46 replies to this topic

[glorius&victorius]

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/91071

How clean is our sport? how clean are our drivers? how close has drugs come to F1? Surely in the "Miami Vice 80s" there must have been questionable investors approaching the sport? Or has it been kept spotless clean? Is the closeness of the paddock the reason for questionable people being kept away?

your thoughts!

[KateLM]

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/91071

How clean is our sport? how clean are our drivers? how close has drugs come to F1? Surely in the "Miami Vice 80s" there must have been questionable investors approaching the sport? Or has it been kept spotless clean? Is the closeness of the paddock the reason for questionable people being kept away?

your thoughts!

The drivers are held to World Anti Doping Agency standards and can be tested at any time, so the likelihood of them being stupid enough to take drugs is pretty slim. I don't think an F1 driver has failed a test since Barrichello in the mid 90s, and that was only because of some cough medicine or something like that. Of course there was Tomas Enge too, who lost the F3000 championship in 2002 because he had been smoking weed and failed a test, which probably ended any hope he had of an F1 career. I think most other drivers are sensible enough not to sabotage their dreams like that.

As for the paddock, well there is no way of me knowing that but I don't think one case like this means the whole motorsport industry is necessarily tainted.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Smuggling has been going on in motorsport since they first started running transporters across Europe. In the old days it was fuel vouchers.

[Raelene]

I recall sometime in the 70s drug being found in f1 transporters. Can't remember details of the top of my head and am just about to go to sleep so haven't the time to research but someone else here will rememberM. Was it march?

[P123]

The drivers are held to World Anti Doping Agency standards and can be tested at any time, so the likelihood of them being stupid enough to take drugs is pretty slim. I don't think an F1 driver has failed a test since Barrichello in the mid 90s, and that was only because of some cough medicine or something like that. Of course there was Tomas Enge too, who lost the F3000 championship in 2002 because he had been smoking weed and failed a test, which probably ended any hope he had of an F1 career. I think most other drivers are sensible enough not to sabotage their dreams like that.

As for the paddock, well there is no way of me knowing that but I don't think one case like this means the whole motorsport industry is necessarily tainted.

I don't think this relates to drugs for the drivers or paddocks members personal use!

[P123]

I recall sometime in the 70s drug being found in f1 transporters. Can't remember details of the top of my head and am just about to go to sleep so haven't the time to research but someone else here will rememberM. Was it march?

I remember a story not so many years ago regarding allegations that the F1 travelling circus had been used as a means of drug smuggling between countries. You have to admit, the opportunity is there....

[puxanando]

where is MONEY there are drugs......nothing new.....

[Amphicar]

There is a thread on drug busts and motor racing in The Nostalgia Forum: http://forums.autosp...w...714&hl=drug

In his autobiography "Crashed & Byrned", former F1 driver Tommy Byrne describes how he smuggled a quantity of marijuana from Mexico to the USA. The stuff was hidden in the shaft of a golf club.

[primer]

where is MONEY there are drugs......nothing new.....

Where there are drugs there is money.

[Dudley]

If this is news to you, you may want to look up "Vic Lee"

[Amphicar]

If this is news to you, you may want to look up "Vic Lee"

...or John Paul Sr

[Amphicar]

"Formula 1 and motor racing transporters are likely to face tougher scrutiny at UK customs from now on, after drugs were found in the trucks of a Superbike World Championship team last month"

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/91071

Just posted on the motor racing & drug busts thread on TNF

[OfficeLinebacker]

The crew members in F1 aren't held to the same doping standards as the drivers?

In NASCAR all crew members and mechanics are tested on a random basis and held to the exact same standards as the drivers.

If I'm an F1 driver I don't want my mechanics drugging any more than I want the other drivers in the field doing it.

[Ross Stonefeld]

The drug testing in NASCAR is rather new. And this story isn't so much drug use but drug transport.

[Fastcake]

The crew members in F1 aren't held to the same doping standards as the drivers?

In NASCAR all crew members and mechanics are tested on a random basis and held to the exact same standards as the drivers.

If I'm an F1 driver I don't want my mechanics drugging any more than I want the other drivers in the field doing it.

Why would they be, what purpose can testing the mechanics achieve? Seems pointless, unless some drug has been developed to allow superhuman pit stops.

