65 replies to this topic

[SophieB]

I find it very touching that Damon Hill is commenting on this autosport article celebrating his dad's best drives:

Damon Hill‏Verified account @HillF1 31s31 seconds ago


More

50 years ago is nothing. I can remember it! @autosport Graham Hill's 10 greatest races https://www.autosport.com/f1/feature/8604/graham-hill-10-greatest-races… #f1 #grahamhill

Fifty years ago this week, Hill secured his second F1 world title at the Mexican Grand Prix, so now seems a good time for Autosport to pick out his finest drives.
In putting together this list, we considered Hill's own views, the accounts of journalists, the machinery and opposition involved, and the circumstances surrounding the races.

For the record, these are the drives the magazine picked. Before I read it, I thought 'Even though I am not remotely qualified to judge this but if that Monaco race isn't right up there, I will still kick off.' Lucky all was well!

The drives!
10 1964 Reims 12 Hours
9 1966 Indianapolis 500
8 1972 Le Mans 24 Hours
7 1968 Spanish GP, Jarama
6 1968 Mexican GP, Mexico City
5 1962 BRDC International Trophy, Silverstone
4 1971 Jochen Rindt Memorial Trophy, Thruxton Formula 2
3 1960 British GP, Silverstone
2 1962 German GP, Nurburgring
1 1965 Monaco GP

Obviously the discussion/reasons for the choice are in the article.

[kayemod]

I was always a Graham Hill fan in my youth, deep down I knew Jimmy was a tiny bit better, but it was always GH I wanted to win, and he had such an aura about him. Then many years after his best years, I met him, or to be perfectly honest I was in the same room. We never spoke, in fact no-one else in the room did, they could hardly get a word in, I was just a silent observer of the seat-making process. This was only a year or so before he stopped driving, a garrulous fading personality desperate to remain the centre of attention, but it's undeniable that in earlier years, he had been one of the greats.

 

He had many great races, but the two from that list that impressed me most at the time were his wins at Le Mans, and though everyone at Lotus was certain that Jimmy had won, his win in the Indy 500.

[Sterzo]

Couldn't argue with the top three on that list.

 

Like kayemod, I was a Graham Hill fan in younger days. My first race meeting was in 1956 at Oulton Park, and featured the Autosport 3 hours. In amongst the MGAs, Austin Healeys and AC Aces was Graham Hill's yellow production (ahem) Lotus XI. It was entered by John Coombs, and often referred to as his car, but the tubes and brackets were put together by Graham in Hornsey and may still have belonged to Chapman.

 

Needless to say, the advent of Scalextric's Lotus 16 called for held breath and delicate work with the Humbrol on that helmet.

 

Have now seen Graham, Damon and Joshua Hill in their early races. Next please.

[ensign14]

I doubt the 500 was one of his great drives.  One of his greatest results, but he spent most of the race just keeping going; I think he only overtook one car on track.  (The chap who followed him through, by the way, was Roger McCluskey.)

 

I might suggest something generally overlooked - the 1960 Targa Florio.  Hill shared a Porsche 718 with Edgar Barth and came 5th overall, winning the class.  But he was only 20 minutes behind the von Trips/Phil Hill 246 with double the engine size - after nearly 8 hours of racing.  I'm guessing Graham was the senior partner in the pairing as Edgar was well past his peak.

[Roger Clark]

The Ferrari engine wasn’t twice the size of the Porsche - 2.4-litres compared with 1.6. In any case, Bonnier and Hermann won the race in another Porsche.

[ensign14]

Yes, in the class up, so more power again.  It's interesting of course that at the time Porsche recruited its drivers I doubt anyone would have tabbed Hill over Herrmann or Bonnier as being World Champion material.

[kayemod]

I doubt the 500 was one of his great drives.  One of his greatest results, but he spent most of the race just keeping going; I think he only overtook one car on track.  (The chap who followed him through, by the way, was Roger McCluskey.)

 

 

I can see your point, but given Graham's lack of experience of the car, the track and the culture, his win really impressed me at the time.

