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July 5, 2014

Dinner with Emerson Fittipaldi

Posted by morewheelspin under formula 1, Lotus, mclaren, motorsport, royal automobile club, silverstone, sportscars | Tags: emerson fittipaldi, formula one, Indy 500, lotus 72, mclaren m23, Royal Automobile Club, tourist trophy |
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Last week I and some other RAC members had the rare privilege of having dinner with two time Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Although now in his 60s he looked incredibly fit although he has long since lost his former trademark muttonchops. It proved to be a great evening as Emerson turned out to be a thoroughly charming and patient man. Down-to-earth, he took time to answer all our questions even though he had probably heard them all many many times before. He entertained us with incredible stories about his career, both in Formula One and in IndyCar. It’s astonishing to think that he started racing in the same year that Jack Brabham retired and only finished racing in 1997 when he was well into his late 40s. Over a varied career he not only won the world championship twice but also the Indianapolis 500, also twice. He also won the British Grand Prix twice and will be driving his Silverstone winning McLaren M23 tomorrow before the British Grand Prix.

What was particular striking about Emerson was that he clearly has a real interest in the history of motor racing. For the dinner the Club could not, unfortunately, decorate the table with the British Grand Prix trophy as it had already been sent to Silverstone. Instead the beautiful Tourist Trophy took pride of place. Emerson took a real interest in the trophy, looking carefully at the names of the illustrious drivers who had won it in the past. I think he regretted the fact that his name was not on it! However he explained he never really took to sportscar racing and never did Le Mans as a close friend of his father whom he had looked up to as a child was killed there in the fifties.

Of course, like many other British men my age, the thing I particulary remember about Emerson Fittipaldi is the Corgi toy Lotus 72 JPS. I think every boy at school had one at the time of Emerson’s first world championship in 1972. I took my own along to the dinner and Emerson very kindly agreed to sign the box. It will be treasured even more now!

Emerson Fittipaldi with the Tourist Trophy

June 29, 2014

Out and About at the Festival of Speed 2014

Posted by morewheelspin under Audi, BMW, ferrari, formula 1, Goodwood Motor Circuit, jaguar, Le Mans, mclaren, mercedes benz, motorsport, peugoet, porsche, sportscars, stuttgart, Uncategorized, volks wagen | Tags: andy wallace, audi e tron, dougie lampkin, ecurie ecosse, emerson fittipaldi, felipe massa, Ferrari, ferrari 512, ford mustang, grand prix, jaguar d type, jaguar f type, jaguar xjr9, Jaguar XKR, jenson button, johhny herbert, John surtees, le mans, max smith hilliard, McLaren, mclaren 650s, mclaren m23, McLaren mp4-12c, Mercedes Benz, mercedes benz uhlenhaut coupe, mini cooper, monte carlo rally, Motorsport, paddy hopkirk, Porsche, renault twingo sport, stuttgart, sunbeam 1920, surtees TS9B, toyota hybrid, vw xl |
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Some interesting new iron (aluminium, carbon fibre …) at the FoS this year. Highlights below.

The new Ford Mustang – finally available in right hand drive. Aggressive retro styling looks good – shame about the awful colour

More “motor show” colours on the McLaren stand. Am I the only one who prefers the simple look of the MP4-12c nose to that on the new 650S nose? Must be as apparently there was so little continuing demand for the old car once the 650S was launched that they have now stopped making it.

The Jaguar F Type Project 7 is an important car for Jaguar. Based on the slightly more extreme concept shown at last year’s FoS , the Project 7 is actually a production car – indeed the fastest production Jaguar ever. Its V8 is tuned up to 575 bhp – 25 more than the R Coupe. It also has bespoke aero, and trick suspension and diff with standard carbon ceramic brakes. The screen has a greater rake than the standard convertible and it has an D Type imitating faring behind the drivers role hoop. Inside it looks fairly standard and weather protection consists of a rather impractical clip on hood like the recent Boxster speedster. Its a striking car and they hope to sell 250, and only 60 in right hand drive. But what’s it for? Too comfortable and therefore heavy for a racer (and the rollover protection looks too scant) yet too uncomfortable for every day use. Is it therefore just for collectors and occasional track days?