[rolf123]

Why would they be, what purpose can testing the mechanics achieve? Seems pointless, unless some drug has been developed to allow superhuman pit stops.

Drugs that calm the nerves would no doubt be advantageous. I remember snooker players taking beta blockers. Not sure if they're on the that world sporting doping list now or not.

Feel sorry for Enge. No way a bit of puff can affect you unless you take it, say, 24 hours before a race and are still hung over from some pretty strong haze or something, it can even blur your vision.

James Hunt used to smoke a lot of weed apparently, even in his commentary days behind the booth.

I know this thread is about smuggling but interesting to hear any F1 drug related stories.

You have to ask though, why are Borders UK stepping up controls? Were they not bothering to check in the first place? If so, that's lax. At the least, there might be illegal immigrants hiding out in trucks which is common enough going over the channel anyway.

[Amphicar]

Why would they be, what purpose can testing the mechanics achieve? Seems pointless, unless some drug has been developed to allow superhuman pit stops.

According to A. J. George of the School of Pharmacy and Chemistry at Liverpool John Moores University:

"Cocaine increases tolerance to intense exercise, yet most of its chronic effects on energy metabolism are negative. Its greatest effects seem to be as a central stimulant and the enhancement of short-term anaerobic exercise."

Sounds like just the thing to speed up pit stops - perhaps the FIA should send sniffer dogs to Brackley: http://www.yallaf1.c...so-far-in-2011/

[Andrew Hope]

In most cases, I've never really cared about performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. I know that it is technically cheating, but that's all that all drugs are in a sense - cheating. I can never manage the necessary leap of faith to ignore the hypocrisy of people talking about how heroic it is to sacrifice yourself (your mind, your health, your whatever) for your sport, yet there's some magical line in the sand where it all becomes morally wrong. I'm not talking about laws set out by specific countries or specific sports - if the law says a certain substance is illegal, then it's illegal, I'm talking about the morality of taking that substance, as I don't believe for a second that it's anyone else's business what you put in your body as a civilian.

Where does it become 'wrong' to pump your body full of anything that will help you succeed? Is willingly shortening your life and damaging your health not, if viewed from a certain angle, even more admirable then not taking those drugs? Sports fans like to talk about the sacrifices made and risks taken by athletes in the pursuit of perfection - surely there's something to be said for someone that not only sacrificed the off season in the gym, as they all do, but is sacrificing untold years of his life down the road? Why should 'Doing whatever it takes to win' have an asterisk beside it? Racing is different than most sports, of course, but I'm always a little surprised at how angry people get when they talk about performance-enhancing drugs. Well, what exactly is Cialis? What's Viagra? What's Rogaine? What are the five thousand other drugs you can find at the drug store, designed to, in effect, cheat your biological makeup? To enhance your performance in life, to give you an unfair advantage over people who don't use it? Why should it be alright for you, but not for a baseball player? Is it because we all want to believe that pro sports are the same thing we played when we were kids, where all that mattered was playing fair, and realizing that no one really does that once they reach a certain age forces us to abandon this cozy ideal?

I don't necessarily agree with any of that, but we should be trying to see arguments like this from every possible side. If you approach a debate to find 99% of people on one side, then the chances are good it needs to be reexamined.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Try that with pedophilia and get back to me

[Andrew Hope]

Well, I did say 'the chances are good'. I'd've expected more support from someone who spends as much of his time on here defending his unpopular opinions as you do .

[scheivlak]

Drugs that calm the nerves would no doubt be advantageous. I remember snooker players taking beta blockers. Not sure if they're on the that world sporting doping list now or not.

Beta blockers are among the substances that are specifically prohibited in motorsports, see http://www.wada-ama....ist_2011_EN.pdf page 9.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Well, I did say 'the chances are good'. I'd've expected more support from someone who spends as much of his time on here defending his unpopular opinions as you do .

Notice I defend my opinions.

[Andrew Hope]

I can see how that alone can be quite enough work .

[Willow Rosenberg]

NASCAR has its roots in moonshine running, which was just another form of drug smuggling. Thats all part of the hypocrisy of the War On Drugs.

[Bunchies]

James Hunt used to smoke a lot of weed apparently, even in his commentary days behind the booth.

If the FIA want to slow down the cars, they would do well to look into this. They could save fuel, though food costs will go up.

