73 replies to this topic

[Ray Bell]

Sadly the news has come through that Leo has passed away...

Leo's eldest son, Steven, phoned Max this morning to advise that Leo had died at about 12:15. He had been steadily deteriorating in recent weeks to the great concern of his family and friends.

The first driver to win an Australian Gold Star race in a small-capacity car, the first driver to win a major Warwick Farm race in a small-capacity car, Gold Star Champion, 1969 Japan GP winner, he made a comeback to ANF2 racing in 1973 and took two National titles in Birranas.

His racing career began in 1956 in his father's famous black Holden. By 1960 he'd graduated to a Lotus Elite in GT racing and so began a long association with Lotus.

Please add your recollections about this very precise and successful driver, a man we will all miss.

[cooper997]

Quite literally the end of the Geoghegan racing dynasty with the passing of Leo. With Tom, Leo & Ian providing a large slice of what is now Australia's motor racing heritage, between them all.

I only ever met Leo the one time at the first Tasman Revival in 2006. I shall have to see whether there's a suitable photo to add later.

My condolences to the Geoghegan family and all Leo's friends and fellow competitors.

Stephen

ps -wrong year on the heading

[Ray Bell]

Yes, I've asked for that to be changed...

 

I will advise funeral arrangements later, it's expected to be early next week.

[GMACKIE]

Sad news indeed. Leo gave the best advice ever, at a F.Vee meeting years ago. "Concentrate on concentrating" he said.

 

R.I.P. Leo.

[275 GTB-4]

Quite literally the end of the Geoghegan racing dynasty with the passing of Leo. With Tom, Leo & Ian providing a large slice of what is now Australia's motor racing heritage, between them all.

I only ever met Leo the one time at the first Tasman Revival in 2006. I shall have to see whether there's a suitable photo to add later.

My condolences to the Geoghegan family and all Leo's friends and fellow competitors.

Stephen

ps -wrong year on the heading

Sad news indeed...is Michael doing anything on track? I saw him take Petes Mustang around EC once...

[Ian G]

Very sad.....

[seldo]

Very sad. Another one passing far too soon.
Leo was a legend in Australian motor sport, and I got to know him quite well when I drove for the late John Giddings' NSW Nissan Dealer Team of 280Zs.
Leo was team manager and gave invaluable help in sorting and setting-up these cars, and was always happy, cheerful, and approachable, and willing to pass-on his vast experience.
It is a sad day and he will be missed.
Condolences to all his family.

[cooper997]

When RCN went magazine format the Geoghegan brothers made the first cover. Ian leads Leo at Catalina Park.

 

how to screenshot on windows 7

 

2006 Tasman Revival... with the perfect vision of hindsight, I should have tried harder with configuring photos as Leo stood there that day. The significant other with Team Lotus shirt is Clive Chapman.

 

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Stephen

[GMiranda]

RIP    

[RW7]

Sad news indeed. 

 

Leo was a humble champion who even had time for a lowly Queensland clubman driver in the 70's. We remained friends and I used to enjoy dropping in for a chat at his car yard on Victoria Road in the '90s. We last shook hands at the Tasman Revival in 2008 when despite his obvious health deterioration he was still enjoying being involved in the sport.

 

My sincere condolences to his family.

[ed holly]

Will miss you Leo, No.1 hero of mine of all time. Condolences to the Geoghegan family.

 

Photo from maybe Leo's last single seater drive in 2004 - his old Lotus 20 from 1961, which he seemed to really enjoy.

 

 

jpg images

 

 

 

 

[brucemoxon]

Dad sent me a message this morning with the news.

 

A lovely man, a great driver, he'll be sadly missed.

 

He was so smooth in a racing car - one of the few things I remember from my youngest years. Smooth and fast and humble and polite. Did he ever say a bad word about anyone?

 

Thanks Leo, for everything.

 

 

 

Bruce Moxon

[Lee Nicolle]

Very sad and condolences to his family and friends.

I never met any of the Geoghegan clan. But history has served them well. I have seen Leo race ofcourse, both open wheelers and tintops on clips and he was oh so smooth.

[Wirra]

A sight and sound never forgotten.

 

[275 GTB-4]

Will miss you Leo, No.1 hero of mine of all time. Condolences to the Geoghegan family.
 
Photo from maybe Leo's last single seater drive in 2004 - his old Lotus 20 from 1961, which he seemed to really enjoy.

Thank you Ed...one of my most enduring memories.

 

I am fairly sure I was in Race Control with Mike and KB that day...it was a wonderful privilege to see Leo doing what he did best

Edited by 275 GTB-4, 02 March 2015 - 05:18.

[gtsmunro]

Very sad news. Condolences to his family. RIP Leo.

[ellrosso]

RIP Leo G. Only met him the once at E Creek a couple of years back when he signed a print for me, but saw him many times in the pits at various meetings around the country. One of my favourite drivers, so smooth and quick.  End of an era.  Will try and post some pics once I get Photobucket sorted out again - not working for me at the moment.

