323 replies to this topic

[D28]

Ah - I was just about to ask if it had ever happened (a Kiwi 1-2-3, that is); I couldn't think of such an occasion and was getting too sleepy to research it further!

The best chance was at the Canadian Grand Prix 1968. Amon, Hulme and McLaren toured about 30 laps in that order. Naturally with Amon's luck the final drive on his Ferrari gave up, and they finished with Rodriguez in 3rd place,

 

These 3 did make up an all Kiwi podium in Can-Am a couple of times in 1969, when Amon drove the 612P Ferrari.

[frp]

Not a championship round, of course, but the top three in the 1968 International Trophy were Hulme-McLaren-Amon.

 

Andy

Edited by frp, 28 May 2014 - 01:15.

[willy.henderickx]

In the sixties a touring car race was held at Zolder (Ford Galaxy, Cortina Lotus, and so on) . It appeared that they were one car short for the regulations. Starter, the Belgian journalist was convinced to race his stock Ford Zephyr (tractor of his Lotus Elite Racing). After three laps, he was black flagged because there was a passenger in his car. (German shepherd dog).

 

I don't think that it could happen nowadays.

 

Willy

[willy.henderickx]

During the GP of Brussels in 1960, David Piper driving his Lotus 16 left the track and hit an advertising board for Piper Heidsick champagne. Picture was published in the now defunct magazine Les Sports.

 

Willy

[ensign14]

In the sixties a touring car race was held at Zolder (Ford Galaxy, Cortina Lotus, and so on) . It appeared that they were one car short for the regulations. Starter, the Belgian journalist was convinced to race his stock Ford Zephyr (tractor of his Lotus Elite Racing). After three laps, he was black flagged because there was a passenger in his car. (German shepherd dog).

 

I don't think that it could happen nowadays.

 

 

No, but it had happened before in NASCAR - Jocko Flocko, a monkey, has a co-driver win to his name.

[D28]

I had read this story before and found a version of it at this site:http://www.sportscar...tilastrace.html.

 

In practice for the 1957 Venezuelan Grand Prix, Phil Hill missed the clover-leaf turnabout at the end of the straight and continued on down the autostrada towards Caracas. He realized his mistake when he met a fuel truck bearing down on his Ferrari.

 

This race was the famous last straw for Masearati racing hopes as the championship was lost and the team cars destroyed. Hill learned the circuit well enough to win with Collins.

[ensign14]

Talking of bizarre Venezuelan incidents, Pastor Maldonado won a Grand Prix. 

[Michael Ferner]

At a weekly Friday night show at Bedford Speedway in Pennsylvania (June 3 in 1966), Pete Swarmer won the extra-distance (Super-)Modified race and pulled up at the flag stand for the ceremonies. The programme was running awfully late after the racing surface had been over-watered and needed to be dried by letting spectators run their cars on the track (no, that's not the bizarre incident - happens quite a lot), and then a series of crashes necessitating two complete restarts, so the officials hit upon the bright idea to let the Late Models already onto the track with the Modified ceremonies still in full swing - sure enough, adrenalin took over and the Late Models floored it coming out of turn 4!!!

 

Everyone scrambled for safety, but Swarmer was handicapped by having only one leg (copy into the handicapped driver thread?) and couldn't make it in time. The Somerset Daily American reported:

 

With the field bearing down on him Swarmer remained cool and when the first car made contact with his car he leaped in the air and came down on the hood of a car, bounced off the windshield and rolled to the track. Although it looked bad Swarmer bounded to his feet and had received only a cut on his hand. However, Bob Dunn, Lewistown, who had been helping Swarmer on the car was removed to the hospital with leg injuries after he had been mowed down by one of the cars. Needless to say half of the field of late models was badly damaged. The event was called and rescheduled for next Friday. Swarmer's modified suffered extensive damage.

[Vitesse2]

If he only had one leg shouldn't that be "bounded to his foot"?

[nicanary]

Talking of bizarre Venezuelan incidents, Pastor Maldonado won a Grand Prix. 

I've long held suspicions about that one. IIRC it was Frank's birthday that weekend. He and Bernie go back a long way. Just saying.......

[D28]

Prior to 1971, USAC didn't use professional racing drivers to drive the safety car. In the 71 500, local Dodge dealer Eldon Palmer lost control entering the pits from the parade lap. He collided with a press stand which collapsed injuring 29 people, 2 seriously.

 

Pace car problems didn't go away with.experienced drivers, as the 95 race was strongly affected by the Corvette safety car. Scott Goodyear led Jacques Villeneuve on lap 190 when the yellow came on. On the restart, both drivers appeared to accelerate too soon for the speed of the Corvette. Villeneuve had the presence of mind to back off sharply, probably because he had already been penalized for passing the safety car, but Goodyear flew by and was subsequently black flagged.

Villeneuve went on for the win and no protest was made by Goodyear as videos showed he had passed under a yellow light.

[Collombin]

The pace car often was driven by a notable ex racing driver eg Sam Hanks had the job for several years after his 500 retirement IIRC.

Eldon Palmer got into the pits OK, it was the slowing down once he got there that seemed to cause him problems. Easily moveable braking point markers are never a good idea.

[D28]

Eldon Palmer got into the pits OK, it was the slowing down once he got there that seemed to cause him problems. Easily moveable braking point markers are never a good idea.

