you will notice the model numbers all begin with the letter “JS”. This was Guy Ligier’s tribute to his friend, Jo Schlesser.

Every picture tells a story, sometimes they are exciting and other times they are sombre and tragic. Whatever the outcome, this is the history of motor racing and these pioneers laid the foundations for the future of motor racing.

See You At The Chequered Flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

Arms stretch up, giving way to a mighty yawn as bleary eyes are wiped to focus on the new dawn. This is not the start of a new day with fresh morning dew spreading across the field of dreams. This is the start of a new year, the beginning of a new season and the reigniting of ambition.

Butterflies emerge within which start the cascade of excited tingles and nervous energy. The feelings increase until they a bubbling cauldron of ingredients within the racing family. The beast awakes.

Behind the scenes teams prepare, drivers get ready for their challenges and fans mark the pages in their diaries. In the distance an engine comes to life for the first time this year, giving birth to a new era, in it’s mechanical form. Team managers study the empire they control, plotting and planning for what some hope will be a championship winning season. Others are meeting this challenge head on for the first time and hope they can learn quickly in this arena of heroes. Their trusted engineers and mechanics are given the important responsibility of preparing the beautiful monsters that will soon take to the circuit, roaring and popping to a crescendo of cheers from the adoring crowds. They must make sure every component is firing on all cylinders.

The drivers are getting themselves fully prepared and for those chosen few it will culminate in victory, but for others they will have to live the dream another day. Gun buzz, spanners chink, tyres squeal and the hum of anticipation carries throughout every garage, circuit and test track across the racing homeland.

The circuits at this time of year begin to smile and beckon every member of the racing family, welcoming them into their tarmac homes with loving affection, arms stretched wide.

Deals are still being thrashed out and for some, that much needed last sponsor is being sought because without them the dream will remain on the drawing board and in the garage like a hungry animal straining at the leash. At last the racing world is introduced to the stunning sight of glistening engines and shiny bodywork littered with logo’s and colour.

The drivers stand proudly next to these creations which are the children from the minds of the designers and planners, who lovingly send them into the cruel world to face the challenges that will surface through the season.

Among all this hustle and bustle there is a calm, a waiting anxiety and eyes are cast across the globe from cosy club meetings to highly promoted world championships. No matter what level of racing it is the dream is still the same. To win. To stand on that podium, taste the champagne and feel the adoration of the fans as their cheers roll on like a wave smashing against the shore.

This is the new beginning.

Are you ready?

The season is upon us.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

The picture above hangs on my wall in the writing studio and is the next post in “The Vault”. It shows Jack Brabham (#16) leading Jim Clark (#6). Two legends in the history of Formula One.

This is Zandvoort and the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix, the fifth round of the World Championship. In the previous races Jackie Stewart won the opener at Monaco, with John Surtees taking the spoils at Spa. Jack Brabham in his Brabham-Repco then took victories in the next two races at Reims for the French Grand Prix and Brands Hatch.

Here at Zandvoort the Ferraris and Cooper-Maseratis disappointed in qualifying. Mike Parkes had been the best placed Ferrari and he was starting fifth on the grid. The Brabham-Repco’s of Brabham and Hulme were sitting first and second respectively followed by the Lotus-Climax of Jim Clark.

It was in this race that Jim Clark showed why he was such a worthy champion. His Lotus was a two litre car, whereas the Brabham’s were three litre and he certainly took the race to the more superior car. Straight from the off he chased the Brabham’s for well over twenty-five laps, hunting them down and hassling them into the turns. Denny Hulme managed to overhaul Clark and move into second place but then suffered ignition problems which eventutally saw him drop out the race on the thirty-seventh lap. Clark went hunting for Jack Brabham.

Brabham himself was baulked by back-markers in the race which allowed Clark to weave his magical way into the lead. It was not going all Clark’s way as he suffered vibration problems due to a damaged water pump.

With fifteen laps remaining, Jack Brabham began to eat into Jim Clark’s fifteen second lead. Clark pitted so that he could top up with water. He found himself pushed down behind the BRM of Graham Hill and had to settle for third place. Lorenzo Bandini managed to obtain one point for Ferrari, finishing in sixth place.

