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Mystery entries & drivers in F1


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#1 Jimmy Piget

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Posted 09 June 2002 - 20:40

Who could be this Frank Dochnall, entered in the 1963 US or Mexican GP (sorry for the bad memory : haven't my archives under my hands) ?
And Thomas Monarch, also entered in the same races ?

Where and when did Ray Reed died ? He entered (but did not appear) in the 1965 South African GP with his own-made RA-Alfa.

Has somebody built up a list of not appearing entries at Indianapolis 1950-1960 ?
(Such as Farina & Rol on 8CLT Maseratis in 1950, or Jean Achard with his own ex-Etancelin T26C Talbot-Lago in 1951)

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#2 ensign14

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Posted 09 June 2002 - 20:46

The Indy entries are set out in Jack C Fox' epic History of the Indy 500.

Ray Reed died in an aircrash in 1965 or 1966, IIRC.

#3 Vitesse2

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Posted 09 June 2002 - 21:05

For the sum total of knowledge about Mr Dochnal:

http://www.atlasf1.c...ghlight=Dochnal

Thomas Who? :confused:

Achard's entry was not taken up because he had been killed in a hillclimb in Rio de Janeiro in early 1951.

#4 fines

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Posted 09 June 2002 - 21:18

A quick and dirty list of Indy DNAs:

1950:
#46 Officine Alfieri Maserati (Maserati), Giuseppe Farina
#48 Officine Alfieri Maserati (Maserati), Franco Rol
#53 George E. Swanson (Offy), no driver

1951:
#55 Maserati Race Cars (Maserati), no driver
#84 Alden Sampson II (Offy), no driver

1952:
#82 Calvin C. Connell (Cadillac), Johnny Fedricks

1953:
#27 Rotary Engineering Corp. (Offy), no driver
#45 Howard Keck Co. (Ferrari), no driver
#47 Johnny Mauro (Ferrari), Johnny Mauro
#54 M. A. Walker (Offy), no driver
#97 Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari), Alberto Ascari

1954:
#46 Edward Gdula (Offy), no driver

1955:
#47 G. Geddes (Ferrari), no driver
#55 Thorne Engineering Corp. (Sparks), no driver
#82 Walter F. Strader (Strader), no driver
#91 Ed Walsh (Offy), no driver

1956:
#32 Walter J. Travers (?), no driver

1957:
?

1958:
?

1959:
?

1960:
#67 Lindsey Hopkins (Offy), no driver
#68 Ken-Paul Inc. (Offy), no driver

#5 Jimmy Piget

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Posted 10 June 2002 - 05:08

Many thanks for the information, Michael.

Since I do not own the Fox book (too much expensive on the bargain market...), I only had to wonder about small notes I read here and there...

Another question : what year did Norm Hall entered (or practiced, or had his rookie test) ?

About Jean Achard : he actually died on July 14, 1951, practising a SP Ferrari on the Gávea circuit (not in a hillclimb). So the Indy entry could well have been made, but according to the above Fines information, it was not. Why ?

There was also rumours about a Gálvez entry in 1950, about a Bob Said drive in a Chinetti Ferrari (circa 1955 — the Geddes car ?), and a Ecurie Ecosse entry in 1958 (after its good showing in the monza "Due mundi" race). Etc.

And I read somewhere that Carroll Shelby failed the rookie test in 1958.

#6 David McKinney

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Posted 10 June 2002 - 10:21

Originally posted by Jimmy Piget
About Jean Achard : he actually died on July 14, 1951, practising a SP Ferrari on the Gávea circuit (not in a hillclimb).

Haven't got the time to find the relevant thread now, but we've actually sorted all this out before, Jimmy. Achard's accident was in a hillclimb. Not that this affects whether or not he could have been at Indy.

#7 Vitesse2

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Posted 10 June 2002 - 13:20

Here's the thread about Achard:

http://www.atlasf1.c...&threadid=33326

Apologies for the confusion over the date, I'd taken the "early 1951" reference from some text I'm working on for another Forum member (he said mysteriously! :smoking: ) - I shall correct that at my end!

AFAIK Achard had not raced at all, between his 1947 Albi accident until just before his death: according to Tony Kaye's Temporada list he was in Sao Paulo in May 1951 racing the Talbot there - any Indy entry would seem highly speculative, especially as he wasn't exactly out of the top drawer :rolleyes: Perhaps the Indy authorities rejected the entry and he decided to go to South America instead, maybe to sell the car? A T26 wasn't exactly state of the art by 1951 and a fifth place behind Landi's old Ferrari 125 and a couple of elderly Maseratis is probably an accurate guide to the competitiveness of both car and driver!

#8 Gerr

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Posted 10 June 2002 - 16:44

Jimmy, Norm Hall passed his rookie test in 1960,in the car he entered,the #39. Bill Homier qualified the car and finished 13th.

#9 Jimmy Piget

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Posted 10 June 2002 - 18:48

Quote :

I am afraid you are wrong, David. I personaly own a copy of Jean Achard's death certificate (courtesy of Rio de Janeiro authorities) which clearly indicates the Gávea circuit as place of the fatality.