This stunning Jaguar SUV concept is far more likely to make JLR lots of money. Aimed at rivalling the Audi Q4, BMW X3 and especially the Porsche Macan it should perform well and in a different segment to current Land Rover products. I would certainly buy one. The bad news is that we are unlikely to see one for sale until 2018, with a hot version not to follow until 2019.

VW ran their diminutive XL electric car up the hill. It looks like the future for urban transport but is very very small and very very expensive.

The new Renault Twingo Sport looks like great fun. Based on the same platform as the new Smart 4-2 it has a rear mounted 1L turbocharged engine. Hot versions later this year should have 140 bhp making the car a mini 911!

There is always a fine selection of Le Mans sports cars at Goodwood ranging from those from the earliest days of racing to the very latest winning machines.

Andy Wallace is reunited with his 1988 Le mans winning Jaguar XJR – 9

This year’s Le man winning Audi e-Tron. Havings stumbled in the early rounds of this year’s World Sports Car championship they managed to win the race that really mattered. Sound familiar Peugeot?

1970 Ferrari 512, just like in the film Le Mans..

Mercedes high speed transporter carrying the fabulous Uhlenhaut Coupe (see previous posts from Stuttgart)

This year’s Le Mans Toyota hybrid

Gorgeous Jaguar D Type Le Mans winners – 55, 56, 57. This Ecurie Ecosse car won in 1957 and provided the design inspiration for the Project 7 Jaguar

Vast V12 Sunbeam racer from 1920 and even bigger 1911 Fiat

Due to restrictions on testing (!) there were no contemporary Formula One cars tackling the hill at Goodwood this year. That did not stop some of the teams bringing cars for static display or bringing cars from previous seasons for their drivers and test drivers to run up the hill. Even then runs were restricted to demonstration performances with plenty of doughnuts and burnouts and very little speed. We had to look to the historic guys for real pace.

Jenson Button in the McLaren MP4-26 he drove in 2012.

Max Smith Hilliard in his 1972 Surtees TS9B. Seconds later he stuffed it into the bales at Molecombe corner. He was unhurt and at least he was trying!

Legendary Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi driving the McLaren M23 with which he won McLaren’s first world title in 1974.

One of the best things about the Festival of speed is the close access to the drivers available for fans.

British GP winner Johhny Herbert sharing a laugh at the Williams pit

John Surtees was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his world championship with a class of cars and bikes associated with his career in action on the hill all weekend.

An immaculately turned out Paddy Hopkirk reunited with his Monte winning Mini Cooper

Twelve time World Motor Bike Trials champion Dougie Lampkin in action

Felipe Massa reflecting on his good fortune to no longer be at Ferrari

I had a good chat with Andy Wallace about Le Mans in 1988. The XJR made 250 mph down the pre chicane Mulsanne Straight. At night he could see so little as the lights were mounted so low that he had to pick out his braking points by calculating distances from land marks as they flashed by. To this day the XJR is the fastest car to have driven at Le mans. Andy has no desire to ever drive that fast again – he said it was something you could only do when young, fearless and lacking in imagination.

May 31, 2014

72nd Goodwood Members Meeting

Posted by morewheelspin under abarth, alfa romeo, Aston Martin DBR1, formula 1, Goodwood Motor Circuit, jaguar, Lancia, Le Mans, mclaren, motorsport, rolls royce, Sir Stirling Moss, sportscars | Tags: 70s touring cars, beatrice team haas F1, donald campbell, goodwood members meeting, goodwood motor circuit, graham hill, group b rally cars, henri pescarolo, jaguar c type, jaguar xjr8 le mans, jaguar xk150 coupe, lancia delta s4, lauda, le mans, matra 670, mclaren turbo, monte carlo rally 1986, prost, prototypes, renault turbo group b, rolls royce phantom, Stirling Moss, triumph dolomite sprint |
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After a hiatus of 50 years, April saw the return of the Goodwood members’ meeting. Intended originally for GRRC members only, disappointing ticket sales saw invitations extended to other motoring clubs and subscribers to various motoring magazines. The comparatively light crowds may have been disappointing for the Earl of March but they were fantastic for those who attended. Not having to force your way past crowds of bored wives and girlfriends was a welcome contrast to the Revival Meeting as was the lack of corporate sponsors.

