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Unusual way to finish a race

Started by Graham Clayton , Oct 06 2005 08:24

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41 replies to this topic

#1 Graham Clayton

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 08:24

Fellow TNF members,

I did a search of the Nostalgia Forum archive to see if this incident has been mentioned before, but I found no references, so I am starting a new thread with this incident as the first example.

It is the way that Andre Boillot (brother of George) won the 1919 Targa Florio driving a 1914 2.5 litre GP Peugeot.

Boillot arrived at the finish line after 4 laps totalling 260 miles of the Maldonie circuit to find that the road was choked with spectators. He had to brake suddenly, which resulted in a spin and a crash just 10 yards short of the finish line. Boillot and his riding mechanic beat off any would-be assistants from the crowd, dragged the Peugeot back onto the road and then crossed the finish line while driving the car in reverse.

They then believed that they could be disqualified for this action, so they drove the car forward 30 yards back across the finish line, did a u-turn and crossed the finish line going the right way.

It makes Jack Brabham pushing his car across the line to finish the 1959 US Grand Prix look very humdrum!

I am sure that other NF members can give other unusual ways in which competitors have finished a race.

#2 Graham Gauld

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 08:29

About twenty years ago a very young Eddie Cheever used to come to Scotland and race at Ingliston. In one race he was having a tremendous battle with Irishman Patsy McGarrity but was losing air from a deflating tyre. On the last corner McGarrity made his move, the two cars touched and the front of Cheevers car was lifted on top of the engine cover of the McGarrity car and the crossed the line with Cheever on piggy back. Andy Barton took advantage of the manoeuvre to win but the McGarrity/Cheever six wheeler crossed the line second/third.

#3 ian senior

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 08:57

Originally posted by Graham Gauld
About twenty years ago a very young Eddie Cheever used to come to Scotland and race at Ingliston. In one race he was having a tremendous battle with Irishman Patsy McGarrity but was losing air from a deflating tyre. On the last corner McGarrity made his move, the two cars touched and the front of Cheevers car was lifted on top of the engine cover of the McGarrity car and the crossed the line with Cheever on piggy back. Andy Barton took advantage of the manoeuvre to win but the McGarrity/Cheever six wheeler crossed the line second/third.

Amazing. Who was classified second and who came third? I'd say McGarrity second as he was in front.

#4 eldougo

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 09:01

Graham's

story reminds me of a similar think at the start of a F3 race at Silverstone,about 1976? and two cars hooked up wheels and one sat on top of the flat cam cover of the Toyota motor and the black Ralt RT1 carried it along for a few meters before it ground to a halt Trevor Templestone or some name like that was involed.Looked very Funny at the time.

#5 ensign14

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 09:05

Originally posted by Graham Clayton

They then believed that they could be disqualified for this action, so they drove the car forward 30 yards back across the finish line, did a u-turn and crossed the finish line going the right way.

Apparently crying "c'est pour la France!". Andre's day of days.

Paul Stewart won an F3 race going backwards. He was spinning down the start/finish straight, lost the lead, but the race was stopped and on the countback he was ahead at the time, albeit at 180 degrees to the field.

Johnny Allen was so determined to win a NASCAR race at a short track that he forgot to brake following the finish line, and wrote off his car. His only win coming at a net loss of a few thousand dollars. Allen seemed to specialize in the most incredible accidents - one where he tore down a stand and his car looked as if a giant had picked it up, rolled it into a ball and dropped it down a ravine - whilst getting away unscathed.

#6 Pedro 917

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 09:20

I can think of 2 unusual finishes :

IIRC, Dan Gurney at Daytona (1961 or 62) crossing the finish line with the use of the starter and Vittorio Brambilla spinning of after he'd crossed the line first at Zeltweg 1975 and destroying his March.

#7 RTH

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 09:36

I did finish a Mini Seven race at Lydden Hill in 1972 across the line on the last lap on the roof, having run up the earth bank on the outside exit of Paddock Bend and then barrel rolled at least half a dozen times. Finally came to rest hanging from the belts. Entirely my own fault taking a reckless dive down the inside of 5th placed car .......something I didn't try again !