 

His real achievement that year though was persuading the organisers to put doors on the lavatories, that was the act of a real champion.

[Henri Greuter]

I don't know enough about Graham to be capable of listing a top 10 for his best races.
But in the list I see, I am missing one.

Indy 1968.

Racing in that one, not even two months after loosing Jim Clark, and one month later a team mate being killed in a sister car to the one he drove in that Indy 500....
If the race itself doesn't qualify for a top 10 classification, then the build-up to it and how he got out of all that maybe can get a honourable mentioning?

Edited by Henri Greuter, 02 November 2018 - 14:54.

[Eric Dunsdon]

I remember seeing him going rather well in a 500cc Cooper-JAP at Brands Hatch around 1954. .

[Henri Greuter]

I remember seeing him going rather well in a 500cc Cooper-JAP at Brands Hatch around 1954. .

Sidestep: so you may have some personal experience of hearing the car in your avatar?
(I get the impression that if you divide the cylindercapacity of that car by 100 you end up with a figure that is still smaller than the number of cylinders that engine had.....)

Edited by Henri Greuter, 02 November 2018 - 15:26.

[Sterzo]

I remember seeing him going rather well in a 500cc Cooper-JAP at Brands Hatch around 1954. .

A couple of shillings well spent.

[Roger Clark]

Yes, in the class up, so more power again. It's interesting of course that at the time Porsche recruited its drivers I doubt anyone would have tabbed Hill over Herrmann or Bonnier as being World Champion material.

45cc greater. Bored out to get it in the 2-litre class. I doubt whether it developed much more power. Bonnier was very highly rated at the time and he justified it in the race.

[Dave Ware]

I'd suggest that the German Grand Prix in 1968 was one of his best.  While that race is remembered as Stewart's best race, Graham did pretty well in the same atrocious conditions.  Led part of the first lap before giving way to Stewart.  Ran second and held off Amon for 11 laps until the Ferrari retired.  Yes, he spun off the road, had to get out of the car to get it pointed in the right direction, but did all that without losing second place, such was his lead over the others.  His mishap allowed Rindt to close up, but he was unable to get by, so Graham was second at the checker. 

 

I won't hold it against him for not being as fast as Stewart, and except for Stewart, he had everybody else covered. 

[Bloggsworth]

I went to a BRSCC talk given by Hill in the basement of the old BOAC building in Victoria - He turned up half an hour late carrying a stack of sandwiches in one hand and a pint of bitter in the other, he then proceeded to keep us laughing for the next two hours, my ribs were still sore two days later - A memorable evening with a genuine character.

[john aston]

I woudln't presume to comment as I saw so few . But I do recall being overjoyed with his championship in 68 , if  primarily because of the events leading up to it. I didn't cry when Clark (or Rindt , Revson, Pryce and far too many others) died  but I wept when Hill was kiiled in 75 . But I reappraised my views of Hill the man , if not the driver , after reading his son's searingly honest account of his childhood.  

[Sterzo]

In Life at the Limit, Hill says the 1960 British GP was one of his best drives. It's true he started with a mistake by stalling, and ended with a mistake by going for an overtake on a backmarker, when he knew the lethal BRM single disc was losing effectiveness. Nevertheless, the laps in between were inspired.

 

Once witnessed the "fiddle with everything" tendency which mystified teams then, but would make him a hero now. I stood next to him and his mechanic in Clermont Ferrand's rough and ready paddock in 1970. Hill put a foot on a tyre and asked casually whether they should use different pressures left and right. The mechanic replied that would mess it up right and proper, although he used more graphic language. Graham was unperturbed, dropped the point, and they carried on chatting.

[Porsche718]

and except for Stewart, he had everybody else covered. 

 

Don't forget Jackie drove that race with a broken wrist. No one was near Stewart that day. 

[opplock]

Don't forget Jackie drove that race with a broken wrist. No one was near Stewart that day. 

