Recently Denny Hulme has been mentioned quite frequently, and since he's one of my alltime favourite characters in the sport, how about a 'Favourite Hulme Stories' thread? Like he used to drive barefooted when he arrived in Europe in 1960!
Denny Hulme - the fastest bear in the world...
Started by
fines
, May 01 2001 12:34
121 replies to this topic
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#2
Ray Bell
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Posted 01 May 2001 - 12:59
Was that because they didn't make driving shoes big enough for him... or because the chassis of the day were too small for his feet?
The latter, I believe. But the name, the 'Fastest Bear in the World' appealed to me too, when I saw it posted earlier today...
Shame he had to finish his racing career under Gardner's umbrella.
The latter, I believe. But the name, the 'Fastest Bear in the World' appealed to me too, when I saw it posted earlier today...
Shame he had to finish his racing career under Gardner's umbrella.
#3
FLB
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Posted 01 May 2001 - 13:45
I seem to rember he once said that driving barefoot gave him a better feel for the car (vibrating clutch pedal, etc.).
In NZ, he spent a lot of time barefoot. Once, while welding, he stepped on a spark and it burned the sole of his foot. He actually smelled the burning flesh before he registered the pain!
A real man's man, no question about it.
In NZ, he spent a lot of time barefoot. Once, while welding, he stepped on a spark and it burned the sole of his foot. He actually smelled the burning flesh before he registered the pain!
A real man's man, no question about it.
#4
Ray Bell
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Posted 01 May 2001 - 14:28
A trait from his father's side..
His father?
Clive Hulme VC
His father?
Clive Hulme VC
#5
David M. Kane
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Posted 01 May 2001 - 14:35
He was a very strong man who had huge forearms and huge hands
from during a lot of shoveling as a youth with his father. His
dad had been a big war hero in WWII.
He liked racing in the US Can-Am as he like being able to pull
up to a Holiday Inn for the night or pull over and just go into
a cafe for breakfast with no hassle.
I remember pulling into my first Can-Am in Bridgehampton, driving
down main street and their is a Orange McLaren sitting on a single trailer, believe it was a Parker? I go in and their is
the "guys" enjoying a nice country breakfast thank you!
As far as a story, I believe it was '71 that Peter Revson rented
a Tyrell. He shows up for practice on Thursday having not even
sat in the car. The first two times out of the pits he stalls it.
He wasn't use to how grabby the clutch was, and he wasn't keeping
his revs up enough. Anyway, in the final qualifying session
Peter is tooling around in his rent-a-ride with its tired DFV
when Hulme comes blasting up in his Orange Reynold Aluminum McLaren M19 and Peter balks him in turn 6. "The Bear" has a total
purple wobbly. You could see him grab the steering wheel and almost lift the front end of the car off the track. He starts to literally slam the trottle on and off, causing the car to jerk
forwards and backwards in total anger. Natually, I'm saying to
myself..."ouch!" I never did find out what he said to Peter when
they got back to the pits, but I'm sure it was an earful.
Next season they were teammates...go figure.
Bears are moody.
from during a lot of shoveling as a youth with his father. His
dad had been a big war hero in WWII.
He liked racing in the US Can-Am as he like being able to pull
up to a Holiday Inn for the night or pull over and just go into
a cafe for breakfast with no hassle.
I remember pulling into my first Can-Am in Bridgehampton, driving
down main street and their is a Orange McLaren sitting on a single trailer, believe it was a Parker? I go in and their is
the "guys" enjoying a nice country breakfast thank you!
As far as a story, I believe it was '71 that Peter Revson rented
a Tyrell. He shows up for practice on Thursday having not even
sat in the car. The first two times out of the pits he stalls it.
He wasn't use to how grabby the clutch was, and he wasn't keeping
his revs up enough. Anyway, in the final qualifying session
Peter is tooling around in his rent-a-ride with its tired DFV
when Hulme comes blasting up in his Orange Reynold Aluminum McLaren M19 and Peter balks him in turn 6. "The Bear" has a total
purple wobbly. You could see him grab the steering wheel and almost lift the front end of the car off the track. He starts to literally slam the trottle on and off, causing the car to jerk
forwards and backwards in total anger. Natually, I'm saying to
myself..."ouch!" I never did find out what he said to Peter when
they got back to the pits, but I'm sure it was an earful.
Next season they were teammates...go figure.
Bears are moody.
#6
Milan Fistonic
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#7
Darren Galpin
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Posted 03 May 2001 - 09:30
Shouldn't the fastest bear be the one with the crash helmet on the Hesketh?
#8
fines
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Posted 03 May 2001 - 15:03
Well, if you can prove that Shunty carried him in the car during races... maybe! 
#9
Graham Clayton
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Posted 04 May 2001 - 02:54
My Denny Hulme "piece" concerns his death of a heart attack while driving a BMW M3 during the 1992 Bathurst 1000.
As I remember, he suffered his seizure while going down the long
Conrod Straight.
What has interested me was that the car did not go out of control.
It seemed to gently slow down and pull of the side of the road,m
and ended up against the guard rail on the left hand side of the
straight.
If someone had suffered a major heart attack, one would
think that the car would have continued at the same speed.
Or was Hulme able to bring the car to a halt before
he finally passed away?
As I remember, he suffered his seizure while going down the long
Conrod Straight.
