1968, sponsorship and all that

Just a thought (another what if, so if you object to such read no further). What would have happened if the rules regarding commercial sponsorship had remained as they were? Would the sport in Europe have faced financial ruin? Would it still be a 'fringe' sport? Would its safety record have improved to anything like the levels we see now? How long could such a rule have realistically been upheld?

Frankly, I think money would still have come in...

Cigarette companies, in particular, were looking for ways to spend their cash. They had been banned from television advertising, but still spent up big on magazines. And with the release of that cash, unspent with the TV networks, they went on a spree.

They bought legitimate businesses... like Nabisco, for instance, and started flexing their muscles in other industries, snubbed their noses at local authorities trying to restrict smoking and so on. They would have found a way to get mileage out of motor racing.

Drivers would have been suited up, helmets weren't under any bans. Transporters were seen across the continents, car covers could have carried logos and company colours, girls with umbrellas etc.

And there was no ban on circuit advertising and even sponsorship. The only limitation was on car signage.

It might not have happened quite as quickly... but did it happen quickly anyway?

When was the next fag promoter after GLTL? Marlboro?

Originally posted by angst
Just a thought (another what if, so if you object to such read no further). What would have happened if the rules regarding commercial sponsorship had remained as they were? Would the sport in Europe have faced financial ruin? Would it still be a 'fringe' sport? Would its safety record have improved to anything like the levels we see now? How long could such a rule have realistically been upheld?

Very good question Angst

Perhaps we can define for those of us that don't know, what were the rules in place?

When was the next fag promoter after GLTL? Marlboro?

Embassy? With Graham Hill.

Originally posted by Barry Boor


Embassy? With Graham Hill.

Lucky Strike? Dave Charlton's Lotus 72 in 1971? I think Marlboro came along in '72 (surely you remember that year, Barry - or were you too busy??!!)

In the thread started by Lutz G on Dave Charltons lucky strike Lotus

http://forums.autosp...t=dave charlton

Felix highlights that in his research Gunston first started sponshersip in 68.

Originally posted by Felix
in 2002 I was commissioned by LUCKY STRIKE to research its F1 heritage, particularly the Charlton days, for a Retro Programme which saw David run Jacques Villeneuve's BAR 004, and the French-Canadian running a 72 in LS colours at Valencia.

Herewith some items from that research: (I also have masses of period photographs of the car and driver - incl the British GP and the Valencia day - but don't know how to post them on here.)

INTRODUCTION

Despite the commonly-held view that Colin Chapman, Team Lotus and Gold Leaf were the first Formula One parties to exploit the relaxation of regulations controlling commercial and non-trade sponsorship in grand prix racing, it was, in fact, a South Africa/Rhodesian –as Zimbabwe was known in the sixties - tobacco company (Gunston) which first graced a Formula One car in a world championship grand prix.

The record shows that TEAM GUNSTON entered John Love for the 1968 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami in a Brabham BT20–Repco, with GOLD LEAF TEAM LOTUS being nominated as entrant at the next round, the Spanish Grand Prix. The history books maintaining that Chapman was the ‘father of commercial sponsorship’ are, therefore, wrong!

Love’s agreement with Gunston covered the full South African National Drivers’ Championship – at that time for Formula One cars complying with the regulations pertaining to grands prix – and this substantial (for the period) financial backing made another national title a foregone conclusion. It also elevated the credibility of Gunston as a brand…

BACKGROUND – LUCKY STRIKE (DAVID CHARLTON)

A national championship competitor, David Charlton, approached the United Tobacco Company of SA – then brand managers for LUCKY STRIKE – in 1969, and their sponsorship agreement enabled the Yorkshire-born, (but South African national/resident) Charlton to purchase a Lotus 49. This was entered in the 1970 South African Grand Prix under the Scuderia Scribante banner, but with full LUCKY STRIKE branding down each side of the car. (See picture) The combination qualified 13th, and retired from a strong Top Ten showing – and possible points position - with a puncture seven laps from the end.

Charlton also ran the car in the South African series, dominating it and scoring the first of his five national titles – a feat that would, today, rank on a par with, at least, winning a national Formula Three or the European F3000 title.

So satisfied was UTC with its arrangement that, for the 1971 SAGP, the company sponsored Charlton in a full works Brabham BT33-Cosworth as team mate to Graham Hill. Charlton’s car was fully bedecked in LUCKY STRIKE livery, with the start number ‘15’ being inside the brand’s roundel on the nose! (See picture).

