21 replies to this topic

[bathceltic]

Does anyone know who the gentleman on the left is . I recognise him as being a big figure at not just Monaco but at a lot of races. I suspect he is/was French. Sorry if he is really well known and I am being ignorant. I would love to know more.

[Michael Ferner]

Basil Tye?

[bathceltic]

Having looked at this link I don't think so as the gentleman that I am looking to identify was still around F1 podiums in 1990 at least.
http://pandinigp.blo...asil-tye-o.html

[LittleChris]

Picture looks like the podium from Monaco 1979 so could it be Michel Boeri, President of the Automobile Club of Monaco ?

[Tim Murray]

I thought of Boeri too, but I don't think it's him:

http://www.fia.com/p...ions/boeri.html

[bathceltic]

No he definitely travelled to most races, i have seen him sorting out the giving out of the champagne at places like zandvoort etc. There is a clip used on a lot of ayrton senna films of senna walking up the pit road waving to the crowds above at Monaco arm in arm with a blonde girl friend in around 1990/91 with this guy running behind them with a distinctive gait.

[Giraffe]

Is he the bloke who took over from Marcus Westerby at Moet & Chandon?

[AMICALEMANS]

This man is the famous Jean-Marie Dubois, the PR man for Moet Chandon, who died a couple of year ago.

[Giraffe]

This man is the famous Jean-Marie Dubois, the PR man for Moet Chandon, who died a couple of year ago.

He is the guy who took over from Marcus. Marcus is still very much with us, and I saw him at last year's British GP.

[bathceltic]

Ahhhh! Brilliant thanks, makes sense as I had spied him on many podiums but never knew who he was.

[AMICALEMANS]

He passed away in january 2009..... http://www.autodiva....p...67&start=40

[bathceltic]

Deleted due to warning below

Edited by bathceltic, 16 May 2011 - 20:24.

[bathceltic]

Two more characters to spot. I remember reading about these two lotus tyre mechanics. I think they turned up on spec in monaco around 1980 and offered to help, one american one australian. They then got jobs and certainly the smaller one of the two (in yellow) was still there in 1990. I can,t remember their names. The smaller one is on that clip of Mansell chasing a fan at Hungaroring.

Edited by bathceltic, 15 May 2011 - 17:42.

[ghinzani]

Kenny someone and someone Syzmanski maybe? vague or what!

[Paul Parker]

Yes, sad, here is another version of the story
http://www.autonewsi...i...&Itemid=203

For your information.

The link you gave to autonewsinfo comes up on my system as being quote 'this is a known malicious website. It is recommended that you do NOT visit this site....'

[bathceltic]

Thanks for the warning Paul Parker. Going back to the Lotus mechanics, yes ghinzani, the name ken rings a bell. (The taller of the two as I remember.)

[MCS]

Kenny someone and someone Syzmanski maybe? vague or what!

Not John Szymanski, surely...?

[LittleChris]

Kenny Szymanski wasn't it ? American chap who had some sort of part time job with Lotus / Goodyear. Trying to remember the other one

[ShadowDN1]

Kenny Szymanski wasn't it ? American chap who had some sort of part time job with Lotus / Goodyear. Trying to remember the other one

Air steward, last time i saw him was at rockingham 2002 he was working for one of the indycar teams, he was talking to Jackie Stewart who was visiting the event

[Twin Window]

My old mucker Bob Constanduros emailed me a week or so back with the following recollection of the Lotus-connected characters referenced earlier;

Stuart, you have a thread called F1 characters from the 70s/80s. There’s a couple of guys on there to which vague illusions have been made; they are Kenny Syzmanski (spelt wrong probably)  and Clive Hicks. Kenny is American, very good friend of Mario Andretti, is/was an airline steward and therefore able to swing flights to and from USA to coincide with GPs where he worked for Lotus as a tyre man. Still working in the States, apparently. Clive was a Norfolk boy, worked for Lotus for ever, most recently seen in A1 GP, I think. Probably still working for one of those teams. The pair were a truly great double act; somewhere I have a pic of them in drag at Monaco. Led by the chaos-maestro of them all,  Bob Dance, they would create havoc at the TipTop on Thursday evenings (and others where possible). Kenny and Clive. Legends!

I recall the Tip Top 'drag' incident too (it was 1981), and in all likelihood Bob & I were standing together!

[ghinzani]

Kenny someone and someone Syzmanski maybe? vague or what!

So both of them were the same person...

[ghinzani]

For anyone in the UK the BBC are showing classic Monaco GP's on the red button and the 1988 Monaco GP report shows a quick snippet of Murray with Syzmanski and Hicks who were celebrating their 10th anniversary in F1 and for whom Goodyear had printed special commemorative shows depicting the Kenny & Clive show. Shame Lotus had such a stinker that year with Satoru DNQ and Nelson throwing the towel in early 'cos he was an unmotivated tosspot.