Jim Clark taking a Deep Breath! Lotus 43 BRM…

Posted: February 17, 2015 in F1
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Jim Clark takes a deep breath as he aims his big, heavy Lotus BRM around Oulton Park in 1966…

The Oulton Park Gold Cup was one of  numerous non-championship F1 races run in the mid-sixties.

Clark practised the car but discretion was the better part of valour, he raced his reliable, nimble Lotus 33 Climax in the race won by Jack Brabham’s BT19 Repco, the dominant car of 1966. The great Scot finished third in the 33, a car he took over from teammate Peter Arundell after the H16 engine in his Lotus blew up shortly after setting the third fastest time, a time equalled by Jackie Stewarts’ BRM ‘H16’.

The H16 engine famously had its only victory, in a Lotus 43 in Clark’s hands in the US Grand Prix several months later.

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Brian Watson’s shot of the smoky H16 engine in Clarks’ Lotus 43 about to pop at Oulton Park!

The Lotus 43 was a much maligned car, the facts tend to suggest it wasn’t quite as bad as many would have us believe.

Clark raced one four times- in the 1966 Italian, US and Mexican GP’s and in the first of the 1967 Grands’ Prix, in South Africa. He scored one win at Watkins Glen, qualified on the front row three times, once on the second and was competitive in all four events. I’m not saying he wasn’t happy to race a nimble 33 at Monaco, rather than the 43, or that he was sorry to forsake the 43 for the 49 at Zandvoort however!

It’s also technically interesting in that the P75 BRM engine was used as a stressed member of the chassis in the same way the Ford Cosworth DFV in the  49 which followed was. Much is made of this aspect of the Ford DFV’s attachment medium to the car, but Vittorio Jano used the technique in his 1954 Lancia D50 GP car. It wasn’t the first time it was done whatever the Ford/Lotus PR machine of the time would have had us believe.

The BRM engine was attached to the rear bulkhead, as was the DFV to the 49. The suspension was mounted to the engine and gearbox as was the case with the 49.

Look at the 43 and 49 from the front and they are hard to pick. Conceptually they are similar in terms of chassis and suspension. Look aft of the rear bulkhead and the massive girth of the BRM engine is in marked contrast to the svelte Keith Duckworth designed, Ford Cosworth 3-litre DFV V8. Chapman famously concepted the engine he wanted, and the means by which it was to be attached to his chassis.

Jim Clark Lotus 43 BRM Italian GP 1966

The BRM P75 engine was a massive lump, essentially it was two of the P56 BRM 1.5-litre V8’s, but at 180 degrees, placed on top of each other.  Its designed weight of of 380lbs ballooned to 555lbs, the DFV weighed less than 400 pounds.

Road and Track magazine published the scrutineered weights of the cars at the 1966 Italian Grand Prix. The Twiggy-like Brabham BT19 weighed 1,219lb, a marked contrast to the Cooper Maserati at 1,353lb. The pork-chop BRM and Lotus 43 were 1,529lb and 1,540lb respectively.

Mind you, the Honda topped the scales at 1,635lb. Interestingly the Hondola (Lola designed chassis) which won at Monza in 1967 weighed 1,309lb, a loss of 150 pounds in twelve months, whereas the BRMs, without a visit to Jenny Craig had porked up to 1,570lb- the Lotus 49 weighed 1,200lb.

The DFV at that stage developed about 405bhp, whereas the BRM P75 H16 never developed its claimed 400bhp, and had a lot of weight to carry.

The Lotus 43 was far from the worst Lotus ever built. Many of its GP cars didn’t win a GP, for sure the BRM P75 H16 engine was never to have the reliability of the 49’s Ford Cosworth DFV – one wag described it as ‘the spacer between the rear bulkhead and the gearbox’, such was its dependable nature!

The 49 deserves its place in the pantheon of Great Grand Prix cars but the 43 is conceptually closer to the 49 than Chapman- and Ford wanted to admit at the time.

Jim Clark Lotus 43 BRM US GP 1966

Clark launches his Lotus 43 off the line at the start of the 1966 US GP. He is using the BRM teams spare ‘H16’ engine, his own failed at the end of practice having just qualified behind Brabhams BT19 on pole. Clark, against the odds won. That’s Surtees Cooper T81 Maserati behind and the nose of Bandini’s Ferrari (unattributed)

Jim Clark Lotus 43 BRM Monza 1966

Clark looks happy enough as he mounts his Lotus, Monza 1966. It looks like Brabham’s BT19 Repco being pushed alongside – bulk obvious, weight of engine and gearbox 675 lbs! (unattributed)

Lotus 43 BRM drawings

Etcetera…

Jim Clark Lotus 49 Ford Dutch GP 1967

 (unattributed)

Front shot of the Lotus 49 Ford at Zandvoort 1967, Clark up.

He won on debut after Hill’s car retired whilst in the lead – not so different from the 43 at the front at least!

Lotus 49 Ford rear, Clark Dutch GP 1967

(unattributed)

The delicate rear end of Jim Clarks’ Lotus 49 Ford on its debut at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1967. In marked contrast to the big, butch BRM ‘H16’!

ZF five-speed gearbox, suspension and chassis design oh, so similar to the Lotus 43, as was attachment of engine to chassis and its use as a stress bearing member

BRM H16 engine article

Photo Credits…

The Nostalgia Forum, Brian Watson

Finito…

John Surtees and Willy Mairesse: Nurburgring 1000Km 1963…

Posted: February 15, 2015 in Sports Racers, Who,What,Where & When...?
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nurburgring 1000 km 1963

Surtees races through the ‘Green Hell’ to victory, Nurburgring 1000Km, his Ferrari 250P shared with Belgian Willy Mairesse, 1963…

It was a Ferrari 1-3 with a 250GTO and 250 Testa Rossa in second and third driven by Noblet/Guichet and Abate/Maglioli respectively.