What has interested me was that the car did not go out of control.
It seemed to gently slow down and pull of the side of the road,m
and ended up against the guard rail on the left hand side of the
straight.
If someone had suffered a major heart attack, one would
think that the car would have continued at the same speed.
Or was Hulme able to bring the car to a halt before
he finally passed away?
#10
Ray Bell
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Posted 04 May 2001 - 02:59
I'm sure he was able to get on the brakes, but he bounced off the fence fairly heavily a couple of times...
Even if he hadn't braked, unlike Pryce, he would have lifted off.
Even if he hadn't braked, unlike Pryce, he would have lifted off.
#11
Roger Clark
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Posted 04 May 2001 - 22:16
For many years Denny Hulme wrote a weekly column for Autosport. This is his account of perhaps his greatest GP win, 1973 in Sweden.
There was one dismal stage in the Swedish Grand Prix at the Anderstorp when I just knew it was going to be another of those races when I would have to make a pitstop. The first part of the race had been a bit of a procession with Ronnie Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi out front in the black John Player Lotuses followed by the Tyrrells of Jackie Stewart and François Cevert and I was doing my best to get by Francois when we came up to lap a group of slower cars and one of them-guess who?-put a wheel in the dirt and the whole lot missed Cevert's car and dumped down the trumpets of my engine. It looked like Zolder all over again with throttle slides full of sand and the throttle jammed half open and immovable. In a situation like this you should either lift off and keep the throttle slides right shut, or crack the throttle wide open so all the gunge goes straight through. It's often better to let the engine munch up a few rocks than have the throttle jammed on full noise at a tricky bit of track.
I was hobbling round to the pits driving on the ignition switch, coasting round the corners on a dead engine and switching on for the straights, all the time desperately trying to free the jammed slides by tweaking the pedal. Amazingly enough this worked, the throttle freed itself, and I was back on song again even though I was now about 16 s aft of the Lotuses and the-Tyrrells.
All my dramas had happened on about the 37th lap and when I'd sorted it all out there were 21 laps to go. I knew at that point that I could make it. I wasn't convinced that I could win it, but I knew I could be right up there trying very hard. So I did, and on the way I collected the lap record. I was pulling Francois a second a lap and I was on the exhausts of his Tyrrell just as we came up to lap mv team-mate Peter Revson in the other Yaidley-McLaren. Peter had been given the message that I was in a bit of a hurry and rather anxious to pass François and at the end of the straight there was an unexplainable curious sort of situation where François couldn't quite make it past Peter and I managed to slipstream past him while he was figuring it all out. Peter let me through and it was downhill all the way to Jackie's Tyrrell. Does your ego all sorts of good when you know that you're reeling in these Super Stars at more than a second a lap. I was having no problems with any of the backmarkers and in fact I was collecting good tows from some of them which fired me into the corners very nicely.
When I arrived along Jackie had his hands full of black cars. Ronnie was out front and obviously determined to win his first GP on home ground regardless of how the battling champions felt about it. (I was a World Champ once too, so I include myself in there!) Jackie made it past Emerson on the inside going into the corner after the pits and I went under him at the next corner. Jackie was then trying everything to get past Ronnie but Ronnie wasn't having any of it. Then Jackie's car quit on him as we were going down past the pits (some sort of brake failure) and it was all down to D.H. and R.P.
I made one attempt at doing Ronnie at the end of the straight which was really the only place I could do anything about him. I switched off the rev limiter so that I didn't lose any split seconds when I needed them most, gave it the big stick up over 11 grand in every gear, and came sweeping up on the right hand side of Ronnie.
Now when you're a Swede and you look as though you're about to win the Swedish GP you don't stand any nonsense from Bears, so he came moving across to the right just as I knew he would and that was the signal for the fastest Bear in the world to go sailing back across his slipstream and slingshot down past the Lotus right on line for the corner at the end of the straight. After that it was all over bar the shouting and I gather there wasn't a lot of that. The crowd had been pretty excited while Ronnie looked like winning but having a New Zealander out front apparently doesn't do quite as much for local enthusiasm. Ronnie had a slow puncture which wasn't helping him one little bit, and even though I was delighted to' be winning I did spare a thought for how Ronnie must have been feeling. I didn't let it slow me down though.
The weird thing was that because of all the excitement of the chase and the thrash in getting past people I hadn't been paying a lot of attention to my pit signals and I thought I still had four or five laps to go. On the lap that I nailed Ronnie I came by the pits very pleased with myself and was more than just started to see the pit board showing only one lap to go. I'd done it just in time. If I'd waited another lap Ronnie might have been able to hold me out.
The car ran like a dream from half distance after it had disgorged all those rocks, and I reckon it's probably the best race I've ever driven. It was also satisfying to think that I was the first driver this year to break up the Fittipaldi/Stewart lockout on GP wins.
Martin and Adele probably thought dad was going a bit far waiting to win the race on Father's Day as a sort of party preview for his birthday (37th, he adds in a whisper) the following day, but it all added up to a perfect weekend. We started off on the right note by motoring up to Sweden with Phil Kerr, joint MD at McLaren Racing, and John "Mac" MacDonald in his Silver Shadow Rolls-Royce. Very posh we were, and very relaxed after the 25 hr ferry crossing from England to Gothenberg and the short twohour drive from the ferry port to the track. I was most impressed with the track and the people who ran the race. You could run virtually anywhere on the track without getting into trouble and there were kerb stones, catch fences and guardrailing exactly where it had been requested, and good run-off areas. We did ask for a couple of marshals' posts to be.moved, but it certainly made a difference to work with a track organiser who really understood that we wanted to work with him to get a better race and better race track.
