Racing Lotus film festival, November 13th/14th

I've held off posting this before now because I didn't want to step on RTH's toes with the TNF film show but I thought some of you might like to know about this event. It is organised by fellow TNFer, Gary Critcher, and me, and takes place at Eynsham Hall, near Witney in Oxfordshire. This, our third event, focuses on Team Lotus motorsports history, featuring a combination of archive films and a guest panel session.

Our themes for this year are Jochen Rindt (40 years since he won the World Championship), 40 years of the Lotus 72 and 50 years of Lotus 18 victories (and, indeed, 50 years since the first Lotus Grand Prix win). We will be showing rare archive film in keeping with these themes, most if not all of which will not have been seen before in the UK.

The format of the event is that we show approximately three hours of film split into two sessions plus present a one and a half hour guest speaker panel session where our guests recount stories related to our themes and also take questions from the audience. To enable as many people as possible to be able to make it over the weekend, the content is repeated both days, the only difference being the dinner taking place on Saturday night, when there is a unique opportunity to spend the evening mingling and dining with our guest speakers.

This year our line-up includes ex-Team Lotus chief mechanic and racing manager Dick Scammell (who went on to be boss of Cosworth), former works Team Lotus Grand Prix driver (and Jochen’s team-mate in 1970) John Miles, long-time Team Lotus chief mechanic Bob Dance and ex-BRP chief mechanic, team manager, chief designer and major private entrant of Lotus F1 and sports cars in the early 1960s, Tony Robinson. Jochen Rindt authority Erich Walitsch is bringing along an extract from a documentary on Rindt that he has recently produced (featuring film from Nina Rindt’s personal archive) and he will also be sharing some of the photos from his enormous archive for use during the guest speaker panel session.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please take a look at the event website at www.legendsfilmfestivals.com. If you have any questions, PM or email me or Gary via TNF or at mail@legendsfilmfestivals.com.

Hope to see some of you there!

I'm booked Sat ...........top ticket
Good event this, cool venue too...........I have been to the previous two...loved them both.


Here is John Miles ( right)helping me out with some auctioneering for charity off the clubhouse balcony at Hethel last year.
Very nice chap..............

Edited by hipperson, 21 October 2010 - 19:34.

Just thought I'd let you know about some of the films we will be showing this year. With the blessing of David Weguelin, we will be showing some unusual film of the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix (I doubt anyone has seen it recently!), a piece on Jack Brabham and some special Moss footage. Along with this we will have some previosly un-seen footage of the Lotus 72, plus un-screened interview excerpts from Emerson Fittipaldi and Peter Warr, to name but a few. It will be a fun weekend!

Is the Belgian Grand Prix footage different from what is on MFQ?

Sounds like a fantastic event. You're not, by chance, planning on taking it on tour to California, are you?

That's a bit of a joke, but seriously, maybe consider doing an event like this in the week around the Monterey Historics? I don't know anything about the logistics/difficulty/costs of doing that, but you'd get great attendance.

To be honest, CSquared, Michael and I have talked about doing exactly that in the past. The main stumbling block would be getting the rights to show the films again (and in a foreign country too!), but I will chat with Michael about it during this coming week.

It is a great venue, always a good day and well worth supporting chaps !

Is the Belgian Grand Prix footage different from what is on MFQ?

Hi Barry

Yes, I didn't realise this, but it seems this footage has already appeared on MFQ, Vol 2!

To be frank we may not show it, as we are still fixing our final line-up. Although it is a great film, there is not a great deal of Lotus content!

We also plan to show David Roscoe's film Formula Junior 1960, which I understand was on Vol 16 of MFQ but its such a great film we can't resist...

The Moss footage is Two Laps of Honour, made about his 1961 victories in the Monaco and German GPs. This is commercially available, although I believe only on VHS.

Hope this helps!

Michael

Thought some of you might be interested in brief outlines of our main guest speakers, starting with Dick Scammell.

Dick Scammell joined Team Lotus in 1960 as a junior mechanic. In the 1962 and 63 seasons he was Jim Clark's personal mechanic, rising to be senior Formula 1 mechanic and a regular on the Indy team.

In 1968 he was appointed racing manager, a position he retained until 1971, when he left the team. During his time with Team Lotus, he worked with cars such as the 18, 21, 24, 25, 33, 43, 49, 63 and 72 in Formula 1 and also the Indy programme, where he worked on the Type 56 turbines in 1968. In fact, he describes their failure within sight of victory in that year's 500 as the lowest point in his career. Drivers he worked with include Clark, Surtees, Ireland, Stacey, Taylor, Arundell, Hill, Rindt, Miles and Fittipaldi, among others.