The 250P was Ferrari’s first mid-engined V12 sports prototype and the class of the year, comprehensively winning the championship for the Scuderia.

The 3 litre V12 engined cars won the Sebring 12 Hour, Nurburgring 1000Km and Le Mans 24 Hour classics and spawned the 250LM, effectively a 250P with a roof and 3.3 litre engine. The 250/275LM won Le Mans in 1965 after the GT40’s and Ferrari P2’s fell by the wayside. https://primotipo.com/2014/07/03/pete-geoghegan-ferrari-250lm-6321-bathurst-easter-68/

Credit…

(Automobile Year 11)

Finito…

Jackie Stewart, Surfers Paradise ‘Speed Week’ 1966, Brabham BT11A Climax and Ferrari 250LM…

Posted: February 13, 2015 in Obscurities, Who,What,Where & When...?
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Jackie Stewart sets up his Brabham BT11A for ‘Castrol Corner’ the right hander leading onto Surfers main straight…Holdens in the background and his Climax engine puffing oil before his retirement due to oil loss (John Stanley)

Jackie Stewart in the ‘Scuderia Veloce’ Brabham BT11A Climax ‘Tasman Formula’ car during the Surfers Paradise ‘Gold Star’ Australian Drivers Championship Round on 14 August 1966…

Jackie squeezed in a visit to Australia to drive in both this event and the ‘Surfers 12 Hour’ a week later in between the German and Italian Grands Prix on 7th August and 4 September respectively.

The visit was a welcome respite from the World Championship that year, Jack Brabham dominating in his Repco engined Brabham BT19, with BRM for whom Stewart drove, struggling with their new uncompetitive, complex and heavy P83 ‘H16’.

Jackie won the Monaco Grand Prix in a ‘Tasman Spec’ BRM P261, his 1.5 litre F1 car squeezed to about 2.1 litres, well short of the 3 Litre capacity limit which applied in Grand Prix racing from that year, the nimble car producing the goods on this tight circuit.

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Stewart wins the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix in the BRM P261 1.5 litre F1 car bored to circa 2.1 litres. This was the first Championship race of the new 3 litre F1, the first 4 cars all ‘big bore’ 1.5’s…no 3 litres finishing the race (Unattributed)

In the Belgian Grand Prix three weeks later he experienced an horrific accident on the first lap Spa race, conditions having changed from wet to torrential on this long track, leaving the circuit at high speed on the Masta Kink.

He was trapped upside down in the car, the monocoque twisted around him covering him with fuel with a broken shoulder, cracked rib and internal bruising whilst Graham Hill and Bob Bondurant, who had also crashed, freed him with tools borrowed from spectators. From that moment Stewart started his crusade for driver, car and circuit safety which are amongst his many racing legacies.

No doubt Jackie was looking forward to some racing and the recuperative powers of the Gold Coast sun and surf.

rooted

The rooted monocoque of Stewarts’ BRM P261 after the Masta Kink shunt. The shot clearly shows how the chassis twisted around his body trapping him…he was extremely lucky not to have been killed outright or ‘barbecued’ in a fire, he was liberally doused with petrol, the cars fuel tanks within the monocoque ruptured…no ‘bag tanks’ in those days. 8 drivers crashed without completing a lap…4 at Burnenville and 4 on the Masta Kink (Unattributed)

Keith Williams…

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Keith Williams at ‘Surfers Paradise Gardens’ Carrara in the mid-1960’s

Jackie enjoyed his successful championship winning 1966 Tasman Season in our summer, campaigning a BRM P261, his 1.5 litre F1 car V8 engine bored to around 2.1 litres, as outlined above, so he was happy to return to Australia to race Jack Brabham and the locals in the ‘Gold Star’ round and Sports Car enduro which comprised Keith Williams ‘Speed Week’.

Williams was a remarkable entrepreneur, he left school at 13 to help supplement the family income pumping fuel at a local ‘Servo’, formed his first business making leather products three years later and soon employed fifty people manufacturing Disney licensed products.

He was an Australian Water Skiing Champion in the late 1950’s, via that sport both making industry products and forming ‘Surfers Paradise Water Ski Shows’ together with Jack Joel.

He built Surfers Paradise and Adelaide Raceways in 1966 and 1970 respectively. Williams was a leader in the tourism industry building ‘Sea World’ on the Gold Coast in 1971 and started the development of Hamilton Island as a global tourist destination in 1978. His remarkable life ended in 2011 after a series of strokes aged 82.

The Surfers circuit was finished in early 1966, the first meeting held on 22 May. The Grand Opening though was ‘Speed Week’ in August, the great promoter holding a number of events over ten days including two weekends of circuit racing described in this article, drag racing, Concours D’ Elegance, motor cycle and speedboat racing- the latter event held on the nearby Gold Coast Broadwater.

Surfers immediately became a drivers and crowd favourite, its fast flowing nature a challenge for drivers and their machines, the circuit facilities and viewing mounds providing a world class amenity at the time to we ‘punters’.

My only visit was as a spectator on a family holiday, i convinced my dad to deposit me at the circuit for the day of the ‘Glynn Scott Memorial Trophy’ in September 1973, the feature event a round of the ‘Gold Star’, the Australian Drivers Championship, contested by F5000 cars.

The sight and sound of these fabulous cars bellowing through the fast right hander under the Dunlop Bridge, a true test of ‘gonad dimensions’, ‘flat knacker’ at 7500RPM in fifth, unmuffled Chev and Repco V8’s roaring away into the distance, was truly a sight and sound to behold and feel!

Frank Matich was running away with the race in his brand new Matich A52, until the ‘flat plane crank’ experimental Repco V8 ‘shook the shitter’ out of the Varley battery, no spark, no go. John McCormack won the race in his Elfin MR5 and the Gold Star that year, the inherently dangerous nature of the track clear to anyone seeing Warwick Brown hobbling around on crutches that day. Brown joining the ‘Lola Limpers Club’ having comprehensively destroyed his T300 and his legs in the Surfers Tasman meeting earlier in the year.