Our whole team meshed in well from the first day of practice. We had decided that I would keep my engine in for the whole meeting rather than our game of "musical engines" which usually results in me being out-guessed, and the mechanics doing a lot of extra work. So that's how I started the race with "old No. 061 " bolted in the back. It's a Ford-Cosworth we seem to have had around for ever and although it never gives as much horsepower as the others on the dyno, it really works like a beaver when it gets into the chassis.
Being sponsored by the electronics company Hitachi meant that you got a few extras in the way of prizes like a very smart portable TV set which I'm certainly not cutting down the middle even if team boss Teddy Mayer does start waving contracts around !
Rather appropriately, with even a suggestion of prearrangement, the main trophy was a beautiful hunk of iceberg green glass and carved into the back of it as a main feature was, would you believe it, -a big bear! Ronnie never really stood a chance.,. . .
There was one dismal stage in the Swedish Grand Prix at the Anderstorp when I just knew it was going to be another of those races when I would have to make a pitstop. The first part of the race had been a bit of a procession with Ronnie Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi out front in the black John Player Lotuses followed by the Tyrrells of Jackie Stewart and François Cevert and I was doing my best to get by Francois when we came up to lap a group of slower cars and one of them-guess who?-put a wheel in the dirt and the whole lot missed Cevert's car and dumped down the trumpets of my engine. It looked like Zolder all over again with throttle slides full of sand and the throttle jammed half open and immovable. In a situation like this you should either lift off and keep the throttle slides right shut, or crack the throttle wide open so all the gunge goes straight through. It's often better to let the engine munch up a few rocks than have the throttle jammed on full noise at a tricky bit of track.
I was hobbling round to the pits driving on the ignition switch, coasting round the corners on a dead engine and switching on for the straights, all the time desperately trying to free the jammed slides by tweaking the pedal. Amazingly enough this worked, the throttle freed itself, and I was back on song again even though I was now about 16 s aft of the Lotuses and the-Tyrrells.
All my dramas had happened on about the 37th lap and when I'd sorted it all out there were 21 laps to go. I knew at that point that I could make it. I wasn't convinced that I could win it, but I knew I could be right up there trying very hard. So I did, and on the way I collected the lap record. I was pulling Francois a second a lap and I was on the exhausts of his Tyrrell just as we came up to lap mv team-mate Peter Revson in the other Yaidley-McLaren. Peter had been given the message that I was in a bit of a hurry and rather anxious to pass François and at the end of the straight there was an unexplainable curious sort of situation where François couldn't quite make it past Peter and I managed to slipstream past him while he was figuring it all out. Peter let me through and it was downhill all the way to Jackie's Tyrrell. Does your ego all sorts of good when you know that you're reeling in these Super Stars at more than a second a lap. I was having no problems with any of the backmarkers and in fact I was collecting good tows from some of them which fired me into the corners very nicely.
When I arrived along Jackie had his hands full of black cars. Ronnie was out front and obviously determined to win his first GP on home ground regardless of how the battling champions felt about it. (I was a World Champ once too, so I include myself in there!) Jackie made it past Emerson on the inside going into the corner after the pits and I went under him at the next corner. Jackie was then trying everything to get past Ronnie but Ronnie wasn't having any of it. Then Jackie's car quit on him as we were going down past the pits (some sort of brake failure) and it was all down to D.H. and R.P.
I made one attempt at doing Ronnie at the end of the straight which was really the only place I could do anything about him. I switched off the rev limiter so that I didn't lose any split seconds when I needed them most, gave it the big stick up over 11 grand in every gear, and came sweeping up on the right hand side of Ronnie.
Now when you're a Swede and you look as though you're about to win the Swedish GP you don't stand any nonsense from Bears, so he came moving across to the right just as I knew he would and that was the signal for the fastest Bear in the world to go sailing back across his slipstream and slingshot down past the Lotus right on line for the corner at the end of the straight. After that it was all over bar the shouting and I gather there wasn't a lot of that. The crowd had been pretty excited while Ronnie looked like winning but having a New Zealander out front apparently doesn't do quite as much for local enthusiasm. Ronnie had a slow puncture which wasn't helping him one little bit, and even though I was delighted to' be winning I did spare a thought for how Ronnie must have been feeling. I didn't let it slow me down though.
The weird thing was that because of all the excitement of the chase and the thrash in getting past people I hadn't been paying a lot of attention to my pit signals and I thought I still had four or five laps to go. On the lap that I nailed Ronnie I came by the pits very pleased with myself and was more than just started to see the pit board showing only one lap to go. I'd done it just in time. If I'd waited another lap Ronnie might have been able to hold me out.
The car ran like a dream from half distance after it had disgorged all those rocks, and I reckon it's probably the best race I've ever driven. It was also satisfying to think that I was the first driver this year to break up the Fittipaldi/Stewart lockout on GP wins.
