Remembering Alan Brown
20/1/2004, Alan Everest Brown dies.
Alan Brown was the first man to score points for the Cooper Car Company in a Formula 1 World Championship event by finishing 5th in the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten driving a Cooper-Bristol F2 car. Later he would be an early test driver for the Vanwall and debuted the first Vanwall at the International Trophy in 1954. A couple of years on he established the Alan Brown Formula 2 team giving young drivers like Ken Tyrrell, Masten Gregory and Bruce McLaren a go. Brown then bought Connaught Cars and began to run it as a garage business, building the Connaught C-Type. After a short-lived involvement with the Emeryson Cars F1 project Brown faded from the F1 scene.
Born: 20th of November 1919, Malton, UK;
Died: 20th of January 2004, Cranleigh, UK, aged 84.
Coming up this Weekend
Here’s the agenda for the Weekend:
19-22/01 Monte Carlo (MCO) FIA Intercontinental Rally Challenge – Monte Carlo Rally
20/01 Thunderhill Raceway Park (USA) Road Racing Race Craft Clinic
21/01 Timaru (NZL) Toyota International Racing Series-Round 2
22/01 Los Angeles (USA) Monster Energy AMA Supercross
21/01 São Paulo (BRA) F3 BRASIL OPEN – 1a Prova – Interlagos
22/01 São Paulo (BRA) F3 BRASIL OPEN – 2a & 3a Prova - Interlagos
23/01 St Dié des Vosges (Frau) FFSA Trophée Andros
23/01 São Paulo (BRA) GP da Cidade de São Paulo – Clássicos + F3 BRASIL OPEN – 4a Prova + 1.000 Km de Interlagos
23-28/01 Wolfsburg (GER) FIA Trophy for Historic Regularity Rallies – The Winter Trial
Fangio’s last home Grand Prix
19th of January - The 1958 Argentine Grand Prix in Buenos Aires would be Fangio’s good-bye from his home crowd as the maestro had already decided to retire after his fifth crown in 1957. As Maserati had to retire from Formula 1 due to the Company’s precarious finances, Fangio stood without a drive for his farewell home GP. So two Maseratis were entered by the race organizers just for this one occasion under the Scuderia Sud Americana banner, one 250F for the reigning champion, who’d set pole position, the other one for Carlos Menditeguy. Dominating the race early on, the powerful but heavy Maseratis had no chance against Stirling Moss nimble Cooper-Climax and the swifter Ferraris and so Fangio finished his last home GP in 4th place. By the way: Do you know when was his final Grand Prix race of his impressive career?
Jenson Button hits age 31
19/01/1980, Jenson Alexander Lyons Button is born in Frome, UK.
Few drivers have ever graduated to F1 with the fanfare and media noise which surrounded the announcement of Jenson Button as a Williams driver in February 2000. Driving for Renault and thereafter for BAR-Honda, his best season actually came after Honda dropped out of F1 and Ross Brawn headed a management-buyout move. The team went on to win the 2009 Constructor’s World Championship and Jenson finally won the Drivers’ World Championship that same year. Happy Birthday, Jenson.
Karun Chandhok hits age 27
19/1/1984, Karun Chandhok is born in Madras, India.
Champion of the first ever Formula Asia V6 by Renault Championship in 2006, Karun moved up to the GP2 series in 2007 and in November had the chance to test for Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. In 2010 Chandhok became the second Indian driver to race in F1 when he began the season with the under-financed HRT outfit and ended-up being replaced for lack of funds in the later part of the season. Happy birthday, Karun.
Remembering Bob Gerard
19/01/1914, Frederick Robert Gerard is born in Leicester, UK.
Bob Gerard was probably the most competitive of ‘Gentleman drivers, extremely successful in Britain and even came close to winning that year’s British Grand Prix, finishing second to de Graffenried. He participated on most of the British rounds of the World Championship until 1957. From then on he went into team ownership mainly running Formula 2 cars for Alan Rollinson, Mike Beckwith and Peter Gethin among others.
