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Whitney Straight


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#1 William Hunt

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Posted 28 January 2002 - 22:01

Pitty that he quit so soon, he could have still raced in the World Championship. I quite like Straight, he was quite talented.

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#2 Vitesse2

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Posted 28 January 2002 - 23:21

Originally posted by William Hunt
I quite like Straight, he was quite talented.


William, as a Rosemeyer fan, I think you would agree that you had to be slightly more than "quite talented" to be invited to drive for Auto Union, as Whitney Straight was. That was two years before Dick Seaman joined Mercedes Benz ...

#3 William Hunt

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Posted 28 January 2002 - 23:30

Ok make that very talented. I must admit I'm a bit of a Whitney Straight fan as well. He had a very interesting life and even flew for the RAF during WWII. I didn't know Auto Union had shown interest in him, I would like to know more about it. I regret that he never had decent factory material to show his true talent.

#4 Vitesse2

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Posted 28 January 2002 - 23:59

"I would have liked to have driven for Auto Union, but I doubt that I would have survived to tell the tale. I don't think the prospect held much in the way of life expectancy. The Auto Union was a tricky car to handle - 16 cylinders, 600bhp, weighed 12cwt, and spun its wheels up to 160mph!. Plus I had got married by this time. I told them I wouldn't be racing any more."


And with Ramponi as chief mechanic and Reid Railton rebuilding his cars, did he really need a works car ... disregarding the Silver Arrows, had he continued, it is conceivable that his Maseratis might have emerged as the "best of the rest" in Grands Prix. On the other hand, he would probably have dropped down to Voiturette ... works Alfa Romeo driver perhaps?