Jarno Trulli doing his best to focus on matters at hand during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend of 2001…
He qualified his Jordan EJ11 Honda very well in 5th, but a lapse of judgement on Sunday, he passed a red light whilst leaving the pitlane resulted in his disqualification, seems understandable in all the circumstances.
I struggle a bit with ‘the age of adornment’ one of my sons has a ‘sleeve’ which is suboptimal as a parent but i must confess to finding little to complain about in the discretely placed butterfly in this particular case!
Eddie Jordan really added a lot of ‘fizz’ to F1 in so many ways did he not!?
Michael Andretti’s McLaren MP4/8 Ford Silverstone lines being scrutinised from above…
Michael was in and out of Grand Prix racing far too quickly, in less than a season. His 1993 run of woe was made worse at Silverstone, he qualified back in the pack, rain ruined his qualifying run and then spun on the first lap, ending his race, he was going too hard too early.
Teammate Ayron Senna qualified 4th and lost 3rd when his car failed on the last lap, he was classified 4th. The race win was taken by Alain Prost in a Williams FW15C Renault.
Bob Anderson blats his Brabham BT11 past the watching crowd, its little 1.5 litre Coventry Climax V8 echoing off the Monaco buildings on his way to a very good 9th place in his self-run car…
Anderson was born in Hendon, North London to a well-to-do family on 19 May 1931.
Bob Anderson circa 1966. (MotorSport)
He made his name in the 1950s as a motorcycle racer, by 1959 he was a front running competitor in the 350cc World Championship against the stars of the day including John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Geoff Duke. He nearly won the 1958 Swedish GP, finishing inches behind Duke but he never came so close to GP victory again.
Bob Anderson aboard his Manx Norton, Mallory Park, April 1957. May be 350/500cc (Bruce Anderson)
He switched to car racing aged 30 in 1961. Anderson raced a Jim Russell Lola Mk2 Ford in some early season UK Formula Junior races before doing some events in Europe in a Lotus 20 Ford entered by Henry Taylor. His results weren’t sensational but he moved to Lotus’ factory FJ team in 1962.
In the Team Lotus FJ Lotus 22 Ford during practice for the Eifelrennen, Nurburgring 28 April 1962. DNS in the race won by later Team Lotus Team Manager, Peter Warr Lotus 20 Ford (Bruce Anderson)
His best result that year was a second place in the 1962 Coupe de Salon at Monthlery behind teammate Peter Arundell, both in Lotus 22 Fords. He was also third in the 1962 Monaco FJ event also Lotus 22 Ford mounted, the race again won by Arundell. It was a first class result, on the grid that year were Mike Spence, Jo Schlesser, Alan Rees, Richard Attwood, Frank Gardner and John Love amongst dozens of other hopefuls!
Arundell pretty much won everything in FJ that year, rocketing into a Team Lotus, ’25’ GP car in 1963.
‘DW Racing Enterprises’ was very DIY! Here Bob Anderson loads his Brabham BT11 Climax onto his Kombi for the long drive back to the UK. Dutch GP Zandvoort 1966. He qualified well given his equipment but DNF with suspension dramas. (unattributed)
Anderson felt it was time to progess, at the start of 1963 Bob he acquired an ex-Bowmaker Team F1 Lola Mk4 Climax. He began racing as a Formula 1 privateer ‘DW Racing Enterprises’, based at Haynes, Bedfordshire comprised Bob and his French wife Marie-Edmee! Close friends David Stanbridge and Alan Brodie were important to his success and most critically George Copeland, his fulltime mechanic.
In those far away days a living could be made, sort of, with some trade support, from start and prize money as part of the European F1 Circus participating in a mix of Championship and Non-Championship (NC) Grands Prix.
Bob’s aims in his first year were to ‘cut his GP teeth’ by mainly competing in NC events taking in some Championship GP’s later in the season.
In 1963 there were 14 NC meetings, 13 of them in UK/Europe. These events were well supported by factory teams so he had his chance to ‘strut his stuff’ in fields made up of folks like him as well as seasoned professionals.
Anderson contesting the IX Kanonloppet at Karlskoga, 1 August 1963. The Lola was 8th on aggregate off grid 6. Jim Clark won in a Lotus 25 Climax (Bruce Anderson)
He did well in the Italian events in ’63; victory at the GP of Rome at Vallelunga, admittedly in not the strongest grid of the season, 3rd in the Imola GP, 4th at Syracuse and was 6th in the ‘II GP del Mediterraneo’ at Enna-Pergusa. He was also 8th at the Solitude GP in Stuttgart.
In addition the ex-factory Lola Mk4 ‘#BRGP43’ contested UK NC meetings at Snetterton and Oulton Park. He also travelled to France to race in the Pau GP on the northern edge of the Pyrenees and to Sweden to take the grid in in the ‘9th Kanonloppet’ at Karlskoga. His transporter did plenty of miles that year!
Checkout this short YouTube footage of the ’63 Rome GP Won by Anderson;
Bob Anderson during his victorious Rome GP drive at Vallelunga in 1963. Lola Mk4 Climax. (British Pathe)
His Championship events were at home at Brands Hatch where he was 12th having qualified 16th of 23 and at Monza where he was again 12th having qualified 18th of 28 entries.
By any objective assessment it was a strong start to GP racing. The Lola was a good choice, maybe not the fastest ‘tool in the shed’ even in 1962, but John Surtees placed second twice in it in 1962.
For 1964 he was looking for a more competitive mount.
Anderson 6th in the Dutch GP at Zandvoort, 1964. Brabham BT11 Climax. (unattributed)
He switched to a Brabham BT11, again powered by the Coventry Climax FWMV 1.5 litre V8 for 1964, the years highlight third place behind Lorenzo Bandini and Richie Ginther at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Zeltweg airfield. Most of the fancied runners went out with mechanical trouble caused by the incredible bumps on the runways of the circuit, but it was a very strong performance all the same.
Best championship result was his 3rd in the 1964 Austrian GP at the Zeltweg, ‘rough as guts’ airfield circuit. Brabham BT11 Climax.(unattributed)
Other strong 1964 races were 6th at the Dutch GP, 7th at both Monaco and British GP’s and 11th at Monza.
His best NC results were 3rd in the Rand GP in South Africa and 6th at Syracuse.
Bike racers dicing at Zandvoort 1964, Dutch GP. Anderson Brabham BT11 Climax ahead of Mike Hailwood’s Lotus 25 BRM, 6th and DNF in the race won by Clark’s Lotus 25 Climax. (unattributed)
‘DW Racing’ in South Africa, 1964/early ’65. VW ‘Ute’ and Brabham, how many miles must that Kombi have done!? They would have been slow trips too, at Uni i had a mate with one, it really didn’t have enough power to ‘pull ‘ole Granny off a piss-pot’!, let along with 450Kg of F1 car aboard (Bruce Anderson)
1965 Monaco GP and the the Brabham BT11 Climax…
Battle of the privateer Brabham BT11’s Monaco 1965. Anderson (#9) 9th, Gardner DNF in his (red) BRM engined car and Siffert 6th also BRM engined. (unattributed)
The Ron Tauranac designed and built Brabham spaceframe customer cars of all formulae were popular with customers in the 1960’s. Perhaps, statistically the most successful customer single seaters of that decade.
