5 replies to this topic

[island]

Hi!
A real ten/tenths racer. Outstanding in Mclarens. Be it a M8F or aM16(poles at Pocono
and Ontario in 1973 with 190mph and 200mph
laps!) or a M20 or a M23 (beating Ronnie at
Silverstone!) Did he have the calibre to
become World Champion?

[Dave Ware]

Island, you and I are interested in so many of the same things...Revvie was one of my adolescent heros.

Championship material? I thought so, and Denny Hulme thought so. I doubt that he would have done it with the Shadow in '74; it was still a new team. Probably not in '75, given Lauda's season.

I read in Cevert's biography that Revson had decided to race for a couple more years and then retire. So I doubt that he would have achieved the World Championship. But did he have the talent to do so? I've always thought so.

He also won the Monaco F3 race in '65, a pretty good barometer of future greatness.

Dave

[Keir]

I think that Peter was the victim of the "Yanks can't drive F1" syndrome. Only Mario truly overcame it, Cheever battled it his whole career, while Danny Sullivan didn't want to deal with it. I feel Peter would have had more success if he had been able to stay with McLaren.
A nice guy, lost to us in his prime!!!

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"I Was Born Ready"

[William Dale Jr]

He was also the victim of coming from a rich family. He was part of the Revlon cosmetics empire, and it was thought that he had the necessary funding from the family business. In truth, his family were totally against his racing activities, and he got no money from them - he got where he got on talent.

He also got several breaks, including driving Bruce McLaren's Indycar at the Indy 500, and he put it on pole too. That amongst other good drives in McLaren cars convinced Teddy Mayer to put him in the F1 car. Sadly, though, someone had to make way for Emerson Fittipaldi, who went on to win the championship. Imagine how Revson would have went in the car if he hadn't been bumped out.

[Huw Jenjin]

I watched him win the british GP, but was he any better than Denny Hulme in 72 and 3 - I don't think so, and Hulme was not really top of the tree at the time either. Nicebloke, good driver, but it would have taken him a bloody good car to get there. The M23 was magnificent, but until Fittpaldi got in it, it didnt have a great driver at the peak of his abilities in it.

[Statesidefan]

I tend to agree with Hew. Reson was a solid professional, but probably not WDC material. I read that he did shock many with his pace after his initial foray into F-1 was a failure. 2 wins in 30 starts gives him a better strike rate than say...Berger, Arnoux, or even Rosberg so who knows....

At any rate I don't think it was going to happen in the Shadow. Don't forget that Revson was 34 or 35 when he died. Loved the guy when I was a kid along with Donohue...

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"The strategy of a Formula One race is very simple. It's flat out from the minute the flag drops." Mario Andretti 1976