4 replies to this topic

[island]

Hi!
KB and Max Stewart struggled with that car
and its rising rate suspension in the 1975
Tasman. Even Frank Gardner could not help,
I have read. But later in 1975 and in 1976/
1977 both drivers and John Leffler were
front runners. Even in 1979-1981 John Wright
regularly challenged Costanzo and Bowe in
his T400. What transformed the car? A new
suspension design?

[Dave Ware]

The car was a dog. In the U.S. the main teams, Hall-Haas (Redman) and Vels-Parnelli (Andretti) scrapped it for the T332s from the previous years.

One team that didn't have the resources to scrap their T400 was Formula Racing (Eppie Weitzes.) The previous year Weitzes had run just the slightest tick slower than Redman and Andretti. But it took him all year to get the 400 developed to the point that he could finish third.

I think they may have replaced a lot of components w/ T332 parts. Not sure. I'll check a yearbook that covers that year.

In England the T400 was ok, but that series was less competitive. Or the cars were less developed. Let's put it this way: Tony Dean won a F5000 race in England w/ a Chevron. He came to Mid Ohio in the States are could only run 5th or 6th w/ the same car.

Bark bark, bark bark!

Dave

[Dave Ware]

Hey, I brought that same book with me to help answer Ray's question about Horst Kwech. Here's what they did on the T400:

"They completely tore the car apart, scraped the suspension, made major changes to the body configuration, and did a thousand little things. They then raced it again and it still did not work, so they did it all again."

Bark, bark!

Dave

[Ray Bell]

Memory tells me that T332 rear suspension gear helped a lot, most got bodywork changes too, but Leffler's car won the Gold Star still looking like a T400. It became the Wright car, then it was bought by Mike Lance to make his final circuit appearance.

How could you do this to me?

Mike would not turn out without it looking the way he wanted, right down to his name painted on it and all. On January 17, 1984, his brother and friends buckled him in. He had never driven anything better than a Clubman before, where he had shown the calibre of a top driver.
I once was obliged to write in Racing Car News that he was the greatest undiscovered talent in Australian Motor Racing. He was entranced by and burned to drive a F5000, and this was to be his one chance.
He did five slow laps of Oran Park, then they lifted him out and he was on a total high. He then had the first morphine he would allow them to give him, not having wanted anything to jeopardise his chances of driving the car - or to hinder his ability so to do.
A week later they scattered his ashes, I believe, at Amaroo Park.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[This message has been edited by Ray Bell (edited 04-11-2000).]

[Ray Bell]

The Leffler/Wright/Lance Lola now races in the original Leffler colours - and looking immaculately original - in Historic Racing with Mike Glynn at the wheel.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...