Martin and Adele probably thought dad was going a bit far waiting to win the race on Father's Day as a sort of party preview for his birthday (37th, he adds in a whisper) the following day, but it all added up to a perfect weekend. We started off on the right note by motoring up to Sweden with Phil Kerr, joint MD at McLaren Racing, and John "Mac" MacDonald in his Silver Shadow Rolls-Royce. Very posh we were, and very relaxed after the 25 hr ferry crossing from England to Gothenberg and the short twohour drive from the ferry port to the track. I was most impressed with the track and the people who ran the race. You could run virtually anywhere on the track without getting into trouble and there were kerb stones, catch fences and guardrailing exactly where it had been requested, and good run-off areas. We did ask for a couple of marshals' posts to be.moved, but it certainly made a difference to work with a track organiser who really understood that we wanted to work with him to get a better race and better race track.
Our whole team meshed in well from the first day of practice. We had decided that I would keep my engine in for the whole meeting rather than our game of "musical engines" which usually results in me being out-guessed, and the mechanics doing a lot of extra work. So that's how I started the race with "old No. 061 " bolted in the back. It's a Ford-Cosworth we seem to have had around for ever and although it never gives as much horsepower as the others on the dyno, it really works like a beaver when it gets into the chassis.
Being sponsored by the electronics company Hitachi meant that you got a few extras in the way of prizes like a very smart portable TV set which I'm certainly not cutting down the middle even if team boss Teddy Mayer does start waving contracts around !
Rather appropriately, with even a suggestion of prearrangement, the main trophy was a beautiful hunk of iceberg green glass and carved into the back of it as a main feature was, would you believe it, -a big bear! Ronnie never really stood a chance.,. . .
#12
Ray Bell
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Posted 04 May 2001 - 22:36
Great story, isn't it... miss that sort of thing.
Thanks Roger.
Thanks Roger.
#13
oldtimer
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Posted 04 May 2001 - 23:31
Many thanks Roger. The story gives good insight into amuch respected man
#14
Roger Clark
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Posted 05 May 2001 - 09:04
I was doing my best to get by Francois when we came up to lap a group of slower cars and one of them-guess who?-put a wheel in the dirt and the whole lot missed Cevert's car and dumped down the trumpets of my engine
Can anybody guess who this was? i think I know because it's mentioned in a report, but it's not obvious.
#15
david_martin
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Posted 05 May 2001 - 09:39
Originally posted by Roger Clark
Can anybody guess who this was? i think I know because it's mentioned in a report, but it's not obvious.
Roger thanks for that posting, a really great read. I must admit that I was wondering the same thing, and I would hazard a wild guess at it being fellow Kiwi Howden Ganley in Frank Williams' Iso Malboro.
#16
fines
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Posted 05 May 2001 - 11:44
[Mike Lang, Grand Prix! Vol. 2, mentiones Jackie Oliver as the culprit of the throttle slides incident]
#17
Roger Clark
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Posted 05 May 2001 - 13:22
That's what the Autosport report said. Hulme's word's seemed to suggest that it should have been easy to guess. Was there any history between those two?
#18
Timekeeper
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Posted 08 May 2001 - 15:57
This story is from the book "Brabham story of a racing team" by Phil Drackett and relates to 1967.
"The season had opened at Kyalami with the South African Grand Prix. The two Brabhams were one and two on the grid and one and two in the race until Jack had overheating trouble. Hulme, yet to win a Grand Prix, took a comfortable lead - until three quarters distance when his brakes went sick. He made a couple of pit-stops but the trouble couldn't be cured and he carried on 'without anchors'. 'It was by no means a funny situation,' Hulme recounted, 'rushing down the straight at over 160 miles per our and trying to slow down by slipping down through the gears. Luckily I managed to stay on the road and finish the race - but only in fourth place. It was a terrifying ride.' Of course it was a ride that many drivers would never have attempted."
Not F1, but on the matter of the fastest bear in the world I can't resist mentioning Mr Whoppit, Donald Campbell's teddy bear mascot on his speed records. He floated to the surface after Campbell's fatal accident on Lake Coniston and I think I read that Campbell's daughter sold him recently for a huge sum.
"The season had opened at Kyalami with the South African Grand Prix. The two Brabhams were one and two on the grid and one and two in the race until Jack had overheating trouble. Hulme, yet to win a Grand Prix, took a comfortable lead - until three quarters distance when his brakes went sick. He made a couple of pit-stops but the trouble couldn't be cured and he carried on 'without anchors'. 'It was by no means a funny situation,' Hulme recounted, 'rushing down the straight at over 160 miles per our and trying to slow down by slipping down through the gears. Luckily I managed to stay on the road and finish the race - but only in fourth place. It was a terrifying ride.' Of course it was a ride that many drivers would never have attempted."
Not F1, but on the matter of the fastest bear in the world I can't resist mentioning Mr Whoppit, Donald Campbell's teddy bear mascot on his speed records. He floated to the surface after Campbell's fatal accident on Lake Coniston and I think I read that Campbell's daughter sold him recently for a huge sum.
#19
Twin Window
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 01:13
Here you go Rosey - an old Denny thread in need of revival! (Amazing what a quick search throws up, hey?!)
Heres a pic of mine - already posted somewhere else on TNF - which shows the Bear just about to shatter the contents of my carrier bag. Non too pleased wasn't the Kiwi in question...
...and eighteen months later his greeting seemed no more friendly!
But, without doubt, the bloke was a star.