I can scan it to you, if you are interested

#10 David McKinney

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Posted 10 June 2002 - 20:44

As explained on the other thread, the hillclimb used part of the Gavea circuit.
As also explained earlier, the winning time for the event was something over two minutes, confirming it was not a circuit race.
So we are both right. He was killed in a hillclimb on the Gavea circuit.

#11 cabianca

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Posted 10 June 2002 - 20:59

If DNA at Indianapolis means Did Not Arrive, Fines posting is incorrect. In 1953 the Mauro, Keck and Scuderia Ferrari entries all appeared and the Scuderia Ferrari entry, driven by Ascari qualified for the race. There was a fourth Ferrari entered by Grant Piston Rings (Gerry Grant). All the Ferraris, with the exception of Mauro, made qualification runs. As already mentioned, only Ascari qualified for the race.

#12 Gerr

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Posted 11 June 2002 - 02:13

cabianca, Fines is correct. You have 1952 and '53 mixed up.......1952 was the year Ascari qualified etc.

#13 cabianca

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Posted 11 June 2002 - 04:38

Gerr and Fines,
Correctomundo re 1952/53. Interesting that Keck entered again, knowing the car was too slow. Think the Mauro car was still being repaired in Italy from a crash the previous September at Centennial Park in Denver. Ferrari wanted to try it again, but didn't want to build a car specially for the 500. Guess one could say the 500 is the biggest race in the world not won by a Ferrari.

#14 Gerr

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Posted 11 June 2002 - 08:07

cabianca, some bits from the '53 Clymer Yearbook that may be of interest:
"it was quite a nice gesture when the Speedway assigned the number 1 to Alberto Ascari, world champion driver whose Ferrari was a last minute entry. Chuck Stevenson, the American champion was entitled to the highly prized digit but preferred to carry # 97 for J.C.Agajanian. So Ascari figured to get # 1 in recognition of his superb record"
"Some people were dismayed when a cablegram was received from the Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy stating that "unforseen circumstances" had made it impossible to send over Alberto Ascari's 12-cylinder job for the race.........Immediately, Ernie Ruiz, owner of the Travelon Trailer Special # 2, originally ticketed for ailing Troy Ruttman, sent tracers for Ascari and offered him the ride....... Twenty-four hours elapsed until this reply came to the Speedway: "Please accept my heartfelt thanks but a previous engagement with Ferrari prevents my taking part in the race. Thanks very much for your friendly and courteous offer and all consideration. Am looking forward to 1954, at Indianapolis." ASCARI........."
Also the Ferrari entry listed for Ascari was to be 181 cu. in. supercharged V12. Maybe this was a car specially for the 500.

#15 Jimmy Piget

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Posted 12 June 2002 - 06:06

As yet written in the Jean Achard thread : I send my apologies to David. Jean Achard was killed while practising for the "Rampa de Gávea", a sort of hill-climb using part of the namesake circuit.

To Vitesse2 : I read somewhere that Jean Achard had a job (a diplomatic one ?) in Brazil late 1951 and wished to resume his racing carreer. So he bought one of the early Talbot-Lago T26C from Etancelin and was to enter at Indy and Brazilian races.
Actually, as everybody knows, he never appeared at the brickyard (and the messages in this thread seem to indicate that the entry was not made).
Instead he was racing at Interlagos on May 13 (finishing 5th) and at Boavista on June 24 (finishing 3rd).

BTW, what is the Kaye's Temporada list ? Where to find it ?

About Ray Reed : does somebody know a precise date and place for his fatal air crash ?

#16 Vitesse2

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Posted 12 June 2002 - 11:29

Diplomat, eh? I understood he was a journalist.

Tony Kaye's Temporada list was compiled some time ago from various sources - it's not 100% complete or 100% accurate though - and covers S American races from 1946-52. From your post above, it looks like you might be able to contribute more to it, since the 1952 Boavista race you mention is not included.

Send me your e-mail address by PM and I'll send you a copy of the list. :)

#17 fines

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Posted 12 June 2002 - 17:31

Originally posted by fines
A quick and dirty list of Indy DNAs:

To explain this a little, it means the list is not exclusive. It's just the entries in the Fox book that have the comment "Did not arrive". There were certainly others that "did not appear" on the track, but the difficulty is finding positive statements about that. Also, I haven't dug deeply into this subject lately. You can find positive statements about certain cars and drivers appearing on the track, but rarely ones about them not appearing. The most annoying thing about Indy non-starters is that absolutely nobody has as of yet tried to list all non-starters, i.e. also those who did practice in a car that was later qualified by another driver! I'm trying to rectify this some time...

#18 Franciscomuniz1

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Posted 03 April 2010 - 18:41

To Jimmy Piget,
Dear jimy Piget, I would like to add some details about the death of Jean Achard. It was 15 days, the months of July, 1951, a Saturday. The next day happened to "Rise of the Topsail, a hill climb race. Achard and Ali were other pilots, training at pista.em one point, the pilot found Achard Pinheiro Pires, who had caught a Ferrari.Jean Ferrari Pine. It was said that Ferrari had the pedals in a different position from that position Talbot Achard.Jean of the car began moving, slowly but lost control and hit a muro.Lembro that Jean was a former soldier of WW II had the rank of major. He was (or was) a manager of the Association of Ex-combatants França.E died in one of the most important days of France, July 14.


