Michael and all. I ran into Gene DeRulle this weekend at a car show. He worked at Challmans during that time period and crewed on the 23 that Clark drove at Riverside. From his memory, he said that Challman knew that the Arciero Lotus 19 that Clark was supposed to drive would probably never run for long, so he bought a "used" Lotus 23 to have as a back up. Gene told me that he and friends cleaned up the 23 and made it as raceable as possible in just a few days. That story was confirmed by Dave Thielke, Challmans General Manager. During a lunch, Dave told me that after Clark drove the 23, it sat for several months in the dealership. One day, Challman told him to load up the car and meet the "new" owner near the airport in Phoenix. Dave met the guy, handed over the car, and drove back home. Unfortunately Dave cannot remember the new owners name. The mystery continues. So, based on this info, it was not a new car.
ms
The story of Jim Clark and the "used" Lotus 23 is intriguing.
Here is the #222 car, although the date is wrong on the caption, should be 13 October 1963:
https://www.gettyima...photo/163090331
Quote:
It appeared that Clark
would be left waiting at
the pit gate. His Frank
Arciero Lotus 19 met
severe engine damage Fri-
day due to lack of oil
pressure and was not at
the track. Bob Challman
race driver and Lotus
distributor from Manhat-
tan Beach, had a Lotus 23
flown in from England. It
arrived at the track at
4:30 p.m. and the Flying
Scot took off immediately.
By the 5:15 p.m. quailfy-
ing deadline he had ham-
mered his times down to
1:37.6 fifth fastest small
car (under 2-liter) of the
day.
"I couldn't afford to do
it," said Challman,"but,
after all, he is the world
champion."
The Los Angeles Times, Sunday 13 Oct 1963, Page 56
Quote:
Fortunately Clark was able to
find a 1,600 Lotus 23B that a local Lotus
dealer was about to deliver to a customer
and acquired its use for both Riverside (and
the last week-end's Pacific G.P. at Laguna
Seca). Clark was able to qualify the Lotus
23 in the last six minutes of Saturday's all-
day qualifying session and managed a spot
on the eighth row of the starting grid.
Autosport, 25 October 1963, Page 578
Quote:
Clark amassed such a wide lead in his division that he was able to make a 23-second pit stop and still win the prize. It was a case of making the stop—for refuelling purposes—or running out of gas about two laps from the finish, according to Bob Challman of Manhattan Beach.
"We couldn't take a chance." said Bob Challman. The car arrived so late that we didn't have time to install bigger fuel tanks."
Challman also disclosed that a plug cap came loose and Clark ran the final two laps on three cylinders.
Quote:
Clark attempted to qualify his original car, an Arciero Lotus 19, in the consolation race which was run Sunday morning. The Grand Prix circuit champion took the lead from Walt Hansgen on the second lap of the qualifying race and held it until he lost oil pressure on the eighth lap of the 10-lap race. He had to retire.
Luckily Challman had provided the little Scot with the "insurance" Lotus 23 and Clark won first place money in the small car field.
The Los Angeles Times, Monday 14 Oct 1963, Page 46
Bob Challman, the entrant, then drove the car at Willow Springs, 17 November 1963 (The Los Angeles Times, Monday 18 Nov 1963, Page 52)
Dodger Stadium, 14 Dec 1963? 1.3 mile track on the Dodger Stadium parking lot.
Possibly Del Mar, 23 Feb 1964 and back to Willow Springs, 8 March 1964?
The #222 car was sold to Richard P. Hogue of Phoenix.
Phoenix International Raceway, 19 April 1964
"Indianapolis veteran Bobby
Unser, driving track owner
Dick Hogue's Lotus 23B, was
racing in good position but blew
a tire after two-thirds of the
race and was out of competi-
tion."
Arizona Republic, Monday 20 Apr 1964, Page 6
LOTUS 23B—1600cc Hewland 5-speed
with extra ratios. Ex Jimmy Clark River-
side car. One race since tear down. First
$5000 offer gets this bargain. Better
hurry. Richard Hogue, 5201 Saddlerock
dr., Phoenix, Ariz.; WH 6-9807.
Competition Press, May 23—June 12, 1964, Page 11.
What have we learned? Speculating the Clark car had been competing in sprint races in England? Are we to believe Challman was sourcing a "used" car for a local customer, which was airfreighted to California in a hurry, as a replacement car for Clark at Riverside, Sunday 13 October 1963, after his Lotus 19 had suffered oiling problems on the Friday and expired in the consolation race on Sunday morning? (Consolation race, 10-laps run 10:30.)
Or was #222 new? Could it be 23B-S-98? The car arrived from England on Wednesday, 9 October 1963, as it was already entered for Trevor Taylor. As announced by Bob Challman:
Quote:
Another top foreign
driver, Trevor Taylor of
England, a Lotus team-
mate of Clark on the
Grand Prix circuit, joined
the entry list. Taylor will
drive a new Lotus 23
sports car in the under 2-
liter division for Bob
Challman of Manhattan
Beach. The car arrived
Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Times, Thursday 10 Oct 1963, Page 47
#22 Lotus 23, 1,498 c.c., Trevor Taylor
The Los Angeles Times, Saturday 12 Oct 1963, Page 23
There simply wasn't enough time for the car to be conjured up to suit Clark? Challman already had the car up his sleeve, so to speak, for Trevor Taylor. The Challman crew had been working since Wednesday to get the car ready. Jim Clark comes knocking and the switch is made. (Driver gazumped is not a good newspaper story?) Was it fitted with silver bodywork by Bob Challman?
Per Michael Oliver: 23B-S-98 "driven by Mike Beckwith at Snetterton on September 28th 1963"
See: https://forums.autos...9/#entry2759241
Perhaps nearly new?
(Does this account for the three Normand 23Bs from 1963: One to Alan Bond in Singapore, one to Tim Mayer in the USA (according to Peter Windsor), and one for Jim Clark at Riverside etc?)
https://forums.autos...23-s-48-23-s-49
Trevor Taylor was entered at Laguna Seca, 20 October 1963, Ecurie Shirlee, #22 Lotus 23B 1600 (Source: programme). Did he appear? Not on the grid. About this time Taylor was informed by Colin Chapman that his services were no longer required in F1 for 1964. Having lost the drive at Riverside, had Taylor gone home? Was he ever there in the first place? Was there a falling out all round?
Bob Challman was subsequently entered as #32 Lotus 23B at Laguna Seca, but again does not appear on the grid. The San Francisco Examiner, Sunday 20 Oct 1963, Page 62.
BTW Alan Rees raced a silver Lotus 23 for Roy Winkelmann, 2-litre Climax engine, during the 1963 UK season — 23B-S-52.
Also: https://library.revs...ds-hatch/267315
Driven by Graham Hill in the Pacific Northwest Grand Prix, Kent, Washington, 29 September 1963:
https://www.racingsp...3-09-29-110.jpg
RGDS RLT
Edited by Rupertlt1, 14 February 2023 - 07:11.
