9 replies to this topic

[island]

Hi!
As many as five of them in some 1972 GPs.
Quite unusual in modern racing, I think.
Who knows the reason behind that multi-car
effort?
Simply so much Marlboro dollars to spend?

[Keir]

Louis Stanley selling everything but the
cook's apron!!!!

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"I Was Born Ready"

[Ray Bell]

That era saw little rhyme or reason at BRM - it's amazing that they came up with results. Must have been a very good car...

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Dave Ware]

I wonder if some of the cars were hired out, you know, to paying drivers. In '73 Lauda started his BRM career as a paying driver. (Or at least he promised to pay, and at Monaco he admitted that he didn't have the money, but he had done so well that Louis Stanley hired him on.)

I seem to remember that often the fourth or fifth car would go to a "local" driver. I think Canadian Bill Brack had a drive in '72 a BRM. I know George Eaton and John Cannon had occasional rides at different times. But in any case, I'm rambling, and if I can find something out I'll post it.

And you know, Louis Stanley (who wrote some great yearbooks by the way, as well as a bunch of books on golf and tennis) may have been a kind hearted sportsman who wanted to give less fortunate drivers a chance at the big time.

Dave

[Marco Helgert]

The story with BRM and Lauda was nearly the end of Lauda (take it literally). BRM wasn't amused, that Lauda represented the team a guy, who will pay for him - and never paid any penny. In fact it was only a good friend - with nothing to pay. After a meeting with the BRM staff in England, he drove to the airport. He came to a cross-way and for one moment he reconsidered, whether he should drive directly towards a wall, that was right behind the cross-way, or not. He didn't do it (ooops! Who didn't know?). It was a good decision, I think.

Just a little story for those, who didn't know it already.


PQ

[BRG]

F1 was a different world back then. Although sponsorship had become the norm (except for Ferrari), it was not the sole source of income, Teams did well on start and prize money, maybe enough that it was worth running more cars (remember that McLaren often ran three cars as well). Anyway budgets were very small by our standards. So getting Yardley and Marlboro money must have been a big bonus for BRM perhaps coupled with some paying drivers.

However, they apparently didn't do their sums right as the whole thing folded within a year or so.

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BRG

"all the time, maximum attack"

[Huw Jenjin]

Lets have a go at the marlboro BRM drivers for that season, and the cars they drove.
All of them some of the best BRM produced. P153,P160 and P180.
I can come up with Beltoise,Soler Roig, Ganley,Gethin........Whose next....

[Falcadore]

Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Bill Brack, Howden Ganley, Peter Gethin, Helmut Marko, Jackie Oliver, Brian Redman, Vern Schuppan, Alex Soler-Roig, Reine Wisell

I dare say the current FIA regs might have a thing or two to say about running 10 drivers during a season.....
Mark Jones

[Ray Bell]

When did Larry drive one?

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Falcadore]

The last one - in 1977