The Grand Prix Running Association

There are a few ad-hoc references to The Grand Prix Running Association in various 1970s contemporary magazine reports. This seems to be an informal collective of drivers and team personnel who took it upon themselves to hold running races around racetracks on the day before official practice started. There are odd photos here and there - the race preceding the 1973 Italian GP being a case in point. For the most part they are either overlooked or ignored and I don't recall seeing commentary on who won any of them.

 

I'd be interested in learning more about these contests; can anyone shed any light, or has anyone any recollections, anecdotes or photos?

I am fairly sure Frank Williams won the running race at Monza remember a photo of him wearing and Iso Marlboro T shirt after completing it in Motorsport , the only other one I (mis?) remember hearing about was at Silverstone possibly 1975  , 

I have a Duke or Brunswick VHS tape of the '72 and '73 seasons. There is footage of the race at Monza. Frank did indeed win, and displayed his trophy while wearing his Iso Marlboro shirt.
NGH competed on a bicycle and I believe won his class.
I read about this back in the day but don't remember how widespread it was. My magazines are not handy, sadly.
Duke has rearranged their offerings. I believe the same video is now called "F1 1973 Official Review DVD". I'd paste the link but I am typing this on a...device...(Amazon Fire? Kindle Fire??? I really don't know) and haven't yet figured out how to copy and paste. Small issue most of the time tho.
There are a few entertaining minutes of the race. And where else will we see JYS do a Highland Fling?

Yeah, I recall Frank Williams winning at least one such race (may have been Monza 1973). It was joked that he only won because he was so desperate for the purse, as he had no other way to pay for an engine service coming up!

Frank was a naturally gifted runner.  Each morning and evening he quite regularly used to run from his home to his factory and back rather than drive into work.  I remember him running a couple of laps, if not more, at Interlagos the evening before first practice and he ran round most of the season's F1 circuits for fitness "and to think without any interruption"...

 

And I don't mean jogging in the hey-look-at-me yuppy sense - Frank RAN.

 

DCN

More on Frank and his running hobby :- https://uk.news.yaho...-030000763.html

Edited by arttidesco, 09 June 2022 - 20:02.

There can’t have been many finishers at the German round…

I too can only recall the Monza and Silverstone races being referred to in print with James Hunt to the fore as well. I wonder if Jody Scheckter took a short cut? 😀

I have a Duke or Brunswick VHS tape of the '72 and '73 seasons. There is footage of the race at Monza. Frank did indeed win, and displayed his trophy while wearing his Iso Marlboro shirt.
NGH competed on a bicycle and I believe won his class.
I read about this back in the day but don't remember how widespread it was. My magazines are not handy, sadly.
Duke has rearranged their offerings. I believe the same video is now called "F1 1973 Official Review DVD". I'd paste the link but I am typing this on a...device...(Amazon Fire? Kindle Fire??? I really don't know) and haven't yet figured out how to copy and paste. Small issue most of the time tho.
There are a few entertaining minutes of the race. And where else will we see JYS do a Highland Fling?

 I'm pretty sure that David Purley finished second, I had the same video and as i remember you can see him behind FW in a Lec refrigeration T shirt and yellow shorts.

There can’t have been many finishers at the German round…

I too can only recall the Monza and Silverstone races being referred to in print with James Hunt to the fore as well. I wonder if Jody Scheckter took a short cut?

 

It would have just been too ironic, wouldn't it, if Jody had tripped up and half the other runners had fallen over him!

 

As for short cuts, I know that James did exactly that in the cycle race before the 1976 French GP.

For some reasons I am reminded of Graham Hill's comment which was something along the lines of; " I only like sports I can do sitting down".