But wow! What a circuit it was!

Williams sold it in 1984, the circuit closed in 1987 and is now part of the ‘Emerald Lakes’ canal estate, like so many of our circuits given over to advancing urban encroachment, but that was a long way away in 1966.

(A Favenchi)

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Wonderful aerial shot of the raceway and airstrip looking back to Surfers Paradise in 1977 (A Favenchi)

Gold Star Meeting…

Jackie had some idea about the local talent from his very successful Tasman Tour early in the year, he won the series in his P261 BRM taking four wins, but probably got more than he bargained for.

Kevin Bartlett had stepped up since the Tasman Series from the Mildren Teams Brabham Ford 1.5 Brabham BT11A 2.5 Spencer Martin also racing a Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax for Bob Jane.

Jack Brabham was there, in BT19, the chassis which carried him to victory in that years World Championship, fresh from his German GP win a week before, the car still fitted with its 3 litre ‘620 Series’ Repco V8.

Leo Geoghegan and Greg Cusack were entered in ex-Clark Lotus 39 and Lotus 32B respectively- both cars also Coventry Climax FPF 2.5 engined.

Jack Brabham Brabham BT19 Repco, Surfers Paradise 1966

In the middle of his successful 1966 F1 campaign, Jack brought BT19 to Oz for the opening of Surfers Paradise…Repco wanted the car there but all the same i expect Wlliams paid handsomely for Brabhams’ presence! Here surrounded by admirers in the Surfers paddock (Unattributed)

 

brabham surfers 1966

Jack here fettling his Brabham’s Repco ‘620’, rotor button the cause of his DNF (Unattributed)

 

(P Cadell)

Ray Bell, ‘Racing Car News’ magazine reporter at the time recalled the meeting on ‘The Nostalgia Forum’…

‘Jack had pole, from KB, JYS and Spencer Martin. KB led the way, this to be the drive that made everybody sit up and take notice, he’d not been long in 2.5’s and was leading a Grand Prix Winner and pretender to the World Championship throne.’

‘Brabham managed a lap and a half before the rotor button went and he dropped out…Stewart hounded KB for five laps before outbraking him at Lukey…Bartlett finishing two-tenths behind the Scot.’ (in an identical car)

‘With KB on pole for the main event, Stewart had something fail in the clutch mechanism and dragged away badly…Martin got the jump, leading KB for seven laps before Bartlett went past into Lukey, Stewart looming in a comeback drive all the while.’

‘On lap fourteen they set a new lap record of 1:13:0, a few laps later JYS passing KB under the bridge…KB coming back at the clutchless Brabham…there was more passing and re-passing until the magneto in Bartlett’s car failed. Stewart blew his engine giving Martin the win having shaken off Leo Geoghegan to do so.’

If there was any doubt, Kevin Bartlett ‘arrived’ as a Top-Liner that day…serving it up to a Grand Prix winner in absolutely equal cars.

Kevin Bartlett recalled recently…’The dices that weekend live in my mind forever. I knew him well before that meeting, his SV Brabham was the equal of mine. We both knew the cars capabilities, the dice was not out of the ordinary as far as we were concerned, the cars were very close but we gave one another room but if you got the line you would slipstream past. We respected each others abilities, we both DNF’d the feature race but laughed about it later. He had no ego.’

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Kevin Bartlett shown in the Mildren Brabham BT11A in the ‘Lakeside 99’ Tasman round, February 1967. He placed fifth in a race won by Clarks Lotus 33 Climax. (autopics)

Surfers Paradise 12 Hour…

Stewart returned from the beach for the second weekend of Williams ‘double header’ to drive the Scuderia Veloce Ferrari 250LM with Kiwi Andy Buchanan, I wrote about this car a while back….https://primotipo.com/2014/07/03/pete-geoghegan-ferrari-250lm-6321-bathurst-easter-68/

The entry also included a Ford GT40 for Frank Matich and Peter Sutcliffe, another LM for Jackie Epstein and Aussie International Paul Hawkins, David Piper and  future Le Mans winner Richard Attwood raced Pipers’ ex-works Ferrari P2.

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Peter Sutcliffes’ Ford GT40 ahead of the Jackie Epstein/ Paul Hawkins Ferrari 250LM (autopics.com)

Given the paucity of top-line sports cars in Australia of this type, the grid was bolstered by sprint sports cars such as Lotus 23’s, production sports cars and touring cars…including a Mini Moke entered by later Touring Car Ace ‘Bo’ Seton and Charlie Smith. The closing speed of Stewarts LM and the like would have been well over 80MPH!, the Moke having little power and the aerodynamic efficiency of a ‘dunny-door’.

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Jackie Stewarts Ferrari 250 LM blasts past the Charlie Smith/ Bo Seton Mini Moke, the Fazz did 493 laps to win, the Moke 311…lapped just a few times. Speed differentials an issue not just at Le Mans! (autopics.com)

The chequered flag was shown to the Matich GT40, but Scuderia Veloce boss David McKay successfully protested the result giving the win to the Stewart/Buchanan LM.

It was not the first time a major event in Australia was clouded by lap-scoring disputes these things not uncommon in those far off, pre-digital days!

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The winning Scuderia Veloce Ferrari 250LM ‘6321’driven by Jackie Stewart and Andy Buchanan, the car winning the race in 1966/67/68 (autopics.com)

Kevin Bartlett and Doug Chivas finished third in the Alec Mildren racing Alfa Romeo TZ2, Kevin Bartlett again recalls…

‘The 12 Hour was tough going for a little 1600, but Doug was on top of his game, a helluva driver who was kind to the car and did the times. It was a tactical race for us, Alec had worked out a plan and the times we needed to do, which we did consistently.’