The event was blessed with remarkable weather – warm bright sunshine in what was otherwise a wet and miserable spring. The sun, coupled with the lack of crowds created a relaxed atmosphere most unlike other Goodwood events. But the best thing about the event was seeing cars that most of us had never seen before. Wonderful though the Festival of Speed and Revival are, many of the top cars return year after year. Having gone to both events for nearly 20 years I am afraid I have become a little blasé about even the most expensive exotica. Embarrassingly, at the last Revival, I found myself spending more time looking at the cars in the car park than in the paddock.

It’s this overfamiliarity with the usual Goodwood fare which made the cars at the Members meeting so interesting. For the first time we were shown cars that raced after the date the circuit closed in 1966. Le Mans prototypes and Turbo Era F1 cars did demonstration laps whilst colourful 70s touring cars battled it out in full on races. It was fascinating stuff and I can only hope that the event is repeated in a similar format next year.

In a previous post I mentioned my love of the Matra 670 that Graham Hill and Henri Pescarolo raced to victory at Le Mans in 1972. Imagine my delight when I found the very car at the members meeting. I also got to hear its V12 howl as it accelerated away from the chicane – something I had been longing to hear for years.

The fantastic 70s touring car race is going to do wonders for the price of neglected 70s saloons. Dolly Sprint anyone?

The Dolly Sprints below seem to have lost a little oil….

Sports Car Heaven – Alfa leads Aston Martin and Jaguar C Type

Jaguar Le Mans Prototypes exit the chicane

Jaguar XJR8LM

Martini Lancia Abarth 038 Delta S4 – this Group B rally car won the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally

Group B Rally Renault 5 GT Turbo

Prost and Lauda Turbo Era McLarens

Beatrice team Haas Turbo Ford’s

Visiting Rolls Royce Phantom with serpentine horn!

Donald Campbell’s Jaguar XK150 Coupe – in Bluebird blue.

The great Sir Stirling Moss checks out the 70s touring car grid. He drove touring cars in that period as an unsuccessful reprise to his career.

March 23, 2014

Race Retro

Posted by morewheelspin under formula 1, mclaren, motorsport, sportscars, Uncategorized | Tags: Bruce Mclaren, corgi, Denny Hulme, graham hill, henri pescarolo, Indy 500, le mans 1972, McLaren, mclaren M19, Mclaren M8D, peter revson, race retro, shadow, team embassy hill |
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The Race Retro show at the end of February was a first for me. It sounded promising – a show given over to historic racing in all it’s guises. First impressions were not favourable. The show is held at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry, an odd assortment of decaying 70s buildings dotted around a windswept and muddy agricultural show ground. Having to park in a muddy field a 10 minute walk from the exhibition halls was not the best start but it’s fair to say the show itself was a cracker. Surprisingly big it sprawled through several large halls hosting traders, clubs, race championship organisers, book sellers, car restorers and auto jumblers. Whilst many of those present had also been at Autosport only a few weeks previously there was a more relaxed feel to the show and better bargains to be had. The show is set to become a regular feature of my yearly calendar.

The show hosted a fine selection of McLarens. This is a Can Am M8D ex Denny Hulme from 1970. It has a 7.6 Litre 680hp V8 engine. Tragically Bruce McLaren was killed testing a M8D at Goodwood.

This is the1972 McLaren M19 that American Peter Revson drove in the Indy 500 that year. He came home 31st. Revson would be tragically killed at Kyalami driving for Shadow in 1974.

I presume this rare old thing is an original and not a replica? It currently seems to be used to transport a stock car racing team. Embassy racing ran a Shadow race car and was owned and managed by two times world champion Graham Hill. He also drove for the team in its earliest years. Hill found running a team a difficult job and initially struggled. However by 1974 things were looking much more promising. Sadly Hill and pretty much the entire team were killed in 1975 in a plane crash when returning from testing at Paul Ricard in France . The team did not carry on and all the assets, presumably including this transporter, were sold.

