11 replies to this topic

[lukywill]

Nicha Cabral Memories will become public in form of biography, book and CD

Cabral, a portuguese driver, raced in the 50/60 Forix



Excerpt of the interview to the DN (daily portuguese newspaper) :

(Translation - with my poor english - in the next post)

"Quis fazer uma biografia não só da minha vida de piloto de automóvel - que não foi nada de extraordinário, embora pudesse ter sido... - como mostrar, com verdade e sem segredos, a essa geração medíocre que vejo à minha volta, como se pode estar na vida e, mesmo numa carreira relax, no dizer de Bérnard Cahier, chegar a ter uma projecção e um certo prestígio internacional."

Mas será que os tempos actuais permitiriam repetir essas vivências ou elas são um privilégio de quem viveu em outras épocas?
"Teria que fazer as coisas de outra maneira, por certo. Talvez não tivesse o mesmo charme, o mesmo glamour que teve nos anos 50/60 - fantásticos!", confessa Nicha. "O mundo saía da II Guerra Mundial, com uma enorme vontade de viver. Havia uma certa maneira de estar, uma certa riqueza e qualidade de vida que agora as pessoas não têm. Hoje, as pessoas não dão qualquer significado à verdade, à dignidade, à correcção, à seriedade. Ainda sou do tempo de se apertar a mão para selar um negócio, o chamado acordo de cavalheiros. Só que hoje os cavalheiros praticamente não existem. Tenho visto gente com bom nome a fazer as maiores patifarias, o que acho profundamente lamentável. Hoje, os valores são outros. O que conta é o dinheiro, e depois o dinheiro, dinheiro... e mais nada."



Para Nicha Cabral, "embora continue a haver pequenos núcleos de pessoas com qualidade, a sociedade actual está dominada pelos emergentes, pelas finanças, sendo o dinheiro o que mais conta, especialmente em Lisboa, cidade que perdeu todo o encanto". E adianta: "Muitas fortunas têm sido feitas em 15 dias, algumas delas à custa da corrupção. Assim sendo, é natural que muitas dessas pessoas não estejam preparadas para conviver de uma maneira séria e com nível. Daí eu votá-las ao desprezo."

Um regresso ao romantismo de outras eras será, no entender de Nicha, "muito difícil". Para tal, "a sociedade vai ter de bater no fundo e recomeçar do zero. Mas não será já no meu tempo... mesmo que viva até aos 110 anos".



E conclui: "Fui um privilegiado na vida. Nasci no seio de uma família rica, tive uma mãe fora do vulgar, fui o primeiro piloto português de Fórmula 1, tive uma vida engraçada, conheci milhares de pessoas fantásticas, personalidades, campeões, músicos, actores, ginastas, alta finança, tudo gente muito especial, de quem dou a minha visão das relações que com eles tive."

[lukywill]

Excerpt of the interview to the DN (daily portuguese newspaper) :

" I wanted not only make a biography of my life of automobile pilot - that was not nothing of extraordinary, even so could have been... - as to show, with truth and without secrets, to this mediocre generation that I see to my rollback, as one can be in the life and, exactly in a career relax, saying of Bérnard Cahier, have a projection and a certain international prestige. "


The actual times would allow to repeat these experiences or them they are a privilege of who lived at other times? " It would have that to make the things in another way, for certain. Perhaps it did not have the same charme, the same glamour that had in years 50/60 - fantastic ", Nicha confesses. " the world left the World War II, with an enormous will of living. It had a certain way to be, a certain wealth and quality of life that now the people do not have. Today, the people do not give any meaning to the truth, to the dignity, the fair play, the seriousness. I am still of the time of pressing the hand to close a business, the call agreement of gentlemen. Only today the gentlemen practically do not exist. I have seen people with good name to make the biggest cheats, what I find deeply lamentable. Today, the values are others. What it counts is the money, and later the money, money... and nothing more. "

For Nicha Cabral, " even so it continues to have small cores of people with quality, the current society is dominated by emergent, for the finances, being the money what more account, especially in Lisbon, city that the enchantment lost all ". E advances: " Many richnesses have been made in 15 days, some of them to the cost of the corruption. Thus being, it is natural that many of these people are not prepared to coexist in a serious way and level. From there I to vote them it the disdain. " A return to the romantism of other ages will be, in understanding of Nicha, " very difficult ". For such, " the society goes to have to beat in the deep and to preset from zero. But it will not be in my alive time... not evan if I lived 110 years ".