Despite comfortably out qualifying Hill (Q 19th), Charlton (Q 12th) was unable to raise the finances for a full world championship challenge, and, instead, persuaded LUCKY STRIKE to purchase a Lotus 72D – as had won the world championship in 1970 with Jochen Rindt, and would win the 1972 title in the hands of Emerson Fittipaldi. As part of the arrangement, Charlton was entered in the 1971 Dutch and British Grands Prix by GOLD LEAF TEAM LOTUS – in their colours.

He non-started the first event after ‘team mate’ Dave Walker crashed the car in practice, and retired from the Silverstone round – having qualified 13th - with a damaged engine. The car was then shipped to South Africa, and Charlton won his second national title – painted in LUCKY STRIKE RACING (LSR) colours.

For 1972 Charlton retained the car, and entered the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, qualifying 17th and retiring after fuel pump failure. He went on to win the national a third time despite taking ‘time out’ to compete in the French, British and German world championship rounds – in the colours of LUCKY STRIKE. The French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand (now Michelin’s test track) on July 2, 1972 thus saw the first appearance of LSR outside of South Africa.

He non-started that round due to late arrival after shipping delays, but qualified 24th for the British Grand Prix and was mixing it with the likes of Niki Lauda when he retired due to transmission failure. He qualified again for the German GP, retiring due to illness.

The next South African Grand Prix (1973) saw Charlton and the LSR Lotus 72D involved in an accident with Clay Reggazoni (BRM)and Mike Hailwood (Surtees) on the second lap. He had qualified 13th (AGAIN!), and was running well up when the three cars collided. The Swiss driver lay unconscious in his burning car, and Hailwood and Charlton rescued him by literally dragging him out of the blazing wreck. Hailwood was awarded the George Medal for Bravery by HM Elizabeth II for his part, whilst Charlton went on to win his fourth title. The Lotus was by now beyond its sell-by date, and retired – of more anon.

LUCKY STRIKE bankrolled the purchase of a McLaren M23-Cosworth for 1974 – an example of which would win the world championship with Fittipaldi that year, and be victorious with James Hunt two years later - for Charlton. He entered the car for the SAGP, qualifying 20th and retiring after a collision. He won his fifth successive national drivers’ title – after which the title moved into a transition phase as the country adopted Formula Two/Atlantic cars for its premier series. Charlton, though, did start (20th) – and finish (14th) – the 1975 South African Grand Prix.

That was the last time LUCKY STRIKE livery was seen in a world championship grand prix until British American Racing’s entry into the sport for the 1999 season.

In 2001 Charlton attended the Hungarian Grand Prix, and was widely recognised by paddock people who were active in Formula One in his time. Mr Ecclestone immediately greeted him, as did Charlie Whiting, technicians, journalists and others. That he was respected during his day goes without saying; that many a journalist wished for an interview was clear.

Charlton (born 27/10/1936) is a semi-retired motor trader, and lives in North Johannesburg.

BACKGROUND - LUCKY STRIKE (EDDIE KEIZAN)

This former office machine technician’s first contact with LUCKY STRIKE came when the tobacco company sponsored his Ford Capri in the South African Saloon Car Championship in the late sixties. Thereafter he switched to single seaters, first in a Formula Ford, then a Surtees F5000 – which ran in the SA National Drivers’ Championship’s ‘B’ Division.

For 1973 his patron (Alex Blignaut) bought the ex-Jackie Stewart Tyrrell 004-Cosworth, having persuaded the EMBASSY label – a UTC brand - to provide funding. The company elected to run the car under LUCKY STRIKE livery in the 1974 SAGP, which was known as the LUCKY STRIKE Grand Prix of South Africa, and Keizan ran as team mate to Charlton, despite having a different entrant, technical team, patron and car!

He 22nd in the three-year old car and finished the race, but was not classified.

The same car was entered for 1975 – in EMBASSY livery – and he qualified 24th, finishing 14th. For 1975 Keizan received a Lotus 72D from GUNSTON, and retired from single seaters thereafter to concentrate on his business interests.

Keizan is CEO and Joint Chairman of the Tiger Wheels/ATS Group – multi-national manufacturers and distributors of TSW and ATS wheels to the automotive aftermarket and as OE fitment to major motor manufacturers. The company also distributes Yokohama tyres throughout the world. He lives in North Johannesburg, and today has access to nine Formula One cars – gained as part of his purchase of the ATS company, which was a Formula One entrant in the 70s and 80s. ‘Racing them in Historics is still on my to-do list…’ smiles the qualified pilot.