It was therefore an easy choice for Anderson to make when he needed a more competitive mount to buy one of the five BT11’s built. Three were sold to customers and 2 retained for use by the factory ‘Brabham Racing Organisation’ team. The BT11 was an evolution of the BT7 with which Dan Gurney won 2 GP’s in 1963.
So Bob had a very competitive tool for the final year’s of the 1.5 litre formula. The Lotus 25/33 was the dominant car of 1964/5, Jim Clark took his second world title in it in 1965, but the BT11 was a good, fast, reliable, robust, easy to maintain customer car.
Gurney used his BT7 during 1965 with three 3rds and two seconds to finish the title in third place. Jack changed from his BT7 to a BT11 in Germany, it was not his best season, third at Watkins Glen his best result, better was to come for him in 1966!
Anderson BT11, Monaco pits 1965. (Dave Friedman)
Magnificent shot of a typical 1.5 litre F1 car of the 1961/5 period. Andersons BT11 ‘F1-5-64’. In this case a spaceframe chassis, Lotus ‘pioneered’ the monocoque with its type 25 in 1962. Mid-engined of course, the Coventry Climax FWMV V8 the most successful engine of the period in terms of race wins. Hewland HD5 gearbox and all independent, infinitely ‘tunable’ suspension.
Anderson BT11 Monaco pits 1965. (Dave Friedman)
In this front end shot you can see the oil reservoir in front of the pedal box and Lucas fuel injection pump mounted vertically in front of the radiator. The spaceframe chassis tubes are clear, as is the pendant pedal box, aluminium fuel tank and front suspension comprising upper and lower wishbones. Small rotors and Girling brake calipers, they were light cars after all!
Anderson BT11 Monaco pits 1965. (Dave Friedman)
Heart of the matter is the ubiquitous Coventry Climax FWMV 1496cc 90 degree V8 engine. In Mk4 spec the 2 valve, DOHC, Lucas fuel injected, all alloy motor produced circa 200bhp@9750rpm. Trick 32 valve engines available to some of the factory teams in 1965 developed more but the engine was an excellent customer choice.
The gearbox was Mike Hewlands HD5, 5 speed transaxle. The cars rear suspension, typical of the period comprised a single upper link, inverted lower wishbone, coil spring/damper unit and two radius rods providing fore and aft location. Adjustable roll bars were fitted front and rear.
BRDC Int Trophy, Silverstone, 15 May 1965. Brabham BT11 Climax, Anderson 14th and many laps down with mechanical maladies. (Getty Images)
In 1965 Anderson’s Championship results had too many DNF’s. Highlights were qualifying 12th for the South African GP, finishing and qualifying 9th at Monaco and finishing 9th in the French GP at Clermont Ferrand.
In ’65 NC events he was 6th at Syracuse with again too many DNF’s; at Silverstone, Goodwood and Brands Hatch.
Denny Hulme Brabham BT22 Climax from Anderson’s Brabham BT11 Climax, Bruce McLaren’s white McLaren M2B Ford beside Jochen Rindt’s Cooper T81 Maserati, all DNF in the race won by Jackie Stewart’s BRM P261. (unattributed)
For 1966 Grand Prix racing had a new formula based around engines of no greater than 3 litres capacity, this presented a big problem for most entrants as Coventry Climax, suppliers of engines to the British teams since the late 1950’s withdrew from F1.
My detailed account of the 1966 season and related engine issues can be read by clicking on this link, rather than repeating it all again here;
Anderson’s solution was to use the old Coventry Climax 4 cylinder FPF engine, dominant in the last years of the 2.5 GP formula in 1959 and 1960. This engine had ongoing use and development in Australasia where it was essentially the engine of choice in the Tasman Championship, an annual series of 8 races, 4 each in New Zealand and Australia in January and February.
Bob was in good company, Dan Gurney also used the 2.7 litre ‘Indy’ Climax FPF in his new for ’66, Eagle T1G until his Weslake built V12 engine was raceworthy, that engines first GP at Monza in September. In fact Anderson outqualified Dan at Reims in the ‘battle of the FPF’s, Gurney in front elsewhere the drivers met.
The conversion of his BT11 from Coventry Climax V8 to 4 cylinder FPF specification was relatively easy as Ron Tauranac built a variant of the BT11, you guessed it, the BT11A for Tasman use, selling 5 such cars in the Antipodes, competitive tools until late in the decade.
Given all of the foregoing, remember his car was already 2 years old at the start of the season, his results in this year of transition were impressive. He qualified 8th at Monaco for DNF, 10th at Brands for the British GP DNF, finished 6th at Monza having qualified 15th and qualified 14th on the Nurburgring, half way down the big grid in his little old car, again DNF.
Bob Anderson getting stuck into the Yamaha RD05 during Dutch GP practice, Assen 1966. (classicyams.com)
Bob never fully left motor-cycle racing, he contested the Dutch 250 GP at Assen in June 1966, an interesting interlude in mid-season!
He was hired as a ‘safe pair of hands ‘ to provide feedback as an experienced rider to Yamaha who were developing their new 4 cylinder engined bike, the Yamaha RD05.
Anderson’s assistance was around the bikes handling, he rode to 5th, only Hailwood, Phil Read, Jim Redman and Derek Wood were head of him. Not bad for a current F1 driver and someone who had been away from bikes for a bit!
Bob Anderson aboard his Yamaha RD05 at Assen 1966. (classicyams.com)
Yamaha factory riders at Assen 1966. L>R Phil Read, Bob Anderson and Phil Ivy, lost in thought. (classicyams.com)
I wonder if he is the only driver/rider to race in F1 and motor-cycle GP’s in the same year? Not sure if John Surtees raced his MV and for Lotus in the same season?
Dutch GP, 24 July 1966. Anderson’s 2.7 litre Coventry Climax FPF engined Brabham BT11 with old FJ Lotus Teammate Peter Arundell on his outside in the factory Lotus 33 BRM 2 litre. Anderson qualified 14th, 1 slot ahead of Arundell, both struggling with engines well short of 3 litres. Both DNF in the race won by Jack Brabham’s Brabham BT19 Repco.
Anderson contested the French GP at Reims straight after Assen qualifing his old car 12th and finishing a fine 7th in the first race won by Jack Brabhams 3 litre Repco Brabham V8, on his way to the title that year.
