20 replies to this topic

[Paul Hartshorne]

I hope that someone can help me.

Yorkshire-born former F3 and F3000 racer (most recently seen in the British Touring Car Championship a couple of seasons ago) Russell Spence raced a Fittipaldi F5A Formula 1 car in a British Formula Libre race around 1987-ish.

Can anyone provide me with details, i.e.; circuit, date, starting and finishing positions?

[Allen Brown]

Very true, Spence did drive a Fittipaldi but it was F8/2, not a F5A. In July 1984, Spence won a libre race at Ingliston using a 3.3-litre DFV in the Fittipaldi. The race was at Ingliston and it was a very thin field. I'm not sure if he raced it anywhere else but the car was sold to Bernard de Dryver later that year.

There is a full(ish) race history of F8/2 at http://www.oldracing....asp?CarID=F8/2 but I haven't included the Ingliston race as it was so minor. Does anyone have any additions for this car?

Allen

[Paul Hartshorne]

Thanks for the answer Allen!

I notice that the car was fitted with a 3.3 DFV, could this have been a DFL?

Your website is incredible!

I especially found it fascinating as I'm always interested in recycled racing cars. For instance, I believe that the Dywa that appeared at Monza in 1980 was the same car that was entered for a couple of F3000 races in 1985, but never arrived at any after allegedly being damaged in a transporter crash on it's way to Silverstone for the International Trophy. It then re-appeared as the Montecarlo GP001 driven by Fulvio-Maria Ballabio during practice for the 1986 Imola F3000 race.

Cheers,
Paul

[Allen Brown]

Paul

Thanks for your comments. The good reviews are making all that effort worthwhile.

Recycled racing cars is also an interest of mine. Somebody started a thread a while ago about F1 cars that got into F5000 and vice versa. I thought "Don't get me started ...". I could have written a book on that subject.

The DFV could well have been a DFL. I'm afraid I don't distinguish between DFVs and DFLs on my database as it's almost impossible to find out in categories such as Single-Seat Can-Am, TGP, Interserie, libre etc.

The Dywa is a good point. I have only listed its F1 DNS but I suppose I should list it in 1985 as well because I'm sure you're right that it was the same car. I'll dig into that when I have time.

Allen

[ghinzani]

I believe Spences Ingliston outing was at the behest of a sponsor. He always seemed to eb sponsored by stuff associated with builders merchants, which given his Fathers business was that isnt a surprise. Anyone know if there are any pictures of that day/ I assume the car was Colin Bennets?

[Graham Gauld]

I believe Spences Ingliston outing was at the behest of a sponsor. He always seemed to eb sponsored by stuff associated with builders merchants, which given his Fathers business was that isnt a surprise. Anyone know if there are any pictures of that day/ I assume the car was Colin Bennets?

Reference this race I will try and sort out a photo of Russell but don.t hold your breath as I am ploughing through twenty five years of Ingliston photos at the moment. There was an amusing tale about Russell at this event.

It is quite correct his sponsor not only brought him to Ingliston to entertain his Scottish customers but the sponsor also sponsored the race. At the time Hugh McCaig and I were running Ingliston and so had all the problems this entails. Early in the morning the Paddock Chief radioed to say that Russell had parked his transporter in a place that blocked the flow from the paddock and refused to move it. Hugh and I jumped on our Honda off road machines and dashed to the paddock. We were polite and asked Russell to move his transporter and pointed out where we wanted him to put it. He refused point blank. At this Hugh pulled Russell's sponsors cheque, for the sponsorship of the race, out of his pocket, held it as though he was going to tear it up and said " Russell, move that f.....g transporter in five minutes or I tear this up and you can f... off and never come back !

The transporter was moved and Russell did come back and do the odd race at Ingliston

[john aston]

Ah Russell Spence- last time I saw hin he was dangling 6 feet off the ground in a Formula 3000 car at Birmingham and doing a very good impersonation of a spoiled brat.At lest he had the commonsense to back down when he had a go at the very large crane driver who, as Liam Gallagher might have said 'wasn't f**ing 'aving it'

[f1steveuk]

Bernard de Dryver

Possibly the most apt name ever for a racing driver!!

[Skeggysteve]

Hope it's not bad form to post on old threads and I know I'm not helping with the OP's quest but....

I was at that meeting looking after the Sports 2000 car that Russell also drove.

From memory the F1 car was hired from a company that advertised in Autosport but for the life of me I can't remember the name.
I think they had bought all the Fittipaldi cars and if someone can help out with the name I'd be grateful as it's bugging me now!

I worked for another race team that the Sports 2000 was hired from, I was very new to running race cars but the people that looked after Russell and the F1 car treated me very well.

My memory is not that great but I think the sponsor was Warmastyle (sp) - I don't remember anything about a problem with where the transporter was parked but obviously I differ to Mr Gauld on that one.
Can't remember if it was a DFV or a DFL but I do remember something about a rev limit....err problem.

I do remember that Russell's father was a 'bit' upset when the hotel bar turned down his card!