BACKGROUND - LUCKY STRIKE (OTHER)

LUCKY STRIKE had been active in other forms of national and international motor sport – both in South Africa and elsewhere.

In the late sixties and early seventies, for example, Southern Africa hosted the Springbok Series: an international sports racing championship taking in circuits in South Africa, Mozambique, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Angola. LUCKY STRIKE was a regular sponsor/entrant, and drivers such as Jody Scheckter (1974), Charlton, Keizan, David Piper, John Hine competed and won in its colours.

Apart from aforesaid Capri for Keizan, a Ford Mustang raced in the national saloon championship in white with large roundels (a replica is currently racing in SA Historics in the same livery), whilst Charlton raced a Modus Formula Atlantic car under LSR after the demise of the Formula One championship in that country.

For a period South Africa’s premier championship was open to F1, F5000, F2 and FA cars, and programmes from that era show up to five cars competing in LSR colours in the same race – albeit in different categories.

In the mid-eighties Norwegian Martin Schanche entered a LUCKY STRIKE Argo-Mazda Rotary at Le Mans (this car was offered and sold in August last year on auction), whilst records of various entries in lesser categories in other parts exist.

THE FORMULA ONE CARS

LSR LOTUS 49-COSWORTH

This car, although under LSR colours, was, in fact, owned by Charlton’s patron at the time – the wealthy construction magnate, enthusiast and race circuit owner, Aldo Scribante. After Charlton’s tenure it was entered by Scribante for Pieter de Klerk to drive in national events.

The former factory Porsche and Lola sports car driver crashed it in Cape Town, and the bent chassis was sold to the late Rt Hon John Dawson-Dahmer in Australia. ‘JDD’ was a Lotus enthusiast and collector, and lost his life in a crash at Goodwood in 2000 in another of his Lotus cars.

The ex-Charlton car is, the writer believes, sitting in Australia awaiting probate on his estate.

‘LSR’ BRABHAM BT33-COSWORTH

This car was never paid for by LUCKY STRIKE, and ‘merely’ sponsored ion one-off basis by the brand, so its history is sketchy. There are, though, numerous examples of the type in historic racing, so a replica would be a relatively simple matter to arrange.

LSR LOTUS 72D-COSWORTH

This car eventually found its way, via various owners, to the UK, and was rebuilt by respected historic Formula One preparation expert Simon Hadfield for owner Michael Schryver. It is painted in the original GOLD LEAF colours, and competes regularly in the FIA Historic Formula One Championship in that livery. At the end of 1998 it returned to South Africa to compete in a historic race, and was demonstrated by Charlton.

Subsequently Schryver sold the car to a Japanese collector.

LSR McLAREN-COSWORTH

This car was sold to Australia after the demise of South Africa’s Formula One category, and was converted to F5000 specification – the then-Australian national formula. It has been converted back to F1 mechanicals, and is in a private collection.

LSR TYRRELL 004-COSWORTH

After Keizan’s efforts this car was sold by Blignaut to an American collector. It allegedly is still in the US, and has not been traded – although it is reportedly now in the Donington Museum. Possibly it is on loan…

OTHERS

The Heidelberg Transport Museum – established by the Rembrandt Group, now part of BAT SA – contains a racing car section, in which cars sponsored by the various tobacco brands are displayed. LEXINGTON, a well-known South African ‘action’ brand sponsored the Tyrrell 007 of Ian Scheckter – which ran in the 1976 South African Grand Prix in that branding.

The car is wholly-owned by the museum, and, as such, ‘owned’ by BAT SA…

Whilst it never ran in LUCKY STRIKE colours, it is ‘similar’ to the Tyrrell raced by Keizan – although an expert would know the difference immediately.

The Springbok Series LSR cars were mainly Chevrons and Lolas, but Piper ran a monstrous LUCKY STRIKE Porsche 917 in the Kyalami 9 hour race in 1970 – and still owns that car.

