194 replies to this topic

[TennisUK]

I recall Jack Brabham being referred to as "Black Jack Brabham" and of course, Colin Chapman (technically he did attempt to qualify for a race) as chunky chapman. I assume these rhymes had more to do with convenient alliteration than any valid semantic value, since Jack wasn't black, and chunky wasn't notably chunky.

[fbarrett]

Drag racers Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and E.J. Potter, "The Michigan Madman" (the latter of Chevy-powered motorcycle fame).

Frank

[Lee Nicolle]

Larry Perkins: Cowangie Kid, not Kowangie.

(Just a pedantic detail.) Cowangie is the flyspot town in South Australia that he came from. I drove through it years ago. His dad was a noted trials driver, wining one of the 1950s Redex events in a VW.

Terry, Cowangie is in Western Victoria not SA.

[fbarrett]

Drag racer "Big John" Mazmanian.

Earl "Madman" Muntz (OK, not a driver, but anyone who builds a car such as the Muntz deserves full blame).

Frank

[COUGAR508]

I recall Jack Brabham being referred to as "Black Jack Brabham" and of course, Colin Chapman (technically he did attempt to qualify for a race) as chunky chapman. I assume these rhymes had more to do with convenient alliteration than any valid semantic value, since Jack wasn't black, and chunky wasn't notably chunky.

I think that the "Black Jack" nickname referred to Brabham's occasionally black moods and stern expression. I have never really understood the "Chunky Chapman" tag either, although there have been suggestions that it was something to do with his weight.

[john winfield]

I think that the "Black Jack" nickname referred to Brabham's occasionally black moods and stern expression. I have never really understood the "Chunky Chapman" tag either, although there have been suggestions that it was something to do with his weight.

For some reason I always associated the "Black Jack" nickname with 'Black Jack of Ballarat', a character, I believe, in a Sherlock Holmes story. Apart from the Conan Doyle character not being a three times world champion, and Jack Brabham not coming from Ballarat, the two fit perfectly!

[ac39]

of course, there's always johnny carwash...

[cpbell]

I think that the "Black Jack" nickname referred to Brabham's occasionally black moods and stern expression. I have never really understood the "Chunky Chapman" tag either, although there have been suggestions that it was something to do with his weight.

According to Mike Lawrence and, I think, the late Gerard Crombac's Chapman biography, Chapman did struggle to prevent weight gain. Of course, if we are looking at nicknames for people around F1 who did not actually enter a World Championship race, Crombac's nickname ("Jabby") is pertinent. I wonder if he used to jab his finger as he spoke?

[Vitesse2]

I think that the "Black Jack" nickname referred to Brabham's occasionally black moods and stern expression. I have never really understood the "Chunky Chapman" tag either, although there have been suggestions that it was something to do with his weight.

According to Tony Rudd in "It was fun", it was Graham Hill who coined the nickname Chunky for Chapman, circa 1958-59. Colin certainly wasn't at his most svelte in those days and he slimmed down a lot by the mid-60s

[Graham Clayton]

1910's-1920's US racer Sig Haugdahl was known as the "Scandinavian Speed Fool" - does anyone know how he acquired this nickname?

[Bauble]

The French referred to Mike Hawthorn as Le Pappilon (?) because of the dicky bow he wore.

Someone writing to the Autosport gave us Everseenme Fittaballjoint and his brother We'lsoon ........!

Eric and I always referred to 'You Must Be' Jochen Mass.

Jack O'Malley mentioned earlier without reference was a 'Huntism' for Bruno Giacomelli.

Does anyone know who El Giraffo was?

I recall 'Pop'Lewis-Evans and David 'Wadda' Hunt.

I seem to recall that a 'Gilhooley' or inadvertant 360 was named after an American service man who raced at Snetterton way back when.

MInd you there appear to be a lot of nicknames on TNF!!!

bauble.

[David McKinney]

I seem to recall that a 'Gilhooley' or inadvertant 360 was named after an American service man who raced at Snetterton way back when.

Yes, an American, but not at Snetterton. Goes back to pre-WW1, I believe, possibly at Indianapolis

[Giraffe]

Does anyone know who El Giraffo was?

It would be far from an insult as the word 'giraffe' is derived from the Arabic word 'xirapha' and means 'run fast'.

[GMACKIE]

Warren Weldon - Morris Minor, Holden, Studebaker, etc. driver - was known as 'Flange'. Those who know why will have a chuckle!

[ray b]

no dan the man
or the wee scot yet
but the TNF's know those guys

[Flat Black 84]

Walt "The Little Dynamo" Faulkner

"Gentleman" Johnnie Parsons

Sam "The Thin Man" Hanks (or was that Jack McGrath?)