[ellrosso]

Leo with Webers for the Holden.

[DanTra2858]

RIP Leo, working for you was one surrounded by many persons of so much knowledge of cars & motor sport, thank you for takeing me on all those years ago.

[ed holly]

Brian Caldersmith's tribute to Leo.

 

Brian has put these wonderful 2 paintings on here as his tribute to Leo. A computer problem robbed Brian from being able to place them here himself so asked me to do it for him. It is an honour to put them on for you BC.

 

screen shot on pc

 

windows 7 screenshot

 

[Torston]

Thanks Ed.

[cooper997]

Any piece of Brian's artwork is a pleasure to see and those 2 are indeed a great tribute to Leo.

 

The Castrol Geoghegan Lotus 39 Repco is already featuring here a fair bit. And rightly so..

 

Not 100%, but what follows captures Leo happy to win at Calder in August 67.

uploading images

 

Stephen

[SJ Lambert]

 

 

Top step, Mt Fuji.

[WOT]

Sad news. Wonderful man. Great memories.

 

RIP.

 

[Geoff Smedley]

 very sad start to the day yesterday with the message coming through on the passing of Leo who had been a good friend for many years. I had known he was unwell for quite a period and the big 'C' hangs in there and bides its time and simply strikes at will but at last the suffering has come to an end but the memories will live on My condolences are with Del. his widow and Sister Marie-Louise Howard  In those early days Leo used to be a model for David Jones, a very dapper gentleman of the time but in later life the body outgrew most cockpits and  so had to be concentrate on the old commercial type cars that he claimed did nothing for him he then seemed to drop his bundle We have lost a wonderful guy that did much for LOTUS in Australia and raced through the classes, Lotus 20, 22, 27, 32,with the Repco V8 was a nice package and always driven well. I find it difficult to find the right words in cases like this  so for old times sake I may just say 'Keep her under 7/2 revs'

[GreenMachine]

Very sad news.  RIP Leo, and thanks for the memories!

[Ray Bell]

You're still thinking of Climaxes, Geoff...

Bruce mentioned 'smooth'... and if there's anything that described Leo's driving that was the word. In those fantastic dices with Greg Cusack in the 1500s he was certainly that bit smoother than Greg, but when Greg pulled the 1:35.2 out of the bag at the Farm - over two seconds better than anyone else had ever done - Leo had to smoothly up his pace too. Which he did.

"Never a bad word..." is pretty true, too. And let's not forget that Leo helped Pete out when there was public speaking to do, setting a good example for all at all times.

He didn't mistreat the machinery either, as Geoff will attest. Cars were put away rather than plugging on with a problem (one exception to that was completing a Hordern Trophy with a misfire of some kind), while crashes were very few.

The bad one was at Bathurst in 1968, practising for the Gold Star race. "When are you going to put belts in that car?" he was asked. "They're being fitted now..." was his response. There was another practice crash at the Farm, there's a photo around here somewhere, I think that was in the 22, while I recall also an attempt at aviating off the grid at the Farm. Others may think of more, but all in all they were very few for someone with a career spanning so many cars, so many races, so many years.

This all adds up to a very good driver, add in his speed and he was an exceptional driver, a man worthy of the results he achieved.

[Doug Nye]

More sad news, but such great characters will always live on in the memories of those who knew them, or who get to hear about them. After many years of reading avidly about the Geoghegans' exploits, I finally got to know Leo during a Classic Adelaide that he attended - apparently re-emerging in public after some self-imposed obscurity? I counted it a privilege to meet and spend some time with him...talking largely about Lotus matters of mutual interest.  A nice man, somewhat bruised I thought...  But from this Pom, sincere condolences to his family and many friends and admirers.

 

DCN

[Paul Hamilton]

A great man indeed, and not simply because he drove so well and competed so successfully.  One of Leo's great attributes was the time he was happy to spend with others who were not so gifted.  When I started driving single seaters at the very rear of the grids in the early 70's he was happy to have a chat and give advise and always supported his fellow competitors.  I well recall an incident during the 1974 Van Heusen F2 series when one of the event organisers was rather tardy in paying out our prize money.  The money in that series was very good but only when actually received and Leo understood that my earnings from midfield were as important to me as his from 1st place.  He chased the money down on behalf of us all not simply himself and followed up regularly to ensure we were paid.

 

He had a rather difficult life in later years but retained his usual cheery approach when I saw him last at the November Eastern Creek historic meeting last year.

[eldougo]

One of my heros and sad news indeed. R.I.P. Leo Geoghegan .

 

" Motor Racing in Australia was all together better place because of you".

[Lola5000]

RIP Leo, like so many of my generation ,as a teenager the Geoghegan brothers Ian and Leo were hero's.

 

I've always felt sad when thinking of the 2 brothers and how there racing just ended and were forgot by so many  and that life could have been kinder to 2 great drivers in there post race lives.