And concludes: " I was a privileged one in the life. I was born in the ground of a rich family, I had a mother it are of the vulgar one, I was the first Portuguese Formula pilot 1, I had a funny life, I knew thousand of fantastic people, personalities, champions, musicians, actors, athletes, high finance, all very special people, of who I give my vision of the relations I had with them. "

[Felix Muelas]

lukywill,

Nice to see that things went more or less as planned. I am very curious to see whether The Nostalgia Forum humble but enthusiastic contribution to Cabral's biography is actually acknowledged properly and whether some of those mysteries that we tried to solve 15 months ago were finally solved! I sincerely hope so

Un abrazo

Felix Muelas

[Barry Lake]

lukywill

Would it be possible for you to translate the part where he writes (I assume) of his collison with Jack Brabham in the 1959 Portuguese GP, resulting in Brabham landing on his derriere in the middle of the road - in front of Masten Gregory?

[lukywill]

I still don´t have the book ("Nicha - Mário de Araújo Cabral", de Adelino Dinis). But as soon I read it I´ll post here some paragraphs that could be of interest.

About his collison with Jack Brabham :
(from Publico ) :

"
Still in this year (1959), in 23 of August, Nicha Cabral would line up in Monsanto, in a Cooper T51 Maserati of Sud Centro Sud, what would be its first GP of Formula One. At the start there was 16 cars and Nicha occupied 14ª position of the grid. After a good start, that allowed him to go up some places, he was passed and go down some positions. But he was not at all making bad figure.

Then, the case of the race was given, when the Australian Jack Brabham tried to double pass him. One misunderstanding between the two pilots (Brabham wanted to force Nicha to leave the path of the curve where both met) resulted in the off track of the Australian pilot and in its desistance. What was most serious, because Brabham was in fight for first place of the championship of the world with Tony Brooks and Stirling Moss. In its biography, Brabham would not be forgotten to relate to this incident, making responsible certain " very dangerous local boy ". Although everything, the Australian finished champion of the world in this year, a heading that would repeat in 1960 and 1966.

Nicha Cabral finished the race in tenth place, after allow to pass, for missed interpretation of a sign of its box, the English Tony Brooks.

"

[mindprobe]

well Felix...

you're name come in the thanks page

"thanks to Felix Muelas who gave some important details about formula 2 and extra-championship races"

or something like that, i bought the book tonight and i haven't read it yet, looking at the distrubution page i think the book will only be available in Portugal, Brasil and Angola, and only in portuguese, wich is a shame, it looks really an amasing book, very detailed and with great pictures and storys, not only about auto racing, to all the people who can read portuguese at the first sight this one looks a "can't miss" one. After i read it i'll tell you guys a more documented opinion.

i think some parts of the books will be posted in www.f1talent.com

[Barry Lake]

lukywil

Thanks for that small piece on the Cabral/Brabham incident. It is always interesting to hear the "other side" of the story.

I look forward to hearing what the book has to say.

[pc13]

I've just started reading the book and so far it's good. Nicha's report of his Rouen '65 accident was thrilling. I'm also thinking of the "what if" implications if he had gone to Roy Winkelmann's stable instead of Scuderia Sorocaima as he was originally proposed.

Can't wait to get the part where, after 10 years not climbing inside a racing car, he trashes Manuel Reuter's laptimes in the '85 Estoril 500km ETCC race.

pc13

[mindprobe]

and he was 52 in 1985 when he did that!!!