[Bunchies]

NASCAR has its roots in moonshine running, which was just another form of drug smuggling. Thats all part of the hypocrisy of the War On Drugs.

Yeah, moonshiners were white, though. So there's the reason.

[d246]

Again, nothing to do with smuggling, but weren't the Mille Millia drivers full of amphetamines? Same probably applied to most 24hr races and the GPs that used to be a hell of a lot longer in duration.

[primer]

Heh, I wonder what would happen if some F1 teams' containers are found to carry drugs in Singapore or UAE? Likely they will do what these regimes do in cases where rich and powerful are concerned: confiscate the merchandise and let the guilty parties off with a verbal warning.

God have mercy on a 'commoner' ever found carrying the wrong medication to these great countries, though....

[Unbiased]

In the 70s, 80s and early 90s there was a lot of cocaine at the private parties around a race weekend (no sponsor related people around, officially...), freely offered. I could mention the names of the drivers who used it, but don't want to upset anyone. They are some of the big names though, a few champions in there too.

There were also sex parties with even 15-16 year old girls, especially in the late 80s. Monaco was the main party.

Since the mid 90s everyone is very candid about these because of the authorities cracking down on these after a few deaths. Of course, never reported in the media, because the media bosses, employees were at those parties too.

The last decade orso, none of these things happen anymore around race weekends. What they do in their own private time is a different matter and frankly, no one's business.

[Bunchies]

In the 70s, 80s and early 90s there was a lot of cocaine at the private parties around a race weekend (no sponsor related people around, officially...), freely offered. I could mention the names of the drivers who used it, but don't want to upset anyone. They are some of the big names though, a few champions in there too.

This doesn't surprise me. Sometimes there are images attached to these drivers that are way too ideal. We all have our vices, we all like to let loose. It makes them much more human in my eyes. I don't believe in deifying people.

[george1981]

There was a British Touring car team that got caught smuggling drugs in the early 90s.

[primer]

In the 70s, 80s and early 90s there was a lot of cocaine at the private parties around a race weekend (no sponsor related people around, officially...), freely offered. I could mention the names of the drivers who used it, but don't want to upset anyone. They are some of the big names though, a few champions in there too.

I always find such stories hard to believe because if Cocaine was available so freely people would have become addicted in short order, and no I don't think the pitlane was full of drug addicts in 70s, 80s or early 90s.

There were also sex parties with even 15-16 year old girls, especially in the late 80s. Monaco was the main party.

What has age got to do with it? If the age of consent is not as issue and sex is consensual let it be. Again, these kind of stories read like fanfiction more than anything else, people wishing how their 'heros' live their lives when reality might be far more boring.

Since the mid 90s everyone is very candid about these because of the authorities cracking down on these after a few deaths. Of course, never reported in the media, because the media bosses, employees were at those parties too.

Yeah sure buddy people died due to cocaine use and everyone in the paddock kept quiet. F1 paddock is well known for keeping secrets.

[oetzi]

I always find such stories hard to believe because if Cocaine was available so freely people would have become addicted in short order, and no I don't think the pitlane was full of drug addicts in 70s, 80s or early 90s.

It's perfectly possible to use cocaine, even a lot of cocaine, without becoming an addict.

What has age got to do with it? If the age of consent is not as issue and sex is consensual let it be. Again, these kind of stories read like fanfiction more than anything else, people wishing how their 'heros' live their lives when reality might be far more boring.

I guess you must be the 1% mentioned above on this subject.

Yeah sure buddy people died due to cocaine use and everyone in the paddock kept quiet. F1 paddock is well known for keeping secrets.

How many people know what's in the Concorde Agreement?

Just saying.

[ImDDAA]

I'm pretty sure Kimi was mildy high for the majority of his F1 career.

[oetzi]

I'm pretty sure Kimi was mildy high for the majority of his F1 career.

How's he gonna cope in NASCAR then?

[ImDDAA]

How's he gonna cope in NASCAR then?

I'm not sure, but he'll look nonchalant while doing it.

[oetzi]

I'm not sure, but he'll look nonchalant while doing it.

Maybe they could install a secondary tank in is scrotum to help him pass testing.

[primer]

How many people know what's in the Concorde Agreement?

TIL: Concorde Agreement also covers handling of deaths due to cocaine use in F1 parties. Apparently police worldwide are also a part of Concorde Agreement. No wonder they want to keep it so secret. Wonder how much cocaine they offered Stoddard to keep him shut on that matter.

