130 replies to this topic

[philippe7]

A vision of "what could have been"....




This is french historic racer Gérard Gamand, also webmaster of the Autodiva forum, publisher of the Autodiva magazine, and occasional contributor to this forum where he posted this pic a few years ago..... Gérard was a great fan of Gerry's and has for ages been wearing this replica helmet as a hommage to him - and still does this day, currently in french historic F2 .

[alexshore]

I am currently helping my half sister, Kara Birrell, to create a website in memory of her father, Gerry Birrell. Who as many of you will know was a successful sports car and single-seater driver in the late 60's - early 70's who was unfortunately killed in 1973 before he could make the step up to Formula 1.

We are trying to collect as many photographs as possible of Gerry and any memorabilia that could be photographed for the website. Any stories from the period he was driving would also be appreciated.

Thank you.

[Tim Murray]

There's a good existing thread on Gerry which might be of help to you. Kara herself contributed to it last year:

Gerry Birrell

[David McKinney]

There have aleady been several threads of Gerry

The search faciity at the top of the page would have shown you:

http://forums.autosp...showtopic=37361
http://forums.autosp...showtopic=38952
http://forums.autosp...howtopic=114339

[LittleChris]

Welcome Alex, I look forward to seeing the website.

[David M. Kane]

Welcome Alex, I look forward to seeing the website.

Me too! He was a GREAT talent!

[johnthebridge]

Gerry was a good bloke. I seem to remember he worked in a tuning/accessory shop just off the Harrow Rd. roundabout, Wembley, in around '67/'68? I can't remember the name of the place now, but it specialised in Ford bits (didn't they all?) He was very friendly and helpful with advice on the 1650 Anglia we were building at the time (71 ABP where are you now?) and allowed us discounts and "deferred payments" on bits. I remember a rather swish, well I thought so at the time, "wet look" FordSport jacket I had from him. It made the car go SO much faster.

Edited by johnthebridge, 14 February 2012 - 13:52.

[MCS]

Gerry was a good bloke. I seem to remember he worked in a tuning/accessory shop just off the Harrow Rd. roundabout, Wembley, in around '67/'68? I can't remember the name of the place now, but it specialised in Ford bits (didn't they all?)......

J & J Stanton ?

[DogEarred]

J & J Stanton ?

That rings a bell. It was across the road from Sudbury Hill station. A small shop with a couple of garages attached.

At one time I remember seeing an F3 or F2 of Tetsu Ikasawa - all white with the Japanese red roundel, amongst other things.

[arttidesco]

Three photo's of Fords Gerry drove on this link along with further links to photographers who took them.

[johnthebridge]

J & J Stanton ?

Doesn't ring any bells, but at my age that means very little. I think it was something ".......speed", but again, weren't they all?

[johnthebridge]

That rings a bell. It was across the road from Sudbury Hill station. A small shop with a couple of garages attached.

At one time I remember seeing an F3 or F2 of Tetsu Ikasawa - all white with the Japanese red roundel, amongst other things.

Now that does ring many bells! Lotus 59?
F3 in the late '60s. Cor! (I know it's been covered before.)

Edited by johnthebridge, 13 February 2012 - 19:15.

[johnthebridge]

That rings a bell. It was across the road from Sudbury Hill station. A small shop with a couple of garages attached.

At one time I remember seeing an F3 or F2 of Tetsu Ikasawa - all white with the Japanese red roundel, amongst other things.

Having slept on it, the name I come up with is "Plus 2", but I could be wrong. Any takers?

[DogEarred]

Having slept on it, the name I come up with is "Plus 2", but I could be wrong. Any takers?

Yes, his Lotus 59. Probably F3 but can't be 100% sure.

I think the premises changed hands & certainly stopped the car prep. It became a 'run of the mill' accessory shop anyway.

[john winfield]

Alex, Kara
Good luck with the project, hope that you find plenty of useful records and memorabilia. He was a fine driver, and I have good boyhood memories of seeing him, for example, win F3 at Brands in 1970 and, in 1973, come within a whisker of winning the Thruxton F2 race.

I may have a few cuttings - I'll send you a Private Mail

John

[Tim Murray]

Shot in the dark here - in Gerry's obituary in Autosport it mentions his involvement with a firm called Wooler's when he was racing FF in 1969. This presumably was CT Wooler who I believe were based in or near Wembley - any bells rung?

[johnthebridge]

Shot in the dark here - in Gerry's obituary in Autosport it mentions his involvement with a firm called Wooler's when he was racing FF in 1969. This presumably was CT Wooler who I believe were based in or near Wembley - any bells rung?

Yes-I think they mainly made straight cut boxes for Fords , and I think they also did various gearbox extension linkages to re-position the lever nearer the driver, on BMC models. I don't remember where they were located, but I don't think they were tied up with the firm I mentioned earlier, Plus 2. Maybe they were-it all seems so long ago.