Manuel Reuter was very upset for having to share the car with a 52 old men that didn't drive a racing car for 10 years, so they gave him 10 laps to prove his value, he started slowly but on the tenth lap he beat the times of Ludwig and Reuter!!! He had never drive the car before, not even a turbo car!!!!! after that only Ludwig did better...i imagine the face of Manuel Reuter

[lukywill]

Originally posted by Barry Lake

I look forward to hearing what the book has to say.

"Nicha - Mário de Araújo Cabral", de Adelino Dinis.pp83 - ('Translation' in next post)




A partida para o Grande Prémio seria ás cinco da tarde de Domingo, com Moss, Brabham e Gregory, todos em Cooper Climax, na linha da frente. Seguiam-se Trintignant, em Cooper, e Bonnier num BRM P25, o mais rápido dos carros com motor à frente. Só depois vinham os Ferrari Dino 246 de Gurney e Phill Hill. Nicha partiu do 14º lugar, á frente dos dois frágeis Lotus de Graham Hill e Innes Ireland, que sofreram muitos problemas de fiabilidade. Ireland teve mesmo que assistir á reconfortante imagem do chassis do seu Lotus 16 a ser soldado já na grelha, quando faltavam dez minutos para a partida!
Às cinco em ponto, o Dr. Mário Madeira, Presidente do ACP e da comissão Desportiva, deu o sinal de partida. Os 16 bólides aceleraram, com Brabham à frente. Quanto a Nicha:


" Eu fiz uma bom arranque e na descida passei um ou dois carros á minha frente mas quando cheguei lá em baixo, na entrada para a auto-estrada, atrapalhei-me, andei um bocadinho aos papeis e acabei por perder os lugares todos que tinha conseguido.
Depois, a certa altura acompanhei os Aston Martin do Carol Shelby e do Roy Salvadori. O meu carro era mais ágil do que o deles, sobretudo na zona mais sinuosa da curva do Moinho. Mas nunca consegui ficar em posição de ultrapassar, por falta de potência.
Á certa altura, o Brabham apareceu para me ultrapassar. Mostraram-me bandeiras azuis, mas eu não ia sair da minha trajectória! Eu dei-lhe todo o espaço para ele passar por um lado e ele quis passar-me pelo outro, o que foi um grande disparate. Dele, não meu, é claro. Apanhou-me na descida para a auto-estrada. Eu já tinha encontrado a melhor trajectória e estava a fazer essa zona bastante bem. Lembro-me que o meu carro andava muito menos, e ele agarrou-me mesmo à saída da auto-estrada entrada para o Parque de Monsanto, que era unia zona que se fazia muito depressa, de quarta para terceira, mas a fundo. Ele veio colado a mim e eu, quando o vi, cheguei-me a esquerda, para o deixar passar pela direita, na travagem para a curva González. Ele não quis meter por dentro, porque a melhor trajectória era pela esquerda. Quando cheguei à entrada da curva e vi que ele não me passava por dentro, travei um pouco mais cedo e cheguei-me ligeiramente para a direita, mas não podia ser muito, senão quem se esbarrava era eu!
Ele insistiu em passar-me por fora, mas eu não lhe tinha deixado espaço suficiente - nem tinha que deixar! - o que ele devia ter feito era esperar que eu fizesse a curva. Como achou que não tinha que perder tempo, acabou por bater com a roda da frente do lado direito na minha roda traseira do lado esquerdo e saiu da estrada. Depois criticou-me imenso, mas a asneira foi dele. Não quis passar pela direita e depois não quis esperar. Eu acho que ele estava à espera que eu travasse muito cedo naquela curva, mas teve azar porque naquele sitio eu travava sempre muito tarde.»

É claro que alguma imprensa estrangeira culpou Nicha pelo sucedido, mas na verdade tratou-se de um incidente de corrida, que podia Ter custado caro a Jack Brabham. O piloto australiano que discutia na altura o Campeonato do Mundo com Tony Brooks e Stirling Moss. Para Nicha, a corrida foi muito longa e parecia que nunca mais acabava - Moss demorou 2h 11m 55s - e a condução do Cooper -Mesarati era muito exigente.