In 1966 non-championship events he was 7th in the International Trophy at Silverstone and won the Rhodesian GP at Kumalo on December4.
Looked at objectively, his results deserved a factory drive, if not in F1 then certainly in sportscars. Perhaps one of you can explain why he seems to have been overlooked?
Oopsie in the Dutch Dunes. Anderson spinning his BT11 during the ’67 Zandvoort event. He was 9th, Clark the winner on the Lotus 49 Ford debut. (Brian Watson)
He started 1967 well having left his Brabham in South Africa that summer. He was 2nd in the Cape South Easter GP on 1 January, John Love took the win in the Cooper T79 Climax he acquired from Bruce McLaren, that car having won the Australian GP at Longford in early 1965.
Even better was 5th place in the South African GP, that year a championship round. In April he was 8th at Silverstone’s International Trophy.
Richie Ginther appears to be yelling at himself to go faster. Here in his Eagle T1G Weslake ahead of Anderson’s Brabham at Monaco 1967. Both DNQ. (unattributed)
At Monaco he didn’t qualify which is not so much an indication of his speed but rather his aging car and the relative number of full 3 litre F1 cars now competing.
Bob giving his all to qualify at Monaco 1967, the old car not up to it. Brabham BT11Climax FPF. (unattributed)
In Holland he was 9th, 8th at Spa. He retired at Le Mans with ignition failure, the race held at the legendary track, or a shortened version thereof in ’67.
Jim Clark Lotus 49 Ford, Bob Anderson Brabham Bt11 Climax, British GP, Silverstone 1967. (Bernard Cahier)
The shot above shows Bob Anderson’s old Brabham BT11 Climax beside F1’s state of the art; the new at Zandvoort, Lotus 49 powered by the 3 litre Ford Cosworth V8, Bobs Climax FPF was giving away around 150bhp to the 400bhp Cossie.
Sadly, Silverstone was the Brits last race, he qualified 17th and retired on lap 67 with engine failure, Clark won the GP in a dominant performance.
Anderson, Copse Corner, Silverstone, British GP 1967. BT11 Climax (Mike Hayward Collection)
Anderson missed the following German GP but was testing in the Brabham in the wet at Silverstone on 14 August prior to the Canadian Grand Prix. The car slid off the circuit and collided with a marshal’s post. He suffered serious chest and neck injuries and died later in Northampton General Hospital.
It was a sad end to a fine rider and driver with strong engineering/mechanical skills, somebody i was aware of but did not know much about. A driver who deserved a ride in a factory car methinks!?
Etcetera…
Anderson ahead of Lorenzo Bandini’s Ferrari 1512, Silverstone, BRDC Int Trophy 1965. DNF and 7th. (unattributed)
Contesting the 4 December 1965 Rand GP at Kyalami, DNF with oil pressure problems on lap 28, Jack Brabham won in another BT11 Climax (Michele Lupini)
Anderson fettling the Brabham, Monaco 1966. (unattributed)
Dave Friedman, Bernard Cahier, Brian Watson, classicyams.com, Getty Images, Bruce Anderson, f2index, silhouet.com, Michele Lupini
Tailpiece: Bob and Dan Reims 1966…
Bob Anderson 7th left and Dan Gurney 5th attack the fast swoops of the Reims countryside on 3 July 1966. Brabham BT11 Climax and Eagle T1G Climax, Brabham won the French GP, the first driver to win a GP in a car of his own make/name. (The Cahier Archive)
The ‘Old Majestic circuits’ still afford talented photographers a great canvas on which to display their talent…
Spa is one of them. Sure the backgrounds aren’t as good; trees are more distant, stone walls, chateaux and so on lacking but then driver safety is paramount. The ‘snappers’ can’t get as close either, again this is a good thing as occasionally, i remember a poor bloke at Albert Park, photographers have been killed as well.
Daniel Ricciardo won this race, his third and last win in a year in which he comprehensively blew-off Sebastian Vettel. Daniel extracted the most from the complex new generation cars with their energy recovery systems incorporated in the 1.6 litre turbo-V6 mix. Petite Prix rather than Grand Prix cars?…
This 1967 Life magazine was staring at me, waiting for me to pick it up in my favourite bric-a-brac store in Chapel Street, Windsor. I was more than happy to give it a good home. It celebrates the Brabham F1 team achievements in 1967…
Articles on motor racing have never been mainstream in such global publications, of course the article has a lot of general rather than specific enthusiast interest stuff. But I thought the photos worth posting and a little of the contents.
Jack Brabham pondering setup changes. US GP 1967 (Life)
All of these photos were taken during the US Grand Prix weekend, held on 1 October at Watkins Glen.
By that stage of the season the new Lotus 49s had the consistency as well as the speed they demonstrated from debut at Zandvoort in May. Clark and Hill finished 1-2 at the Glen in the Ford Cosworth DFV engined cars.
Denny Hulme was fourth and Jack fifth. Denny won the 1967 Drivers title and Brabham the Constructors, for the second year on the trot.
Those spaceframe BT24s powered by 3-litre Repco ‘740 Series’ SOHC, between the Vee exhaust V8s were chuckable, fast, successful cars. They were still quick in Jochen Rindt’s hands early in 1968 against even more formidable opposition, despite having only 320bhp or so.
Denny Hulme, Watkins Glen 1967 (Life)Betty Brabham and Jack. Car is BT24 Repco. Watkins Glen, US GP 1967 (Life)
‘Life’ credit ‘The pre-eminence of Australia and New Zealand in automobile racing to Brabham…
He is responsible not only for the Brabham Racing Organisation (the F1 team), but also for Motor Racing Developments Ltd, which constructs the Brabham designed cars (Ron Tauranac may have a view on that!): Jack Brabham conversions Ltd which produces go-faster kits and treatments; and Jack Brabham Motors Ltd, a garage and car dealership’.
Jack was a busy boy indeed! I think at that stage he was still ‘ghosting’ a magazine column or two as well in addition to managing the relationship with engine partner Repco.
Bruce McLaren in his McLaren M5A BRM, US GP 1967. DNF with water hose failure. With Cosworth power from 1968 his GP cars found success (Life)
‘It isn’t only Jack Brabham and Denis Hulme who bring glory to their part of the world…
Contributing to the lustre are Bruce McLaren, 30, as well known as a manufacturer of racing cars as a driver, and Chris Amon, 25, who was in fourth place in the World Championship standings going into the final race (the Mexican GP)…McLaren has won three GP’s during his career. Amon…still seeks his first victory which could come at any time’.
Chris Amon, Ferrari 312. Watkins Glen 1967. DNF in the race with engine failure (Life)Jack Brabham; post race, happy mode in the Brabham pit. Looks like an apple in hand! Watkins Glen 1967 (Life)
On 27 February 2005 Mark Webber did ’10 laps’ of Sydney Harbour Bridge in his Williams FW26B BMW F1 car…
Webber had just joined Williams from Jaguar and much was expected of his shift to a top team. The Harbour Bridge run promotion was part of the build up to that years AGP held at Albert Park on 6 March.