#8 Pikachu Racing

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 09:37

Terry Labonte crosses the finish line turned sideways into the wall at Bristol when Dale Earnhardt nailed him. Labonte won. The following year Earnhardt turn Labonte again but this time it was turn 2 spinning Labonte out of the lead. Earnhardt took a mixed reaction win.

IRL Disney race in 97. Tony Stewart leading until engine quit. Calkins leads for few laps until his engine quit and spun out putting out the yellow. Eddie Cheever inherits the lead when the storm roar through the track. The race was red flag and Cheever was declared winner. Cheever led a mere 3 laps all of them during the yellow.

#9 Kvadrat

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 10:24

Famous Christian Fittipaldi's flip before finish of 1993 Italian Grand Prix.

Bjorn Wirdheim's near win in Monaco.

#10 2F-001

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 10:38

Some years back there was a article in "Motoring News" (as was) about Barrie Williams, which recalled Wizzo have a car-damaging off near the end of the final lap of a race at Oulton Park. Apparently he claimed 4th(??) place by walking (some fair distance from the incident, I think) across the line carrying the steering wheel. (I'm not convinced that would actually count in the final analysis, but I don't know what the rules were!).
I don't remember what category this race was for, but the inference was that said steering wheel was not of the intentionally quick-release variety...

#11 Zoe

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 10:43

A DTM race many years ago saw a BMW cross the finish line on its roof. iirc it was at Norisring and the driver was Winkelhock? In any case, the mechanics then put a sticker on the car, saying "^^^ this side up ^^^^", one of those stickers you put on parcels and the like.

Zoe

#12 ian senior

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 10:53

Originally posted by RTH
I did finish a Mini Seven race at Lydden Hill in 1972 across the line on the last lap on the roof, having run up the earth bank on the outside exit of Paddock Bend and then barrel rolled at least half a dozen times. Finally came to rest hanging from the belts. Entirely my own fault taking a reckless dive down the inside of 5th placed car .......something I didn't try again !

Wasn't there some TV coverage of an incident very similar to that at Lydden - or was it a rallycross event? Or do we have a TV star here with us, eh Mr Hinton?

#13 Frank de Jong

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 11:13

Originally posted by Zoe
A DTM race many years ago saw a BMW cross the finish line on its roof. iirc it was at Norisring and the driver was Winkelhock? In any case, the mechanics then put a sticker on the car, saying "^^^ this side up ^^^^", one of those stickers you put on parcels and the like.

Zoe

IIRC it was at the Avus and Dieter Quester. I think he finished 4th or something like that.

#14 Twin Window

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 11:20

Didn't Bev Bond win an F3 race at Silverstone, and - having lost it at Woodcote on the final lap - crossed the line backwards?

#15 ensign14

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 11:23

Originally posted by Graham Clayton
Fellow NF members,

BTW, Graham, you may want to change this to "TNF Members"...MI5 are probably on their way around as I type.

#16 2F-001

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 11:43

Autosport mentioned an event from October '69...

"a chaotic combined F2 and F3 race on the German airfield of Neubiberg, near Munich - the finish line was inside the braking zone (my italics) for a straw bale chicane, so the way to win a close race was not to brake for it and have an accident after taking the flag. ...Peter Westbury won it because Dieter Quester inadvertently had his accident a lap too soon."

Autosport felt the organisation was so bad they were surprised that so many entrants turned up for a re-run the following year (albeit with F2s and F3s having separate races. To address complaints about the awkward finish line - chicane proximity, they didn't relocate the chicane (or the finish line) but reversed the direction of the track. The administration was reported, again, as being appalling - largely because the organizing club was simply too small and didn't have enough members to cope.

#17 Zoe

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 11:56

I live within 100m of that airfield :eek:

Sadly it is partially demolished and in disuse today. We once had the idea to use it as a drag strip but the local administration wanted to hear nothing of it.

Zoe

#18 Stephen W

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 11:59

Originally posted by Twin Window
Didn't Bev Bond win an F3 race at Silverstone, and - having lost it at Woodcote on the final lap - crossed the line backwards?