’I drove a TZ1 years later at an AGP support event but the TZ2 was areodynamically better, it was quicker in a straight line and had a better track and wheelbase which got it out of corners better. The TZ1 handling was not as good, the tyre and wheel package wasn’t as good.’

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Andy Buchanan, Jackie Stewart, dignitary, Frank Matich, Peter Sutcliffe, Kevin Bartlett, Doug Chivas. Matich and Sutcliffe happy at this stage but tears were not far away! KB and Chivas piloted the third place Mildren Team Alfa TZ2 (Kevin Bartlett)

Etcetera…

The front gate (D Strong)

 

(G Paine)

 

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Bartlett/Chivas Alfa TZ2, ahead of the John Harvey/ Frank Demuth Lotus 23 and the Cooper T49 Monaco Olds of Tony Osborne/Murray Carter/Ray Gibbs (autopics)

 

(G Paine)

 

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David Piper/Richard Attwood Ferrari P2 (autopics.com.au)

 

(G Paine)

 

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Peter Sutcliffes’ Ford GT40 was a customer car owned by Sutcliffe, co-driven by Frank Matich, at the time the outstanding sports car driver in Australia, make that one of the the most outstanding drivers in Australia, his competitiveness in open-wheelers proven in the Tasman Series until he (sadly!) went down the sports car path, finally again seeing the light in the days of F5000…(autopics)

 

(G Paine)

 

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Early pitstop for the Piper/Attwood Ferrari P2, only 45 laps completed (autopics)

 

Don Gorringe/Dick Crawford Lola Mk1 Climax (G Paine)

 

Alan Hamilton and Brian or ‘Brique’ Reed (G Paine)

 

Touring Car race circa 1966 (J Dwyer)

 

(G Paine)

 

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Photo and Other Credits…

autopics.com.au, John Stanley Collection, Alexis Favenchi, Darren Strong, Peta Cadell, Glenn Paine

Many thanks to Kevin Bartlett for sharing his recollections of both events

Finito…

Helen and Jackie Stewart…

Posted: February 12, 2015 in Compound curvature, F1
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helen and jackie stewart 1970

Another evocative Jesse Alexander shot capturing Helen Stewart during a moment of reflection, circa 1972. Jackie at rear with Peter Gethin or George Follmer maybe?…

(Jesse Alexander Archive)

Stirling Moss and Jack Myers: Cumberland Park Speedway, Sydney: Cooper T20 / WM Holden 1956…

Posted: February 10, 2015 in Obscurities
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moss parramatta

Stirling Moss being briefed by Jack Myers about his Cooper/WM Holden before lapping Cumberland Park Speedway, Parramatta, Sydney, November 1956…

The WM Holden is the prototype ex-John Cooper/Mike Hawthorn/ Bernie Ecclestone/Stan Coffey Cooper T20 Bristol # CB/1/52 acquired damaged by Myers, rebuilt and fitted with a Holden six-cylinder ‘Grey Motor’. The standard OHV iron head was replaced by an alloy DOHC head developed by the incredibly talented Sydney engineer Merv Waggott, and then renamed WM (Waggott Myers) Holden.

Moss was in Australia to race factory Maseratis in the Australian Grand Prix carnival at Albert Park in Melbourne, a two week event during which Moss won the AGP in a 250F and the Australian Tourist Trophy in a 300S.

Quite how he came to drive Myers’ car at Cumberland Park in Sydney is a bit of a mystery but was perhaps part of a fuel company promotion, I am keen to hear from anyone who knows the story. Moss didn’t race the Cooper but did a number of demonstration laps around the quarter mile speedway on the outside of Cumberland Park, which was also used for cricket and rugby. Jack Myers also contested the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, the WM finished 12th and lapped several times by the Moss 250F.

moss on circuit parramaat
A tad too much understeer or neutral steer on the oval!? Moss Cumberland Park

WM is Waggott/Myers…

The cylinder head was initially fed by six Amal carbs but these were later replaced by 6 1 3/4inch SU’s. The engine developed around 197bhp at its peak making the car an outright contender in its day.

‘Grey Motor’ was the colloquial name of these engines which, painted grey, were first fitted to the 48-215 Holden, General Motors first Holden sedan built in Australia. Later iterations of the Holden OHV straight-six were Red Motors and Black Motors as the blocks were, you guessed it, painted red and black. The standard Grey displacement was 132.5 cubic inches or 2170cc, the 6 cylinder OHV, four main bearing, single Stromberg carb engine produced 60bhp in standard form.

The Waggott engine’s block, crankshaft and conrods were made by GMH (General Motors Holden) but the head, pistons, dry sump lubrication system and other components were made by Merv Waggotts’ business. Capacity was increased to 2440cc with the camshafts driven by chain from the crank.

Six or seven heads were built, the engine won the Australian GT Championship for Queenslander and later Bathurst winner John French in his Centaur in 1962. The market for the heads essentially dried up when the new touring car/sedan racing regulations of the day, Appendix J did not allow changes to cylinder heads other than modifications to standard heads. Waggott built modified Holden heads to these rules as well.

The WM/Cooper used an MG TC gearbox with specially cut gears, the differential was initially a Holden 48-215 unit but this was later replaced by a Ford V8 component. Suspension was standard Cooper, most of the damage to the car was to the body hoops and the body itself which was repaired by the talented Myers.

wm holden t druitt 1958
WM Holden engine bay, Mt Druitt May 1958, plug change. The neat alloy DOHC, chain driven head on display. Holden Grey Motor, a cast iron block, capacity 2440cc, circa 200bhp at its peak. Myers did a 15.01 second standing quarter that day (John Ellacott)
agp 56 jack myers
Doug Whiteford’s Talbot Lago passing Myers in the WM Holden during the 1956 AGP at Albert Park. They finished eighth and 12th respectively in the race won by Moss’ Maser 250F. This is the second of Dougs’ Lagos, the 12-plug-head-car which is still in Australia and owned by Ron Townley (Unattributed)

Jack Myers raced the car very successfully…

It reapppeared after repair and installation of the Holden engine at Bathurst in October 1956. In November he attacked the Australian Land Speed record setting a new mark for Class D at 25.46 seconds for the standing kilometre. Moss ran the car at Parramatta shortly thereafter and the week after that Myers finished 12th in the AGP. Moss and the car were reunited many years later.