Dick went to work briefly for Tom Wheatcroft, who was in the process of developing what is now the Donington Collection. In 1972 he joined Cosworth, where he rose up through the ranks to the position of Director of Racing.

In 1995 Dick was awarded the MBE for services to motor racing. A year later he retired but he was tempted back in 1998 after Ford acquired Cosworth Racing from Audi AG, overseeing the integration of the company into the Ford organisation. In 1999, his job complete, he once again retired, a status he has worked hard to maintain ever since!

All in all, a fascinating life and he should make an interesting guest.

A new addition to our guest line-up, confirmed just this evening : former team Lotus Chief Mechanic Gordon Huckle. We're sure to get some interesting Jochen / Lotus 72 stories out of these boys!

A bit of background on Gordon Huckle.

He joined Team Lotus in late 1966. In 1967, he was assigned to the Formula 1 team where, along with Allan McCall, he was mechanic on Jim Clark's cars - including the Lotus 49. For 1968, Gordon moved on to the GT programme with the Type 47s running in Gold Leaf colours, working with John Miles, among others.

For 1969, he ran the Type 62s, which ran in the prototype class. In 1970, he came back to the Formula 1 team as chief mechanic, co-ordinating the running of the team's Lotus 49s and 72s. However, he did not travel to the fateful Monza race where Rindt has his accident, as he was suffering from exhaustion, a common affliction that year among Team mechanics.

When GRD was formed upon the closing of Lotus Components' production racing car business, he was one of the founding partners in the business.

Gordon is now retired and living in the West Country. He does not 'do' public events and we have been trying for several years to persuade him to come along to our festivals, so we are delighted that he has agreed to come along to Racing Lotus.

Like all our guests, he will be attending the dinner on the Saturday night, so if you wanted to hear first-hand stories about Jim Clark and the Lotus 49 or that 1970 season with Jochen Rindt and the Lotus 72, you won't have a better opportunity than this...

My first post in the Nostalgia Forum, after years of lurking:

Second CSquared's sentiments.

Only modification: If you're thinking of crossing the Pond and considering stops in Eastern Canada, i.e. Toronto or Montreal, please send up a flare.

This weekend, lads!

I would like to thank Michael, Gary and their assorted friends, colleagues and families for their efforts over the last few months which culminated in a truly successful day yesterday. You brought together a fascinating mix of films and images, which combined with the anecdotes and analyses of the panel illustrated what racing in the 60s and early 70s was like "behind the scenes". Half a dozen people to build, transport, prepare and repair a team of cars, no wonder they suffered exhaustion!

A really memorable day, thanks again.

I'll second that, an excellent day. Many thanks to Michael, Gary and all concerned. My only adverse comments: I would prefer more time with the guest speakers - all excellent - and the hotel needs to do something about the state of the Gents.

I'd go along with everything Roger said.

Yesterday (Saturday) was my first time, but a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

More time with guest panel preferable, particularly if it then allowed some Q&A, but this is a minor point.

Well done Gary and Michael and all involved "behind the scenes".

(P.S. John Miles excellent value for money!)

Edited by maplestone71, 15 November 2010 - 00:07.

I'm glad that the event was enjoyed! We had quite a bit of work to do on the films we showed this time. Notwithstanding a slight technical problem with the DVD player, which we think we traced to having four radio mic transmitters next to it! Yes, I understand what you say about time with the guets speakers. It woul dhave been more, but we had quite a few requests to show both the Grand Prix qualifying session on the big screen and also the actual race.

Lovely Saturday ...thanks !
Agreed John Miles is a top banana.

For Mr Clark and his love of a clean loo...........use the Disabled one in reception. Warm ,clean and spacious.

Now my appetite has been yet further whetted (which I didn't think possible), what's the latest on the 72 DVD ?

Hi Gents
I have some old pictures I would like identified, the car type, all taken in 1966. Kirkistown and Carrigantlet.
The Driver was Adrian REA hes 70 now and if anyone knows his whereabouts let me know please.




WHo are these guys? Adrians in the middle

First car looks like a Lotus 18 to me. Suggest you post a separate thread on the forum asking for info rather than posting it in this thread though as it is not really relevant to the subject!

Off thread, but perhaps contat should be made with Peter Filby the Turner historian etc, Try search facility on TNF. The last shot looks as if the car is running a Shorrock blower perhaps.
Roger Lund