Jack Brabham managed to lap the entire field on his way to a hatrick of victories, he would be celebrating again in the next race at the Nurburgring.

Critics and fans had said that Brabham was too old to be challenging for a World Championship at the age of forty. He would put on a false beard and use a walking stick to limp his way onto the grid to mock these critics.

He would go on to win the 1966 Formula One World Championship, his last.

Sir John Arthur ‘Jack’ Brabham graced our world until 2014, when he passed away aged eighty-eight after a long battle with illness. He raced against the greats, he is one of the greats and belongs to that select group of drivers who are triple world champions.

That was the story behind the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix.

Every picture tells a story.

See You At The Chequered Flag.

Neil Simmons

Follow Me On Twitter: @world_racing

The above photograph that hangs on the wall of my writing studio is the next topic in my feature column “The Vault”.

It shows the start of the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix. Heading into the first corner is the JPS liveried Lotus of Mario Andretti, followed by Niki Lauda in the Brabham-Alfa Romeo. In the background can be seen the other Brabham of John Watson just going off picture, he is side by side with the #35 Arrows-Ford of Riccardo Patrese. Behind them the #11 Ferrari of Carlos Reutemann, battling for position into the first corner with the other JPS Lotus of Ronnie Peterson and just behind Reutemann is his Ferrari team mate, Gilles Villeneuve.

When I say in previous posts there is a story behind every picture, this one is no different. There are many who will not count this particular Grand Prix as memorable and in the case of some young generation fans, will not even recall a Swedish Grand Prix. The story behind this photograph doesn’t necessarily concentrate on the race, rather the back-story and the infamous ‘fan-car’ introduced by Brabham.

Gordon Murray, a designer at Brabham, wanted to out-think the genius of Colin Chapman at Lotus. The Lotus 79 had dominated since Zolder. It was the first car to take full advantage of ground effects aerodynamics. This design had been pioneered on the its predecessor, the Lotus 78, but further enhanced. Further design on the venturi tunnels under the car allowed the low pressure area to be evenly spaced along the whole underside. By extending the rear bodywork to a point inside the rear wheels, it allowed the underside to extend further back. The rears suspension, as a result of this, was redesigned to allow the air to exit at the back more cleanly.

Murray wanted to have the upper hand. Lotus had won four of the first seven Grand Prix’s, with Ferrari taking two victories and Tyrrell one. Brabham had finished on the podium four times. Lauda had put the car into second at Argentina and third in Brazil. His team mate John Watson managed a third in South Africa with Lauda adding to his tally by finishing second in Monaco. No podium finishes in the United States Grand Prix, Belgium or Spain saw them slipping behind. In the Constructors Championship they found themselves tied on 22 points with Ferrari (but put into 4th place due to race finishing positions), two points behind Tyrrell and twenty-three points behind the dominant Lotus. Murray knew that something needed to be done.

The Brabham BT46B was born.

At the time Brabham was owned by Bernie Ecclestone, he wanted a quick solution and turned to Murray. The car itself had several radical designs. One of the most obvious was the use of flat panel heat exchangers on the bodywork of the car to replace the conventional water and oil radiators.

The ‘B’ variant of the car raced at the Swedish Grand Prix in 1978. Murray had introduced a fan which generated an immense amount of downforce. The fan drew air through the water radiator, mounted horizontally over the engine, sucking air from under the car which created a partial vacuum. This in-turn created an enormous amount of downforce.

There were some complaints that the car contravened a rule which stated moving aerodynamic devices were not allowed. Brabham countered the argument by saying the fan cooled the engine and as such it’s primary function was not aerodynamics. There were protests, but in the end Lauda and Watson were allowed to race in their ‘fan-car’.

Andretti had put his Lotus on pole with Watson second, Lauda third followed by Peterson, Patrese and Scheckter. The two Brabham drivers did not wish to draw attention to the advantage they had now gained with the fan. They qualified on full tanks and as Lauda said afterwards “Doing our best to avoid pole.”

Andretti held first place, Lauda managed to jump ahead of his team mate, Watson, as can be seen in the photograph at the top of the page. Watson found himself being passed by Patrese and then Peterson who in turn managed to get by Patrese in a swap of positions.