Jack at Caversham during the 1957 AGP (K Devine)

The car overheated in the scorching hot 1957 AGP at Caversham WA, the chassis was replaced after an accident at Bathurst in 1957 when Jack bounced the car from bank to bank going into Forrest’s Elbow.

This time the car was rebuilt from scratch, the team constructed a new tubular frame to replace the original box-section chassis. John Blanden records that Myers had completed the rebuilds of the McMillan Ferrari Super Squalo and Jack Davey D-Type Jaguar chassis and incorporated some ideas from those experiences including lowering the engine by three inches. The suspension was re-designed but still used many Cooper parts, a quick change diff was built by Myers, and D-Type clutch incorporated.

The WM was immediately successful, going even faster still when fitted with disc brakes, it finally met its maker at Bathurst in October 1960 when Jack ended up in a ditch on the way into The Cutting escaping injuries, but the car’s chassis and suspension were badly damaged. The WM was split up and its core components sold.

wm holden bathurst 1959
1959 Bathurst 100 qualifying heat front row. Myers on the left in the distinctive yellow and black T-Shirt he always wore beside the WM, Stan Jones #1 Maser 250F and Kiwi Ross Jensen similarly mounted. Myers completed 24 of the 26 laps the race won by Jensen (Myer family)
wm holden bathurst
Jack Myers returns to the Bathurst paddock, AGP Meeting 1958. WM Holden (Kevin Drage)

Myers was sadly killed in a race at Catalina Park, Katoomba, in the Blue Moutains outside Sydney not long afterwards.

In 1962 Syd Fisher bought the remains of the car and fitted a Chev Corvette 283cid V8, Alvis gearbox, Halibrand type quick change rear axle to which a ZF limited slip diff was fitted, achieving seventh in the 1963 Victorian Road Racing Championship.

The car passed through others into the caring hands of John Emery, and then to Gavin Sandford-Morgan in 1972. There it was rebuilt by a dedicated team of volunteers at the Birdwood Mill Museum outside Adelaide to its Jack Myers spcification including the Waggott engine, the car making its debut at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix where it was driven by Stirling Moss, exactly as it was at Parramatta in 1956.

mildren sub and merv waggott
Merv Waggott fettling one of his jewel like aluminium 2-litre four-valve engines, here mounted in Kevin Bartlett’s Mildren Racing Mildren ‘Yellow Submarine’ Waggott. Engine produced circa 260bhp with a useable rev band of 6800-8750rpm and weighed circa 230lb. Wigram, NZ Tasman 1970 (The Roaring Season)

Merv Waggott developed his own 4 cylinder, DOHC four valve, fuel injected engine in the late 1960’s in capacities of 1.6, 1.85 and 2 litres, the smaller engines used Ford Cortina blocks, the 2-litre an aluminium bespoke crankcase and cast iron block developed by Waggotts.

These engines won many races and championships including the 1969, 1970 and 1971 Australian Drivers Championships – the Gold Star – for Kevin Bartlett, Leo Geoghegan and Max Stewart in the Mildren ‘Yellow Submarine’, Lotus 59B and Mildren Waggott chassis respectively. I will write about this engine in detail at some point.

Waggott Engineering still exists however Merv Waggott died in an ultralight plane accident in 1992.

Cooper T20 Bristol Chassis # CB/1/52…

coper bristol cutaway
Cooper T20 Bristol drawing. 1971cc Bristol/BMW six cylinder engine circa 130bhp and Bristol four speed ‘box. Steel box section chassis with tubular reinforcements, aluminium body. Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes. Suspension front and rear lower wishbones and upper transverse leaf springs with Armstrong shocks (Unattributed)

Doug Nye’s research for the book Cooper Cars found this car to be the prototype T20 which was shown to the press in January 1952. John Cooper drove it on its debut at Goodwood on 14 April 1952. It was also driven by Reg Parnell, Mike Hawthorn – whilst he awaited delivery of his own T20 – and Bernie Ecclestone before being sold to Fred Tuck, a Brit who raced the car in the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1954.

During that trip the car was sold to Sydney’s Stan Coffey who raced it as the ‘Dowidat Special’, in deference to his sponsors, a manufacturer of hand tools. Amongst Coffey’s competitors was Jack Brabham in the ‘Redex Special’, a Cooper T23 Bristol.

The Coffey ‘Dowidat Spl’ at Gnoo Blas Orange circa 1955 (K Devine)

Coffeys results were not startling but he finished eighth in the 1954 AGP at Southport, Queensland. He raced the car little in 1955 but contested the AGP at Port Wakefield, South Australia. Brabham won the race in the Cooper T40 Bristol Bobtail he had built in time for the 1955 British GP. Coffey rolled the car halfway through the race, the car left the track and tripped on the grass verge. Stan broke his nose but was otherwise uninjured, selling the car to Myers in as-is condition. The car was taken to Myers’, Maroubra, Sydney workshop where its rapid transformation to Waggott Holden power was completed.