[Alan Drysdale]

Yes-I think they mainly made straight cut boxes for Fords , and I think they also did various gearbox extension linkages to re-position the lever nearer the driver, on BMC models. I don't remember where they were located, but I don't think they were tied up with the firm I mentioned earlier, Plus 2. Maybe they were-it all seems so long ago.

Will need to do a little bit more research on this to be conclusive and dig out an old photo of Gerry in the Crossle 16F in 1969. I thought the branding on the car was 'Wooler Performance' but suspect it may have been the firm that you mention. Anyhow the deal was that Gerry worked with Woolers and Crossle sent them the chassis and suspension, bodywork, etc; essentially the parts manufactured in the Crossle factory for the cars being sold in the UK. Gerry and Woolers then supplied the ancillary parts, shock absorbers, wheels, etc and assembled the cars to race ready specification for the customers. Crossle had a similar type of deal with Bert Ray in later years.

[WillHenderson]

We will have photos of Gerry in the 60s in my father's archive (www.thebillhendersoncollection) especially of the early days racing a Singer Chamois.

William

[RTH]

I owned Gerry Birrell's Lotus 69 F2 71-3 from 1977 to 1985 which was the yellow John Stanton owned car it had done time in the hands of Eddie Jordan in Ireland with atlantic BDA and then Formula Libre at Croft. I bought it from Nick Overall as a rolling chassis when I sold it it went to Germany

Edited by RTH, 15 February 2012 - 09:57.

[petestenning]

That rings a bell. It was across the road from Sudbury Hill station. A small shop with a couple of garages attached.

At one time I remember seeing an F3 or F2 of Tetsu Ikasawa - all white with the Japanese red roundel, amongst other things.

Just for reference its Tetsu Ikusawa

[ReWind]

... or even Tetsu Ikuzawa...

[DogEarred]

Just for reference its Tetsu Ikusawa

Konichi wa
Yes, I realised it wasn't the correct spelling after I posted it and hoped nobody would notice.
Should have known better with you sticklers for correctness.
I shall fall on my sword immediately....

But he did do a little F2 after F3 didn't he?

Edited by DogEarred, 15 February 2012 - 22:14.

[Tim Murray]

Yes indeed - Tetsu was a regular contender in European F2 between 1970 and 1973 before returning home to race in Japan.

[mfd]

Yes indeed - Tetsu was a regular contender in European F2 between 1970 and 1973 before returning home to race in Japan.

Still on the scene, has a base in London & bought an old 911 Targa off a friend of mine last year.

[Richard Young]

And gave the Crossle 18F one of its very few International F2 outings at....I think....Bogota.

[sterling49]

........but best remembered by me, for hurling the S800 through Paddock sideways, at a trillion RPM, amazing little car.........forget which year though...'67 maybe?

Great memories of Gerry driving all sorts of cars, great in the RS1600 and Capris too, he was regularly at Brands.

[bill p]

Will need to do a little bit more research on this to be conclusive and dig out an old photo of Gerry in the Crossle 16F in 1969. I thought the branding on the car was 'Wooler Performance' but suspect it may have been the firm that you mention. Anyhow the deal was that Gerry worked with Woolers and Crossle sent them the chassis and suspension, bodywork, etc; essentially the parts manufactured in the Crossle factory for the cars being sold in the UK. Gerry and Woolers then supplied the ancillary parts, shock absorbers, wheels, etc and assembled the cars to race ready specification for the customers. Crossle had a similar type of deal with Bert Ray in later years.

Gerry at 1969 Phoenix Park, Dublin



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Fubar]

Gerry at Ingliston 1972 in the March F2. He also raced a Cologne Capri at the same meeting but I can't lay my hands on the negative at the moment. Will post it if I can find it.

[john winfield]

Leafing through the Bill Wyatt photos that Myhinpaa linked in the 1972 Weaverbird thread, I noticed this good shot of Gerry at the Rothmans 50,000 in August of that same year.

 

https://www.billwyat...972/i-ffMXVBk/A

 

Copyright Bill Wyatt

 

I think that's a sunny evening looking east, out to where the motorway now cuts across the countryside.  Low tech Rondel bus in the distance.

Edited by john winfield, 05 May 2021 - 13:40.

[pete53]

Leafing through the Bill Wyatt photos that Myhinpaa linked in the 1972 Weaverbird thread, I noticed this good shot of Gerry at the Rothmans 50,000 in August of that same year.

 

https://www.billwyat...972/i-ffMXVBk/A

 

Copyright Bill Wyatt

 

I think that's a sunny evening looking east, out to where the motorway now cuts across the countryside.  Low tech Rondel bus in the distance.

.... And that rusty scaffolding pole and corrugated iron sheltering is pretty basic