Born: 19th of January 1914 in Leicester, UK.
Died: 26th of January 1990 in South Croxton, UK, aged 76
Remembering Gilles Villeneuve
18/01/1950, Gilles Joseph Henri Villeneuve is born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada.
A few weeks after his Formula 1 debut in Silverstone with McLaren, Villeneuve received a phone call from Enzo Ferrari and a month later was a Ferrari driver making his debut for the team at Mosport Park. At his second race in Japan he had a huge accident, cartwheeling off the track. Two spectators were killed but Villeneuve was unhurt. He won his first F1 GP, the Canadian GP in Montreal the following year and in 1979 the South African, the Long Beach US-GP the other North American race at Watkins Glen, finishing the season as runner-up to team-mate Jody Scheckter in the standings. Most memorable moment: The epic whell-banging battle with Rene Arnoux at the French GP in Dijon.
After a disastruous 1980 season Villeneuve won at Monaco and in Spain, where he held off a string of cars to win an amazing victory. In 1982 at Imola he was leading until the last lap when his Ferrari team mate Didier Pironi, who was under team orders not to overtake, ignored the instruction and snatched the victory. Villeneuve was furious. Two weeks later at Zolder while trying to take pole position he ran into the back of Jochen Mass’s Rothmans March, the cartwheeling Ferrari broke apart throwing Villeneuve out of the cockpit into a catchfence killing him instantly.
Born: 18th of January 1950 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada;
Died: 8th of May 1982 at Zolder circuit, Belgium, aged 32.
Remembering Pedro Rodriguez
18/01/1940, Pedro Rodriguez de la Vega is born the in Mexico City, Mexico.
Pedro Rodriguez first gained Formula 1 prominence winning the 1967 South African GP in a Cooper-Maserati. His victories in endurance races at the wheel of the John Wyer entered Gulf Porsche 917 turned him into one of the sport’s greatest all-rounders, while his accomplishments in F1 were largely hampered by the less competitive BRM cars. As his younger brother Ricarod, Pedro was killed at the wheel of a racing car. A strange accident with a Ferrari 512M sports car during a German Interseries at the Norisring, where he hit the retaining wall head in the Esses head-on, took his life.
Born: 18th of January 1940 in Mexico City, Mexico;
Died: 11th of July 1971 at the Norisring, city of Nürnberg in Germany, aged 31.
Ascari’s fab winning streak
18th of January – Alberto Ascari wins the 1st Argentine Grand Prix with his Ferrari 500 F2 in 1953. It was Ascari’s 9th GP win in total and, more remarkably, his 7th consecutive GP win since the Belgian GP in 1952. He would add another two victories in the following rounds to his score, adding it up to a record nine consecutive GP wins. A record unbeaten till the present day.
Remembering Servoz-Gavin
18/01/1942, George-Francis Servoz-Gavin is born in Grenoble, France.
Johnny Servoz-Gavin’s first F1 World Championship race was a one-off start with the Matra team at the 1967 Monaco GP. A year later he replaced the injured Jackie Stewart at the wheel of the Tyrrell Matra-Ford in the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix where he schocked the opposition by qualifying 2nd and leading the race for the first three laps before hitting the chicane barrier and breaking a driveshaft. His best F1 result would remain a 2nd place the same year at Monza. Crowned as 1969 European Formula 2 Champion and given occasional F1 starts in the Matra MS84, his best result with the four-wheel-drive Formula 1 car being a 6th place in the Canadian Grand Prix. Having witnessed a number of fatal accidents amongst colleagues and friends, Johnny got increasingly worried about the dangers involved and after failing to qualify for the 1970 Monaco GP, the Frenchman decided to call it quits. Three years later François Cevert, his replacement at the Tyrrell team, died in a violent crash in Watkins Glen. In 1982 Johnny himself suffered on his sailboat the kind of accident he feared most: A leaking gas bottle exploded and engulfed his boat in flames, causing him severe burns.