The Cooper Bristols were built as 2-litre European F2 cars, the engine was the BMW 328 6 cylinder design which fell into Bristols’ hands as part of WW2 reparation compensation and was further developed post-war by BMW designer Fritz Fiedler. The 1971cc engine developed circa 127bhp @ 5800rpm.

myers maroubra workshop
Jack Myers working his magic on the WM in his Maroubra, Sydney Southern Beaches workshop. The Holden Grey block is at left, the long studs to retain the deep head. The cast aluminium engine/gearbox adaptor is still attached to the block. Diff was initially Holden but later Ford, uncertain of which here. MG-TC ‘box is in front of the bench. Standard T20 suspension, chassis box section can be seen in th shot as well as the body hoops.

Etcetera…

Cooper T20 Bristol-Stan Coffey

stan coffey cooper
Stan Coffey in the Cooper T20 Bristol ‘Dowidat Spanners Special’ at Mount Druitt, date unknown. The wind on Coffey’s large body must have been incredible and top speed limiting! (Ivy & Jack Carter)

WM Holden-Jack Myers

Both these shots were taken in 1957 at Caversham during the AGP weekend. The Holden engine installation was very neatly and professionally executed by Myers, whilst the machine was called the WM Holden, Cooper Holden was perhaps more indicative until the chassis was substantially changed by Jack and his team. Carbs on the engine are Amals at this point, six 1 3/4 inch SU’s later fitted.

wm in paddock
(MrFire)
waggott 6 engine in wm
(MrFire)
waggott 6 on SU's
Another shot of the engine bay and Waggott DOHC head, this time with six SU’s. Car here, above, at the Birdwood Mill Museum in SA, restored. (Unattributed)

WM Holden-Stirling Moss

moss from the outside parramatta
Scratchy unattributed shot of Moss circulating in the WM at Cumberland Park, fashions of the day to the fore!

Credits…

Myer Family Collection, John Ellacott, MrFire, Ivy & Jack Carter, The Roaring Season, Kevin Drage, Ken Devine Collection, John Ballantyne

John Blanden ‘Historic Racing Cars in Australia’, Doug Nye ‘Cooper Cars’, ‘Memories of Jack Myers’ aussieroadracing.homestead.com

Tailpiece: WM Holden by John Ballantyne, beautiful work…

Finito…

Porsche 917, ‘Hippie Car’: Le Mans 1970…

Posted: February 8, 2015 in Fotos, Sports Racers
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The 1970 Le Mans 24 hours was won by the Hans Hermann/Richard Attwood Porsche 917K , Kurtz, or short tail…

The win was Porsches’ first outright Le Mans victory. In second place, 5 laps behind was the so-called ‘Hippie Car’, the wildly painted Martini International 917LH, Langheck or long tail. The car was driven by Gerard Larrousse and Willi Kauhsen, starting a trend of cars with stunning finishes which continues today…

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Technical Specifications…

917 Tech Specs

Photo Credits…Pinterest unattributed

Michael Andretti and F1…

Posted: February 6, 2015 in F1, Features
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andretti surfers 94 reynard

Michael Andretti aviating his Reynard 941 Ford over the Surfers Paradise kerbs. Andrettis’ victory in The Australian Indycar Grand Prix in March 1994 was just the fillip the American needed after his abortive McLaren F1 season the year before…

Nigel Mansell started ’94 where he left off, the Brit a winner in the 1993 ‘Indy championship in his Lola Ford, the season after his F1 World Championship victory for Williams in 1992. Nige was on pole with Andretti alongside in the brand new Malcolm Oastler designed Reynard 941 Ford, the marques first Indycar.

The race was restarted 3 times, first lap contretemps famous on the Surfers circuit. In the final restart Michael got the jump on Nigel and lead all 55 laps, the race shortened by 10 laps due to lack of light.

Michael won again in the Reynard later in the season at Toronto but the Penske PC23 was the best car of the season and the ‘Dream Team’ of Al Unser, Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy extracted all the car had to offer winning most rounds and Unser the drivers title.

By seasons end Mansell had returned to F1 albeit briefly, with Michael competitive again with 2 victories and 7 top 5 finishes in a year where the pickings were slim for all but Penske.

andretti surfers 94

Same car, driver and kerb but lower altitude…Reynard a lovely car and the first of many successful Indycars by the late, lamented marque. (Unattributed)

So what Went Wrong in F1 for Michael?…

Andretti came into racing via Karts, Formula Ford, Super Vee and Formula Atlantic. Before long he was an established Indycar Star and after a dominant season in CART 1991, on pole 8 times, winning the title and demonstrating his versatility with a Porsche drive at Daytona, he was looking to F1 as the next challenge.

Joining McLaren for 1993, alongside established team leader and candidate for the Greatest Grand Prix Driver ever was always going to be a tough ask, the Brazilian famous for taking no prisoners and intimidating his teammates in all ways possible.

Into 1992 things were looking a bit grim for McLaren…the teams performances were down, Honda were withdrawing from F1 and Ron couldn’t achieve the alternative factory engine deal he wanted. He attempted to buy Ligier to get the Renault engines, a deal vetoed by sponsors. The best he could achieve was Ford customer engines, one spec below those used by Benetton, who had the factory Ford deal, Michael Schumacher of course the driver.

Ayrton was watching all of this but couldn’t get a better drive, the best seat was with Williams, and engine supplier tipped Alain Prost into it rather than arch rival Senna.

andretti british gp 1993

Andretti, European GP Donington Park 1993. McLaren MP4/8 Ford. (Unattributed)

Ron needed a name driver in the event Senna decamped and signed Andretti…on paper a driver with potential albeit unfamiliar with both the cars and circuits. His announcement was made at the 1992 Italian Grand Prix to a bemused media.

The plot thickened somewhat with the signing of Mika Hakkinen, lately of Lotus, who was to be either test driver or race driver in 1993 depending upon what Senna decided, the Brazilian ultimately signing for the team again but on a race by race basis.

andretti kyalami

Michael optimistic early in the season at Kyalami, South African GP. (The Cahier Archive)

For Andretti things started badly with rule changes which limited testing…he badly needed seat time in both the car and on as many circuits as possible, the differences in characteristics between the relatively heavy single turbo 2.65 litre V8 Indycars, and 3.5 litre normally aspirated peaky, light, nimble and ‘very nervous’ Grand Prix cars immense.

