169 replies to this topic

[David M. Kane]

Bev Bond to me looks more like a boxer than a race driver. What was his background?

[ian senior]

I never was sure of his background, but I always enjoyed his press-on style of driving in F3.

I think it's fair to say that sometimes he had a reputation as a prickly customer - I remember reading a magazine article ("Car", I think) about the final season of 1-litre F3 in Britain. This featured interviews with several F3 drivers of the day, who were asked for their opinions of fellow competitors. One driver, can't recall who it was, described Bev Bond as being "prone to brain fade". Rather than laugh this remark off, Bev wasn't too pleased about it, and the magazine were forced to publish an apology in a later issue.

[Paul Parker]

Funny, I knew somebody on the peripherary of F3 circa 1970 and they said exactly the same thing.

[Rob29]

Originally posted by Paul Parker
Funny, I knew somebody on the peripherary of F3 circa 1970 and they said exactly the same thing.

'Brain fade' was his nickname like 'Crashley & Shunt'

[Barry Boor]

looks more like a boxer than a race driver

Funny, I ALWAYS thought that, too.

[David M. Kane]

Lots of boxers have brain fade...not a good characteristic in a race car.

[Cirrus]

There's a recent photo of Bev Bond on this thread

http://forums.autosp...&threadid=71816

[David M. Kane]

Looks like he's aged well. Looks pretty fit to me given his age.

[rdmotorsport]

Last time I spoke with Harry Stiller which is a few years ago he mentioned that Bev Bond had a driving school in Bournemouth and indeed he was one of the instructors.
Rodney Dodson.

[Twin Window]

Here's a pic I took of Bev Bond in the Harry Stiller March 74B on the grid at the 1974 International Trophy, Silverstone;

[ReWind]

Originally posted by David M. Kane
Looks like he's aged well. Looks pretty fit to me given his age.

Do you know his EXACT age?
(Maybe you are aware that I'm constantly looking for birth dates...)

[Huw Jadvantich]

I remember being a tourist in a caravan (Trailer) park in Bournemouth at least twenty five years ago, walking past a guy sitting on the doorstep of his caravan. Behind him I could see racing car pictures - interesting ones.
We needed to get to the Kosset six hours the next day and not being a local asked him what was the best way to approach it. I asked him his name and when he told me the pictures all fell in to place. He was great to talk to and when I asked for his autograph he gave me a photo of Harry Stiller's Hesketh with Alan Jones at the wheel, and signed it...Bev Bond.
He looked a little down on his luck at that time, and I felt pretty sad about it considering how well he had done in the lower formula. Glad to hear and see that he is OK.

[Giraffe]

URL=http://imageshack.us][/URL]
By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/giraffe138]giraffe138

May 25th 1970 and a 16 year old Giraffe contemplates the British Empire Trophy Final with Gold Leaf Team Lotus driver Bev Bond. We were both wondering how the hell he was going to win it from last place on the grid, beating another Lotus 59 driven by James Hunt into second place. Surely Bev's finest hour?

[ian senior]

Originally posted by Giraffe
URL=http://imageshack.us][/URL]
By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/giraffe138]giraffe138

May 25th 1970 and a 16 year old Giraffe contemplates the British Empire Trophy Final with Gold Leaf Team Lotus driver Bev Bond. We were both wondering how the hell he was going to win it from last place on the grid, beating another Lotus 59 driven by James Hunt into second place. Surely Bev's finest hour?

I can't see the picture....

I remember that race only too well. That was the first meeting in which I ever saw F3 racing live, as opposed to on the telly, and frankly it's spoiled me for any other kind of racing ever since. Soul stirring stuff, without a doubt. Didn't Bev get a telegram (remember them?) from Colin Chapman giving him his personal congratulations on winning the one trophy he had always coveted as a driver?

I remember one of the heats for the final, in which there was an almighty accident coming down the straight towards Knicker Brook. The leading cars were 2 or 3 abreast, no-one was prepared to give way, and Bev's team mate Dave Walker ended up flying through the air to come to rest in a grandstand (unoccupied, thank God) where the car fell to bits around him. My brother in law was with me that day; it was his first race meeting and his face turned a very strange colour when he saw that.

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by ian senior


I can't see the picture....