The Bridge, a critical part of Sydney’s traffic flow was closed for 5 hours for the sortie which itself took only 10 minutes, he was flagged away by New South Wales Premier, Bob Carr.
The 2004 spec, V10 engined car was based at the City end of the Bridge and went backwards and forwards between the CBD and Kirribilli, Mark flicking the car to make the ‘tight u turns’ required. The FW26, a race winning car in Juan Pablo-Montoya’s hands in 2004, was fitted with wets in deference to Sydney’s ‘moody weather’ on the day.
Webber’s two seasons with Williams were not especially successful ones although 2005, 10th in the Drivers Championship, 3rd place at Monaco his best was better than 2006 when he was 14th in the standings. The move to the nascent Red Bull team the following year was the critical move to get into an ultimately race-winning team/car. And some celebrated duels with ‘enfant-terrible’ teammate Sebastian Vettel!
Giancarlo Fisichella won the 2005 AGP, confirming the renaissance of Renault as a team, teammate Fernando Alonso won the first of his World Championships in 2005 in the 3 litre V10 Renault R25. Mark Webber qualified 3rd and finished 5th at Albert Park in a good start to the season.
YouTube Footage…
Happy chappy prior to the start of the 2005 season. I always thought Williams and Webber could have and should have achieved more, the problem was the team not MW, Williams having a fall-off in competitiveness at the time. A pity. Sydneysiders may know this spot, photo taken from the Rotunda at Observatory Hill Park looking North. Webbo would have had to elbow aside a couple of wedding groups which are booked solidly back to back for ‘happy snaps’ in the warmer months. Its my old neighbourhood, i lived there for 9 years,.The Rocks, Millers Point, Barangaroo, Observatory Hill and Sydney Observatory itself all worth a good look on foot.
Alfonso de Portago practices his Ferrari 625 prior to the 1955 Pau Grand Prix, a race won by Jean Behra’s factory Maser 250F…
These superb images are from the Jesse Alexander Archive. The factory Maserati’s of #14 Behra, #16 Roberto Mieres and #18 Luigi Musso are in line astern in the Pau paddock, Saturday 10 April 1955.
(Jesse Alexander)
Jean won the race from Eugenio Castellotti in a Lancia D50 and teammate Roberto Mieres in third. de Portago was 8th and the best placed Ferrari, no factory cars were entered by the Scuderia after a poor showing at Turin a fortnight before.
Ascari had the race in hand after a great dice with Behra early but with 20 laps to go had braking problems, the Lancia mechanics did a work around which gave him brakes on the front and allowed him to finish, Jean taking a lucky win.
Eugenio’s Lancia being warmed up by the team, you can feel the staccato-blast of that lovely basso-profundo 2.5 litre V8!? (Jesse Alexander)
The nose of Lancia Team Leader Alberto Ascari’s Lancia D50. Pau 1955, he was 5th. Alberto died only 6weeks later at Monza in a tragic testing accident. (Jesse Alexander)
(Jesse Alexander)
No sign of the admiring duck this time but again its de Portago in his Ferrari, not sure who it is behind, factory Ferrari GP drives would come his way in time.
Sensational shots of a great track, and thankfully still in use.
John Surtees Ferrari 158 leads Jo Siffert and Jim Clark, Brabham BT11 BRM and Lotus 33 Climax at the start of the 1965 Syracuse GP, Sicily April 4 1965…
Clark won the race from Surtees and Lorenzo Bandini in another Ferrari 158. A solid entry contested this non-championship GP including Mike Spence Lotus 33 Climax, Masten Gregory BRM P57 and Mike Hailwood and Innes Ireland in Lotus 25 BRM’s. What a fabulous track this must have been.
Clark was well into his very successful 1965 season, he finished a successful Australasian summer in March winning the Tasman Series in a Lotus 32B Climax, took the ‘Indy 500 in the Lotus 38 Ford in May and won the world title, his second in the Lotus 33…apart from whatever F2, touring car and sports car victories he took that year!
The event was held on a road course in Syracuse, right in the corner of the southeast of Sicily. The GP was first and last held in 1951 and 1967, the events won by Ferraris’; Luigi Villoresi’s Ferrari 375 in 1951 and Mike Parkes AND Ludovico Scarfiotti’s Ferrari 312’s dead-heating in honor of their recently killed teammate Lorenzo Bandini, who died at Monaco in 1967.
Those 400bhp cars must have been awfully quick around that track in 1967…
Mike Parkes #28 and Ludovico Scarfiotti #16, Ferrari 312’s stage their dead-heat in the 16th and last Syracuse GP on 21 May 1967 in honour of their just killed teammate, Lorenzo Bandini at the ’67 Monaco GP. A wonderful gesture of respect. (Getty Images)
Manfred von Brauchitsch,winner, Rudy Caracciola 2nd 1937 Monaco GP, held that year on 8 August. Loews Hairpin. These 2 were 2 laps in front of 3rd placed Christian Kautz in another Mercedes W125. (unattributed)
Mercedes Benz’ 1937 Grand Prix car was famously the most powerful racing car until the 7-8 litre Can Am aluminium Chev V8’s deployed in the early 1970’s finally exceeded its output of circa 645 bhp. It took the 1.5 litre turbo-cars of the late 1970’s for a Grand Prix car to best those numbers of 1937…
The 750 Kg formula of 1934 to 1937 created an ‘unlimited formula’ of the type only replicated by the Can Am Series of the mid-sixties to mid-seventies. The class was minimum weight based which meant the German teams of Auto Union and Mercedes Benz, bouyed by Government subsidies and rapidly advancing military technology were able to build very light and powerful cars…far more powerful than the regulators had imagined or intended!
Mercedes GP contender in 1929, prior to the ‘serious program’ of the 1930’s. Rudy Caracciola wrestling the big SSK, sports car around Monaco to 3rd place. Race won by the ‘W Williams’ Bugatti T35B. Supercharged SOHC 6.8 litre straight 6, circa 250bhp. (unattributed)
In search of, and finding an apex! Luigi Fagioli in his Mercedes Benz W25 at the Coppa Acerbo, Pescara on 15 August 1934. Nuvolari and Brivio 2nd and 3rd in Maser 8CM and Bugatti T59 respectively. (unattributed)
The mid-engined, radical Auto Union ‘P wagen’ was launched in late 1933 to critical acclaim. Mercedes approach was more conventional, the W25 a front-engined car powered by a DOHC supercharged straight-eight which initially developed circa 315bhp @ 5800rpm. Suspension was all independent by wishbones and coil springs at the front and swing axles and reversed quarter elliptic springs at the rear. Hydraulic drum brakes were used. The cars won 4 Grands’ Prix and 2 Hillclimbs in 1934.