No they aren't. He practiced with orange cones as his breaking point, but someone moved them race day. I think an experienced driver would have been able to scrub off speed without locking up, still he was doing well over 100 when the accident occurred.

[Vitesse2]

While I'm loath to give this idiot the oxygen of publicity and would prefer he was simply completely deprived of oxygen, I'm putting this link in here purely in the interests of completeness.

 

http://www.dailymail...iddle-race.html

 

There is a thread about this in RC, so if anyone wishes to discuss it I'd suggest taking it there.

[TimRTC]

Just when you think you have seen everything. Today at Santa Pod raceway:

I can't remember the last time I saw Steve Woollatt in the left lane here at Santa Pod, put there by Fil having lane choice. I never saw anything like what happened next, either. Fil away first 0.0768 to 0.1748, the slightly better sixty 1.0612 to 1.0706, Fil's rear tyre was shaking and he crossed lanes at 330 feet, caught the back of Steve's bike. Steve somehow kept the bike upright, we could see Fil's bike sliding and rolling down the track but the question was where was Fil? No sign of him. Would you believe he ended up sitting on top of Steve's wheelie bars and hung on until Steve got it stopped in the shutdown area. Fil calmly untangled a foot from Steve's wheelie bars and stood up, both riders OK.

Courtesy of Eurodragster.com

I saw them come past but didn't get a photo as I was sure it was going to be nasty, but he was just sat on the bars at 100mph!

[TimRTC]

Now on video

[Michael Ferner]

Thanks for the vid, now I know what "wheelie bars" are! (Takes a bit of the skill out of it, doesn't it?)

[Dick Dastardly]

Going back to the 50s when there were some improvised / made up as you go motoring events .......Dad was doing an autotest type event over in Yorkshire...probably Morecambe Car Club v BRSCC....at an old airfield, maybe Rufforth. [Dad was in MCC and a lifelong friend of his since schooldays was a leading light in BRSCC Northern Centre, hence me thinking it was those 2 clubs].  At the end of the day when it was a bit foggy / misty, there was a handicap race down the runway and back again. Dad was seeded near the back, started off then noticed the cars ahead of him were pulling off to the side.....then he saw a plane coming in to land facing him !! Afterwards, in the bar / clubhouse, these 2 RAF types were talking about coming into land when they saw all these headlights on the runway heading towards them then scattering....

Edited by Dick Dastardly, 08 September 2014 - 18:06.

[opplock]

Things were done somewhat differently in the 50s. My father was involved in organising motorcycle racing in New Zealand. The best story me has told me was about the time his club organised a road race meeting on a triangular course near Feilding. It had been agreed with a local farmer to leave a gap in the programme so that he could move his cattle to the milking shed by road - part of this route was on the circuit. This operation having been completed the starter quickly dropped the flag to start the next race. When riders returned to the pits Dad was confronted by a number of foul smelling and filthy riders who complained bitterly that no-one had bothered to warn them that the back straight was covered in a thick layer of female bovine excreta (they used a different term). 

[Lee Nicolle]

Now on video

I think you could say that was truly bizare.

What are the rules with Fuel bike for pillion passengers!

[Lee Nicolle]

Things were done somewhat differently in the 50s. My father was involved in organising motorcycle racing in New Zealand. The best story me has told me was about the time his club organised a road race meeting on a triangular course near Feilding. It had been agreed with a local farmer to leave a gap in the programme so that he could move his cattle to the milking shed by road - part of this route was on the circuit. This operation having been completed the starter quickly dropped the flag to start the next race. When riders returned to the pits Dad was confronted by a number of foul smelling and filthy riders who complained bitterly that no-one had bothered to warn them that the back straight was covered in a thick layer of female bovine excreta (they used a different term). 

manure?

[Dick Dastardly]

I've not read all this thread so apologies if these have been mentioned.....

British Rally Championship.....Trackrod Rally a few years ago, a JCB got onto 1 stage and travelled against rally traffic. 1st car to 'meet' him was David Higgins, fortunately he was able to stop.

On the Sunseeker,there was a fire engine on one stage, again travelling against rally traffic

 

1978 British GP at Brands.....Harrier [?] Jump Jet packed on the outside of Clearways....when it lifted off, quite a few awnings etc went flying. I did hear some hot dog etc stalls went flying as well, but that may be a myth  

[Vitesse2]

While I'm loath to give this idiot the oxygen of publicity and would prefer he was simply completely deprived of oxygen, I'm putting this link in here purely in the interests of completeness.

 

http://www.dailymail...iddle-race.html

 

There is a thread about this in RC, so if anyone wishes to discuss it I'd suggest taking it there.

And in the further interests of completeness, he's been jailed for eight months.

 

http://www.independe...il-9866750.html

[Lee Nicolle]

I've not read all this thread so apologies if these have been mentioned.....

British Rally Championship.....Trackrod Rally a few years ago, a JCB got onto 1 stage and travelled against rally traffic. 1st car to 'meet' him was David Higgins, fortunately he was able to stop.

On the Sunseeker,there was a fire engine on one stage, again travelling against rally traffic

 

1978 British GP at Brands.....Harrier [?] Jump Jet packed on the outside of Clearways....when it lifted off, quite a few awnings etc went flying. I did hear some hot dog etc stalls went flying as well, but that may be a myth  

Decades ago I actually did that. As a EFS volounteer we had to go and put out a grass fire I suspect started by spectators. I told the control to stop the cars but met one anyway, luckily being cautious with the smoke.