I can see two pictures on your quote and in the original.

[Giraffe]

It was Bert Hawthorne's Chevron that was nudged into orbit by Walker's Lotus, and after shooting over the safety banking, landed in the front row of the stalls.Walker crunched headlong into the bank. Birrell had crashed headlong into the bank, overturning shortly before this incident!

The pics came back viewable on your response, Ian?!?!

[ian senior]

Originally posted by Giraffe
It was Bert Hawthorne's Chevron that was nudged into orbit by Walker's Lotus, and after shooting over the safety banking, landed in the front row of the stalls.Walker crunched headlong into the bank. Birrell had crashed headlong into the bank, overturning shortly before this incident!

The pics came back viewable on your response, Ian?!?!

Yes, of course it was Bert H - for some reason an airborne Walker always sticks in my mind!

Pics now visible... and great!

[David M. Kane]

I met Bev at at a Race Car Show in London. It was on a boat docked in front of the tower of London. I thought he was very easy to talk to and fairly pleasant.

[Stephen W]

I was staying in the same hotel as Bev when I went to one of the Brands meetings. He was very good company and very easy to chat with once the ice was broken. I got the impression that he didn't suffer fools gladly.

[Barry Boor]

Very strange - I have had about 10 notifications of Giraffe's last post!

[Giraffe]

Originally posted by Barry Boor
Very strange - I have had about 10 notifications of Giraffe's last post!

I'm still juggling with the technology Barry, apologies!

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138 at 2009-01-06

I've blown this up to see if anyone recognises the boys with Bev in the old assembly area at Oulton Park.
I for one miss that area, at the other end of the pits from today; Carlos Avallone ran over my foot in a F5000 Lola leaving it!

[eurocardoc]

From the thinning of hair and glasses, the gent with back to camera is Alistair Dimock.

I remember when Bev and Mike Walker banged wheels coming out of the hairpin at Mallory, last lap. I don't remember who exactly but only one crossed the finish line the other sat in the middle o'road without wheels.

[FJB]

Hi
When I moved to Bournemouth in about 1983 I visited the Tucktonia Model Village in Christchurch Dorset, to be met in the main entrance by a F3 GRD with a flat tyre. This had been raced by Bev Bond. He was actually in attendance that day and was I think the manager of the Model Village. Ex F3 driver Harry Stiller I believe owned the site. Some links to information below. It closed down in about 1985.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucktonia

http://www.harrystiller.co.uk/id1.html

http://www.flickr.co...57608286671467/

Frank Bayes

[LotusElise]

Sorry, completely off-topic here, but I remember Tucktonia and must have visited it shortly before it closed. I don't remember the car being there at that point, but I was only five.

What was Bev's full forename? He was somewhat before my time, and I'm afraid that, during my early research for Speedqueens, I assumed he was a lady! A quick perusal of a picture put me right, however.

[F3Wrench]

I spent a bit of time with Bev back in 1969, when my driver Andy Sutcliffe and I hooked up with Brendan McInerney's Henderson Baty March team. My first impressions of Bev were that he was one of those unfortunate guys who looked quite tough and rugged, but had a rather high squeaky voice; and when he got excited - which he did a lot - his voice got higher and squeakier!

We (Andy and I) spent a lot of time with Bev, his mechanic Twiggy, Brendan, Mike Beckwith, and one or two others en route to Finland for an F3 race at Hameenlina. Bev was actually a lovely chap, friendly and generous and easy to talk to, but awkward to the point of embarassment in company - and very uncomfortable in the presence of members of the opposite sex.

We left Helsinki for Copenhagen in the car ferry "Finlandia", which had amongst its passengers a great many Scandinavian beauties heading back to college in Hamburg. Andy, Twiggy and I were acting like kids locked in a sweet shop, but poor Bev spent a lot of time at the bar looking very nervous.

Bev had a silver Ford Corsair tow-car, which looked in his own words like a "pregnant duck" with massive spring assisters on the back for towing the trailer, and I had a Ford Zodiac with trailer. We left Copenhagen en route for Rouen at a fair old lick, hammering off through Denmark with my Zodiac in the lead with Bev tucked in my slipstream. He outbraked me into a roundabout and nearly took me out with his trailer, but it was bloody good fun. Twiggy in the Corsair, and Andy in the Zodiac, slept through the whole thing.