Bill "The Mad Russian" Vukovich (also known more accurately as "The Silent Serb")

[Jim Thurman]

Walt "The Little Dynamo" Faulkner

"Gentleman" Johnnie Parsons

Sam "The Thin Man" Hanks (or was that Jack McGrath?)

Bill "The Mad Russian" Vukovich (also known more accurately as "The Silent Serb")

Hanks was "The Alhambra Thin Man" and apparently was briefly known as "The Alhambra Assassin"

Early in his career, Parsons was tagged "Jittery" Johnnie.

"Terrible" Tommy Elliott raced alongside Faulkner and Parsons on the UMA midget circuit.

[Flat Black 84]

Ed "Drool" Elisian, so named by Bob Sweikert.

[Sisyphus]

Steve Saleen, the builder of the S7 Saleen and other things was known as "Gas" Saleen when he used to race Atlantics.

[Cargo]

Haven't read this whole thread, so these may have been mentioned:

Tim O'Glock= Timo Glock -well known irish f1 driver
Ian Crashly = Ian Ashley
John WhatsWrong = John Watson - Mclaren name for him when he was getting murdered every race by team-mate Alain Prost

Also, I think Mclaren had "Tadpole" sticker on the side of Prost's car for a couple of races - sort of an insiders joke i think

[Hank the Deuce]

down amongst the Antipodean Tip Toppers, the notables were Allan "Oil Can Harry" Grice (who seemed happy enough to play the villain for a long time - he also stuck the non-complimentary moniker of "Ankles" on Frank Gardner following the dissolution of their professional relationship, referred to Leopold Von Bayern as "Count Von Hamburger", and dismissed the three-car TWR XJ-S onslaught at Bathurst 1985 as nothing more than a trio of "Green Wolseleys")...
Peter McKay perennially referred to Allan Moffat as "Marvin The Magnificent", perhaps on the basis of his accent and the big "M" on the side of his helmet throught the early 70's... there was John "Father" French, a Puck-ish veteran who once wanted to change the names on the side of the Nissan Bluebird he was sharing with Freddie Gibson from "Gibson/French", to "Fred Gibson And His Dad"... OT, but last weekend I was treated to the sight of both Father and Fred giving energetic demonstrations of a number of Series Production Fords at Lakeside... Father's now 80, but the gentle slides into The Kink he exhibited in his '71 Bathurst GT-HO were pretty good stuff...

[Welby]

While we are downunder,

Gentleman Jim Richards, aka The Rain Master

Captain Chaos , Wayne Gardner

The Old Fox, Harry Firth

KB , Kevin Bartlett, aka Big Rev Kev

The Captain, Peter Janson

Splitpin, Phil Brock


and heading back north of the equator

The Doctor, Valentino Rossi

[Bloggsworth]

Did not Maurice Trintignant earn his nickname "Le Pétoulet" because when he pulled his car out of the shed in which it was hidden during WWII it was covered in chicken-****?

Edited by Bloggsworth, 28 April 2011 - 09:12.

[Allan Lupton]

Did not Maurice Trintignant earn his nickname "Le Pétoulet" because when he pulled his car out of the shed in which it was hidden during WWII it was covered in chicken-****?

I remember it as rat ****, but can't find chapter/verse

[Bauble]

Did not Maurice Trintignant earn his nickname "Le Pétoulet" because when he pulled his car out of the shed in which it was hidden during WWII it was covered in chicken-****?

I believe that Maurice retired from the race because of rat droppings in the fuel tank. His Bugatti was hidden in a barn during the war, and clearly not properly 'prepped' before the race.
I relate this as I read it many years ago, and cannot guarantee the veracity of the content.

[Tim Murray]

Spot on, Bauble. When asked by the other drivers why his car had stopped, he sheepishly explained that it was due to 'les pétoules' in the petrol tank. They were highly amused, and immediately dubbed him 'Pétoulet'.

Edited by Tim Murray, 28 April 2011 - 09:26.

[Duc-Man]

I didn't go through this whole thing so it might have been metioned before.
After the 'big scandal' where the wooden board under the car was to thin the press called Michael Schumacher 'Schummel Schumi'. Means cheating Schumi.
Thinking back I wonder why I didn't see any caricature with Schumi having the car upside down working on that board with a plane...

[Graham Gauld]

Walt "The Little Dynamo" Faulkner

"Gentleman" Johnnie Parsons

Sam "The Thin Man" Hanks (or was that Jack McGrath?)

Bill "The Mad Russian" Vukovich (also known more accurately as "The Silent Serb")

Was not Bruce Kessler "The Flying Rabbi" ?