Just saying.

Just don't.

[oetzi]

TIL: Concorde Agreement also covers handling of deaths due to cocaine use in F1 parties. Apparently police worldwide are also a part of Concorde Agreement. No wonder they want to keep it so secret. Wonder how much cocaine they offered Stoddard to keep him shut on that matter.

So you agree they can keep a secret.

Just don't.

Just did.

[zepunishment]

Somebody should have told Stepney that when you smuggle 'white powder' by hiding it in the gas tank, you don't literally pour it into the gas tank...

[Crazy Canuck]

It's perfectly possible to use cocaine, even a lot of cocaine, without becoming an addict.

You must be getting really bad quality cocaine.

CC

[oetzi]

You must be getting really bad quality cocaine.

CC

Montreal's not that far off. Pack some of yours over to Blighty and show me what I've been missing.

[Clatter]

I always find such stories hard to believe because if Cocaine was available so freely people would have become addicted in short order, and no I don't think the pitlane was full of drug addicts in 70s, 80s or early 90s.


What has age got to do with it? If the age of consent is not as issue and sex is consensual let it be. Again, these kind of stories read like fanfiction more than anything else, people wishing how their 'heros' live their lives when reality might be far more boring.


Yeah sure buddy people died due to cocaine use and everyone in the paddock kept quiet. F1 paddock is well known for keeping secrets.

Your right, they were all models of abstinence.
http://www.dailymail...esses-race.html
http://www.telegraph...-the-world.html

[King Six]

In the 70s, 80s and early 90s there was a lot of cocaine at the private parties around a race weekend (no sponsor related people around, officially...), freely offered. I could mention the names of the drivers who used it, but don't want to upset anyone. They are some of the big names though, a few champions in there too.

There were also sex parties with even 15-16 year old girls, especially in the late 80s. Monaco was the main party.

Since the mid 90s everyone is very candid about these because of the authorities cracking down on these after a few deaths. Of course, never reported in the media, because the media bosses, employees were at those parties too.

The last decade orso, none of these things happen anymore around race weekends. What they do in their own private time is a different matter and frankly, no one's business.

Come on, give us some names. Anyone who actually gets upset needs to get a life.

[Risil]

GPOne.com: Marco Lucchinelli on the PBM Kawasaki bust. Lucchinelli's an interesting one to talk about this subject, as AFAIK he's the only modern motorsports person to have been at the very top of the sport, while being acknowledged to have been very much involved with drug use.

During the time you were racing, in the ’70s - ’80s, were drugs more prevelent in the sport?

"I think there were less of them. It was harder to find them, and it was something that didn't fit in with the life of a rider. I was someone who didn't exactly "fit in" myself, but the problem today is that drugs are everywhere now. And the cocaine is no longer cocaine, but some powder mixed together that will do serious harm to you. Of course cocaine will also harm you, but this is even worse. But I still wouldn't worry about it in our sport. This isn't the place for it. I also want to make something clear: there might be some comparisons made now to Lucchinelli, but Lucchinelli never transported or trafficked in drugs. Lucchinelli was arrested when others were caught with things, and there were not involved with motorcycling in any way. I'm not ashamed to talk about what happened, because I paid the consequences"

Edited by Risil, 04 May 2011 - 12:14.

[Ross Stonefeld]

We probably need to seperate the possibility of drug culture within racing, and the logistical opportunities provided by racing transporters.

[MaxCrazyEddieCayer]

Thoses James Hunt Stories Don't Suprise me one Bit... Trully a one of a Kind Character,i Don't think this kind of stuff could have happen to someone like Gilles Villeneuve, altrough Gilles Was Knowed To have a Mistress, and at time of death was about to dump is wife for her......But drugs and all that stuff... Gilles Only drank Coke, eat Steaks and Burgers..James on the other hand seems more to be acting in the realms of a Rock star.... Good Old James, The Last real Formula 1 Rogue.... Eddie Irvine was also knowed to be quite a wild party animal, and according to Eddie Jordan's Book, on the morning of his singing to ferrari he was Very much Hang over from partying all night and more interrested in telling everybody what a hot babe he had beded the night before Than the 8 millions dollars contract he had signed to The Scuderia...