Lauda and Andretti battled for first place. Andretti made an error which allowed the Brabham through. The American soon found himself with further problems when a valve broke on his engine causing him to retire. Watson, in the other Brabham ‘fan-car’, also had issues and he was forced to retire with a throttle issue.

A back-maker car spilled oil all over the track, this caused the field to slow dramatically, but not the Brabham of Lauda. The Austrian was to later state that whilst other cars had to reduce speed to drive carefully over the oil he could simply accelerate through the affected parts of the circuit. The fan in the Brabham was activated by the gearbox to get around the regulations. Lauda won by 34.6 seconds. Patrese and Peterson made up the remaining podium places, respectively, in a very close finish. Tambay, Regazzoni and Fittipaldi completed the points positions.

The stewards inspected the car after the race and deemed it to be ‘legal’. The FIA then investigated the car further after teams complained and agreed with Brabham’s initial claim that the fan was used to cool the car.

Even though the car was deemed a legal entry, be it that it was done within the rules but not necessarily in the spirit of Formula One, Bernie Ecclestone decided not the race the car again. It is thought in popular racing culture that the ‘fan-car’ was banned but this is simply not true. The decision made by Ecclestone was quite possibly to avoid any kind of conflict with other teams who he relied upon for support. It was 1978 when Ecclestone became chief executive of FOCA and would then go on to lead this group through to negotiating the rights for television contracts for the Grand Prix’s. This then gave Ecclestone commercial control of Formula One, the rest is history.

So maybe the withdrawal of the Brabham ‘fan-car’ was more a political move by Ecclestone rather than a decision made in the spirit of the sport. Whatever the reasons behind the decision, the Brabham BT46B-Alfa Romeo never raced again.

Every picture tells a story.

See You At The Chequered Flag.

Neil Simmons

Follow Me On Twitter: @world_racing

Paul Seaby, Benetton Mechanic – Hockenheim, 1994

For those of you new to my feature article “The Vault”, it is where I take iconic photographs I have on the wall of my writing studio and tell the story behind the picture.

On 31st July 1994, the German Grand Prix took place at Hockenheim. Gerhard Berger won from pole position, with the Ligier-Renault’s of Olivier Panis and Eric Bernard completing the podium spots. David Coulthard set the fastest lap of the race. Only eight cars finished.

You would be forgiven for not remembering the above information from this race, as the photograph that headlines this post shows. The race at Hockenheim would be remembered for something else. The pit lane fire involving Jos Verstappen’s Benetton B194.

Prior to this dramatic incident, seen live on television, the race had a chaotic start with eleven cars retiring on the opening lap.

Soon after the start Alex Zanardi, in is Lotus and Andrea de Cesaris in the Sauber came together at the back of the grid. This caused Minardi team mates, Michele Alboreto and Pierluigi Martini to be taken out of the race, four cars gone and the race had not even reached the first corner. The drama did not stop there as Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren and Coulthard’s Williams also had a coming together going into the first corner. The McLaren slid across the track, in front of a group of cars, straight into a wall on the outside. Coulthard carried on, though he had to return to the pits to have his front wing replaced.

Whilst Hakkinen was sliding across the circuit it was causing a knock-on effect lower down. Mark Blundell (Tyrrell) braked hard to avoid the Finn but was promptly shunted from behind by Eddie Irvine in the Jordan. In the same incident, Rubens Barrichello, Irvine’s team mate, took avoiding action into the gravel. Martin Brundle’s Tyrrell tangled with the Lotus of Johnny Herbert. Brundle carried on, though he would retire on lap nineteen with an engine problem. The Lotus of Herbert was out. Heinz-Harald Frentzen also found himself on the gravel in this incident. He continued but was forced to stop at the end of the lap with a broken suspension and punctured tyre. Although they were not first lap retirements, Damon Hill and Ukyo Katayama also had a collision which damaged the suspension of Hill’s Williams. Hill would go on to finish 8th, Katayama would be out six laps later with throttle issues.

This was just the first lap.

It was on lap fifteen when hell descended on the pit lane.