One of Graham Hill’s finest achievements was winning the triple crown of motor racing – Monaco, Indy 500 and Le Mans. I have always thought that the Hills (father and son) were unfairly underated. Hill senior’s victory at Le Mans in 1972 at the age of 43 was particularly impressive. His co driver (and future multiple Le Mans winner) , Henri Pescarolo was initially sceptical that the “old man” would be quick enough but now freely admits Hill was the faster of the two of them. I had long been looking for a model of the fabulous Hill / Pescarolo Matra V12 but to no avail, so I was delighted to find this nice old French model, produced to celebrate that historic victory, at Race Retro.

Corgi produced this nice model of Hill’s 1974 Embassy Racing Shadow just a few months before he died.

February 9, 2014

Autosport Show (3) : The best of the rest

Posted by morewheelspin under mclaren, MG, motorsport | Tags: andy granatelli, Aston Martin vanquish, autosport international show 2014, BTCC, Caterham Aero Concept, Caterham prototype, Ford Eco Boost Engine, Jason Plato, Lamborghini Aventador, Le mans mg Lola, McLaren 14c gt3, MG6, ronnie peterson, stp march 711 |
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Rather niftily wrapped Lambo Aventador

Jason Plato discusses the BTCC in front of his MG6

Caterham’s Aero Concept – a replacement for the 7? Not any more by the sounds of it. Just as well – its not a looker.

On the Ford stand you could see a stripped down version of their fantastic little but ever so powerful Eco Boost engine. So clever it makes my head hurt.

An old friend. I saw this ex Works MG Lola battle for the honours at Le Mans in 2002. Whilst ultimately unsuccessful due to poor reliability the car was quick. In the hands of an American privateer with a new reliable engine the car went on to win back to back class victories at Le Mans. But by then MG were no more..

McLaren’s new MP14c based GT3 racer, Quarter of a million pounds of speed. Shame about the P1 paint work.

Rather beautiful new Aston Martin Vanquish.

Ronnie Peterson’s 1971 March 711 F1 car. Sponsored by STP, the car was at the show as part of an STP promotional campaign. Sadly its appearance practically coincided with the death at 90 of the man who made STP one of the global motoring brands of the 60’s and 70’s, Andy Granatelli.

July 22, 2013

Back to the Festival of Speed

Posted by morewheelspin under ferrari, Goodwood Motor Circuit, mclaren, mercedes benz, MG, motorsport, porsche, sportscars | Tags: Ferrari, Ferrari 458, Festival of speed, Goodwood, lotus, mclaren mp4-12, Mercedes Benz, mg SV, Peter Stevens, Porsche 911, sir jack brabham, supercars |
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Beast’s claim to fame is being the oldest surviving production MG SV. She was a works car and was used for promotion work when the car was launched in 2003. That year she was prepared for the Goodwood Festival of Speed and spent the weekend in the supercar paddock and being driven up the hill by luminaries such as Australian multiple F1 champion Sir Jack Brabham and the designer of the car (and the McLaren F1) Peter Stevens. So when earlier this year the Goodwood Road Racing Club announced that there was to be a new area of reserved parking at the Festival of Speed for visiting supercars I was determined that the Beast should have the chance to mix it with the Ferraris, Lambos and other exotica. The organisers were supportive and allocated me a ticket when they found out the Beast would be revisiting the Festival nearly 10 years to the day since she was last there. Getting a ticket was not as easy as it sounds as the organisers had a list of what they thought of as supercars and MGs were not on it! Only two door Ferraris were allowed, and amongst the volume brands only Jag XJ220’s (no other Jags) only Lotus Esprits and Evora S, 911’s but for this year only, and only SLS Mercs (no AMGs). So pretty exclusive company!

The Beast attracted lots of attention, indeed more than the McLaren MP4 12 c and Ferrari V12 parked next to it. In fact there were 23 McLarens present so they were considerably more common than the MG! Surprisingly there was only two Ferrari 458’s when I had been led to believe that they were, when compared to the McLaren, the better car. Clearly the Festival crowd are a patriotic bunch.

McLarens – any colour as long as its orange..

As it was the 50th anniversary of the 911 there were plenty of Stuttgart’s finest. Next year its said they won’t be allowed amongst the supercars but this year the super car car park would have looked a bit empty without them so it would not surprise me if they get a reprieve.