 

A few years ago someone posted on TNF a link to a tape recording he and his father had made during the race. This included the 4 minute interval between Stewart crossing the line and Hill finishing second. Hearing the gap emphasised the magnitude of Stewart's victory, in racing terms it was an eternity.

 

Perhaps someone should have told Jackie it was raining.  

[Ray Bell]

Of the 1960 British I recall reading Bette Hill's comment to someone...

"Graham's lazy, you've got to get him working then he'll fly."

His win in the Australian Grand Prix of 1966 was a pretty good drive.

[retriever]

His best drive - 1970 South African Grand Prix!

[BRG]

I recall the BRSCC Rothmans Trophy of 1971 at Brands Hatch.  The works STP March 712s of Petersen and Lauda were the class of the field and in the race, Ronnie pulled away.  But Niki spun off, leaving the ageing, damaged-legs Graham Hill in the Rondel Racing Brabham BT36 in second place.  He saw Lauda go off the track and thought it was Ronnie and that he was leading.  So he raced his socks off with a ravening pack of young guns chasing him - nobody significant of course, just Reutteman, Wissel, Lauda, Watson, Wollek, Jarier, Hunt, Pace, Fittipaldi (x 2), Schenken, Pescarolo, Bell and others even less well-known.  It was an epic drive that had me at least willing him on.  Not a victory, but a drive that anyone should have been proud of.

[Sterzo]

...leaving the ageing, damaged-legs Graham Hill in the Rondel Racing Brabham BT36 in second place.  He saw Lauda go off the track and thought it was Ronnie and that he was leading. 

If I may pick a nit, I think the race was the 1971 F2 round at Brands Hatch, and the car which confused him was Mike Beuttler's March. It was yellow, like Ronnie's Smog sponsored car, and Beuttler wore a similar metalic blue helmet. If I recall correctly (which is unusual), Beuttler stopped broadside on at Druids. Hill recounted his disillusionment with typical dry humour.

[Tim Murray]

The race report by Ian Phillips in Autosport confirms that it was Beuttler spinning at Druids which led Graham into thinking he might have won.

Graham had led from the start until he was passed by Peterson on lap 4. From then on he was pushed very hard for the rest of the race by a number of existing and future stars. Ian Phillips described the battle as ‘some of the best racing seen for a long time at Brands.’ Graham beat all of them except Ronnie, yet even then people were saying he was past it and should give up.

[alfredaustria]

I recall the BRSCC Rothmans Trophy of 1971 at Brands Hatch.  The works STP March 712s of Petersen and Lauda were the class of the field and in the race, Ronnie pulled away.  But Niki spun off, leaving the ageing, damaged-legs Graham Hill in the Rondel Racing Brabham BT36 in second place.  He saw Lauda go off the track and thought it was Ronnie and that he was leading.  So he raced his socks off with a ravening pack of young guns chasing him - nobody significant of course, just Reutteman, Wissel, Lauda, Watson, Wollek, Jarier, Hunt, Pace, Fittipaldi (x 2), Schenken, Pescarolo, Bell and others even less well-known.  It was an epic drive that had me at least willing him on.  Not a victory, but a drive that anyone should have been proud of.

 

Hi mate, you are right. Graham had some stunning races 1971: He even won the Jochen-Rindt-Memorial Trophy on Easter-Monday in Thruxton. 56 (young) drivers in two heats. And Graham won from Ronnie Peterson, Derek Bell and Francois Cevert. And many other wellknown drivers. To my surprise he won also the Daily-Express-Trophy in Silverstone the same year - his last win in a formula-one-car.

 

But don't forget his many wins in the early years: Driving Lotus Eleven, Lotus 15 or the Jaguar E, Ferrari 250 GTO (Tourist Trophy 1963), Ferrari 330 P (Tourist Trophy 1964), the Jaguar Mark II 3,8 (many wins against similar and equal cars). Or his win in the heavy rain at the  Lombank Trophy Snetterton 1963.

 

So it is very difficult to choose only 10 races.

 

I agree: Monaco 1965 was hist best performance.