In 1935 the W25 was further developed, Rudy Caracciola won the reinstated European Championship. Tazio Nuvolari’s famous 1935 German GP win aboard his Alfa Romeo P3 the only non-German car to win a Championship GP from 1935 to 1939.
Rudy Caracciola in his Mercedes W25B, Montjuic Park, Barcelona on 30 June 1935. Teammate Luigi Fagioli won the Penya Rhin Grand Prix with Rudi 2nd and Tazio Nuvolari 3rd in an Alfa P3. Carac won the European Drivers Title that year. (unattributed)
The capacity of the W25, initially 3.4 litres increased to over 4 litres developing over 400bhp. The M25 straight-8 became unreliable when enlarged to 4.7 litres and 490bhp. A 5.6 litre, 600bhp V12 was tested but the cars, the chassis shortened (becoming so small Caracciola couldn’t fit comfortably in it) and lightened became uncompetitive with reliability, engine and handling dramas, Auto Union winning many races.
Mercedes team at the foresters lodge ‘ Sankt Hubertus’ prior to the 1936 GP at the Nurburgring. Mercedes W25’s entered for Caracciola, von Brauchitsch,Lang, Fagioli and Louis Chiron. Best placed was the Fagioli/Caracciola car in 5th, Rosemeyer won in an Auto Union. (unattributed)
After the 1936 German Grand Prix, a catastrophic home race for the team, the best placed Mercedes-Benz in 5th position, it was clear that radical changes had to be made to the Mercedes sporting organization.
Management started by looking at the structure of their racing departments, the same issues of lack of nimbleness, communication and decisiveness which have dogged bigger companies such as Ferrari and Renault in recent decades are not new.
The organization used by Mercedes in 1936 had its roots before the First World War. After the death of Hans Nibel in 1934 the central design office was managed by ex-driver Max Sailer. Under him Albert Heess and Otto Schilling were engine design chiefs with Max Wagner the chassis supremo.
Construction, assembly and testing of the cars were handled by the experimental department led by Fritz Nallinger. Jacob Krauss managed chassis construction and Otto Weber engine assembly while George Scheerer, in charge of the dynamometer section, was responsible for engine testing.
Over the years communication between the experimental department and the sporting department led by Alfred Neubauer had begun to fail. ‘Too many cooks’ springs to mind…
Bob Shepherd line drawing of the Mercedes Benz W125. (Australian Motor Sports)
A new technical department between the design office and the racing team was created in 1936.The Rennabteilung (racing department) took over the assembly and testing of the racing cars from the experimental department. In charge of the new department was gifted young engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut. He was born in London on 15 July 1906, (died 8 May 1989) his father German, his mother English. He joined Mercedes Benz in 1931 as a Munich University graduate, until 1936 Uhlenhaut had worked on passenger cars not on any of the racers.
Rudy Uhlenhaut testing a Mercedes W154 GP car at Monza in early 1938. Uhlenhaut was a race fast, analytical driver. He was entered as potential relief driver in the Le Mans campaign of 1955. W154 in early form, radiator treatment different on the cars as raced and obviously sans bonnet here. 1938 was a 3 litre supercharged/4.5 litre unsupercharged formula. Chassis essentially an SWB version of the W125 frame made possible by the use of the smaller/shorter 3 litre supercharged DOHC, 4 valve V12. Power 425-475bhp. Car dominant in 1938, Caracciola again European Champion. (Mercedes Benz)
On 12th of August 1936 the Rennabteilung tested one rebuilt 1935 car and two 1936 cars at the Nurburgring with Caracciola and Manfred von Brauchitsch the drivers. Tests included different tyres and shock absorbers. A 60kg lead weight was placed over the front suspension in an attempt to get more front grip. After two days the drivers decamped and Uhlenhaut drove the cars himself.
Rudy had never driven a racer before, even though he was used to testing road cars at high speed on the famous circuit. However, he soon settled in and proved to be an exceptionally gifted driver.Famously it has been rumoured that Uhlenhaut once went faster than Fangio at the ‘Ring during a test in the mid 50s. Whatever the case, Rudy was a talented tester and potentially a gifted racer had he the chance to strut his stuff, his wife and corporate commitments barriers to a racing career.
Uhlenhaut concluded as follows in relation to the W25’s he drove; toe-in changes caused by the old steering geometry were too big whilst suspension travel was too little making the springs bottom. The chassis was bending during braking. The experimental department had tried to solve the problems by using both hydraulic and friction dampers and harder and harder springs exacerbating the handling problems and violent kickback to the steering wheel. At the rear the attachment point for the De Dion axle could bend as much as 7-10cm during braking. Because the suspension was so stiff the wheels couldn’t follow the road. Again, famously, once during Uhlenhaut’s tests a wheel came off at high speed yet the car continued on three wheels as if nothing had happened.
After the 1936 Swiss GP ended in emphatic victory for Auto Union Uhlenhaut suggested further racing that year was pointless. So Mercedes retired from the season to focus their efforts on the 1937 car, the W125.
Tubular frame of chrome molybdenum, double wishbone and coil spring suspension at the front, De-Dion tube and coil springs located by radius rods at the rear. Supercharged 5662cc 645bhp straight 8. 4 speed rear mounted’ box with ZF slippery diff. (Yoshihiro Inomoto)
Uhlenhaut’s assessment of the changes required resulted in a long wheelbase car with reduced polar moment of inertia. The chassis frame was much stiffer. The front suspension was new with greater travel and much softer springs.The car had hydraulic dampers only. The gearbox was changed to a constant mesh type improving reliabilty. During the season a new suction-type supercharger that proved superior to its precursor was also fitted.
The W125 was the first of the MB GP cars to have a tubular frame; of oval section nickel chrome-molybdenum steel of 1.5mm section. 5 cross tubes braced the frame.
The independent front suspension was again by way of unequal length wishbones, 8.45 inches and 10.59 inches in size upper and lower. Coil springs were used. Both hydraulic and friction shocks were used at the front, sometimes hydraulic shocks only.
Rear suspension was De Dion tube, the 2 end halves forged and machined from a single piece of nickel chrome-molybdenum steel. Two channel section radius rods provided fore and aft location with torsion bars, 33.2 inches long and 0.67 inch wide, providing the spring medium.
This shot of 3rd placed Christian Kautz shows the rear end treatment of the Mercedes W125, Monaco 1937. (unattributed)
Lockheed hydraulic brakes were used, they were of 2 leading shoe type, had Iurid linings with alloy shoes and drums, the latter had steel liners shrunk in.
It is perhaps indicative of preoccupations of the time with engines that about half the ‘Australian Motor Sports’ article which provided the basis of the cars technical specifications, is about the M125 straight-eight engine!