I suspect the attention focused on the Beast was the result of her striking looks and the fact she is such a rare car. One of her admirers turned out to be someone who had worked for the Isle of Wight company who had made the carbon fibre blanks used to construct the bodywork of the car. The Beast was the first complete SV he had seen.

July 6, 2013

The British Grand Prix

Posted by morewheelspin under ferrari, formula 1, lewis hamilton, mclaren, mercedes benz, motorsport, red bull, vettel | Tags: alonso, Bernie Ecclestone, Ferrari, Hamilton, lotus, massa, McLaren, Mercedes, Pirelli, Raikkonen, Red bull, Rosberg, Silverstone, vettel, webber, williams |
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The British Grand Prix was certainly dramatic! Pirelli managed to conjour up a thrilling spectacle for the capacity crowd on a beautiful English summer’s day. Watching from the fast slalom that is Becketts I missed seeing most of the multiple blow outs myself, though I did see Massa’s excursion off track after his rear left burst.

Lewis’ burst tyre was particularly harsh after his fine qualifying performance and clearly robbed him of victory in front of his home fans. Helped by the safety car he drove magnificently back to fourth from last. His comments after the race were revealing. He said that the “illegal” tyre test with Mercedes had been undertaken to try and address the tyre failure problems that had occurred earlier in the season but that nothing was done after the tests. His anger that drivers’ lives were being put at risk was clear.

Certainly tyres exploding at 190 mph are very dangerous for the driver, other racers, spectators and marshals who have to run on track to recover bits of rubber. That no one was killed or injured last weekend owes a lot to the skill of the drivers (only Massa lost control) and luck. In particular both Alonso and Raikkonen were lucky to avoid contact with tyre debris.

After the race some were quick to blame the “sharp” curbs at Silverstone. This was manifestly nonsense given the curbs were the same as last year. It was only days later that Pirelli admitted there was an issue with the tyres but again this was only after they appeared to suggest that fault lay with the teams using incorrect tyre pressures and camber. Whatever the cause it became clear something needed to be done urgently to avoid the (albeit slim) prospect of a boycott of this weekend’s German GP. Bernie Ecclestone wasted no time in banging heads together and hopefully we will not see any more failures this weekend.

The repeated blow outs and safety car periods led to a dramatic finale with Webber and Hamilton carving through the field to finish second and fourth. It’s a shame Mark could not win his last British GP but he certainly pushed Rosberg hard. His metronomic victory for Mercedes was ominous for Red Bull – nearly as ominous as Vettel’s gearbox failure retirement when he looked to have the race in the bag (the cheers of delight from the British fans when he pulled over left you in no doubt where their sympathies lay). A steady drive from Alonso meant he closed the gap on Vettel and though Raikkonen will have been disappointed to have lost a number of places in the last few laps the fact he has now finished more consecutive GP’s than Schumacher in his pomp is certainly some achievement. It was another race to forget for McLaren and Williams.

June 29, 2013

British Grand Prix Qualifying

Posted by morewheelspin under ferrari, formula 1, lewis hamilton, mclaren, mercedes benz, motorsport, red bull, vettel | Tags: F1, Ferrari, force India, Hamilton, lotus, Silverstone, vettel, webber |
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I head off to Silverstone at dawn tomorrow for the British Grand Prix. There is always a great atmosphere at Silverstone where despite eye watering prices over 130,000 spectators regularly watch the race. It should be exciting tomorrow. Qualifying was thrilling, with Mercedes getting the better of Red Bull again. Hamilton seems to have finally got the measure of his car and stormed to pole with the only sub 1 minute 30 second time, nearly half a second quicker than team mate Roseberg. Vettel was the quickest of the Red Bulls but Paul D Resta gave British fans something else to cheer about with a fantastic P5. Will he finally get the podium place he so deserves? Ricciardo also did very well at P6 – perhaps motivated by the soon to be vacant Webber seat at Red Bull? Conversely the Lotus struggled to P8 and 9 and the Ferraris did even worse, Alonso managing only P 10 and Masa P12. But the news was far worse still for McLaren and Williams with both teams failing to make it out of Q2. Hamilton’s much derided decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes now looks increasingly sensible. Williams’ sad slide to oblivion is beginning to look irreversible.