Almost, he finished third!

26th April 1970

The GKN Birfield Transmission Trophy Race

Rd 2 Shell/Motorsport F3 Championship

1st Dave Walker - Lotus 59 - 33min 4.2sec - 106.21mph
2nd Ian Ashley - Chevron B15 - 33min 4.4sec
3rd Bev Bond - Lotus 59 - 33min 6.7sec
4th james Hunt - Lotus 59 - 33min 21.3sec
5th Carlos Pace - Lotus 59 - 33min 22.3sec
6th Tony Trimmer - Brabham BT28 - 33min 23.8sec

Fastest Lap - Dave Walker - 1min 37.1sec - 108.52mph

:cool:

#19 Darren Galpin

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 12:09

I thought that part of the Neubiberg track was now the site of the new Infineon headquarters. Which is kind of ironic, given that Infineon has sponsored motorsport, and also destroys its heritage. Infineon happen to be my employers, and the Neubiberg town hall folk were very helpful when I enquired about the track there, and sent me some photocopies.

As for unusual finishes, I remember a Porsche 924 crossing the Castle Combe finishing line rotating through 360 degress after getting Camp Corner exit wrong - a fairly usual occurrence. Or Dave Coyne crossing the line to win with his Lancia Stratos silhouet car well ablaze.

#20 Zoe

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 12:36

If you refer to the new Infineon site, called "Campeon", it is on the other side of the road and more to the North, not directly adjacent to the airstrip. The military university (Universität der Bundeswehr) is adjacent to the airstrip, and the west end of it has been partially demolished to make place for a housing area.
I'll be moving away in a few weeks anyway. At my new place police has just recently discovered an illegal motorcycle dirt track hidden in the woods, so there's hope for local race interests

Zoe

#21 Carlo

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 17:27

IIRC it was at the Avus and Dieter Quester

Yepp, that's right.
But Austrian Quester still made it to the podium, although up-side-down on the finish-line.

On the podium, race winner H.J. Stuck gave Quester the cup for 1st place.
Stuck said, Quester deserved it :up:

Ciao Carlo :smoking:

#22 D-Type

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 22:01

As far as I can make out Stirling Moss was pretty well sideways when he won the 1958 Aintree 200 from Jack Brabham.

#23 Rob G

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Posted 06 October 2005 - 23:07

Last weekend at Talladega, Kyle Petty crashed heavily on the backstretch with a lap to go. After the race ended and the winner was celebrating on the front stretch, Kyle limped his car around at about a 45-degree crabwalk and gunned it as he crossed the finish line, looping the car around in a loud, sloppy donut.

#24 Roger Clark

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 05:47

Originally posted by D-Type
As far as I can make out Stirling Moss was pretty well sideways when he won the 1958 Aintree 200 from Jack Brabham.

What's your evidence for that?

#25 simonlewisbooks

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 08:15

I once completed a practice run in mid spin at Colerne sprint in my 1100cc single seater ending up way off in the grass with the cockpit full of daisies and dandelions that the car had literally mown down in it's gyrations. Not that unsual in itself but as that particular layout was being used for the first time that day and as the big single seaters were still to take their runs, I think I briefly held the outright course record as well as the class record (unofficial, as it was practice) in the process... untill the next car took it's run.

Simon Lewis
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www.simonlewis.com

#26 RTH

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 08:24

Originally posted by ian senior

Wasn't there some TV coverage of an incident very similar to that at Lydden - or was it a rallycross event? Or do we have a TV star here with us, eh Mr Hinton?

It was just a humble TEAC club meeting and not televised, however a pro photographer came over to me in the St Johns shed and said "I know its not much consolation ( my car was totally wrecked, even valves in the engine were bent ! ) but I got a great sequence of photos of what happened " , - I gave him my name and address, - but never received anything.

I think you are right Ian, a similar incident did I think happen in a televised Rallycross, at the time there was no armco at paddock hill bend and if you got in to any trouble there , the car just ran up the high earth bank and tumbled back down on to its roof, the accident seem to go on for ages, took me at least 6 months to rebuild it with very little of the original.