We then got nicked by the Danish police for speeding with a trailered vehicle after being reported by some Danish driver we had passed several miles back, and who was receiving medical attention for a sudden bowel disorder as a consequence. Fortunately Brendan turned up in his VW transporter and paid our fines. Must pay him back some time...

After a marathon drive to the F3 race at Rouen, we didn't see much of Bev after that; he got quite serious about his career and seemed to be a bit unapproachable as he got more successful. I do remember him fondly though, and no doubt a very talented driver in that most competitive of formulas.

[rdmotorsport]

Beverley

[MCS]

Originally posted by rdmotorsport
Beverley

Meaning that was his name?

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138

Motorsport News reported last week that 70 year old Bev hopes to end a 35-year break from competition by returning to 1-litre Formula three racing this season. The paper reports that he has a race license again, and that he was at Silverstone to watch the first round of the Peter Hanson Trophy for the category the weekend before last.

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138

Bev Bond lifts the British Empire Trophy, Monday 25th May 1970. (Copyright Peter McFadyen & posted with his permission).
(Giraffe lurking with sunglasses and dodgy period haircut, back right & mostly obscured by trophy!)

[zoff2005]

Motorsport News reported last week that 70 year old Bev hopes to end a 35-year break from competition by returning to 1-litre Formula three racing this season. The paper reports that he has a race license again, and that he was at Silverstone to watch the first round of the Peter Hanson Trophy for the category the weekend before last.

I had a nice chat with him - he certainly looked very fit and keen to have another go. I think he was looking around for a helmet and overalls to try out his old Lotus 59 which was there for the CRC event! He also seemed to have the right attitude about how he should approach historic racing. And he seemed quite keen to race next year at Monaco, just thought the entry fee a bit steep! He said he finished 3rd there in period (year?).

Marcus

[Giraffe]

http://www.formula2.net/F370_E14.htm


He finished 3rd in the 1970 race in an illustrious field, Marcus! Results above.


By giraffe138, shot with EX-M2 at 2009-04-05


By giraffe138 at 2009-05-18


By giraffe138, shot with EX-M2 at 2009-04-05


Unfortunately, it looks like I took a better pic of Bev 39 years ago than I did of you this year, Marcus!

Edited by Giraffe, 18 May 2009 - 15:47.

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138, shot with EX-M2 at 2009-04-10


By giraffe138, shot with EX-M2 at 2009-04-10

Here is Bev's Lotus 59 at the recent RaceRetro at Stoneleigh, where he was re-united with the car that seems to have inspired him to try to make a return to the circuit!

[thirtytwo]

Hello all just joined and first post, remember watching Bev Bond in his early F3 career at Brands Hatch 65/66? he certainly stood out for a number of reasons the fact he was driving an old Cooper(maybe even BMC powered?) against the latest Brabham's and secondly his headgear while all the hotshoes had their Bell's and one piece goggles he wore a "Stadium" motorbike style with matching two piece goggles, he became in my mind a "underdog" along with the fact that i had never up to that time come across a male with what i thought up until then was a females only name made him a driver i followed with interest .Which race at Silverstone did he finish flatout backwards and in what position driving the GoldLeaf Lotus?.

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138

I do remember Bev driving the Hepworth at the very first F5000 meeting in the UK on 4th April 1969. It was the most incongruous sight, Bev in his unconventional helmet and motorcycle goggles and the bizzare looking Hepworth that was essentially a hillclimb car! It was shades of Fred Scuttle meets the Wacky Racers!

[Giraffe]

http://www.hscc.org.uk/news.html

The HSCC website news page features the re-union of old F3 1 litre screamer pilots at the recent Brands Superprix. (See link above).
In the picture, Bev Bond is seen in overalls and boots, yet he was not down to drive anything and doesn't seem to feature in the results. Can anyone who was there explain his attire?
Also, period driver Rene Ligonnet was actually scheduled to compete with his recently rebuilt Chevron B15 but I see no trace of him. Did he not show up?

Edited by Giraffe, 14 July 2009 - 09:47.