The team that ran Russell that weekend was headed by Glenn Waters who had one of the best photographs on his desk that I have ever seen - Glenn in the middle and on one side was Ronnie Peterson and the other Colin Chapman both looking at Glenn as he spoke.

Anyway I digress, Glenn and the two(?) other guys that worked with him really did look after me very well, I remember one of them helping me out with changing the gears on the Sport 2000 car and I got to take the air bottle (for the starter) for the F1 car on the grid!

If anyone can confirm that name of the company that hired the Fittipaldi F1 car then I could, if they aren't around anymore, relate a bit more about the rev limit problem - it not a great story but I don't feel it would be right to post about it without knowing it not going to cause a problem.

[Derwent Motorsport]

Was he not sponsored by Barretts the house builders for many of his races? I am fairly sure their helicopter (famous in their TV adverts at the time) came to Ingliston when he was racing. I think he did quite well in minor races because he had a better car than his rivals, although a F1 at Ingliston was a real handful.
I seem to remember his Barretts car going off at Oak Tree which made for some good quips from the commentator given Barratts' logo!

[rdmotorsport]

I believe Spences Ingliston outing was at the behest of a sponsor. He always seemed to eb sponsored by stuff associated with builders merchants, which given his Fathers business was that isnt a surprise. Anyone know if there are any pictures of that day/ I assume the car was Colin Bennets?

correct me if I am wrong but was not this the Chris Crawfords/ADA/Duncan Bains car?

[Graham Gauld]

Was he not sponsored by Barretts the house builders for many of his races? I am fairly sure their helicopter (famous in their TV adverts at the time) came to Ingliston when he was racing. I think he did quite well in minor races because he had a better car than his rivals, although a F1 at Ingliston was a real handful.
I seem to remember his Barretts car going off at Oak Tree which made for some good quips from the commentator given Barratts' logo!

I think you will find that it was Rick Gorne who had Barratts. He did race the car at Ingliston and upset Mr Barratt, who was watching, by managing to hit a stout Ingliston oak tree : It just so happened the logo of Barratts was a spreading oak tree !!!!

[Alan Cox]

I think you will find that it was Rick Gorne who had Barratts.

Agreed, Graham.

[bigears]

Is there any way to contact Russell Spence these days?

[Thundersports]

skeggysteve I think it maybe safe to tell us about the Rev limit incident.

[ghinzani]

correct me if I am wrong but was not this the Chris Crawfords/ADA/Duncan Bains car?

Yep defo ADA, they bought all the Fittipaldi stock I think and used to advertise them in the back of the rags.

[Skeggysteve]

skeggysteve I think it maybe safe to tell us about the Rev limit incident.

As I'm 99.5% sure it was ADA (thanks to whoever remembered) that the car was hired from and a quick Google seems to indicaste that they are still around I'll just put it this way.

The hire fee was £x* for the car plus an excess of £x if the engine was taken above x revs.

As someone has pointed out the circuit was not really suited to a F1 car so, to get past the, more suited F2 (?) car, the driver went a 'little' bit over the excess revs.

Remember these where the days of mechanical tachos - so the max revs reset button was just a push button on the back. But this one was not supposed to be used - wire around it if I remember correctly.

But 'someone' managed to reset the tell tail and then had the problem of getting the red needle up to a reasonable level - in the paddock!
DFVs are very loud at x revs when you are right next to them!

* The x is used because I can't remember the correct figures - not me wanting to hide anything. I think the rev limit was 9k but can't be sure and I think the excess was £1000s.

Sorry if it's not as good a tale as most of you on here post, just my memories, and posted by way of saying thanks for the many hours of pleasure I've had in reading all your stories.

[Allen Brown]

As I'm 99.5% sure it was ADA (thanks to whoever remembered) that the car was hired from

ADA had a lot of the Fittipaldis but not F8/2 which had been sold to Mutsuaki Sanada in Feb 1982 and then passed through several other owners before Spence raced it. It then spent time in Bernard de Dryver 's racing school before heading in the direction of Italy.

[rdmotorsport]

ADA had a lot of the Fittipaldis but not F8/2 which had been sold to Mutsuaki Sanada in Feb 1982 and then passed through several other owners before Spence raced it. It then spent time in Bernard de Dryver 's racing school before heading in the direction of Italy.

Go on Allen I beleive you , due to fact only you would have both the knowledge and memory to manage this!

So which model ran over my foot in the hands of T.Trimmer Esq. circa 1982?

Rodney

[Allen Brown]

Go on Allen I beleive you , due to fact only you would have both the knowledge and memory to manage this!

So which model ran over my foot in the hands of T.Trimmer Esq. circa 1982?

Rodney

I don't remember things. I just write down what I learn.

However, I kept no records of your foot.

[rdmotorsport]

[quote name='Allen Brown' post='3869566' date='Sep 19 2009, 16:11']I don't remember things. I just write down what I learn.
really ?, now I am surprized!

for the record it was the left one ,I was under the rear wing of Arnold Glass M29 trying to start the ruddy thing!

Edited by rdmotorsport, 19 September 2009 - 16:13.