[Sharman]

Was not Bruce Kessler "The Flying Rabbi" ?

Well he did cut 2 inches off the tailpipe!

[Flat Black 84]

Frank "Satan" Brewer

[Bauble]

Spot on, Bauble. When asked by the other drivers why his car had stopped, he sheepishly explained that it was due to 'les pétoules' in the petrol tank. They were highly amused, and immediately dubbed him 'Pétoulet'.

Tim,
Thank's for confirming that, however, I must warn you that agreeing with me on this site can attract all sorts of opprobrium.

[Tom Smith]

Fred "The Golden Boy" Lorenzen
"Fearless" Fred Lorenzen
"Fast Freddy" Lorenzen
Fred "The Elmhurst Express" Lorenzen

Edited by Tom Smith, 29 April 2011 - 05:09.

[Flat Black 84]

Tony "Tunney" Bettenhausen

Tony "The Tinley Park Express" Bettenhausen

[24hourman]

Pierre Alfred Bouillin "Levegh" or the Monk

[David McKinney]

Levegh wasn't a nickname. The Monk was

[24hourman]

Levegh wasn't a nickname. The Monk was

The name "Levegh" was a Pseudonym racing name and was an anagram of his uncle whose name was velghe so whether it was a nickname or not, it was used by him and the press at the time of his racing career and was not his real name. I do not think that because you adopt the use of a nickname yourself it becomes any less of a nickname?

[David McKinney]

It's not what you or I think, it's what the English language says
"Levegh" was a nom de course, a name he used instead of his correct surname. That is not the same thing as a nickname

Edited by David McKinney, 30 April 2011 - 21:27.

[Vitesse2]

Levegh wasn't a nickname. The Monk was

Er, David: I agree with your reasoning on nom de course v nickname. However, Levegh was not The Monk but The Bishop, the French pronunciation of Levegh being very near to l'évêque. The French for monk is moine.

Here endeth the (French) lesson. We will now sing hymn number 128 ...

[Marc Sproule]

In '76 Gilles was referred to as "Jiles Villenewavy" by a southern belle radio reporter in Atlanta. Gilles liked that one so much he kept cracking up and elbowing me in the ribs as I sat next to him, trying to write my story for Autoweek.

A lot of us in the Atlantic paddock called him "Gillies", as in "gill ees".

When his brother Jacques was driving Atlantic cars for Doug Shierson Jacques' chief mechanic Don "Sneets"/"Sneeters" Schnieders saw a comic strip that referred to "that famous French racing car driver "Chuck Laylow" and hung that one on Jacques.

Keke was frequently referred to as "The Cake".

We usually called Howdy Holmes "H2" or "2".

I made a car trip with Rahal in '76 from Chicago to Atlanta. We made an overnight stop at his alma mater, Dennison, and spent the night in his college fraternity. His fraternity bros told me he was known as "Mario" for obvious reasons. He also garnered the sobriquet "The Snake" for his reported propensity for stealing other guys' girlfriends.

In the champ car ranks Danny Sullivan was known as "Hollywood". Derrick Walker told me that one as soon as we spoke at Sullivan's first test with Team Penske.

Unser Sr. was referred to as "Big Al" or "Senior". Al Jr. was "Little Al" or "Junior". Bobby U. was frequently referred to as "Uncle Bobby".

Michael Andretti was usually referred to as "Mikey".

I know a lot of others for drivers here in US but none of them are fit for print in this forum.

[theracer120]

Richard Petty was the "Randleman Rocket", "Dick" Petty, and "Squirrel Jr." before he became the King. His Dad Lee was "Squirrel Sr."

Just had a look through some of the very early NASCAR results, I'm guessing about some of these:
"Slick" Smith
"Skimp" Hersey
Frank "Rebel" Mundy - actual name was Francisco Eduardo Menendez
"Woodie" Wilson
"Buckshot" Morris
"Gober" Sosebee
"Buddy" Helms
"Garland" Smith
"Budd" Olsen

[gfastr]

Others:

"Jungle" Jim Liberman

Oh, you mean this one

[gfastr]

Before he was known as "The Intimidator" Dale Earnhardt was referred to (at least when he wasn't within earshot) as "Ironhead".
And out of that Jimmy Spencer , when viewed from the back, became Onion Head

[gfastr]

Superwop was Mario wasn't it ?

I also seem to remember Nigel Roebuck in AUTOSPORT referring to him as "The Fonz" in the late 70s.

[fbarrett]

Mark "Captain Nice" Donohue

[Marc Sproule]

I believe it was ex-driver, now tv talking head, Tom Kendall who hung "princess sparkle pony" on Danica.