CIRCUITS

Circuits the cars appeared at, in LUCKY STRIKE livery, other than the national South African circuits, are:

British GP - Brands Hatch (72D - 1972)

British Grand Prix – Silverstone* (72D – 1971)

Dutch Grand Prix* (72D – 1971)

French Grand Prix - Clermont-Ferrand (72D - 1972)

South African Grand Prix - Kyalami (49C - 1970, BT33 – 1971, 72D – 1972/3, M23 – 1974/5, 004 - 1974)

German Grand Prix - Nurburgring (note: not the ‘Newburgring’) (72D - 1972)

* = in GOLD LEAF colours

Marlboro was on BRM in '72... and another interesting one I found...

Viceroy on the Parnelli cars at Indy.

Originally posted by Ray Bell


Viceroy on the Parnelli cars at Indy.

When did that start, Ray? I remember it from the mid 70s, but perhaps it was earlier.

I just noticed it in the Indy results for 1972...

When did cigarette advertising get banned from television in the US?

Originally posted by ian senior

I think Marlboro came along in '72

Contrary to popular belief, Marlboro first appeared in F1 during 1970...



;)

Originally posted by Twin Window
Contrary to popular belief, Marlboro first appeared in F1 during 1970...



;)

God, I'd forgotten that. But surely it was a personal deal with Jo rather than team sponsorship?

That was exactly the point of my first post in this thread...

So at what point did @the regulations@ change to allow a) non automotive industry support and b) tobacco advertising support?
Was it not just a case of it hadn't been done before in such an obvious manner by Chapman bfore the tasman series in 1968?

There were rules relating to the way advertising could be shown on a car at that time...

I don't know the specifics, but size of lettering etc was controlled, IIRC. That aside, what Lotus did was open the gates to colouring the car to suit the advertiser. Not a totally new idea, I wouldn't reckon, particularly as Total Oil and Neptune had done something similar in Australia from a few years earlier, and I have no doubt there are many other examples.

Chapman did the deal as the Tasman Cup was underway, but those races were undoubtedly only a small part of the package he sold the cigarette company. Had Lotus not been running here, then their first appearances would have been in some F2 events (prior to the one in which Clark died).

There has never been any ban on non-industry sponsorship. Or tobacco support, for that matter, which of course is about to be banned.

In 1960, you'll recall, the BRP ran with finance company support. Though you could say that they were promoting car loans, but it wouldn't be altogether true. Trucking companies were common sponsors for Indy cars (Dean Van Lines Special, for instance) in the fifties and sixties.

As stated in the extract of the post by Felix, the Gunston Cigarette Company of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, introduced tobacco sponsorship to Formula One when they sponsored Rhodesian drivers John Love and Sam Tingle for the 1968 SA National Championship series.

The first time Formula One cars appeared in a Grand Prix with cigarette sponsorship was the 1968 South African Grand Prix, where both John Love's Brabham BT20–Repco and Sam Tingle's LDS Mk3B wore full Gunston livery.

The first time a Lotus appeared in Gold Leaf colours was Jim Clark's Lotus 49T at the 1968 Lady Wigram Trophy, the third round of the Tasman Series, held on 20th January, 1968. The next race of the 1968 F1 World Championship after the SAGP was the Spanish Grand Prix, which the first time that Team Lotus cars were entered in a Grand Prix wearing Gold Leaf livery.

One small error:-

"...David Charlton, approached the United Tobacco Company of SA - then brand managers for LUCKY STRIKE – in 1969, and their sponsorship agreement enabled the Yorkshire-born, (but South African national/resident) Charlton to purchase a Lotus 49."

Aldo Scribante, the owner of a construction company, was an ardent motor racing enthusiast who sponsored a number of South African drivers, including Dave Charlton. Scribante bought Jo Bonnier's Lotus 49B/R8 (upgraded to 49C specs) for Dave Charlton to contest the 1970 SA Championship with. Charlton drove the car in the 1970 South African Grand Prix under the "Scuderia Scribante" banner. It was only after the 1970 SAGP that Charlton was able to secure sponsorship from South Africa's United Tobacco Company. Gunston was the main rival of United Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarette brand and this saw the start of the "tobacco wars" in SA motor sport.

Through a series of aquisitions and mergers, over time UTC became British American Tobacco. In 1998, BAT acquired rival Rothmans International.