#27 Pikachu Racing

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 10:01

2002 CART Australian race. The race went full-course yellow on lap 9 and stayed until the race ended with 41 laps recorded. Thanks to manditory pit stop rule Mario Dominguez manage to luck himself in the lead with 3-5 to go. Dominguez took the checkered flag with the words, "Does that mean we win?" After the race conspiracy theories flowed like crazy.

#28 Pikachu Racing

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 10:05

There was a race Davey Allison won while crashing and didn't celebrate because he was hospitalized for a concussion.

Jeff Burton who was in the lead got caught up in a wreck when the rain hit. The race was red flagged and Burton won with a wrecked race car. Good thing the rain at the right time.

#29 bpratt

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 10:19

1976 Daytona 500 Richard Petty and David Pearson got together on the last lap (last turn? I'd have to see the video again). David got his smoking heap started and crossed the line first to win.

I seem to remember a NASCAR modified short track race that had the winner slide across the line on his roof. The late great Richie Evans maybe?

#30 wolf sun

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 11:19

Though not quite the same thing, but Schu crossing the finish line in the pitlane at Silverstone, serving his stop-go penalty after the race, comes to mind.
Made me bloody mad at the time!

#31 D-Type

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 13:23

Originally posted by Roger Clark

What's your evidence for that?

His account in My Cars, My Career implies it - I think he says "all crossed up"

#32 simonlewisbooks

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 13:52

Originally posted by wolf sun
Though not quite the same thing, but Schu crossing the finish line in the pitlane at Silverstone, serving his stop-go penalty after the race, comes to mind.
Made me bloody mad at the time!

No one else would have even considered they could get away with that stunt. Agree it was totally ridiculous and made the sport look stupid - again.
But then that wasn't the only ocassion when rules were twisted round in knots to suit MS.... lets face it his most memorable end to a race was in harpooning his oponent in order to take the world title and neither of them even got to the flag as a result. A very unsatisfactory was to finish a race and a season. It's not HOW you win, it's just THAT you win for some people.

Simon Lewis

#33 Roger Clark

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 16:56

Originally posted by D-Type
His account in My Cars, My Career implies it - I think he says "all crossed up"

He had it straightened up by the time he reached the line.

Posted Image

#34 D-Type

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Posted 07 October 2005 - 22:08

That's not quite what the Daily Express report said. But they were drumming up business for the International Trophy, which succeeded with my family. In other words Dad gave in to my badgering!

#35 simon drabble

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Posted 11 October 2005 - 12:57

a good friend of mine won a race at Castle Combe in the late 60's on his roof of his Anglia - it made the front cover of the next issue of Autosport.... He now has a copy of it framed in his cloakroom!

#36 Mallory Dan

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Posted 11 October 2005 - 14:01

By repute only, I can't remember the details, but apparently Warren Booth finished the 1980 Monza Lottery in his B48 sideways across the line. Any confirmation of this ?

#37 petestenning

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Posted 16 November 2009 - 13:40

I remember a Clubmans race at Snetterton where the class b winner Michael Smith if i am right, ran on the grass out of Russell chicane and hit the concrete which launched the car .
It came down spun backwards crossed the line and hit an earth bank . Written off but as class winner, not how you want to finish first.

#38 Stephen W

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Posted 16 November 2009 - 14:57

Didn't Bev Bond win an F3 race at Silverstone, and - having lost it at Woodcote on the final lap - crossed the line backwards?

Almost, he finished third!

26th April 1970

The GKN Birfield Transmission Trophy Race

Rd 2 Shell/Motorsport F3 Championship

1st Dave Walker - Lotus 59 - 33min 4.2sec - 106.21mph
2nd Ian Ashley - Chevron B15 - 33min 4.4sec
3rd Bev Bond - Lotus 59 - 33min 6.7sec
4th James Hunt - Lotus 59 - 33min 21.3sec
5th Carlos Pace - Lotus 59 - 33min 22.3sec
6th Tony Trimmer - Brabham BT28 - 33min 23.8sec

Fastest Lap - Dave Walker - 1min 37.1sec - 108.52mph