The delivery of the Ford engine was late, only a month before the season opener at Kyalami, so was completion of the car and critical systems testing and checking which became clear with many failures particularly on Andrettis’ chassis during the year.

His season could be summarised as a series of own goals, accidents of his own making and mechanical or electrical failures which were entirely beyond his control.

Mixed in with that was his sheer pace which justified Andretti a second season in F1, at least.

F1 wisdom seems to be, including McLarens website, that the American didn’t really commit to F1. Indicative, in this view is continuing to live in the US, commuting by Concorde to the UK and the races as required. The theory is that living closeby to Woking, shootin’ the breeze with the Ronster and technicians would have helped.

It probably would have, as he would have done the testing miles Hakkinnen did but it’s too simplistic a view.

andretti helmet

Andretti started the season behind the eightball, noting he was ‘silly enough’ to sign for McLaren alongside Senna in a team ‘he owned’…

Jackie Stewart was smart to sign with BRM not Lotus for his debut F1 season in ’65, he had the choice but figured the lower pressure environment at BRM would be better for him, and allow him to come up to speed without the pressure of going head to head with Jim Clark, the standard by which all other drivers assessed themselves at the time. Noting that his BRM team leader, Graham Hill, the ’62 World Champ was at the top of his game at the time.

But these guys aren’t like you and I, they have towering self belief, why not go up against Senna in a great team, the chance may never come again? In that sense Andretti is be admired for putting his balls on the line, he was not the first or last Ace to be blown off by the Brazilians mesmeric other worldly skill.

On balance, looking from everyone’s viewpoint; McLarens’, Andrettis’ and the sponsors’, the deal made sense.

The McLaren MP4/8 Ford was a competitive car, Senna took victories at Monaco, Donington (one of his best) Brazil and Suzuka in the rain and in Adelaide, his last GP for McLaren and final victory.

During the rest of the season the Williams of Prost and Hill were the class of the field, Prost taking the title and retiring.

mclaren mp4 8 cutaway

McLaren MP4/8 Ford 1993. Neil Oatley designed Carbon fibre monocoque, suspension active with wishbones all around actuating coil springs and dampers. Carbon ceramic brakes. Ford HBE V8 ‘customer spec’ 3494cc circa 640bhp. McLaren 6 speed semi-automatic gearbox. 505kg. (Unattributed)

Let’s look at Andrettis’ year race by race…

andretti interlagos prang

Interlagos contretemps with Gerhard Bergers’ Ferrari. Could have been a lot worse. (Unattributed)

.Kyalami clutch failure on the line, fundamental preparation or lack of testing issue. He then ran into Derek Warwick on lap 4 trying to make up for lost time.

.In Brazil he goosed the start having muffed the 1-2 shift, qualified 5th (Senna 3rd), Wendlinger jigged one way, Michael the other collecting Bergers Ferrari initiating a spectacular shunt with the two cars cartwheeling thru the air.

.At Donington for the European GP. Q6 whilst Senna disappeared into the gloom in a sublime drive, from 5th to 1st in 10 corners and a lead of over 4 seconds at the end of lap 2. Andretti again took out Wendlinger  leaving the Sauber and McLaren beached in the Leicestershire mud.

european gp 1993 first lap

European GP, Donington Park 1993 lap1. Prost & Hill Williams, Wendlinger Sauber, Senna McLaren, Schumacher Benetton, Andretti McLaren, the Ferraris’ and the rest…Senna to the front and gone in 10 corners from Q4. (Unattributed)

.At Imola for the San Marino GP Q6 again, he completed 32 laps before spinning, whilst dicing for fourth with, you guessed it, Wendlinger. The spin was induced by a brake or suspension balance problem.

.In the Spanish GP Andretti finished fifth behind Prost, Senna, Schumacher and Patrese, the latter duo Benetton Fords with the factory engines.

. At Monaco Q9, his clutch did its own thing, up shifting early, losing revs and power, he was engulfed by the field, then hit Barbazzas’ Minardi up the chuff at Loews. He pitted to replace his front wing but then had a great run from last to 8th…but Senna won.

andretti mc laren monaco 93

Andretti Monaco 1993. (Unattributed)

.In Canada the car again ‘cacked itself’, this time a dead battery, he started the race 3 laps down and was classified 14th, Senna also had electrical gremlins that day, finishing 18th with alternator failure. Whilst in more recent times (2008) there have been claims by Marco Andretti that McLaren ‘sabotaged his fathers career’, the claims don’t hold water as Senna had as many gremlins as Michaels’ cars did. Hakkinen was ‘standing in the wings’ but McLaren had every commercial and sporting reason for Andretti to succeed not fail.

Andretti was the only American F1 driver at the time, their was no USGP either, the US is the largest global economy which McLaren was keen to tap into via the interest provided by their American driver…the conspiracy theory makes no sense to me at all and contradicts the facts.

.In France at Magny Cours the semi-automatic shift misbehaved resulting in Q16 but a strong showing, finishing 6th and getting valuable mileage.

.Michael looked forward to Silverstone as he had tested there pre-season, but his qualifying run was spoiled by rain, Q11. He started well but spun on lap 1 again going too hard too early.

.German GP, Hockenheim he qualified 12th after more mechanical dramas unrelated to him. But he thumped Berger on lap 4, DNF.

.At the Hungaroring, his fly-by-wire throttle failed in a run as high as 4th. Senna experiencing similar problems 2 laps later.