Kind regards,

Russell

Thanks Ray, now we have something to talk about. Does any one remember the British Vita Minis, sponsored by a foam company IMSC, that must have been around 1968, but not F1 obviously.
I think motorsport would have remained wonderfully amateur and been significantly better off because of it -Its the pressure of providing sanitized PR and results that has ruined the sport at virtually every level.
Tobacco advertising was great in countries like New Zealand whre the pressure to succeed wasn't so great from the sponsors, who spread their sponsorship through evry category of the sport and in every sport, in much the same way as Red Bull do now. The focus was much more on brand awareness than it was on winning a championship.
I think Safety has improved through social attitudes rather than money and would have been lead as it always was by designers coming in from the aerospace industry, finding better materials and methods.
If Grand Prix had remained as they were, meaning the Grand Prize of motor sport in what ever country, thus giving the Grand Prize to the driver who won it rather than the team, and we didn't have this rediculous 'championship' mentality where points are more important than winning, the sport would have continued to grow as a sport rather than a business.
I also think that if corporate sponsors had not been such a powerful lobby, the manufacturers would have shown more interest, as the cars would recognisably theirs rather than the sponsors. Just an opinion.

Originally posted by Huw Jadvantich
Thanks Ray, now we have something to talk about. Does any one remember the British Vita Minis, sponsored by a foam company IMSC, that must have been around 1968, but not F1 obviously.

Yes, they dated back to about 1964 or so with people like the Rev. Rupert Jones and Harry Ratcliffe, but although they were painted in British Vita house colours, I don't think the cars sported any signwriting giving the sponsor's name. After 1968, things changed.

Advertising on race cars was allowed from Jan 1 1968. I seem to remember there was a maximum size to each sticker. What was not envisaged was painting the whole car like a fag packet! Lotus successfully argued that the only advertising was the sailor logo in the centre of the 'Gold Leaf Team Lotus' sticker,which was covered with a black disc before the British GP could be televised.

There are really two separate issues here - commercial sponsorship and tobacco sponsorship.

US racing has always had commercial sponsorship, eg the Sugarripe Prune Special. The Carrera Panamericana certainly allowed advertising, eg Porsches sponsored by Fletcher Aviation. The Coronation Safari organisers obtained a special concession from the RAC, the sanctioning body, to allow cars to carry advertising to defray expenditure. But many organising clubs did not - witness the difficulties Jack Brabham had with the Australian authorities banning his Redex Special.

With the rise of the small Climax-engined customer teams, there was a move away from national colours towards team colours. This was discreet at first with Lotus's yellow stripe , Cooper's twin white stripes, BRM's dayglo orange nose etc. but was growing

In 1968 the RAC or possibly the CSI acknowledged what was happening and changed their regulations to allow colours other than national colours to be used. As a separate issue they also permitted more advertising. So there definitely was a change in "the rules". Chapman had seen the Indianapolis 'total sponsorship' colour schemes and the South African cars and grasped the opportunity, linking up with Players to give us the Gold Leaf Lotuses. Yardley BRM and Elf Tyrrell are other early patnerships that come to mind.

In parallel with this, the British ban on tobacco advertising came in and we saw a lot of brand awareness advertising sponsorship evolve - the John Player 1-day cricket trophy, the Piccadilly World Matchplay (golf) Championship, the Embassy Snooker Championship etc. With its high television exposure and moving billboard potential, motor racing was a natural outlet. And so we got the vast tobacco money.

But this doesn't answer the original question which was "Where would we be if commercial sponsorship had not come along?"

i dont thinq its the advertisement on the cars in 68 (by tobbaco company or others) who is the real beginning of the big businness in F1, its the large scale television coverage and that is in 1976, television have change everything ,before sponsors were giving "peanuts"

Originally posted by ian senior

God, I'd forgotten that. But surely it was a personal deal with Jo rather than team sponsorship?

Yes it was; Siffert also had them on his Can-Am Porsche in 1971, and was responsible for getting them involved with BRM. What a pity he didn't live to see the 1972 season and beyond...

Denny Hulme and Peter Revson also had personal Marlboro deals in 1971 for their USAC programme at McLarens, but Seppi must take the credit for introducing them to F1 in 1970.

So it was always possible to have small sponsorship signage, and it was the national colours(to which something of a blind eye was being turned anyway) which was dropped in 1968? Do we know who lobbied for that change?

Originally posted by angst
So it was always possible to have small sponsorship signage, and it was the national colours(to which something of a blind eye was being turned anyway) which was dropped in 1968? Do we know who lobbied for that change?