The engine, in typical MB practice was made up of 2 blocks of 4 cylinders, with a bore and stroke of 94x102mm, the engine undersquare, as was the practice of the time, giving a total capacity of 5662cc. The engine developed 645bhp at 5800rpm, the supercharger ran at twice engine speed and was pressurised at 12-14lb per inch.
Manfred Von Brauchitsch in his Mercedes W125 during the 1937 Coppa Acerbo, Pescara. He was 2nd, the race won by Bernd Rosemeyer’s Auto Union Type C. (unattributed)
In terms of the cars detailed engine design and construction;
The blocks comprised steel forged cylinders with water jackets and ports welded thereto in sheet steel. The cylinders were spigotted into the alloy, barrell shaped crankcase. The crank ran in 9 main bearings of split roller type made by SKF. Big ends were also of this type.
Pistons were provided by Mahle, conrods fully machined ‘H section’ made of nickel-chrome steel and had plain bronze bush gudgeon pins. Lubrication was by way of dry sump with a battery of gear type oil pumps and a front mounted oil radiator.
Lovely profile shot of Caracciola and the W125. Swiss GP, Bremgarten in August 1937. Rudy won the race from Herman Lang and Von Brauchitsch, also W125 mounted. (Mercedes Benz)
The cylinder head featured hemispherical combustion chambers with 2 inlet and 2 exhaust valves per cylinder at an included angle of 60 degrees. The exhaust valves were mercury filled for cooling. Two gear driven overhead camshafts were used, 1 plug per cylinder was fired by magneto. The heads were not detachable.
A Roots type supercharger originally blew air, in established Mercedes fashion into the carburettor but later in 1937, the blower was reconfigured to deliver the mixture in the more usual way. A twin-choke carb was used, the fuel mix a heady brew of 86% methyl alcohol, 4.4% nitro-benzol, 8.8% acetone and 0.8% sulphuric ether…who said fuel alchemy started in the 1980’s!?
A single plate dry clutch was mounted to the engine flywheel, the 4 speed gearbox, with ZF ‘slippery diff’ and final drive unit mounted to the rear crossmember.
The cars wheelbase was 9ft 2 ins and track 4ft 10ins, the W125 weighed 16.4 cwt.
1937 Donington GP. Manfred von Brauchitsch from Rudy Caracciola, Mercedes W125. Rosemeyer won in his Auto Union from Manfred and Rudy. (unattributed)
The W125 proved a winner, Caracciola victorious at the German, Swiss, Italian and Hungarian Grands’ Prix giving him his second European Championship whilst Herman Lang won at Tripoli and von Brauchitsch at Monaco. The W125 was put to one side at the end of 1937, in an attempt to slow the cars down, there is nothing new in this!, the authorities mandated a 3 litre supercharged/4.5 litre unsupercharged formula for 1938/9. The chassis of the W125 evolved into that of the 1938 season W154, that car powered by a 3 litre supercharged V12 and similarly dominant.
A story for another time…
Start of the Swiss GP at Bremgarten in 1937. #14 and winner Caracciola W125 with #10 and #8 Hans Stuck and Bernd Rosemeyer both Auto Union Type C mounted. (unattributed)
Etcetera…
Mercedes team lineup of W125’s at Monaco 1937. #8 Caracciola 2nd, #10 Von Brauchitsch 1st, #12 Christian Kautz 3rd and #14 Goffredo Zehender 5th. Rosemeyer, the best placed Auto Union was 3 laps behind Von Brauchitsch! (unattributed)
Streamliners at Avus in 1937. #35 Caracciola Benz W125 overtakes # 31 Rosemeyer Auto Union Type C in the Nordcurve. Rudy won the first race, Von Brauchitsch the second in another W125. (Mercedes Benz)
Dick Seaman in his Mercedes W125 during the Masaryk Grand Prix, Brno September 1937. He was 4th. Caracciola won from Von Brauchitsch in another W125 and Herman Muller in a Auto Union Type C. (unattributed)
Mercedes Benz W125 drawing. (unattributed)
Rudy Uhlenhaut in 1955 at a Hockenheim test session beside the ‘Blue Wonder’ Mercedes high speed transporter with a W154 GP car on ze back. (unattributed)
A truly wild road car for any era; Uhlenhaut and his road legal Mercedes 300SLR racer. (Mercedes Benz)
Bibliography and Credits…
‘Australian Motor Sports’ March 1952 article by Bob Shepherd
forix.com article on Rudy Uhlenhaut by Leif Snellman, Mercedes Benz
Keke Rosberg tips his Williams FW10 Honda into Stag Corner, so named after the hotel behind him, for the long run down Rundle Road and onto Dequetteville Terrace. Adelaide GP 1985. The Stag Hotel is still there and a much nicer place to eat and drink than then! (unattributed)
‘Rossi Kekberg is on pole!’ our host Ralph announced as we pulled up at what would become our regular annual digs for the Adelaide Grand Prix for the next 10 years…
I was the designated driver for the second half of the long drive from Melbourne, but the rest of my mates were well pissed, so it was a relief to see our host similarly inebriated when we pulled up in leafy Tusmore, Adelaide. Ralph and Jill’s backyard provided our cheap accommodation only 1 km from the Victoria Park road circuit for years. Wonderful people they were and are.
Ralph was no racing enthusiast, he always struggled with the furrin’ drivers names, but his zeal for the race typified the way the average Adelaide citizen felt about the eventdespite the interruptions to normal traffic flows and all the rest. Adelaide is a small town which embraced the race in a way Melburnians never really have. The ‘Save Albert Park’ mob are still vocal despite the GP having support from both sides of politics.
There had been mumblings about Australia having an F1 GP on and off for decades, the lack of an F1 event was not such an issue in the 1960s when we had the Tasman Series which was effectively four Grands Prix in four States in four weeks! And four races in New Zealand before the ‘circus’ arrived in Oz.
The Tasman was a 2.5-litre formula dominated in the early days by ex-F1 2.5 litre Coventry Climax four cylinder FPF engined cars. Later on bored-out 1.5-litre F1 engines were used and at the very end of the category, 2.5 litre versions of current F1 engines were built by Cosworth and BRM, in addition to the bespoke Tasman engines of Repco and Alfa Romeo. Magic it surely was!
Geoff Smedley’s shot captures all that was great about the Tasman Cup. Here at Longford, Tasmania in 1968: Clark from Hill, Amon and Gardner in yellow. Lotus 49 DFW times two, Ferrari 246T obscured and Gardner’s Brabham BT23D Alfa Romeo. This is the preliminary race, the main very wet event was won by Piers Courage in a McLaren M4A Ford FVA F2 car, a famous victory for the young Brit (G Smedley)
Later Bob Jane perhaps came close to an F1 event, his early 1980s Formula Pacific Grands Prix were intended to be replaced by an F1 event but Calder, love it as I do, is a bit of a shithole. It lacks any sort of visual appeal from a Teev viewpoint, nor does it represent a challenge to the best drivers in the world. It’s a great club, point and squirt kinda place.