Born: 18th of January 1942 in Grenoble, France;
Died: 29th of May 2006 in Grenoble, France, aged 64.
Christian Fittipaldi hits age 40
18/01/1971, Christian Fittipaldi is born in São Paulo, Brazil.
The son of Wilson Fittipaldi – and nephew of Emerson – Christian entered Formula 1 in 1992 as reigning Formula 3000 champion and the third member of the Fittipaldi clan to line up at an F1 grid. Just when things improved in F1, he scored two 4th places with an apparently competitive the Arrows at the beginning of 1994, the radical cut down of downforce after the tragfic San Marino all hopes for a positive remainder of the season. Disappointed Chrsitian opted for a switch to the US Champcar scene in 1995 with Walker Racing and took second place in the Indy 500. After suffering a badly broken leg at the 1997 Surfers Paradise round, he finally scored his first CART victory at Road America in 1999 and a second one in 2000 at Fontana. He has since raced in NASCAR, the Brazilian Stock Cars V8 Series and the US-based Grand Am Championship.
Brancatelli hits age of 61
18/01/1950, Gianfranco Brancatelli is born in Turin, Italy.
Brancatelli was a front-runner in most categories he raced in, but made poor choices as far as his three attempts in Formula 1 are concerned. He failed twice to qualify the appallingly slow Kauhsen and once subbing for an injured Arturo Merzario at Monaco. However, he moved on to become a successful sports and touring car driver and even had a go at two-wheeled competition on Ducati in the Italian Superbike championship.
55 years ago, Augie Duesenberg dies
18 / 1 / 1955, Augie Duesenberg dies.
Fred and Augie Duesenberg built some of the greatest racing cars of their generation. As engine builders for cars, boats and aircraft, their motors appeared in many race winning cars including the 183 which won both the French Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500.
Born: 12/12/1879
Died: 55 years ago (18/1/1955), aged 76
Tony Stewart blowing a fuse again?
In what was supposed to be a nice diversion to his owner/driver duties with Stewart-Haas Racing, two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart instead got involved in a fight at Sydney Speedway and was subsequently questioned by Australian police.
Stewart was competing in a Sprint car race Saturday night at a dirt track at Wentworth St. in Granville, the final race in his schedule before returning to the United States. Australian media reported the fight was an off-track incident that allegedly was over the conditions of track and it is still under investigation. Stewart was arrested at the scene and was taken to Parramatta Police Station after allegedly struck hitting track co-owner Brett Morris in the face with his helmet. Stewart was later released by police without charge, pending further investigation.
This is the second consecutive year Stewart has traveled to Australia to compete during the NASCAR offseason. On the positive side remains the race win by Donny Schatz, who competes for the Stewart-owned Tony Stewart Racing organization, in the event before things turned rough.
Mitch Evans leads TRS title chase
International Toyota Racing Series: Australian Scott Pye snatched a late victory from Mitch Evans in a dramatic start to the International Toyota Racing Series at Teretonga on Saturday. But Evans declared his intentions for 2011 with a come-from-behind win in the feature 20 lap Spirit of the Nation Cup on Sunday morning. Alex Lynn then became the third different race winner of the Weekend, the Englishman leading from start to finish in the wet 12-lap finale and showing his true potential with a well controlled drive in difficult damp conditions. German driver Mario Farnbacher, who had crashed heavily on Saturday, took P2 ahead of local ace Mitch Evans who came away from the opening round with a win, a second and a third in the finale to take a healthy early points lead in the TRS title chase.
Al-Attiyah wins after all
Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Timo Gottschalk clinched their maiden Dakar Rally win, Giniel de Villiers and Carlos Sainz completed a Volkswagen 1-2-3, beating X-Raid BMW drivers Stephane Peterhansel and Krzysztof Holowczyc. Bike Marc Coma took his third win ahead of fellow KTM rider Cyril Despres and Chilean Francisco ‘Chaleco’ Lopez. Vladimir Chagin scored a record seventh Dakar triumph on his Kamaz truck.