I may be wrong, but wasn't it at the '68 Monaco GP when Gold Leaf Team Lotus first appeared (in an F1 race) in the new red and gold livery rather than BRG/yellow of Lotus?
I also think it was in the Tasman series of earlier that same year (January '68) that Lotus first appeared in GLTL colors rather than the national colors.
http://eis.net.au/~bramwell/tas68.htm

Originally posted by WGD706

I may be wrong, but wasn't it at the '68 Monaco GP when Gold Leaf Team Lotus first appeared (in an F1 race) in the new red and gold livery rather than BRG/yellow of Lotus?

It was the Spanish GP at Jarama.

Originally posted by angst
So it was always possible to have small sponsorship signage, and it was the national colours(to which something of a blind eye was being turned anyway) which was dropped in 1968? Do we know who lobbied for that change?

I think we really need someone who has the respective rule books of the times to determine exactly what changed...

Originally posted by Ray Bell


I think we really need someone who has the respective rule books of the times to determine exactly what changed...

I think you might be right. I've been looking through photos pre-'68 and haven't found any signage of any size on any of the cars denoting any sort of sponsorship. Not even oil companies (strangely) - all except two small Firestone stickers on the two Lotus cars in Mexico '67. Maybe I've missed something though, so I'll keep digging around.

This is what DSJ had to say in Motor Sport magazine for January 1968:

The RAC have announced that advertising will now be permitted on racing cars, and that it need not be connected with the motor industry. Any number of advertisements will be allowed but each one will be limited to 55 square inches, or 5 in. depth by 11 in. width. It is hoped that the racing world can get money from sponsors in exchange for this advertising space, which will make up for the withdrawal of Firestone, Esso and BP money. Good luck! At least this shows an appreciation of the fact that we are now living in the mid-twentieth century and this relaxation by the RAC augurs well for future desires.

I wonder if his views on the benefits of sponsorship would be as favourable today . . .

Originally posted by Tim Murray
This is what DSJ had to say in Motor Sport magazine for January 1968:


I wonder if his views on the benefits of sponsorship would be as favourable today . . .

Quite. Perhaps, like most others, the last thing he expected was the idea of billboards on wheels, the whole car being painted up in the colours of a brand, that resulted.

Originally posted by Twin Window
It was the Spanish GP at Jarama.

The first appearance of Gold Leaf Team Lotus in a Formula 1 race was the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch.

I was thinking GP.

And to think of the number of times I've pulled people for the same *offence*!

Originally posted by angst
I think you might be right. I've been looking through photos pre-'68 and haven't found any signage of any size on any of the cars denoting any sort of sponsorship. Not even oil companies (strangely) - all except two small Firestone stickers on the two Lotus cars in Mexico '67. Maybe I've missed something though, so I'll keep digging around.

Depends on what you call 'sponsorship,' I think...

The size of the 'entrant's name' on the side of the BRMs that came here in 1967 was much larger than in 1966... and larger, I'm fairly sure, than the local rules allowed at that time.

Thin end of the wedge, I think, was the plastering of black-on-white driver name patches on the cars that started about that time.

Tim Murray's quote from DSJ refers to the RAC, whose responsibility was confined to the British Isles. I don't know whether the FIA/CSI ever made an announcement allowing advertising.

The autumn of 1967 was a time of some political upheaval in the world of motor racing. The French government appointed the FFSA to fulfill the role previously undertaken by the ACF. It took some weeks, and a threat from the government to ban the Monte Carlo Rally before the inevitable was accepted. At some time during the dispute, the FFSA announced that advertising would be allowed in France. Additional conflict was caused by the announcement that sports-racing cars would be limited to 3-litres; this was particularly unpopular with the powerful Automobile Club de l'Ouest. In November, the Formula One Constructors' Association and the Grand Prix Drivers' Association wrote letters demanding that the CSI be made independent of the FIA and that it be reconstituted on a more democratic basis - that power be given to them, in other words.

It seems possible that the allowing of advertising was a matter for the national clubs and a fait accompli for the CSI.

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Marlboro was on BRM in '72... and another interesting one I found...

Viceroy on the Parnelli cars at Indy.

Here's another interesting one from Indy I just found: the Cocktail Hour Cigarette Special driven by Al Gordon way back in 1935. It even started on the front row. Despite that, though, I couldn't find another example of tobacco sponsorship at IMS until the Viceroy cars in 1972.

Originally posted by Ray Bell




Thin end of the wedge, I think, was the plastering of black-on-white driver name patches on the cars that started about that time.

I think this was started by John Webb at the first Brands Hatch British GP 1964.Was the reason for the fictional drivers in the movie 'Grand Prix' having names that looked like the real ones.

