25 replies to this topic

[jackal]

Hello all,

Whilst on the Isle of Wight yesterday for dads birthday I was asked if i knew where the Ferguson currently resides and if it is being used this year. He has been asked by a couple of other island residents the same questions. Having had a quick look on the net I see it is with the Rolt family but maybe someone here can furnish us with a little more information.

Best regards

Carl

[bill p]

................. I was asked if i knew where the Ferguson currently resides and if it is being used this year...........
Best regards

Carl

Carl

The P99 is being demonstrated at the Cultra Hill Climb in N. Ireland on Saturday 2 June - I'll try and find out other proposed outings this year

Bill

[Stephen W]

I understand it will be at Harewood in September for the anniversary celebrations.

[kayemod]

FoS, 2006. I have a treasured childhood memory of being present at this car's only race win, Sir Stirling's neat and precise driving on a slightly damp Oulton Park track made a lasting impression on me

[bill p]

Spoke to Stuart Rolt and he confirmed that the P99 will be at Goodwood Revival and Harewood Hillclimb.

Photo form Cultra Hillclimb in N.Ireland today



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Sisyphus]

[quote name='kayemod' date='Jun 1 2012, 02:32' post='5750958']


That roll over hoop looks a bit "used" doesn't it?

Brave drivers in that era, particularly Sir Moss.

[Ray Bell]

A car I very much looked forward to seeing in 1963...

A shame I was unable to travel to Lakeside that year to see it perform at its best.

[Wirra]

1963 Australian GP - Warwick Farm



Infortunately very few cameras.

[Ray Bell]

It was rather lost at the Farm...

Dry circuit, a 2.5 engine (probably on AvGas) compared to the 2.7s in the Brabham, McLaren and Surtees cars (probably all on other fuels), it didn't stand a chance. If, however, the 1969 or 1973 race's weather had been there, things would have been different.

that 'bent' rollover bar was always like that, IIRC.

[Séamas M.]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Picture grabbed with an iPhone at Cultra yesterday. Not the greatest, but with the Tap and Guess When shutter control on the iPhone I'm quite pleased the car was in the frame at all!

This was taken at Jenatzy, about 1/3 the way up the hill, on the last timed run. He seemed to be having trouble finding a gear on his way in to the corner.

[David Birchall]

I was reading somewhere recently that Moss felt that Surtees would have been the best at driving it in 1963 since having come from motorcycles he had less to "unlearn" than Moss did. I thought that was an interesting comment.

[Allan Lupton]

I was reading somewhere recently that Moss felt that Surtees would have been the best at driving it in 1963 since having come from motorcycles he had less to "unlearn" than Moss did. I thought that was an interesting comment.

Sounds similar to the reasoning that said that Rosemeyer, also a motorcyclist, was able to cope with the A-U better than the drivers who had raced cars before.

[David McKinney]

A "fact" which is disproved by the pre-season tests

[David Birchall]

Do tell?

[Roger Clark]

I was reading somewhere recently that Moss felt that Surtees would have been the best at driving it in 1963 since having come from motorcycles he had less to "unlearn" than Moss did. I thought that was an interesting comment.

I haven't seen that comment by Moss, but Denis Jenkinson suggested Surtees for the P99 but because of the extreme sensitivity it required. He made the remark after the British Grand Prix.

I too would like to know which fact was disproved and by which winer tests. I'm also interested in Ray Bell's remark about the P99 running on AvGas in 1963. What were the others using?

[David McKinney]

Auto Union tested 12 drivers at the Nürburgring in October 1934. Paul Pietsch, who had been showing great promise at the wheel of a Monza Alfa, was among them, and so too were two others who had done well in races and hillclimbs over the previous year or two, both in Bugattis, namely Rudi Steinweg, 46, and Hans Simons. There were also four motorcyclists, Hans Soenius, Hans Kahrmann, Rosemeyer and Winckler.

They were let loose first on the Sudschleife, where the fastest proved to be 23-year-old Pietsch, with a best time of 3min 05.4sec. Only slightly slower however were Rosemeyer (3'07.0) and Simons (3'09.4); Steinweg (3'18.6) and Soenius (3'25) were slower again and the rest rather more out of their depth.

The fastest five were then called back to try their luck on the Nordschleife the following day where Pietsch was again fastest, at 11'14.6. Simons was a bit slower at 11'46.0, followed by two-wheel men Rosemeyer (12'00.0) and Soenius (12'00.8); Steinweg managed only 12'57.0.

The decision was then taken to appoint Pietsch and Rosemeyer as Nachwuchsfahrer for 1935.

(Extracted from Peter Kirchner’s Grand-Prix-Report Auto Union 1934-39)

[Roger Clark]

I don't see how this disproves the assertion thar Rosemeyer could cope with the A-U better because he had no preconceptions of how a racing car should behave.

You could probably make a better case if you pointed out how few really successful drivers of front-engined cars failed to adapt to the A-U.

[kayemod]

I don't see how this disproves the assertion thar Rosemeyer could cope with the A-U better because he had no preconceptions of how a racing car should behave.

Yes, and a test is very different from a race. Trying to go fast against the clock with no-one in your mirrors can't be compared to having Caracciola or Von Brauchitsch behind you on a damp track, that's where we saw what Rosemeyer could achieve in an Auto Union, that's where skill really counts. there have been drivers throughout history who were fast in testing but less impressive in races. How about listing a few Pietsch race successes, wasn't the best he ever achieved in an equal car to Bernd a solitary third place?

[Tim Murray]

According to the Beinhorn/Nixon biography these tests were the first time Rosemeyer had ever sat in a racing car. I don't know whether Soenius had any previous four-wheel experience, but the other motorcyclists were, as David says, out of their depth. Surely if the 'no preconception' theory was to hold any water, the motorcyclists should on average have been quicker than the car drivers.

[David McKinney]

You could probably make a better case if you pointed out how few really successful drivers of front-engined cars failed to adapt to the A-U.

Agree
I can't OTTOMH think of any topliners in that category. Stuck and Nuvolari were both pretty handy, but (to argue against myself) so were Muller and Meier

[Roger Clark]

Agree
I can't OTTOMH think of any topliners in that category. Stuck and Nuvolari were both pretty handy, but (to argue against myself) so were Muller and Meier

You could add Varzi to those were successfully made the switch. Fagioli didn't but illness was a major factor.

[David McKinney]

Yes, of course, Varzi as well - at least in the early years

[jackal]

Hello All

Many thanks for the replies and pics. I will put dad onto this topic so he can have a look.

Best regards

Carl

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Roger Clark
.....I'm also interested in Ray Bell's remark about the P99 running on AvGas in 1963. What were the others using?

Now that you question me I'm not so sure...

But my 'gut feeling' is that they were running some kind of brews. Maybe we should invite Geoff Smedley into this question as he would be aware of what was going on.

[Roger Clark]

Since I asked the question I've been reading parts of BRM Vol 2 relating to the sale of BRM 485 to Arnold Glass. Tony Rudd issued an instruction on May 9 1961 which included: "fuel tanks to be serviced...Fireproof Tanks to be warned that alcohol fuel has been used and will be used in these tanks..."

[Ray Bell]

That would relate to the problem the BRMs experienced at Warwick Farm in February that year...

Both retired, IIRC, with fuel tank problems due to the fuel used.