Sandown looked best placed, the round a horse racing track circuit was increased to GP length to host a 1984 World Endurance Championship round but the Light Car Club emasculated a great circuit with the Mickey-Mouse stop go additions to the circuits infield to get the track to the requisite length. The financial returns, or lack of them destroyed the oldest racing club in the country as well.
AGP Calder 1984. F1 drivers in F Pacific cars, Ralt RT4/85 Ford’s. Rosberg, second on the inside, Lauda, DNF prang, on the outside. Roberto Moreno won the race in another RT4, his third AGP win (History of The AGP)
And so, pretty much outta the blue, with the support of the local business community, racer/business man Bill O’Gorman having pitched the idea to the committee set up to celebrate SA’s Sesquicentennial Year in 1986, South Australian Premier, John Bannon did a deal with Sir Bernie The Unbelievable to stage a race on the outskirts of Adelaide’s CBD.
Part of the circuit defines the cities eastern boundary, so it was a race in the city centre. Critically from an SA perspective, the Formula One Constructors Association wanted a street race, Calder and Sandown are not street circuits.
Sydney is Australia’s beautiful world city. The place doesn’t have to work hard to attract tourists who are drawn to all of its visual, cultural and sporting splendour. She is the ‘hot sister’ her sibling cities are the ‘fuglies’ in relative terms, they have to work a lot harder to get tourists into their towns.
Melbourne’s approach to combat that, is an event a month strategy, the very same Ron Walker behind the Melbourne GP was one of the founders of Melbourne Major Events, the body set up decades ago to identify global events or develop local initiatives to get folks to come here. John Bannon grabbed an event the Victorians wanted and in fact the Victorians stole it from the South Aussies some years later.
Derek Warwick Renault RE60, turning into Stag Corner, with the fruit markets in the background, Adelaide 1985. The building is still there (unattributed)
Most of us hadn’t seen contemporary F1 cars.
I hadn’t done the ‘big European trip’ at that point, the visits of Guy Edwards in a Fittipaldi to Sandown, and the Theodore Team to the ’79 Rothmans Series with an Ensign MN05 and Wolf WR4, all Ford Cosworth powered, whetted the appetite, but none were current cars when they visited and by 1985 we were in the middle of the 1.5-litre Turbo Era.
The sight and sound of those cars around the wide open expanses of Adelaide’s Victoria Park was something to relish. It was, and still is a street circuit, but the GP circuit – the V8 Supercars use a truncated version of the track – was fast and flowing with the full gamut of corners, if not gradient changes to provide a technical track for drivers to master.
Once we separated ourselves from Ralph, his enthusiasm for ‘Rossi Kekberg’ undiminished, we went to the circuit, being unfamiliar with the city and were simply blown away by Victoria Park’s scale, the circuit itself and the standard of organisation. The event won awards from the start to the end of the period in which the races were held there. Little Adelaide had something to prove both within Australia and globally, and delivered in spades.
Typical of AGPs is a chock-a-block program of events. That year the supports included F Pacific, F Ford, Group A Touring Cars (Gerhard Berger drove a BMW 635 CSI in the taxi races), Historic Cars. The ‘what the FAAAAARK’ moment was provided on that Thursday, when, unannounced, an RAAF General Dynamics F18 Hornet fighter did a treetops high, fast pass, with all of us in Victoria Park hitting the deck and realising what it would have been like to kiss your arse goodbye if one of these things was flying with aggressive intent…
Alain Prost nips a front brake, his carbon brakes gave him troubles as they did other cars similarly equipped, but a blown turbo wastegate put him out on lap 26. He won his first drivers title in 1985 (P Aynsley)
By the time the circus arrived in town Alain Prost had won his first F1 Drivers Championship with victories in Brazil, Monaco, Britain, Austria and Italy. He lost a win at Imola when his car was found to be underweight.
The McLaren MP4/2 TAGs were the class of the 1984 field, they were fast, reliable, handled well and were driven superbly by Niki Lauda, who took the title that year, and by Alain Prost who joined the team from Renault. The McLarens took their advantage into 1985 but the year was made technically interesting by Williams first carbon-fibre monocoque and the emergence of Nigel Mansell, signed by Williams that season, as a force particularly in the seasons second half.
Patrick Head’s first carbon-composite Williams, the FW10 Honda was a superbly integrated design, the car of the second half of the ’85 season. Honda had also got the power delivery of its potent twin-turbo V6 more progressive than in 1984. Keke Rosberg here (P Aynsley)
Patrick Head, Williams designer was conservative and cost-effective in his approach to such large design changes
He was also concerned about the new carbon-composite materials. Head was impressed about the way his aluminium-honeycomb monocoques had withstood big impacts: Jones at Watkins Glen (FW06) in 1978 and Reutemann at Silverstone (FW07) in 1980.
Head determined to control the carbon-composite program in-house. Williams built nine carbon-composite FW10 chassis during the season, and gems of cars they were, right out of the box. Rosberg won in Detroit and Adelaide, Mansell at Brands Hatch and Kyalami.
In the early part of the season the cars were powered by ’84 D-spec Honda engines but by the time they arrived in Adelaide E-spec engines giving a reputed 1000/1250 bhp qualifying capability and a six speed, rather than five speed Hewland gearbox to harness the power was fitted.
Williams FW10 and its Honda RA163E engine; 80 degree DOHC, four valve 1494cc twin IHI turbo V6. Upwards of 800bhp @ 12000rpm depending upon boost. Carbon fibre chassis, lower wishbone and rocker/ coil spring/dampers suspension. Hewland six speed gearbox. Brakes in this shot carbon, but cast iron brakes in Adelaide were an important factor in the Williams win. 520Kg. (unattributed)
Qualifying was held on a beautiful, hot day
30000 punters turned up to see Ayrton Senna do an absolute blinder of a lap, you could see and feel the effort being expended by the Brazilian on track and on the plentiful video screens around the circuit, to set pole 7/10 of a second from Mansell, Rosberg, Prost and Alboreto.
So; Lotus, Williams, Williams, McLaren and Ferrari were the top five. Alan Jones had returned to F1 but was well back in 19th, the Lola Hart was not the fastest combination in the field.
Alan Jones ponders his chances on the grid. Strategy was to go for it knowing the car probably would not last. It didn’t! He stalled on the grid but recovered to be seventh by lap 18, when the engines timing caused his retirement. Team Chief, ex-McLaren owner, Teddy Mayer beside the wing. Lola THL1 Hart. (P Aynsley)
We were well pleased with the first three days of entertainment, I was suitably jealous of a couple of mates who were part of the show, participants in the Formula Ford race and wishing I was part of history, as all the competitors in that year were. It was surely the most significant motor race in Australia’s racing history?!