[llmaurice]

http://www.hscc.org.uk/news.html

The HSCC website news page features the re-union of old F3 1 litre screamer pilots at the recent Brands Superprix. (See link above).
In the picture, Bev Bond is seen in overalls and boots, yet he was not down to drive anything and doesn't seem to feature in the results. Can anyone who was there explain his attire?
Also, period driver Rene Ligonnet was actually scheduled to compete with his recently rebuilt Chevron B15 but I see no trace of him. Did he not show up?

Bev is hoping to get a drive in his old Lotus F3 car ,thanks to the cars current owner ,but to date he has nothing finalised . The race suit etc has been "loaned" to him because he obviously can't rush out and buy all the gear for just one race.

[Giraffe]

Bev is hoping to get a drive in his old Lotus F3 car ,thanks to the cars current owner ,but to date he has nothing finalised . The race suit etc has been "loaned" to him because he obviously can't rush out and buy all the gear for just one race.

Well that's just great llmaurice, and nobody would be more pleased to see him get a drive that me, as you can tell from this thread! However, what was he doing kitted up at Brands if he didn't have a drive? Was he just demonstrating how keen he is??? And I didn't insinuate the gear he was wearing wasn't his?!?!


By giraffe138 at 2009-05-18

.....and if you have any influence at all with James Wigmore who now owns the car, try and convince him to give Bev a run in it, and let me know if it's likely to happen please, as I'd like to be there again to wave him off!

Edited by Giraffe, 14 July 2009 - 18:34.

[llmaurice]

.....and if you have any influence at all with James Wigmore who now owns the car, try and convince him to give Bev a run in it, and let me know if it's likely to happen please, as I'd like to be there again to wave him off!
[/quote]


James Wigmore is in fact the man who is hoping to get Bev out in the car . Quite why the holdup I can't say .
If it all comes to nought ,I could always contact Frans Kinkel in Holland who bought Bevs (our)old 713M and see if Frans is willing to give him a run in it ,probably in one of the HMR (Dutch Mono) rounds

[Giraffe]

.....and if you have any influence at all with James Wigmore who now owns the car, try and convince him to give Bev a run in it, and let me know if it's likely to happen please, as I'd like to be there again to wave him off!



James Wigmore is in fact the man who is hoping to get Bev out in the car . Quite why the holdup I can't say .
If it all comes to nought ,I could always contact Frans Kinkel in Holland who bought Bevs (our)old 713M and see if Frans is willing to give him a run in it ,probably in one of the HMR (Dutch Mono) rounds

License? Insurance? Anyone who can win the British Empire Trophy from last place on the grid and beat a future F1 World Champion into second place surely deserves another run in the car?!?!

Edited by Giraffe, 14 July 2009 - 18:53.

[F3Wrench]

Giraffe, I was at Brands Hatch for the HSCC meeting on 4th July as an invite from my old mate and former driver, Barrie Maskell. He also introduced me to Kevin Hodgkinson ("Hodge") from Chevron, who had a big tent with the classic F3s lined up outside, and I was given the book of the story of Chevron cars "In the Mind's Eye", which I will treasure always. It was a fantastic reunion with a lot of old mates, not only Barrie but got to see my fellow wrenchs Colin Bennett & Al Hebb, plus drivers Tony Trimmer, Harry Stiller, Rene Ligonnet, and of course Bev Bond. We spent a lot of time reminiscing of course, but I think Bev was only there for the F3 Parade Lap before the group photograph. Sadly, there was a lot of confusion regarding the whereabouts of the photograph, so Barrie missed out on the get-together by the pits. Barrie also needed a bit of assistance getting his wheelchair down to the pits, that paddock is still as steep as I remember it.

Bev and I chatted for a while and he is really desperate to get back behind the wheel of an F3 next season, although most of our conversation was about milestone events in the past, like the 1969 Rouen race in which Bev set the only 100mph lap, which remained unbroken for the duration of the formula. Incidentally, the description "Screamer" is a travesty as the 1-litre F3's all have SILENCERS now, and some have AIR FILTERS - in the words of Tony Trimmer, they should be done under the Trades Description Act.