Heres a pic of mine - already posted somewhere else on TNF - which shows the Bear just about to shatter the contents of my carrier bag. Non too pleased wasn't the Kiwi in question...
...and eighteen months later his greeting seemed no more friendly!
But, without doubt, the bloke was a star.
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#20
SpanishTears2005
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 02:57
Nice guy,could always make you smile .R.I.P Denny Hulme. A real person as well as a racing driver !!
#21
MPea3
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 03:57
Originally posted by Timekeeper
Not F1, but on the matter of the fastest bear in the world I can't resist mentioning Mr Whoppit, Donald Campbell's teddy bear mascot on his speed records. He floated to the surface after Campbell's fatal accident on Lake Coniston and I think I read that Campbell's daughter sold him recently for a huge sum.
That seems somehow disturbing...
#22
275 GTB-4
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 07:52
Originally posted by Twin Window
CAPTION: Carmon mate, I want to get on with it!! Just had a frustrating practice session and now some punter wiv a camera wants me to be all sweetness and light!!!
#23
Rosemayer
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 12:56
Thanks everyone I don't know how I missed I my search.
Rosey
Rosey
#24
SpanishTears2005
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 14:54
Originally posted by 275 GTB-4
CAPTION: Carmon mate, I want to get on with it!! Just had a frustrating practice session and now some punter wiv a camera wants me to be all sweetness and light!!!
I can just see him saying that too 
#25
JacnGille
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 16:48
Wonderful story from Denny. It's a bit hard to imagine seeing such a story these days.
"There I was, out from under the tunnel at Monaco, flat in 6th, when the throttle stuck. The computer shut the car off...my race was run."
"I was in the second Lesmo when the engine misfired. I retired on the spot when the computer shut the car off."
"I had just passed Driver X for second when ..."
"There I was, out from under the tunnel at Monaco, flat in 6th, when the throttle stuck. The computer shut the car off...my race was run."
"I was in the second Lesmo when the engine misfired. I retired on the spot when the computer shut the car off."
"I had just passed Driver X for second when ..."
#26
Pedro 917
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Posted 18 February 2005 - 23:51
Here are some pictures of Denny Hulme from August 1992, Nürburgring Old Timer GP. He was invited to drive the little Honda he raced there in the early sixties. I caught him with Jost Kalisch who raced the BRM CanAm P154. It was also there that I met Walt Monaco for the first time. I had a nice chat with Hulme about Pedro (of course) and the good old days and all the time, not even a single person recognized him. I can remember telling him that he had a reputation of being "difficult" but that he'd always been nice to me when I asked him for an autograph or a picture (with my deerstalker). He was very relaxed and surely must have enjoyed the week-end. It was his last trip to Europe and only a couple of months later, he was gone.
Kalisch, Hulme & Walt Monaco:
With the BRM:
Me & Denny:
Kalisch, Hulme & Walt Monaco:
With the BRM:
Me & Denny:
#27
SpanishTears2005
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Posted 19 February 2005 - 12:53
Originally posted by Pedro 917
Here are some pictures of Denny Hulme from August 1992, Nürburgring Old Timer GP. He was invited to drive the little Honda he raced there in the early sixties. I caught him with Jost Kalisch who raced the BRM CanAm P154. It was also there that I met Walt Monaco for the first time. I had a nice chat with Hulme about Pedro (of course) and the good old days and all the time, not even a single person recognized him. I can remember telling him that he had a reputation of being "difficult" but that he'd always been nice to me when I asked him for an autograph or a picture (with my deerstalker). He was very relaxed and surely must have enjoyed the week-end. It was his last trip to Europe and only a couple of months later, he was gone.
Kalisch, Hulme & Walt Monaco:
With the BRM:
Me & Denny:
Awesome Photo's Pedro. Very Cool. 
#28
P 4 Staff
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Posted 19 February 2005 - 15:23
In 1972 I visited the Austrian GP. I remember to this day...standing about 5 meters from the track near the crest after the start/finish straight. I saw Denny coming over the straight...the ground vibrated and he was out of sight behind the crest before I had twisted my head. An unbeleievable experiance.
Lucky though...I later got his autograph.
Best: Staff.
Lucky though...I later got his autograph.
Best: Staff.
#29
Macca
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Posted 25 February 2005 - 13:27
At Coy's at Silverstone in 1991, looking (and sounding) pretty relaxed and happy.
At Donington for the '25 years of 3-litre F1' in 1991, with 'Baby Bear', Sir Jack, Peter Warr, Derek Bell, and Jarier and Attwood at the front.
Paul M
#30
Stephane Lebiez
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Posted 25 February 2005 - 13:45
What a fantastic driver. The best of the best in can-am races. What do you think is the most representative for him, its multiple victories in can-am, or his title in wolrld championship in 1967 ?
http://membres.lycos.fr/canam
http://membres.lycos.fr/canam
#31
fines
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- 9,647 posts
- Joined: September 00
Member
Posted 25 February 2005 - 16:16
Nice to see my ole thread is finally starting to make its way to the very top - take heed, Keir!
FORZA DENNY!!!!
FORZA DENNY!!!!
#32
thatguy01
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- 7 posts
- Joined: November 03
New Member
Posted 25 February 2005 - 18:40
(looks more like a bear than a cat)According to Fozzie Bear, a bear's natural habitat is a Studebaker.
