19 replies to this topic

[mcwidow70]

Has anyone any information about ferrari 500 (3 litre), owned by P.Whitehead, that raced in 3 gps in south africa and rhodesia in 1955 and 1956, driven by T.Gaze (1955) and P.Whitehead (1956).
Was the colour red as the one used in Australia in the same years.
I am looking also for pics and I just bought (not yet received) a copy of "GRAND PRIX RACING, Facts and Figures" by George Monkhouse, that probably contains one P.Whitehead pic.


26/03/1955 Queenshaven Settlers Trophy South Africa Tony GAZE Ferrari 3.0 P.Whitehead FL handicap Palmietfontein

24/03/1956 Rand GP South Africa Peter WHITEHEAD Ferrari 3.0 P.Whitehead FL Palmietfontein

14/04/1956 Limpopo Trophy Rhodesia Peter WHITEHEAD Ferrari 3.0 P.Whitehead FL handicap Marlborough


thanks in advance for any new informations

[David McKinney]

There were two cars involved here, raced by Gaze and Whitehead in 1955, though only Whitehead returned the second year.
Both were red, though I suspect they had different coloured nose-bands. Neither raced in Australia in 1956, though both cars raced in New Zealand both years, and in one Australian race in 1955.
I'll see what South African results I can dig out.
I shouldn't think you'll find a photo in the Monkhouse book.

[Tim Murray]

Originally posted by David McKinney
I shouldn't think you'll find a photo in the Monkhouse book.

I've just checked my copy, and I couldn't.

[mcwidow70]

Do you know the chassis numbers of thw Gaze&Whitehad ferrari 500?

[Doug Nye]

From flawed memory wasn't the Whitehead/Gaze Ferrari the car which was fitted with a 750 Monza-type 3-litre engine and raced widely in Australia by Lex Davison? It survives today as the Donington Collection car - chassis No '5' I think - which Jenks's contemporaneous notes suggested was Ascari's mount in most of his 1952-53 outings? Note that the works cars carried simple single-numeral serial stamps, some being issued with four-digit customer-series serials only upon subsequent sale to private owners. The 'Starlet' 500s included customer cars built as such from first order, and consequently bearing four-digit chassis serials from new.

DCN

[David McKinney]

The Davison/Donington car is ex-Gaze (but not Whitehead, except by association). It is widely accepted to have been based on Ascari's No.5, but was given 0480 in the customer-number sequence when re-engined and sold to Gaze.
Likewise No.3 was renumbered 0482 when Whitehead bought it

[O Volante]

According to 'The Autocar', 25 March 1955, p. 414, the first start of the duo was in the 7th Van Riebeeck Trophy Handicap at the 1.75 mile Eerste Rivier airfield circuit, said to be the first International event held in 'the Union' post-war. Whitehead, yes, with a Ferrari engined by a sports 750 engine, finished 11th, and Gaze, with a car in same configuration, was 13th. Considering the rather poor opposition of local cars, perhaps with the exception of Tex Kingon's Maserati 6C-34, the fastest lap in 1m 28s, 71.52 mph, was surely only a small consolation for Gaze. Apparently the headlines of the article tell the whole story: "Unfair to Ferrari? Handicapped out of South African International Event"!

[David McKinney]

1955
•Van Riebeck Trophy, Eerste River (handicap)
Whitehead 11th, Gaze 13th
•1820 Settlers Handicap, Queenshaven
Gaze 1st, Whitehead unknown

1956
•14 Mar Rand Grand Prix, Palmietfontein
Whitehead first
•2 Apr Coronation 100, Pietermaritzburg (handicap)
Whitehead second
•15 Apr Kafue Handicap, Marlborough Stadium
Whitehead 1st
•15 Apr Limpopo Handicap, Marlborough Stadium
Whitehead 1st

[O Volante]

Again according 'The Autocar', this time from 22 April 1955, p. 568, 'a crowd of nearly 60,000 saw Tony Gaze's Ferrari win the 1820 Settlers Handicap race at Queenshaven', held on a 3.8 mile circuit laid out on the disused Palmeitfontein (sic!) aerodrome. The Ferraris were starting from scratch, and again the only serious opposition was Kingon's Maserati. But 'the Ferraris ... it seems, passed the rest of the field as if they were standing still. In the 12th lap, however, Whitehead retired with ignition failure and, five laps later, Gaze moved into the lead, easing up slightly.' Correctly handicapped this time?