Whilst I’ll be in my Lotus shirt tomorrow I’ll be cheering on Hamilton and Di Resta and wishing the best to the other Brits. A victory for Hamilton in a Mercedes would be a fairy tail mirroring Moss’s first British GP win for Mercedes in 1954. But whilst Mercedes seem to have the pace for qualifying Red Bull seem stronger in the races. Can Mercedes hold Red Bull off this time?

June 27, 2013

Rush: Hunt v Lauda 1976

Posted by morewheelspin under ferrari, formula 1, mclaren, motorsport | Tags: Ferrari, grand prix, GRRC, James Cameron, James hunt, McLaren, niki lauda, world championship |
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Ever since the success of the Senna film in 2010 there has been talk of more films, with racing at their heart, making it to the big screen. It’s fair to say that racing films have not really enjoyed much success beyond the piston head market. Whilst I can watch “Le Mans” and “Grand Prix” many times most critics were not impressed. There have been other racing movies since but none has made much impact – but that looks like it could soon change.

The 1976 F1 World Championship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, McLaren and Ferrari, was one of the most epic racing seasons of all time. Hunt, the flamboyant English playboy, was a darling of the British public and Lauda, the precise Austrian World Champion, was the villain. Added to the patriotic drama was the amazing story of Lauda’s recovery mid way through the season after a terrible fiery crash. And set against all of this was Hunt’s tortuous private life, his insecurity, and his disintegrating marriage.

Bringing all this drama to the screen would not be easy but the producers have picked a great director in Ron Howard (Apollo 13 etc). Take a look at the trailers on YouTube. The film looks like it will be fantastic. I Thought I was going to have to wait till mid September to see the film with everyone else but last week the Goodwood Road Racing Club announced they had organised an exclusive preview showing of the film, with an introduction from one of the producers, in Soho on Monday evening. I can’t wait. Luckily I read David Benson’s excellent slim summary of the season (“Hunt v Lauda”) a few months ago so a lot of the story will be fresh in my mind. I recommend the book. It can be picked up for a couple of quid on eBay.

June 1, 2013

Geneva Supercar Shootout

Posted by morewheelspin under ferrari, mclaren | Tags: Ferrari 458, geneva Motorshow, la Ferrari, McLaren mp4-12c, McLaren p1 |
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In March I managed to visit the Geneva Motorshow for the first time. I have fond memories of the British Motorshows at Earls Court and the NEC – vast halls stuffed full of people admiring the shining products of the leading manufacturers of the day. That the British Motorshow is no more is a sad state of affairs. We are told people no longer want to come and look at stationary cars. No one seems to have told that to the huge crowds of Swiss, Germans and French at the Geneva show!

Amongst the new hatchbacks and saloons the stars of the show were the supercars – in particular the new McLaren P1 and the ridiculously named LaFerrari. The cars, like their manufacturers, are great rivals. Each is limited to a production run of 500 and each manufacturer makes great play of the F1 technology that they have included in their fearsomely quick hybrid stars.

The Ferrari, in traditional Corso Roso red, looked stunning. Some of the detailing looked fiddly when compared to the sublime Ferrari 458, but overall the Ferrari had the edge on the McLaren in the looks department.

One can’t help but feel that McLaren, stung by the criticism that the MP4-12C was not as dramatic as a Supercar should be, pulled all the stops out when it came to the P1. Certainly it was no shrinking violet with its bright yellow paintwork and swooping lines. But overall the effect was just a bit too much, like they had tried too hard.

Each car costs in excess of a million pounds. Ferrari have, however, sold all theirs. McLaren have a few hundred left. So in commercial terms it looks like the tradition and looks of the Ferrari have triumphed over the technological focus of the McLaren. But in reality would you want either car? If you want to buy a Supercar do you really want a complex hybrid transmission and KERs technology? Do you really care about emissions and fuel efficiency in a car that you will drive a few hundred miles a year? I suspect not. Personally I would rather save £800k and buy an MP4-12c or 458. And of those two it would be the McLaren, with its restrained looks, that would get my money.

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