#33
glyn parham
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- 372 posts
- Joined: May 04
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Posted 25 February 2005 - 19:46
If you care to take a look at the "Introduce yourself" thread, you will see that my first meeting with Denny was back in the early sixties when he was racing in Formula Junior and lived in Ashford, Kent.
A friend of my parents (who were in the same motor club) had got to know Denny and invited him to attend the Clubs annual film night at the Hazlitt theatre in Maidstone. Despite being six or seven years old I was allowed to attend as the films were usually very interesting.
However, I was introduced to the "Bear" and attached myself to him (well, he was big and cuddly
) and spent the rest of the film night sitting on his lap, probably asking questions that I would be only too embarrased to even think of now, but my mother recalls that he was a real gent and took it all in his stride.
Glyn
A friend of my parents (who were in the same motor club) had got to know Denny and invited him to attend the Clubs annual film night at the Hazlitt theatre in Maidstone. Despite being six or seven years old I was allowed to attend as the films were usually very interesting.
However, I was introduced to the "Bear" and attached myself to him (well, he was big and cuddly
) and spent the rest of the film night sitting on his lap, probably asking questions that I would be only too embarrased to even think of now, but my mother recalls that he was a real gent and took it all in his stride.Glyn
#34
AS110
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- 293 posts
- Joined: November 01
Member
Posted 26 February 2005 - 06:21
I was a teenager at highschool when the ''Bruce and Denny Show'' was on,we were so proud of those guys.I ride motorcycles...off road too,and I remember that Denny used to ride a bloody great GS BMW on organised trail rides,he wasn't young then and a New Zealand trail ride is more like a tough enduro for other countries.A tough bugger alright.
#35
rosemeyer
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- 245 posts
- Joined: September 04
Member
Posted 05 March 2005 - 00:42
Fines lets reopen this thred again as Denny needs to be remerbered. Back to page one.
I am surprised nobody mentioned Dennys blowover I think at Mid Ohio when the Can Am McClaren landed on its top most corner workers thought he was dead but when they turned the car over on the wheeles Denny said I cheated death again.
I am surprised nobody mentioned Dennys blowover I think at Mid Ohio when the Can Am McClaren landed on its top most corner workers thought he was dead but when they turned the car over on the wheeles Denny said I cheated death again.
#36
Mohican
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- 1,986 posts
- Joined: May 01
Member
Posted 07 March 2005 - 13:14
The 1973 Swedish GP was not only a great race, it was also the McLaren M23's first win - there were a lot more later.
#37
JacnGille
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- 2,912 posts
- Joined: July 02
Member
Posted 07 March 2005 - 18:18
Originally posted by rosemeyer
Fines lets reopen this thred again as Denny needs to be remerbered. Back to page one.
I am surprised nobody mentioned Dennys blowover I think at Mid Ohio when the Can Am McClaren landed on its top most corner workers thought he was dead but when they turned the car over on the wheeles Denny said I cheated death again.
Denny had a blowover here at Road Atlanta.
#38
Rosemayer
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- 1,253 posts
- Joined: April 04
Member
Posted 07 March 2005 - 20:22
JacnGille quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by rosemeyer
Fines lets reopen this thred again as Denny needs to be remerbered. Back to page one.
I am surprised nobody mentioned Dennys blowover I think at Mid Ohio when the Can Am McClaren landed on its top most corner workers thought he was dead but when they turned the car over on the wheeles Denny said I cheated death again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Denny had a blowover here at Road Atlanta.
Thank you for the correction the great part about getting old is how your memory works.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by rosemeyer
Fines lets reopen this thred again as Denny needs to be remerbered. Back to page one.
I am surprised nobody mentioned Dennys blowover I think at Mid Ohio when the Can Am McClaren landed on its top most corner workers thought he was dead but when they turned the car over on the wheeles Denny said I cheated death again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Denny had a blowover here at Road Atlanta.
Thank you for the correction the great part about getting old is how your memory works.
#39
mp4
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- 584 posts
- Joined: July 01
Member
Posted 07 March 2005 - 23:11
Thank you all for the stories and pics of Denny. 
It sounds, to me, like he was a bad tempered bastard with a heart of gold.
You gotta love it, ya know?
Cheers All
p.s. - more stories and pics would be a good thing!
It sounds, to me, like he was a bad tempered bastard with a heart of gold.
You gotta love it, ya know?
Cheers All
p.s. - more stories and pics would be a good thing!
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#40
eldougo
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- 9,664 posts
- Joined: March 02
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Posted 08 March 2005 - 09:58
Found a lovely photo of Danny the WDC1967.
#41
JacnGille
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- 2,912 posts
- Joined: July 02
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Posted 08 March 2005 - 17:03
Anyone else remember the story of Denny making a call to the pits, saying that the car wasn't right and after being asked what was wrong with it replying "How the hell would I know...you're the bloody mechanic!"
#42
rosemeyer
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- 245 posts
- Joined: September 04
Member
Posted 10 March 2005 - 00:36
Hay Fines back to page one
#43
DOHC
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- 12,405 posts
- Joined: February 02
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Posted 10 March 2005 - 09:33
Added my own pix from the Swedish GP 1973 to illustrate Denny's story, as posted by Roger Clark, starting with the driver presentation, with Hulme, Peterson, JYS etc visible in the center. Enjoy!
