9 replies to this topic

[RacingMonk]

This months Motorsport magazine throws up some contradictory stories. The John Surtess interview maintains because of his personal vendetta, Dragoni tried to get him disqualified and it was only because his wife's lapcharts matched exactly with the organisers that he managed to keep the victory. The Nino Vaccarella interview on the other hand maintains that the idiot official timekeepers failed to count a Surtees/Scarfiotti pit stop, thus denying him the win. Which story is correct?

[RacingMonk]

*Bump*

Just got that years Autosports back from the binders and the race report is not very clear on the issue. Does anyone know the real story?

[Tim Murray]

Here's Doug Nye's take on the story (from the 'Weird protest: Any parallels?' thread):

What would perhaps qualify as a pretty weird protest was made against the result of the 1963 Sebring 12-Hours race.

It was John Surtees's debut for Ferrari. Remember he never did get on with Ferrari's direttore sportivo Dragoni? Well the problems began right there. After Surtees and Scarfiotti won the race, they found their victory had been protested by - of all people - their own team manager, Dragoni...

John recalls: "We'd spent the winter developing the first rear-engtined V12 250P, and when we got to Sebring expecting to race it we found that Dragoni had given it instead to our team-mates Mairesse and Vaccarella, and Ludovico and I were expected to race a brand-new car. It was completely unsorted. I went back to the motel and packed my bags. I was ready to fly home. Scarfiotti talked me pout of it. We drove in the race - the engine cover didn't seal properly and the cockpit filled up with exhaust fumes. We were both sick as dogs. But we won. On the podium I was in good shape in one sense with the very nice beauty queen whispering in my ear, but all that ended abruptly when I had to turn aside and throw up for about ten minutes...

"Then we heard our win was being protested. And discovered it was Dragoni doing the protesting! He claimed the organisers had miscounted the laps, and Mairesse/Vaccarella had really won. Fortunately my first wife, Pat, was a brilliant timekeeper and lap scorer. She'd scored the entire 12-Hours, her lap chart coincided exactly with the organisers', and nothing more was heard about Dragoni's protest...but I think he held that against us ever after..."

Does this qualify as 'weird'????

DCN

[Jack-the-Lad]

This months Motorsport magazine throws up some contradictory stories. The John Surtess interview maintains because of his personal vendetta, Dragoni tried to get him disqualified and it was only because his wife's lapcharts matched exactly with the organisers that he managed to keep the victory. The Nino Vaccarella interview on the other hand maintains that the idiot official timekeepers failed to count a Surtees/Scarfiotti pit stop, thus denying him the win. Which story is correct?

Is the characterization of the official timekeepers as "idiots" yours or Vaccarella's?

Jack.

[Michael Oliver]

Is the characterization of the official timekeepers as "idiots" yours or Vaccarella's?

Jack.

I think I can answer that, since it was I who wrote the Vaccarella piece in Motor Sport. What he actually said was that they were 'stupid'. I have no doubt that he genuinely felt he was robbed of victory by a lap-scoring error. Whether he actually witnessed the alleged 'extra' pit stop that he suggests took place, I don't know - he could have or, more likely, he might have been out on the track and was just taking Dragoni's word for it...as the new boy in the team. But I felt it was interesting, all the same, as he didn't seem to be aware of (or agree with if he was) Surtees' side of the story.

Michael

[Jack-the-Lad]

I think I can answer that, since it was I who wrote the Vaccarella piece in Motor Sport. What he actually said was that they were 'stupid'. I have no doubt that he genuinely felt he was robbed of victory by a lap-scoring error. Whether he actually witnessed the alleged 'extra' pit stop that he suggests took place, I don't know - he could have or, more likely, he might have been out on the track and was just taking Dragoni's word for it...as the new boy in the team. But I felt it was interesting, all the same, as he didn't seem to be aware of (or agree with if he was) Surtees' side of the story.

Michael

Thanks, Michael. I read your piece and enjoyed it very much. I have a particular interest as the 1963 12 Hours was the first race I ever attended and I have quite vivid memories of it, although was quite unaware of the controversy until many years later.

Jack.

[RacingMonk]

Thanks for the answers folks

[Jack-the-Lad]

*Bump*

Just got that years Autosports back from the binders and the race report is not very clear on the issue. Does anyone know the real story?

I checked Ken Breslauer's "Sebring" but there's no mention of the incident. Alec Ulmann's "The Sebring Story" makes no mention. I believe Baime's "Drive Like Hell" relates it from the Surtees perspective, but I'm not sure his research went very far beneath the surface. As someone who has read a little about the dynamics within the Scuderia in that era, it wouldn't surprise me if Surtees' account is accurate. It seemed that Dragoni wanted Surtees out virtually from day one.

Jack.

[alfredaustria]

Have you checked the report of Janos Wimpffen in his book "Time and two seats"? His report of the Sebring 12 Hours (page 421 to 423) mentions only that Surtees went by Vaccarella in the closing stages of the race with surprising ease. As it turned out the Mairesse/Vaccarela duo mistakenly thought that they were leading and Surtees was merely unlapping himself.

[Jack-the-Lad]

Have you checked the report of Janos Wimpffen in his book "Time and two seats"? His report of the Sebring 12 Hours (page 421 to 423) mentions only that Surtees went by Vaccarella in the closing stages of the race with surprising ease. As it turned out the Mairesse/Vaccarela duo mistakenly thought that they were leading and Surtees was merely unlapping himself.

Thanks. The book is sitting right here and I never thought to check!

Jack