[RW7]

To my deep regret I cannot attend the funeral but I hope it is a celebration of Leo's life and achievements rather than a sad affair. Maybe someone will tell the story of the "exhaust pipe shortening affair" which allegedly occurred at Lakeside.

[DogEarred]

This sad loss reminded me that when I first became interested in motor sport, about 50 years ago, as a teenager & not knowing anybody in the racing world, my only source of information came from the UK based Motor Sport, Motoring News & Autosport magazines only.

The more well known drivers were obviously European based & the reports were mostly about F1,2 & 3 & sports cars in the World & European championships.

But in the reports form 'far off' places such as Oz, NZ, SA & other places, the F1, Tasman & sports car reports & results would contain references to the local drivers, often doing very well & indeed winning. So their names were still 'household' in my books but I never knew much about them & their histories, unlike the 'star' names who drew all the attention.

Strange that 50 years later, I can find out more about them on this forum that I ever could back then. (and increase my respect for them)

[Tim Murray]

Agreed absolutely, DogEarred. I too have known and respected the name of Leo Geoghegan for 50-odd years (I had to ask my Mum how to pronounce it) but it's only since I joined this forum that I've learned so much about racing in Australia and New Zealand. Leo's Lotus 39 in that great colour scheme is one of my favourites in terms of good-looking cars. I'm very sad to learn of his death. RIP.

[SJ Lambert]

Leo features heavily in this Mildren mini doco from Fuji in 69.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=elrUxONKCNw

 

 

 

 

[cooper997]

Details of Leo's funeral service are now on the SMH website

http://tributes.smh....x?pid=174299993

 

The relatives and friends of LEO are invited to attend his Funeral Service appointed to commence at 11.00am next Monday (March 9, 2015) in Hoxton Park Anglican Church, 1 Latrobe Road, Hoxton Park, the Service to be held in its entirety.

 

That date is also 50 years since Tom Geoghegan passed away.

 

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 04 March 2015 - 07:33.

[275 GTB-4]

For those who might wish to fly in, Hoxton Park has an aerodrome (radar controlled as well).

[ellrosso]

Here is a selection of cars which Leo raced over the years plus a few portraits.

[275 GTB-4]

Fabulous photo tribute Elrosso...thank you.

Is it just me or do those ridiculously high wings look way too flimsy and wonky...noting that Chubby Chapman learned that the hard way

[Ray Bell]

It's just you...

Locally made high wings never failed like the ones Team Lotus had break on them at Lakeside and in Spain.

[gkennedy]

For those who might wish to fly in, Hoxton Park has an aerodrome (radar controlled as well).

Hoxton Park aerodrome closed 7-8 years ago, and has now disappeared under a massive industrial estate.

[rasimmo]

Question for the race engineers among us. I always thought that mounting the wings on the suspension uprights  was the best solution, so that all the down force was on the wheel/tyre and didn`t affect the suspension settings. I must have been wrong because they`ve stopped doing it.

Simmo

[Ray Bell]

No...

They stopped doing it because the wing's structure had to absorb the real-life road shocks without breaking, as they didn't stop breaking they were banned. Ron's solution with the Brabhams was to have a centre mount with a hinge in the wing and then the outer mounts to the hub carriers, but these were also banned.

Chaparral always had the suspension mounts and they did it well enough that they didn't break like the Lotus ones did.

[275 GTB-4]

Hoxton Park aerodrome closed 7-8 years ago, and has now disappeared under a massive industrial estate.

Oops! I see the radar fairly often and just assumed! (never ass-u-me)

Camden is close by then...

http://en.wikipedia....ew_South_Wales)

[Ray Bell]

Bankstown's easier...

[Catalina Park]

No...

They stopped doing it because the wing's structure had to absorb the real-life road shocks without breaking, as they didn't stop breaking they were banned. Ron's solution with the Brabhams was to have a centre mount with a hinge in the wing and then the outer mounts to the hub carriers, but these were also banned.

Chaparral always had the suspension mounts and they did it well enough that they didn't break like the Lotus ones did.

The Mclaren ones seemed pretty sturdy too.

[Ray Bell]

You're right...

It was just Lotus giving everything a bad name.

[Catalina Park]

Lotus and Brabham were the two teams that had wings collapse during races that I can think of. I'm sure there was others too but they weren't at the pointy end.

[Tim Murray]

I've had a look at the recorded instances of suspension-mounted rear wing failures at F1 race meetings in 1968 and 1969 up to the Monaco ban.(Source: Autosport). Lotus had six, Brabham four, and Honda and (Parnell) BRM one each. Of the other leading teams, it's worth noting that Ferrari never used suspension-mounted aerofoils in a race, whilst McLaren used them only in 1969.

Edited by Tim Murray, 07 March 2015 - 07:59.

[Catalina Park]

Thanks Tim. It shows that Brabham wasn't that far ahead of Lotus in development!

Lotus also had a failure (or two?) in the Tasman as well.