[onelung]

John Blanden's Historic Racing Cars in Australia pp 146, 147 for story of the Davison car, 0480.
Correct or not, I do not venture to say.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by David McKinney
1955
•Van Riebeck Trophy, Eerste River (handicap)

Van Riebeeck

[David McKinney]

Apologies
I guess it's not unusual for that name to be incorrectly spelt - Van Riebeck brings up 71,000 google hits, Van Riebeeck 205,000, ie almost a quarter of the world spells it wrong ;)

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by O Volante
According to 'The Autocar', 25 March 1955, p. 414, the first start of the duo was in the 7th Van Riebeeck Trophy Handicap at the 1.75 mile Eerste Rivier airfield circuit, said to be the first International event held in 'the Union' post-war. Whitehead, yes, with a Ferrari engined by a sports 750 engine, finished 11th, and Gaze, with a car in same configuration, was 13th. Considering the rather poor opposition of local cars, perhaps with the exception of Tex Kingon's Maserati 6C-34, the fastest lap in 1m 28s, 71.52 mph, was surely only a small consolation for Gaze. Apparently the headlines of the article tell the whole story: "Unfair to Ferrari? Handicapped out of South African International Event"!

Chris Andrews won the race in a Studebaker Special. He later sent a letter with photos to Enzo Ferrari and the Studebaker chaps in the USA. Ferrari was quick to reply that the Ferrari's were not official entries, while the Studebakers boys naturally applaud Andrews's victory.

Attached a pic of starting grid at Rand GP in 1956.

[Dutchy]

What is the car on the inside of the second row in the photo? It looks very like a Riley and I wonder if it might add something to the story in the racing Rileys thread

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by Dutchy
What is the car on the inside of the second row in the photo? It looks very like a Riley and I wonder if it might add something to the story in the racing Rileys thread

Edgar Hoal in a Riley TT. Next to him is the Cooper Bristol of Jimmy de Villiers.

[mcwidow70]

Great pics, but it is a mystery for me: looking at the mufflers I have noted that they are fitted i the lower position (625 type 1955) while in New Zealand Whitehead and Gaze used a 625 type 1953 with the mufflers in the upper positions.

[img=http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/6150/ferraridigazen4ewhitehede5.th.jpg]

[starlet]

For the 1956 season, Whitehead had his car updated to Argentina configuration, with new bodywork and suspension.

[Graham Clayton]

According to 'The Autocar', 25 March 1955, p. 414, the first start of the duo was in the 7th Van Riebeeck Trophy Handicap at the 1.75 mile Eerste Rivier airfield circuit, said to be the first International event held in 'the Union' post-war. Whitehead, yes, with a Ferrari engined by a sports 750 engine, finished 11th, and Gaze, with a car in same configuration, was 13th. Considering the rather poor opposition of local cars, perhaps with the exception of Tex Kingon's Maserati 6C-34, the fastest lap in 1m 28s, 71.52 mph, was surely only a small consolation for Gaze. Apparently the headlines of the article tell the whole story: "Unfair to Ferrari? Handicapped out of South African International Event"!

O Volante,

Here is a report on the 1955 Van Riebeeck Trophy Handicap:

http://www.historica...ia.co.za/?p=576

It is interesting to read

After practice their handicap was adjusted by 3 seconds a lap to ensure that they had a fair chance of winning.

Was the Andrews Studebaker too far ahead with their original handicap?

[mcwidow70]

O Volante,

Here is a report on the 1955 Van Riebeeck Trophy Handicap:

http://www.historica...ia.co.za/?p=576

It is interesting to read

Was the Andrews Studebaker too far ahead with their original handicap?

Very interesting.

Considering that for 1955 SA I have only seen pictures of the Ferrari with the exhausts in low position, my assumption was that only a car, shared by Gaze and Whitehead, raced in SA on that year.
The report states that both the drivers raced the Van Riebeeck Trophy: in this case the Gaze's Ferrari configuration should be the original one with the exhausts in upper position. Do anyone know a book/magazine with a Gaze's Ferrari picture for 1955 SA?

[David McKinney]

Both cars should have had high exhausts in 1955

Whitehead's had low exhausts in 1956