15 replies to this topic

[karlth]

After watching the entertaining RoC event in Paris I remembered that there had once been a race between current and former F1 drivers some 20 years ago in equally prepared Mercedes saloon cars.

At the opening of the new Nurburgring in May 1984, Mercedes-Benz organised a race featuring established and past F1 stars in saloon cars. Top names including recent world champion Keke Rosberg were taking part but for Senna only one man mattered. Prost. The Professor himself picked up Ayrton from the airport, and later said he was chatty and friendly during their journey. That changed when they reached the track. “When I beat him to pole position, he didn’t talk to me anymore!” remembers Prost. Senna was taking dead seriously What others considered an exhibition race. This was an opportunity to establish himself. At the run down to the first corner, Senna shoved Prost aside and went on to take the victory, which included a brand new Mercedes as part of the prize.
Motorsport.com

Any other similar events been done in the past?

[TheStranger]

Wasn't the M1 Procar series kinda like this? And of course, pre-NASCARized IROC (read: IROC while Riverside was still around as a circuit).

[fausto]

In1976 F.1 drivers took part in a race held a the Varano track to raise funds for the victims of the Friuli earthquake, the cars were Alfa Romeo Alfasud Trofeos, and each F.1 driver raced together with a Trofeo competitor.

The money was used to build a school entitled to the late Graham Hill.

[philippe7]

And then of course there was that famous race at Magny-Cours in 1980 ....see that post and the one after

http://forums.atlasf...135#post1474135

[Ross Stonefeld]

Define equal car? F3000 and Formula Renault(s) can be equally prepared cars and generally are..

At least as close as one can realistically get

[Teapot]

Didn't they run a series for Yamaha engined little saloons with a striking resemblance to Ford Puma, there in France, not many years ago? I remember Laffitte and other French former F1 drivers taking part in it...

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Teapot
Didn't they run a series for Yamaha engined little saloons with a striking resemblance to Ford Puma, there in France, not many years ago? I remember Laffitte and other French former F1 drivers taking part in it...

Yes - somewhere i've got a pic of the cars, a couple of them were
lurking in the Village at Le Mans in 2000... The car was a cute little
thing.

[JohnB]

Didn't the Formula 1 drivers have a race in Minis one year in the '60s? At the British GP meeting, at Silverstone I think and won by Graham Hill (that's from memory though, so it's probably wrong, and I can't think where I read about it to check).

Another one, though not F1 drivers, was the decider for the 1958 British Saloon Car Championship - Tommy Sopwith and Jack Sears had drawn on points, so they held two 5-lap races at Brands Hatch just for the two of them in identical Riley 1.5s, swapping cars between races. They each won one of the races, but Sears won on aggregate time and took the championship.

[Rainer Nyberg]

Another equipment used in post season events are karts.
They're pretty equal, and usually quite entertaining as well.

The Stade de France circuit was, apart from the flyover, more like a karting track, which didn't suit the Ferrari. The buggies worked quite well though.

Otherwise the IROC series seems to work quite well and has been around since the 1970s.

[TheStranger]

Originally posted by Rainer Nyberg
Another equipment used in post season events are karts.
They're pretty equal, and usually quite entertaining as well.

Didn't a bunch of pro drivers do that Brazillian 500-mile karting event recently?

Otherwise the IROC series seems to work quite well and has been around since the 1970s.

Unfortunately, once Riverside was demolished (and in many ways that was the heart of the IROC schedule), the series slowly moved away from a schedule of both ovals and road courses, to just ovals today - and essentially has been emasculated by the NASCAR empire.

When I was a kid (early 90s), they still raced on a few roadies - remember Emmo being one of the IROC drivers at the time - not sure which road circuits though.

[Coogar]

Brazilian Grand Prix at Rio, 1985.
The only support race to the GP itself was a mad affair involving the then-new Fiat Uno Turbo. The race was for, I think, F1 journalists, each of whom had an F1 driver sitting alongside giving advice (!) and occasionally interfering.
It was quite entertaining at the time - to watch - and must have been hilarious for the drivers.
I don't remember reading much about it afterwards though........

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by petefenelon


Yes - somewhere i've got a pic of the cars, a couple of them were
lurking in the Village at Le Mans in 2000... The car was a cute little
thing.

I thought it was a Suzuki (as it says on the car - I think it's a Hayabusa engine.....)


however here it is:

[ggnagy]

I have one word for you all, and it's "trackmasters"

Were those renaults front or rear engined? They look to be the right size to be a mini-cup or Legends car variant. 5/8th scale and usually zx-11 powered. One of the builders of those cars here in the states was going to be offereing a mini-cup with european sedan bodies (BMW and ???)


Someone with gobs of money could pull off a "real" IROC with a couple dozen BEC of either open or closed wheel variety, an early January date at the Sebring club circuit, and a big enough purse to make even MS look twice. Or, get a big oval with a road course, and run one configuration each day. If you fit practice, 2 heat races, and a final into each day, you can have 6 weeks of programming for the TV masses.

Time to go buy some lotto tickets.

[conjohn]

Originally posted by TheStranger
When I was a kid (early 90s), they still raced on a few roadies - remember Emmo being one of the IROC drivers at the time - not sure which road circuits though.

The last road course on the IROC circuit was Watkins Glen in 1991. Emerson took part in 1990, at Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, the 'road' course used that year.

[Ren� de Boer]

In 1980, there was a race in Dubai with all drivers on equal Citroen CX cars, probably one of the most unlikely race cars ever used (then again, it was used for rallying as well, and the very same manufacturer came up with the horrible BX 4 TC for Group B rallying only a few years later).

IIRC, among the drivers were the likes of Marc Surer, John Watson, Bruno Giacomelli. No idea what the reason for the race was, maybe some other TNF-member knows more?

[petefenelon]

There was quite a fun race in VW Polos before this year's Chinese GP -- a dozen or so 80s/90s GP drivers, a few TV commentators and some rally folk. What little I saw of the race suggested that they were having great fun - although Emma pointed out to me that they all ganged up on poor Stefan Johansson at the last corner ;)

Oh and of course there was this year's highly amusing BTCC Masters race - which was thoroughly silly but highly entertaining.