Jos Verstappen, a twenty-two year old racing driver from the Netherlands in only his fifth Grand Prix. Previously he had retired in the Brazil Grand Prix, the Pacific Grand Prix and France then finished 8th in the British Grand Prix. He had failed to start in San Marino, Monaco, Spain and Canada.

Verstappen brings his car into the winding pit lane of Hockenheim and pulls up at the Benetton garage. He stops and the mechanics get to work. What happens next is best explained by a quote from a person who was there. Steve Matchett was a mechanic for Benetton and he recalled the incident in his book “The Mechanic’s Tale: Life In The Pit-Lane Of Formula One”:

“I participated in well over four hundred pit stops with Benetton and in the vast majority of them I escaped with nothing more than a rapidly beating heart. But in Hockenheim, during the 1994 German Grand Prix, as we tried to refuel Jos Verstappen’s B194, our luck finally ran our and the Benetton mechanics were caught amid the flames of the most spectacular fuel fire Formula One has seen. The next morning photographs of us, our overalls aflame, made the front page of every daily newspaper throughout the world. With the quick-release rear jack I was responsible for lifting the back of the car, while my opposite number, Kenny, operated the front. It had been agreed that we wouldn’t ‘drop’ the car until the refuelling hose had been removed as this would prevent the driver trying to leave early, dragging the fuel rig and Simon, the mechanic brave enough to operate it, down the pit lane should it become jammed.

The fuel hose went on, and through the powerful heat haze which surrounded the car I kept an eye on Simon, waiting for him to signal that he had finished. But what I saw was a spray of fuel flooding over the bodywork, drenching the mechanics who had started to change the tyres and washing over the rear wing towards the brake discs. Time slowed down to a snail’s pace. My god, I thought, we lucky that didn’t go up! Then it did.

The car disappeared in a ball of white flame and I remember a noise like a rush of air produced before an underground train enters the station. My overalls were on fire and I remember rolling on the ground trying to extinguish the flames. The McLaren mechanics came running to help and it was their speed and efficiency that saved me from serious injury.”

In the photograph at the top of this page is Paul Seaby, he also escaped uninjured from this incident and went onto work with teams such as Lotus and Renault as team manager. These are other comments from those present at the time:

Greg Fields – Race Team Co-Ordinator: “It all happened in slow motion. I concentrated on the fuel connector to try to put out the source and then stepped forward to Jos, who was still strapped into the car, to put him out. Then there were a couple of other guys at the back of the car who were on fire.”

Pete Hennessy – Engine Technician: “I thought someone up in the Paddock Club must have dropped beer on us. Then the car went up and I remember this intense heat. I thought my back was on fire but is was my arm and the back of my head. I think everyone was a bit apprehensive the next time we did a pit stop, but you just get on with it, don’t you?”

Jonathan Wheatley – Front End Mechanic To Schumacher: “Only two litres of fuel caused the fire, but it became atomised and was highly combustible. But the race was still on and we had to pull the overalls from injured crew members to suit up other guys. It was all hands on deck.”

Mick Ainsley-Cowlishaw – Chief Mechanic: “The fuel ran down the engine cover towards the brakes and then it went boom! Everyone was very blase in those days. I wasn’t wearing any gloves. After that, it all changed completely. Luckily the guy on the fire extinguisher was very quick.”

Kenny Handkammer – Race Mechanic To Schumacher: “It was scary, but it was controlled. The only injuries I sustained were from breathin in the halon from the fire extinguisher, which is banned now. it was a shame that Michael had a failure in the race, because I think if we’d had another pitstop that day it would have made things easier.”

Dave Jones – Composites Fabricator: “The car pulled in smoothly, but as the connector went in there was this mist of fuel. As soon as I saw it, I knew something was going to go. I stepped back five feet and saw it ignite. I ran into the garage and patted down Michael Jakeman, who was on fire.”

1994 will be remembered for different, tragic reasons. The photograph above demonstrates the real dangers that exist within the sport. Refuelling in Formula 1 was last used in 2009, the subject has again been raised for it to return. Some are in favour of this idea, others are against it.

If refuelling does return it does present the dangers we witnessed on that day in July in Germany, a day all those involved will never forget.

Every picture tells a story.

See You At The Chequered Flag.

Neil Simmons

@world_racing