Rene Ligonnet was not only there, but competed in the F3 Screamer race with a reasonably good finish in his immaculate Chevron. A few photos below for you to check out:


Colin Holt (Twin-cam Engine guru and ex-Novamotor), me, Barrie, Colin Bennett


Barrie and Bev chatting


Barrie, Colin, Bev and Colin's son in the pit garage


Rene Ligonnet in his immaculate Chevron B9


The line-up of F3s outside the Chevron tent

[Giraffe]

Thankyou for your excellent post F3Wrench, but it does raise some questions?!?! I have spoken to "Hodge" via TNF in the fairly recent past, and we had Colin as a guest speaker at a recent northern TNF get together. Also, speaking to Helen Malkie, I understood Rene's Chevron to be a B15 and not a B9.
Now this is where the plot thickens; car #4 is listed in the results as a Chevron B9 driven by John Sykes, and there is no sign of Rene Ligonnet listed in the entries or the results, so unless "Le Unique" was racing under a pseudonym, (which wouldn't surprise me!), where was he?!?!

[F3Wrench]

Sorry Giraffe, I did get it wrong! The blue B9 is actually the original ex-Tim Shenken car once owned by Barrie Maskell, and actually driven once by Bev Bond at Cadwell Park in '69. It has now been totally restored and as you say in your post, now owned and raced by John Sykes.

Rene Ligonnet was definitely at the meeting with his original car (which is red), but like Bev was just taking his car round for the parade lap I believe. It was certainly in evidence outside the Chevron tent, and I had a short chat with him about the good old days.

I'll dig out a couple of other pictures of both the Sykes and Ligonnet cars, but thanks for pointing this out; I tend to get a bit confused these days! Maybe see you at Silverstone on 24th perhaps?

[Cirrus]

I think the Ligonnet car was there, but without an engine.

It's good to see the pictures of Barrie Maskell - I remember him being very affable, down-to-earth and helpful in my early racing days.

[Giraffe]

I've asked Helen Malkie exactly what the SP is on Rene's B15; the F3's are due out at Mallory on August 9th, and then of course at Oulton for the Peter Hanson Trophy at the Gold Cup, which is where Hodge told me Rene was aiming to make his return.
I suppose the problem is funding, as ever. Helen told me they do relatively little work on Formula Chevrons as most of the owners are relatively skint in comparison with the owners of the Sportscars.
I know both Bev and Rene would love to run at Monaco next year, but apart from the costs, have you seen the entry fees?!?! Do they think that all old F3 drivers are Monaco tax exiles or something?

[F3Wrench]

Absolutely right, Cirrus, Rene Ligonnet's car (no 57 in the previous picture of the line-up) was there with no engine. (so obviously NOT on the parade lap, unless he was being towed! Duh...) That's it behind an ex-Clay Regazzoni Tecno in this pic:


Some more pics of Barrie's old B9, now...:


...and then, at Cadwell Park in 1969 with Bev Bond on the left in the same B9, and Barrie in the B15 on the right:


And yes, Barrie was and still is a top bloke, and one of the most "reasonable" drivers I ever worked for.

[F3Wrench]

I've asked Helen Malkie exactly what the SP is on Rene's B15; the F3's are due out at Mallory on August 9th, and then of course at Oulton for the Peter Hanson Trophy at the Gold Cup, which is where Hodge told me Rene was aiming to make his return.
I suppose the problem is funding, as ever. Helen told me they do relatively little work on Formula Chevrons as most of the owners are relatively skint in comparison with the owners of the Sportscars.
I know both Bev and Rene would love to run at Monaco next year, but apart from the costs, have you seen the entry fees?!?! Do they think that all old F3 drivers are Monaco tax exiles or something?

So, just out of interest, what are the fees Giraffe???

[Giraffe]

So, just out of interest, what are the fees Giraffe???

4200 euros per car, and that's no guarantee that you will get an entry, as they are cherrypicking cars and drivers.

[Giraffe]

In the 1970 Monaco race, Bev came third and Barrie tenth in the NERO B17. What people forget is that in that year's British Empire Trophy race at Oulton Park where Bev had his famous victory, it was looking like either Barrie or James Hunt's race for 18 of the 30 laps until a leaking water pump caused Barrie's head gasket to give out.

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138

Here's Bev entering the pits under the iconic Motor bridge at Oulton during the British Empire Trophy meeting in May 1970. I hope to see the scene repeated in the near future, maybe at this year's Gold Cup meeting?