25 replies to this topic

[jatwarks]

Reading Motor Sport this week reminded me (a non participant) of the role played by those who prepare the machines that the 'heroes' use to excite us.

I was particularly taken by the brief account of the career of Ray Rowe (the mag has already been passed on, so any embarrassment caused by my getting his name wrong I will have to survive).

The idea that someone who began at Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, with Bruce, at the outset in 1965 would still be working at the McLaren Technology Centre, with apparently unbroken service, 44 years later I find incredible; and a tribute to the man's competence.

Imagine the changes he has seen and experienced.

Are there others that can be identified here with similar careers ? Who is your unsung hero ?

Jim.

[f1steveuk]

Without out any doubt

Leo Villa and Burt Denly

Leo was a real gentleman, and worked for the Campbells from 1921 to 1967 (and beyond as he maintained his involvement via Norris Bros).

Burt, well I am of the opion that Eyston wouldn't have accomplished as much without Burt around.

[Vitesse2]

Giulio Ramponi. Riding mechanic for Antonio Ascari, then successful racer in his own right. Returned to the pits and garages in the service of Whitney Straight and then Dick Seaman.

[LOLE]

Don't forget Ermanno Cuoghi. Niki Lauda's mechanic and above all a very kind and friendly man!
Next to him, Giulio Borsari, Clay's mechanic...

[vashlin]

Lole, Love the photo of Borsari with funny nose. He and Ermanno were both standout characters in the Formula One garages of my "youth".

Below are 2 of my favorite photos of Giulio and one of Ermanno, all taken in the garage at Watkins Glen in 1976

Giulio fires it up! I can hear it now.










Lin

[cpbell]

I would have to nominate long-serving Lotus stalwart Bob Dance.

[fbarrett]

Phil Remington!

He worked for Reventlow, then for Shelby American, and is still working for Dan Gurney at All-American Racers--and he's over 90 years old!

Frank

[LOLE]

Great pictures Vashlin! Nice portrait of Ermanno too! Thanks a lot!

[COUGAR508]

I would nominate Roger Hill, the ex-Tyrrell mechanic.

[Peter Leversedge]

George Bignoti
AJ Watson

[Hasselhoff]

No disrespect but 'unsung heroes' might be a bit of a stretch. If the driver f's up he could pay with his life whereas if the mechanic f's up the driver could pay with his life like many times previous.

Mechanics never did it for the glory lets not start now.

[Lee Nicolle]

Originally posted by Hasselhoff
No disrespect but 'unsung heroes' might be a bit of a stretch. If the driver f's up he could pay with his life whereas if the mechanic f's up the driver could pay with his life like many times previous.

Mechanics never did it for the glory lets not start now.

While that may be true a good driver in a crap car is crap! Good preparation is essential at all ends of the sport. Personally I always prepared my own but I have seen so many good competitors who without good preparation have done nothing then get someone good and then have excellent results.

[ZOOOM]

Put my vote in for Alf Francis, a pretty good wrench for sir Stirling Moss....

ZOOOM

[wdm]

My vote:-

Robert Aumaître - "Le Grand Robert" - of Bugatti and Gordini...

[Der Pate]

I would go for Dave Luckett...he was the Arrows-mechanic, who tried to start the stalled car od Riccardo Patrese at the start of Zolder 1981, when Patreses teammate Sigi Stohr couldn´t avoid to crash into the other Arrows with Luckett in the middle of it...I never forget the picture of the mechanic lying on the grid shaking...fortunately he wasn´t killed but got away with broken legs...

[giacomo]

My fave mechanic will always be 'Scintilla' Tramonti, Ferraris Magneti Marelli man in yellow overalls, who shared the Fuji podium with Patrick Depailler.

[john winfield]

Originally posted by giacomo
My fave mechanic will always be 'Scintilla' Tramonti, Ferraris Magneti Marelli man in yellow overalls, who shared the Fuji podium with Patrick Depailler.

Good choice! I think he won the South African GP too, in 1971, with a bit of help from Mario Andretti.....

[llmaurice]

I would still vote for the "old school" mechanics . Alf Francis being the no.1 in my book (along with Stan Ellsworth,Tony Robinson,Willy Griffiths and many others from that era) because in those days these stout fellows also drove their old Ford and Commer vans all over Europe after sleepless nights for little appreciation, thene within hours of the race sometimes moving off elsewhere .
It definitely wasn't easy in the 50-60s !

[Nigel Beresford]

Originally posted by llmaurice
I would still vote for the "old school" mechanics . Alf Francis being the no.1 in my book (along with Stan Ellsworth,Tony Robinson,Willy Griffiths and many others from that era) because in those days these stout fellows also drove their old Ford and Commer vans all over Europe after sleepless nights for little appreciation, thene within hours of the race sometimes moving off elsewhere .
It definitely wasn't easy in the 50-60s !

Very true..my Dad was in charge of car build at McLaren through the seventies, and there were weeks on end when he'd have left the house before I got up in the morning and come home after I'd gone to bed. When he worked for the Yeoman Credit / Bowmaker F1 team in the early sixties as a mechanic it was typical that there was one mechanic per car, and having built the car (from scratch) they'd have to drive the van to the track, do the race and then drive back.

[RStock]

Bill Bossom . Mechanic for Alan Stacy early on . Did it with only one arm .

[AllTwelve]

Nereo Iori
Francios Sicard a close second NART

[fines]

Jean Marcenac. Came to the US as a mechanic for the Ballot Indy effort, stayed on and became one of the winningest [oops! ] Indy 500 mechanics of all time. And who can forget the mighty Novis...

[retriever]

Alan Challis - fielding five BRMs must have taken some doing!

Shouldn't this thread be merged with a similar one already existing?

[fines]

A. J. Watson was chief mechanic for Leader Cards from 1959 to retirement, I'd guess, late nineties?

[coco]

Gerrino Bertocchi at Maserati: from the beginning until the end!

Ciao!
Walter

[AllTwelve]

I mentioned in an earlier post two of the greats. Here's a wonderful shot of Francios Sicard with Coco Chinetti at Daytona



... and one of our dear friend, and the best Ferrari mechanic of all time - Nereo Iori