«Para o fim estava já bastante cansado mas satisfeito com o resultado. Décimo classificado para uma primeira prova num carro pouco competitivo foi bastante bom. As bancadas estavam cheias e tive muito apoio do público. Na altura não pensei que fosse muito importe Ter sido o primeiro piloto português a correr em Fórmula 1. Mas pelos vistos era. Hoje acho que foi um momento importante para a história do nosso automobilismo».

[lukywill]

Translation :

The start for Grand Prix would be at five of the afternoon of Sunday, with Moss, Brabham and Gregory, all in Cooper Climax, in the first row. Followed by Trintignant, in Cooper, and Bonnier in a BRM P25, fastest of the cars with front engine. Only then came the Ferrari Dino 246 of Gurney and Phill Hill. Nicha started from 14º place, in front of the two fragile Lotus of Graham Hill and Innes Ireland, that had suffered many problems from reliability. Ireland had to attend to the disconfort image of the soldering of the chassis of its Lotus 16 to be welded already in the grid, ten minutes from the start!
Five o´clock sharp, Dr. Mário Madeira, President of the ACP and the Sporting Commission, gave the start sign. The 16 machines had sped up, with Brabham in the front. As for Nicha:

" I made a good start and in the descending I passed one or two cars in front of me but when I arrived at the bottom side, in the begining for the motorway, I became confused, and lose the all the places that had obtained.
Later, I folloied the Aston Martin of the Carol Shelby and the Roy Salvadori. My car was more agile than theirs, mostly in the sinuous zone of the Moinho curve. But I never was never in the position of passing them, lack of power.
At a certain point, Brabham appeared to pass me. They shown me the blue flags, but I did not want to leave my path! I gave him every space to pass on one side and he wanted to pass me for the other, what was a great nonsense. His, not mine, clearly. He catch me in the descending for the motorway. I already had found the best path and I was performing this zone sufficiently well. I remember that my car performed much less than his, and he catch me exactly at the end of the motorway at the beginig of Park of Monsanto, witch was a very fast zone that we made of fourth to third, but pushing strongly. He came glue me and I, when saw him, put myself on the left side, leaving him the right side to pass, in the braking for the González curve. He did not want to put on the inside, because the best path was for the left. When I arrived at the begining of the curve and saw that he did not pass me on the inside, I brake a little more early and I drove myself slightly for the right, but not much, other wise I was the one who crash!
He insisted on passing me from the outside, but I did not left him enough space - nor I should have! - what he should do was waiting that I made the curve. As he thought that he did not have spare time to lose, finished for touch with his right front wheel on my left back wheel and left the road. Later he criticized me a lot, but it was his mistake. He did not want to pass for the right and later did not want to wait. I think he was expecting that I brake very earlier in that curve, but had bad luck because in that zone I always braked very late. "

Off course some foreign press blamed Nicha for the occurred, but it was truly a race incident, that could have cost a lot to Jack Brabham. The Australian pilot who was fighting for the World Championship with Tony Brooks and Stirling Moss. For Nicha, the race was very long and seemed that never finished - Moss cross the finish line with 2h 11m 55s - and the guidance of the Cooper - Mesarati was very demanding.

" In the end I was already sufficiently tired but satisfied with the result. Tenth classified for a first GP in a little competitive car was sufficiently good. The seats were full and I had much support from the public. In that times I did not think that it was very important having been the first Portuguese pilot to run in Formula 1. But for what we saw it was. Today I find that it was an important moment for the history of our motoracing ".

[David McKinney]

In my book a "racing incident" is where blame cannot be apportioned.
In this case we have a slow guy insisting on holding his line and to hell with anyone else, and a much faster competitor coming up to lap him. I think blame can in this instance be apportioned...