There was one dismal stage in the Swedish Grand Prix at the Anderstorp when I just knew it was going to be another of those races when I would have to make a pitstop. The first part of the race had been a bit of a procession with Ronnie Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi out front in the black John Player Lotuses followed by the Tyrrells of Jackie Stewart and François Cevert and I was doing my best to get by Francois when we came up to lap a group of slower cars and one of them-guess who?-put a wheel in the dirt and the whole lot missed Cevert's car and dumped down the trumpets of my engine. It looked like Zolder all over again with throttle slides full of sand and the throttle jammed half open and immovable. In a situation like this you should either lift off and keep the throttle slides right shut, or crack the throttle wide open so all the gunge goes straight through. It's often better to let the engine munch up a few rocks than have the throttle jammed on full noise at a tricky bit of track.
I was hobbling round to the pits driving on the ignition switch, coasting round the corners on a dead engine and switching on for the straights, all the time desperately trying to free the jammed slides by tweaking the pedal. Amazingly enough this worked, the throttle freed itself, and I was back on song again even though I was now about 16 s aft of the Lotuses and the-Tyrrells.
All my dramas had happened on about the 37th lap and when I'd sorted it all out there were 21 laps to go. I knew at that point that I could make it. I wasn't convinced that I could win it, but I knew I could be right up there trying very hard. So I did, and on the way I collected the lap record.
I was pulling Francois a second a lap and I was on the exhausts of his Tyrrell just as we came up to lap mv team-mate Peter Revson in the other Yardley-McLaren. Peter had been given the message that I was in a bit of a hurry and rather anxious to pass François and at the end of the straight there was an unexplainable curious sort of situation where François couldn't quite make it past Peter and I managed to slipstream past him while he was figuring it all out. Peter let me through and it was downhill all the way to Jackie's Tyrrell. Does your ego all sorts of good when you know that you're reeling in these Super Stars at more than a second a lap. I was having no problems with any of the backmarkers and in fact I was collecting good tows from some of them which fired me into the corners very nicely.
When I arrived along Jackie had his hands full of black cars. Ronnie was out front and obviously determined to win his first GP on home ground regardless of how the battling champions felt about it. (I was a World Champ once too, so I include myself in there!)
(Here Denny is, I believe, exiting the last corner, outside the picture on the upper right.)
Jackie made it past Emerson on the inside going into the corner after the pits and I went under him at the next corner. Jackie was then trying everything to get past Ronnie but Ronnie wasn't having any of it.
(Emerson has let go and can be seen top right.)
Then Jackie's car quit on him as we were going down past the pits (some sort of brake failure) and it was all down to D.H. and R.P.
(The penultimate lap has just begun, and D.H. is hot on R.P's heels.)
I made one attempt at doing Ronnie at the end of the straight which was really the only place I could do anything about him. I switched off the rev limiter so that I didn't lose any split seconds when I needed them most, gave it the big stick up over 11 grand in every gear, and came sweeping up on the right hand side of Ronnie.
Now when you're a Swede and you look as though you're about to win the Swedish GP you don't stand any nonsense from Bears, so he came moving across to the right just as I knew he would and that was the signal for the fastest Bear in the world to go sailing back across his slipstream and slingshot down past the Lotus right on line for the corner at the end of the straight. After that it was all over bar the shouting and I gather there wasn't a lot of that.
(The last lap begins, and the Swedish crowd has calmed down a bit at the sight of Ronnie in P2.)
The crowd had been pretty excited while Ronnie looked like winning but having a New Zealander out front apparently doesn't do quite as much for local enthusiasm. Ronnie had a slow puncture which wasn't helping him one little bit, and even though I was delighted to' be winning I did spare a thought for how Ronnie must have been feeling. I didn't let it slow me down though.
(A lap later, and the runner-up takes the flag.)
The weird thing was that because of all the excitement of the chase and the thrash in getting past people I hadn't been paying a lot of attention to my pit signals and I thought I still had four or five laps to go. On the lap that I nailed Ronnie I came by the pits very pleased with myself and was more than just started to see the pit board showing only one lap to go. I'd done it just in time. If I'd waited another lap Ronnie might have been able to hold me out.
The car ran like a dream from half distance after it had disgorged all those rocks, and I reckon it's probably the best race I've ever driven. It was also satisfying to think that I was the first driver this year to break up the Fittipaldi/Stewart lockout on GP wins.
(Denny, Ronnie and Francois on the podium)
Thanks to Imageshack for hosting the pix
There was one dismal stage in the Swedish Grand Prix at the Anderstorp when I just knew it was going to be another of those races when I would have to make a pitstop. The first part of the race had been a bit of a procession with Ronnie Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi out front in the black John Player Lotuses followed by the Tyrrells of Jackie Stewart and François Cevert and I was doing my best to get by Francois when we came up to lap a group of slower cars and one of them-guess who?-put a wheel in the dirt and the whole lot missed Cevert's car and dumped down the trumpets of my engine. It looked like Zolder all over again with throttle slides full of sand and the throttle jammed half open and immovable. In a situation like this you should either lift off and keep the throttle slides right shut, or crack the throttle wide open so all the gunge goes straight through. It's often better to let the engine munch up a few rocks than have the throttle jammed on full noise at a tricky bit of track.