.Belgian classic, Spa. He had a long tyre change during which the engine stopped, Andretti 8th

.Monza, Italy. Andrettis’ final GP. He qualified 9th, Senna 4th. In the race both cars had brake balance problems, both spinning, Senna into retirement. Andretti continued after having grass removed from the radiators, fighting his way back through the pack from 20th to 3rd, a great run and his only podium finish, ironically in his last race, Michael being sacked, the drive going to Hakkinen.

andretti san marino

San Marino GP, Imola 1993. (Unattributed)

Andretti returned to Champcars successfully…he was competitive throughout his career but didn’t win another title and famously lead the Indy 500 for 431 laps in multiple 500’s the most of any driver without taking victory…

There are so many ‘Ifs, Buts and Maybes’ in life and racing…

If McLaren had done a better engine deal or installed the Ford earlier, maybe the glitches both drivers experienced all year would have been sorted in pre-season testing.
If the testing rules hadn’t changed Andretti would have driven the miles he needed in cars alien to him rather than doing his testing and familiarisations in the full glare of race weekends…and as worked so well for Villeneuve at Williams 2 years later who did a million miles in the car on all sorts of circuits.
If he had lived in the UK maybe his intent and commitment to McLaren would have been clearer.
Hakkinens’ signing added to the pressure on Michael, if he hadn’t been signed, the imminent potential replacement would not have been there.
If Andretti had started some of his races less agressively the DNF’s would have been reduced giving him the miles he needed and making him look less of a novice.

But, as the saying goes, ‘if yer Aunty had balls she’d be yer Uncle’ …

At the end of the day none of the above happened and it made more sense for McLaren to sign Hakkinen to partner Senna for 1994 albeit Senna went to Williams and Martin Brundle got to race the McLaren Peugeot in 1994, a combination which made the ’93 cars look like paragons of speed and reliability. In short had Andretti raced on with the team in 1994 he would not have had a car capable of running at the front.

Michael Andretti and F1 is still one of racings intriguing ‘mighta-beens’ all the same?

andretti in car close up 1993

Etcetera…

Short History of the Surfers Indycar Grand Prix

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/special-features/look-back-the-indy-300-glory-years-to-v8s-at-gold-coast-600/story-fnpctu9f-1227096490438

McLaren MP4/8 Ford…

http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/heritage/cars/1993-formula-1-mclaren-mp4-8/

Adrian Reynard and Reynard Racing Cars…

http://www.adrianreynard.com/reynard_motorsport.htm

Credits…

The Cahier Archive

Finito…

French Grand Prix Reims 1958…

Posted: February 4, 2015 in F1
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Reims 1958

Jesse Alexanders’ great shot from the rear of the Reims grid, French Grand Prix July 1958…

Down ze back its the #24 Lotus 16 of Graham Hill to the left,  #30 Maser 250F of American Troy Ruttman to the right and at the rear the Lotus 12 Climax driven by Cliff Allison. The race was won by Mike Hawthorn in a Ferrari Dino 246 from Moss in a Vanwall and Von Trips in another Dino.

Very sadly this was the race in which Luigi Musso lost his life, chasing teammate and championship rival Hawthorn through the flat out Muizon corner he lost control at 150mph, crashed and died later from injuries sustained in the accident.

cliff allison french gp 1958 lotus 12

Allisons’ Lotus 12 amongst the Champagne-Ardenne fields, i wonder what that crop is!? The 12 was built as an F2 contender originally  but quickly evolved into a GP car, Lotus’ first, as the capacity of the Coventry Climax FPF engine progressively edged its way towards 2.5 litres. (Unattributed)

 

Reims 1958 panorama

Gerino Gerini Maser 250F 9th, Jean Behra BRM P25 DNF, Stirling Moss Vanwall, 2nd and Francisco Godia-Sales Maser 250F DNF French GP 1958. (unattributed)

 

Behra and Collins French GP 1958

Peter Collins Ferrari Dino 246 5th and Jean Behra BRM P25 DNF start of French GP 1958. (unattributed)

 

Ferrari Dinos' French GP 1958

Ferraris’ Dino 246 X 3 French GP 1958; #4 Hawthorn, ill fated #2 Musso and #6 Von Trips. (unattributed)

 

Fangio French GP 1958 Maser 250F

Juan Fangio finished 4th is his last grand prix in the ‘Piccolo’ lightweight Maserati 250F, car now past its prime. (unattributed)

Photo Credit…

Jesse Alexander Archive

Nissan GT-R LM…

Posted: February 3, 2015 in Sports Racers
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nissan gtr lm

A car of the future for a change!

Nissans radical front mounted and front wheel drive 3 litre V6 twin turbo 2015 LMP1 Le Mans contender…sinfully ugly but audacious and gloriously different…yet again sports car racing shows how lacking in technical innovation F1 is…

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/race/sports-cars/nissans-radical-le-mans-attack/

 

Jim Clark: ‘Warwick Farm 100’ 1968…

Posted: February 1, 2015 in F1, Fotos
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jim clark wf lotus 49 1968

Jim Clark enjoying the plaudits of the crowd after his Warwick Farm win, 18 February 1968…

Its a wonderful shot on his victory lap, the crowd wandering onto the track, absolute joy on Jims’ face after a stong win, a man at the top of his game, he still hadn’t peaked as a driver and only 31 years old…

He is at the wheel of his Lotus 49 Ford DFW, the DFW the 2.5 litre variant of Cosworths’ dominant DFV 3 litre GP engine. Clark won by 10 seconds from his teammate Graham Hill, he left our shores at the end of the Tasman Series 2 weeks later as the 1968 Champion and sadly never returned.

Clark was a regular and immensely popular visitor to Australasia, the gentlemanly Scot admired and respected by fellow competitors, the media, fans and the general public alike.

His final GP win was the 1968 season opening South African GP at Kyalami, he perished in a Lotus 48 F2 car, after a tyre failure at Hockenheim on April 7 1968.

Photo Credit…Wirra TNF

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