Schubert Z4 beats GT2 machinery
24h Dubai: Augusto Farfus, Edward Sandström, Tommy Milner and Claudia Hürtgen took the #76 Schubert BMW Z4 GT3 to a sensational overall win at the 24 hour race of Dubai. Eppe Perazzini, Michal Broniszewski, Lorenzo Case and Marco Cioci finished 2nd in the AF Crose Ferrari F430 GT2 ahead of Thomas Jäger, Kenneth Heyer, Jan Seyffarth, Sean Paul Breslin in a Black Falcon Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3.
10/01
10/1/1918, Harald Merkel is born in Leipzig, Germany.
Harry Merkel was very competent competitor in the German sports car and hill climbing scene. His only attempt in a Formula 1 Grand Prix came in 1952 but he failed to qualify Willi Krakau’s homemade BMW Special for the German GP.
Born: 10th of January 1918 in Leipzig, Germany.
Died: 1st of February 1995 in Killarney Vale, Australia.
10/01
11/2/1995, Harald Merkel dies.
A keen East German sports car racer, Harry Merkel was entered in the 1952 German Grand Prix to drive a Krakau BMW Eigenbau but actually didn’t make the start. However, he used the chance to deflect the West. Here founded Auto-Merkel, a dealership that represented a number of exotic brands, for German stabdards anyway, with the franchises for Moto Guzzi bikes as well as Lancia, Panhard and Triumph cars amongst many others. He later re-married and emigrated to Australia where he passed away. He was also a superb shotputter even winning the gold medal at a Master’s event in his new home land.
Born: 10th of January 1918 in Taucha, Germany;
Died: 11th of February 1995 in Killarney Vale, Australia, ageed 77.
07/01
22/2/1918, George Constantine is born in Southbridge, USA.
Successful SCCA amateur racer from Southbridge, Massachusetts, Constantine won the 1956 Watkins Glen Grand Prix for sports car in a Jaguar D-type and thereafer a number of races at the wheel of an Aston Martin. He took part in the 1959 US Grand Prix at Sebring in a Cooper-Climax T45 entered by Mike Taylor but failed to finish due to a burnt head gasket. He then gained fame when he was elected USSC’s Driver of the Year alongside Walt Hansgen. He continued racing in sports cars and scored a class win in the 1962 Daytona 24 Hours race. George Constantine died after a long fight against illness early in 1968.
Born: 22th of February 1918 in Southbridge, USA;
Died: 7th of January 1968 in Southbridge, USA, aged 49.
06/01
6/1/1926, James „Jim“ Rathmann, a.k.a „Dick“ Rathmann is born in Los Angeles, USA.
Brother to 1960 Indianapolis 500 winner „Jim“ Rathmann, James helped his younger brother Richard to enter a race while underage in 1946 by swapping their birth certificates, so Richard could race under the name “Jim”. He managed to enter himself without queries under the name “Dick” and it stuck. After two seasons with ChampCars in 1949 and 1950 he moved to NASCAR the following season where he won 13 races along the years. Among others feats, he became the first driver ever to win from last on the grid with his victory in the 1954 Oakland round. Dick appears in Formula 1 statistics as scoring one pole position, but that obviously being for the 1958 Indianapolis 500. He became the first Indy pole-sitter to fail to complete a single lap as he was taken out by Ed Elisian in the 3rd corner, resulting in a mass-collision which cost the life of Pat O’Connor. James Rathman retired from racing in the 1960′s and moved to Florida to join up with his brother Jim and his sibling’s hugely successful Chevrolet business in some form or another until his death in 2000.
Born: 6th of January 1926 in Los Angeles, USA;
Died: 1st of February 2000 in Melbourne, USA, aged 74.
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