As yet written in the Jean Achard thread : I send my apologies to David. Jean Achard was killed while practising for the "Rampa de Gávea", a sort of hill-climb using part of the namesake circuit.

To Vitesse2 : I read somewhere that Jean Achard had a job (a diplomatic one ?) in Brazil late 1951 and wished to resume his racing carreer. So he bought one of the early Talbot-Lago T26C from Etancelin and was to enter at Indy and Brazilian races.
Actually, as everybody knows, he never appeared at the brickyard (and the messages in this thread seem to indicate that the entry was not made).
Instead he was racing at Interlagos on May 13 (finishing 5th) and at Boavista on June 24 (finishing 3rd).

BTW, what is the Kaye's Temporada list ? Where to find it ?

About Ray Reed : does somebody know a precise date and place for his fatal air crash ?



#19 Franciscomuniz1

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Posted 11 April 2011 - 23:07

Quote : <Achard's accident was in a hillclimb.>

I am afraid you are wrong, David. I personaly own a copy of Jean Achard's death certificate (courtesy of Rio de Janeiro authorities) which clearly indicates the Gávea circuit as place of the fatality.

I can scan it to you, if you are interested

radução do português para inglês


Dear Jimmy, Achard died on Saturday, practicing for the test "Ascent of Gavea" to be held the next day. was a hill climb race, and was part of Mountain Climbing Championship ano.Se that you want, I indicate the page of Jornal do Brazil doo day 15/7/1951, where there is news of his accident and death.
The confusion over whether it is climbing or mountain tops is the following: proof of rising mountain happened on a stretch of the circuit's nest. Therefore, this road served to increase and was also used for circuit Gávea.Best regards. Francisco Muniz


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#20 rwills

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Posted 12 April 2011 - 08:43

I have some more info on Frank Dochnal as I now own the Cooper T51 he drove in the Mexican GP. This is the info that I have:

In 1962, American Frank Dochnal, traveling in England, came upon F2/23/59, which was for sale. He fell in love with the car and bought it. Dochnal had raced midgets and sprint cars in and around Missouri, and later raced an Austin Healey 6 and Austin Healey Le Mans after he moved to California. But the Cooper was a big step, especially considering that he was already in his forties. Frank had the Cooper shipped to the U.S. He received the car on a Thursday and by that Saturday was already racing it at Riverside, where it had run in the Grand Prix two years earlier. As he had not had time to qualify the car, Frank was required to start at the rear. Undeterred, he stormed through the field to win in his very first race!

Frank continued to race F2/23/59 into 1963. That was the first year of the Mexican Grand Prix, which was not a very long tow from Southern California. Frank contacted the organizers and was invited to race the Cooper at the inaugural Mexican G.P. Once in Mexico, Frank found himself on the track with the likes of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, John Surtees, Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Phil Hill, Pedro Rodriguez and others. Interestingly he became quite popular with the F1 regulars as he was the only one in the paddock with a coffee grinder and pot to make fresh coffee every day! While out running on the track for pre-qualifying it began to rain. Frank lost control and backed the car into a barrier, damaging the right rear suspension. They could not repair the damage as they had no facilities to repair broken magnesium, and Frank did not have spares. That evening Frank decided to retire from driving. That weekend he watched Clark win the Grand Prix and then towed the Cooper back to California.

Back in California, Richie Ginther was working on a building up a “special” race car. He acquired the 1.5 litre Coventry Climax engine and gearbox from Frank. What Richie did with those pieces is not currently known. However, Frank next sold the car to another Southern Californian, Ed Mackey. Ed purchased F2/23/59 from Frank in 1964.

#21 robdavison69

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Posted 26 January 2013 - 20:44

Ray Reed who was born in Gwelo in Rhodesia died on Jan 1 1965 in South Africa in a plane crash .

Who could be this Frank Dochnall, entered in the 1963 US or Mexican GP (sorry for the bad memory : haven't my archives under my hands) ?
And Thomas Monarch, also entered in the same races ?

Where and when did Ray Reed died ? He entered (but did not appear) in the 1965 South African GP with his own-made RA-Alfa.

Has somebody built up a list of not appearing entries at Indianapolis 1950-1960 ?
(Such as Farina & Rol on 8CLT Maseratis in 1950, or Jean Achard with his own ex-Etancelin T26C Talbot-Lago in 1951)


Edited by robdavison69, 26 January 2013 - 20:44.


#22 Hieronymus

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Posted 27 January 2013 - 08:46

Ray Reed who was born in Gwelo in Rhodesia died on Jan 1 1965 in South Africa in a plane crash .


Ray died on 8 May 1970

#23 sramoa

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Posted 27 January 2013 - 23:21

Ray died on 8 May 1970


Any info for him?When he was born?Photo? :D

#24 Hieronymus

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Posted 28 January 2013 - 16:11

Any info for him?When he was born?Photo? :D


Ray Reed was 38 years old when he died. I do not have date of birth.