Muzza and Keke. Murray Walker had the same cult following in this part of the world as elsewhere, deservedly so! He is getting the goss on the grid from Rosberg before the start (P Aynsley)
We plodded into town and found a nice Italian joint to have dinner, as it happened, La Trattoria, which is still in King William Street, still owned by the same family and still employs the same waiters, became a restaurant of choice for the drivers, especially the Italians.
We had not even ordered a Spag Marinara when Patrese and De Cesaris arrived with wives/friends, we were blown away to have stumbled on the place by luck; because we were first, and ate there every night, every year a table was kept for us. It was fantastic to live vicariously and get the occasional autograph without intruding too much on the drivers. Adelaide was and is a small place, this was a good example of the access the locals had, their simply were few places to stay, so it wasn’t hard to find the stars of the show.
Grid departs on its parade lap. Mansell, Senna, Rosberg by the fence, then Prost and Alboreto. Adelaide Hills in the distance, gum trees and a full-house. Circa 105,000 people on raceday/ (P Aynsley)
The Race
Poverty tickets in that first year weren’t a smart purchase, practice crowd numbers meant we had a very early start to bag our viewing positions. Outside the turn 1 chicane, a top spot on lap 1 but also throughout the race with a video screen to follow the event, was our choice after much debate. Being early was key, over 105,000 attended on raceday.
Ralph was keen for ‘Rossi’ to win the race, and so it was, Keke won, and after three pit stops!
Senna awaits the start from pole. Lotus 97T Renault. Blinder of a lap to get pole, but his race performance was a bit erratic (P Aynsley)Lap 1 turn 1 Chicane; Mansell from Senna, Rosberg, Alboreto (Ferrari) Prost, Boutsen (Arrows BMW), Surer (Brabham BMW) on his outside and Warwick (Renault). Senna gave Mansell a tap which took him out of the race into the right hander at Wakefield Road (unattributed)
Mansell won the start but Senna carved him in half at the third turn, putting Noige outta the race. Rosberg then led for 41 laps with Senna at a distance until his tyres went off.
Senna moved back towards Keke, having given his tyres a rest and regained some grip, he then made a mistake clipping a chicane on the entrance to Brabham Straight, giving Rosberg some breathing space. But crazily, Senna had another moment and boofed Rosberg’s Williams up the chuff as Keke went into the pits for a scheduled tyre change. Senna had to pit for both tyres and a new nose cone.
Niki Lauda in the cockpit of his McLaren MP4/2B TAG during practice. We saw him twice in Oz, in ’85 he was a real chance but like so many others his carbon brakes were not up to the rigours of a hot race which went for the maximum possible time allowed for a GP of 2 hours. ‘Twas said the race was about 12 laps too long. In 1984 he raced a Ralt RT4 Ford F Pacific car in the last non-F1 AGP at Calder Park. Niki retired at the end of the ’85 Adelaide race (P Aynsley)
Rosberg was in the lead but Niki Lauda, in his last GP was looking a possibility in second. At this point the heat of the day was telling for those with carbon-brakes, which were failing, those with steel brakes faring much better.
Keke’s tyres had gone off, he lean’t on them too soon so he pitted again, then a wheel nut jammed so he entered the track 45 seconds behind Senna and Lauda.
Rosberg frying the Goodyears of his Williams on the hot day, you can clearly see the graining. (Phil Aynsley)
Senna fried his tyres giving the lead to Lauda, a career ending win a possibility, but his carbon brakes failed and he was into a wall. Rosberg, with cast iron brakes was looking good, Senna with carbon not so much, then a piston failed in his Honda engine so Ayrton was out.
Rosberg from Senna during their long and interesting battle. Ayrton DNF with piston failure brought an end to it, but the Brazilian’s carbon brakes would not have lasted the distance in any event. Shot captures the essence of the track, the view from this point, in the Victoria Park section of the circuit, on Pit Straight is pretty much the same 30 years later (unattributed)
Rosberg had the race won with 21 laps to go. Last lap entertainment was provided by the Ligiers (Ligier JS25 Renault) with Jacques Laffitte and Phillipe Steiff managing to run into one another, the unfortunate Streiff misunderstanding a Laffitte waving arms gesture which meant ‘don’t pass’ rather than ‘do pass’ as Phillippe interpreted! Ivan Capelli, Tyrrell 014 Renault Stefan Johannsson Ferrari 156 and Gerhard Berger Arrows A8 BMW rounded out the top six.
The cars blast down Wakefield Road heading into town and into the East Terrace section of the track. Proximity of Adelaide CBD and treed nature of the Victoria Park section of the track clear. A Renault chasing a Tyrrell (P Aynsley)Victory ceremony L>R Laffitte, Frank Williams with his hands on the cup, Rosberg, Streiff and in the suit John Bannon, SA’s Premier who brought the event to Australia. Williams was shortly to suffer the accident which made him wheelchair bound only several months later. Mitsubishi a welcome global and local sponsor. At the time, its now long since closed, Mitsubishi manufactured cars at Tonsley Park, a southern outer Adelaide suburb (unattributed)
What a memorable race and event it was. The last for Lauda, Renault as a team for a while, Alfa Romeo as a team and it was the first of many F1 Grands Prix for Australia…and yes Ralph did master ‘Rossi’s’ correct name but it took him another year to do so…
Etcetera…
(P Aynsley)
Derek Warwick, Renault RE60 and Senna Lotus 97T Renault, a bit cocked up, coping with tyres fried by heat and the pressure he is applying to them. End of Brabham Straight perhaps
(unattributed)
Unusual Adelaide GP circuit angle and shot. Keke’s Williams FW10 has gone through the fast left/right Banana Bend kink, he is on the outside of the circuit, the Adelaide Fruit Markets to his left, by the look of it he is under brakes and plucking second gear for the right hander at Stag Corner, to head east out of town along Rundle Road. The fruit market buildings are still there, but are now retail and residential space, Vern Schuppan lives in one of the penthouses.
(P Aynsley)
Michele Alboreto Ferrari 156, DNF transmission, ahead of Riccardo Patrese, Alfa Romeo 185T, DNF exhaust.
(P Aynsley)
Red 5, Noige at the hairpin onto Pit Straight. Mansell a popular figure in Oz, Senna drove a nutty race, twould have been very interesting to see what Mansell would have done without Senna’s assault on him. Two wins in the previous two races, the ‘form combination’ coming into Adelaide. Williams FW10 Honda.
Bibliography and Photo Credits…
‘Autocourse 50 Years of The World Championship’ Alan Henry, ‘History of The Australian Grand Prix’ Graham Howard, Phil Aynsley, Geoff Smedley, ‘History of The AGP’ Graham Howard