I was hobbling round to the pits driving on the ignition switch, coasting round the corners on a dead engine and switching on for the straights, all the time desperately trying to free the jammed slides by tweaking the pedal. Amazingly enough this worked, the throttle freed itself, and I was back on song again even though I was now about 16 s aft of the Lotuses and the-Tyrrells.
All my dramas had happened on about the 37th lap and when I'd sorted it all out there were 21 laps to go. I knew at that point that I could make it. I wasn't convinced that I could win it, but I knew I could be right up there trying very hard. So I did, and on the way I collected the lap record.
I was pulling Francois a second a lap and I was on the exhausts of his Tyrrell just as we came up to lap mv team-mate Peter Revson in the other Yardley-McLaren. Peter had been given the message that I was in a bit of a hurry and rather anxious to pass François and at the end of the straight there was an unexplainable curious sort of situation where François couldn't quite make it past Peter and I managed to slipstream past him while he was figuring it all out. Peter let me through and it was downhill all the way to Jackie's Tyrrell. Does your ego all sorts of good when you know that you're reeling in these Super Stars at more than a second a lap. I was having no problems with any of the backmarkers and in fact I was collecting good tows from some of them which fired me into the corners very nicely.
When I arrived along Jackie had his hands full of black cars. Ronnie was out front and obviously determined to win his first GP on home ground regardless of how the battling champions felt about it. (I was a World Champ once too, so I include myself in there!)
(Here Denny is, I believe, exiting the last corner, outside the picture on the upper right.)
Jackie made it past Emerson on the inside going into the corner after the pits and I went under him at the next corner. Jackie was then trying everything to get past Ronnie but Ronnie wasn't having any of it.
(Emerson has let go and can be seen top right.)
Then Jackie's car quit on him as we were going down past the pits (some sort of brake failure) and it was all down to D.H. and R.P.
(The penultimate lap has just begun, and D.H. is hot on R.P's heels.)
I made one attempt at doing Ronnie at the end of the straight which was really the only place I could do anything about him. I switched off the rev limiter so that I didn't lose any split seconds when I needed them most, gave it the big stick up over 11 grand in every gear, and came sweeping up on the right hand side of Ronnie.
Now when you're a Swede and you look as though you're about to win the Swedish GP you don't stand any nonsense from Bears, so he came moving across to the right just as I knew he would and that was the signal for the fastest Bear in the world to go sailing back across his slipstream and slingshot down past the Lotus right on line for the corner at the end of the straight. After that it was all over bar the shouting and I gather there wasn't a lot of that.
(The last lap begins, and the Swedish crowd has calmed down a bit at the sight of Ronnie in P2.)
The crowd had been pretty excited while Ronnie looked like winning but having a New Zealander out front apparently doesn't do quite as much for local enthusiasm. Ronnie had a slow puncture which wasn't helping him one little bit, and even though I was delighted to' be winning I did spare a thought for how Ronnie must have been feeling. I didn't let it slow me down though.
(A lap later, and the runner-up takes the flag.)
The weird thing was that because of all the excitement of the chase and the thrash in getting past people I hadn't been paying a lot of attention to my pit signals and I thought I still had four or five laps to go. On the lap that I nailed Ronnie I came by the pits very pleased with myself and was more than just started to see the pit board showing only one lap to go. I'd done it just in time. If I'd waited another lap Ronnie might have been able to hold me out.
The car ran like a dream from half distance after it had disgorged all those rocks, and I reckon it's probably the best race I've ever driven. It was also satisfying to think that I was the first driver this year to break up the Fittipaldi/Stewart lockout on GP wins.
(Denny, Ronnie and Francois on the podium)
Thanks to Imageshack for hosting the pix
#45
Murray Lord
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- 34 posts
- Joined: October 03
Member
Posted 10 March 2005 - 10:34
I met Denny during the Targa Tasmania rally in 1992, just a few months before he died.
There was a funny moment in the Targa video of that year, when the film crew took Denny and Sir Jack down to the old Longford viaduct and recorded them going for a walk. Denny looked up and pointed out the remains of an old Shell sign painted on the bricks, stared at it for a moment and then said to Jack "It's like finding something in one of the pyramids, isn't it?"
There was a funny moment in the Targa video of that year, when the film crew took Denny and Sir Jack down to the old Longford viaduct and recorded them going for a walk. Denny looked up and pointed out the remains of an old Shell sign painted on the bricks, stared at it for a moment and then said to Jack "It's like finding something in one of the pyramids, isn't it?"
#46
Rosemayer
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- 1,253 posts
- Joined: April 04
Member
Posted 11 March 2005 - 18:58
As I last saw him winning as usual.
#49
rosemeyer
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- 245 posts
- Joined: September 04
Member
Posted 11 March 2005 - 22:38
Doesent the right rear tire look a bit blistered he must have been pushing pretty hard.
#50
MCS
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- 4,787 posts
- Joined: June 03
Member
Posted 12 March 2005 - 08:19
Yes, well spotted. The picture is from the International Trophy at Silverstone (also open to F5000 cars, hence the nose of Keith Holland's Trojan T101 in the picture)
According to oldracingcars.com it was Mclaren M23/1 and he certainly retired.
I'd have to find an old Autosport...!
Found some more pictures last night, so I'll post them in a few days.
Mark
According to oldracingcars.com it was Mclaren M23/1 and he certainly retired.
I'd have to find an old Autosport...!
Found some more pictures last night, so I'll post them in a few days.
Mark