This example seems to get overlooked:

From D.S.J.’s reflections on the 1965 Italian GP

“There was a strange little ceremony in the paddock on the morning of the race when Colin Chapman was presented with two cases of salami (and a pocketful of lire?) in exchange for putting an advertisement for this particular brand of salami on the Lotus that Geki was to drive……..The same was happening in the Brabham team, where Baghetti’s car was also carrying salami advertising, and this was brought about because the Italians have a national rule that permits their drivers to have advertising on their cars, in spite of an F.I.A. rule that forbids it.”

Any photos?

The cars not the salami.

Originally posted by KJJ
This example seems to get overlooked:

From D.S.J.’s reflections on the 1965 Italian GP

“There was a strange little ceremony in the paddock on the morning of the race when Colin Chapman was presented with two cases of salami (and a pocketful of lire?) in exchange for putting an advertisement for this particular brand of salami on the Lotus that Geki was to drive……..The same was happening in the Brabham team, where Baghetti’s car was also carrying salami advertising, and this was brought about because the Italians have a national rule that permits their drivers to have advertising on their cars, in spite of an F.I.A. rule that forbids it.”

Any photos?

The cars not the salami.

So the FIA had a rule that forbade advertising, but the Italian motorsport authorities took it upon themselves to ignore that? So, was it a case in '68 of the national authorities (the RAC and the FFSA etc.) basically over-ruling the FIA/CSI policy, or did the FIA/CSI drop their rule and leave it up to the national authorities?

In Kanonloppet at Karlskoga in 1965 with international races for F2, F3 and Touring cars all had big stickers for Swedish soft drink brand "CAR". The Tingsryd brewery obviously sponsored the meeting and was allowed to put big stickers on the cars. I am not sure if everybody in the F2 race had them on, but Brabham, Stewart and Bonnier at least.

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Chapman did the deal as the Tasman Cup was underway, but those races were undoubtedly only a small part of the package he sold the cigarette company. Had Lotus not been running here, then their first appearances would have been in some F2 events (prior to the one in which Clark died).

The deal covered other series as well. The works Lotus 47 at Brands Hatch on the same day as Hockenheim was in GLTL colours. Not sure if that was its first outing of the season. But I don't think Lotus were running any F3 cars at that point.

Originally posted by Roger Clark

The first appearance of Gold Leaf Team Lotus in a Formula 1 race was the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch.

But then it had been GLTL for almost all of the 1968 Tasman series. IIRC there was a single race in which Lotus ran the classical BRG livery.

Originally posted by hyperbolica
IIRC there was a single race in which Lotus ran the classical BRG livery.

Two

Until 68 in the UK only the name of the entrant could be carried, in letters of limited height (hence Team Lotus and Owen Organisation).
Let's not forget that the change in regulations had an impact at all levels. Suddenly, I could carry a 55 square inch advert for the local car accessory shop on all rallies, however minor, in return for the odd free part.
There's an argument that advertising made it possible for the first time for anyone (in the UK at least) with the necessary skills to make it to the top in motorsport, instead of who you were, who you knew and how silver the spoon in your mouth was when you were born. I guess the jury's still out on that one.
I recall being over the moon at the time. Now I'm not so sure. That whether advertising really helped throughout the sport is still under debate in some areas says it all. At the lowest levels, whilst it helped those with least money, it equally helped all the others...

I suspect that Chapman used the 1967-68 Tasman series as a try-on. When nobody screamed at the Gold Leaf livery he had a precedent to quote when he did the same in Europe.

Originally posted by D-Type
I suspect that Chapman used the 1967-68 Tasman series as a try-on. When nobody screamed at the Gold Leaf livery he had a precedent to quote when he did the same in Europe.

I don't believe so. I seem to recall that the original big announcement from John Player a couple of weeks or so into January clearly covered all the racing series that Lotus would be involved in. I think the Lady Wigram Trophy race was just the earliest opportunity to get the car decked out in the new colours.

Originally posted by David McKinney
Two

Was it two in the Tasman series, or do you include the SA GP?

Seems my memory is failing...

Two in the Tasman series

Originally posted by lofong
I don't believe so. I seem to recall that the original big announcement from John Player a couple of weeks or so into January clearly covered all the racing series that Lotus would be involved in. I think the Lady Wigram Trophy race was just the earliest opportunity to get the car decked out in the new colours.

Well that's this month's signature justification out of the way.