[RCH]

I seem to recall that Jackie Stewart's incredible German GP win in 1968 owed quite a lot to the Dunlop rain tyres being streets ahead of any other rubber available on the day.

[alfredaustria]

Here are some of his wins:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BRG]

The race report by Ian Phillips in Autosport confirms that it was Beuttler spinning at Druids which led Graham into thinking he might have won.

I stand corrected, and my nit has been picked!.  Memory is a fragile thing!  But at least we all seem to agree that this was a fine performance by the old boy. 

 

My very first GP was Monaco 1970 and we stood in excited anticipation for the start of first practice, at the exit from Casino Square.  The engines fired up in the distance and the cars started to come through.  Stewart in the March 701 with his orange gloves dancing on the steering wheel  as he controlled the unruly beast.  Then others also working hard.  Then Graham appeared in the Rob Walker Lotus 49 steering effortlessly as he took an inch-perfect line.  In one moment, the secret of his successes in Monaco was laid bare. He was carried to and from the car that day, I believe, but his driving was as good as ever.  Despite starting from the back of the grid (he set no time, but I don't know why) he took an excellent fifth place, which at the physically most testing race of the season must have been agonising for a man still recovering from horrendous injuries.

 

I last saw him race at Silverstone in the 1974 International Trophy.  In the race, he dropped it, all on his own, exiting Stowe.  The car clattered into the sleeper wall without too much damage but enough to put him out of the race.  He emerged and, even in the spectator area, we could hear some choice words, despite the noise of the race!  He metaphorically kicked the cat a bit, whilst the marshals left him alone to cool down as he was clearly not injured at all.  Clearly the competitive fires were still burning bright, even in his final season. After a while, the team's FIAT 126 appeared to collect him, and he was chauffeured away, all smiles and waves to the crowd. 

 

I am, and will always be, an admirer of NGH.  He was not the greatest, but he was bloody good and perennially underestimated.  This was the man who kept Jim Clark honest!

[Tim Murray]

Despite starting from the back of the grid (he set no time, but I don't know why) ...

He’d shunted the Walker Lotus 49 (R7) in Saturday practice, after hitting a damp patch going up the hill towards the Casino. The car couldn’t be repaired for the race, so Rob Walker arranged to borrow the works 49 (R10) of John Miles, who had failed to qualify. After a frantic repainting job by the Walker mechanics Graham was made to start at the back of the grid as he was racing a car he hadn’t practised in.

[Charlieman]

But I reappraised my views of Hill the man , if not the driver , after reading his son's searingly honest account of his childhood.  

I'm a few years younger than you John, so GH was past his prime when I read every motor racing book at the local Carnegie Library. Graham was never a hero and I have only understood his achievements in recent years -- he was bloody good. I don't think that I have ever had a racing hero. 

 

The quality of motor sport biography and autobiography today is amazing. Miranda Seymour's biog of Helle Nice sets the standard for historical research. Brian Redman shows how to assemble photos and memories. Damon Hill's book is a bit scary in places and, when reading, you might ask why he pursued a career in four wheel motor sport.

[kayemod]

I'm a few years younger than you John, so GH was past his prime when I read every motor racing book at the local Carnegie Library. Graham was never a hero and I have only understood his achievements in recent years -- he was bloody good. I don't think that I have ever had a racing hero. 

 

The quality of motor sport biography and autobiography today is amazing. Miranda Seymour's biog of Helle Nice sets the standard for historical research. Brian Redman shows how to assemble photos and memories. Damon Hill's book is a bit scary in places and, when reading, you might ask why he pursued a career in four wheel motor sport.

 

We can all have our own personal heroes, it's entirely a matter of personal choice, but as I'm sure you'll admit, Graham Hill was undoubtedly a "hero" in public perception at the time, something that Jim Clark for all his greater abilities never was, (though of course no sporting ones should ever be equated with real heroes, people who save lives etc etc). Stirling undoubtedly was a "hero" when he was racing, but I can't really think of many others in motor racing, from recollection of my young teenage years.

 

I agree about the books you mentioned, especially Damon Hill's, but only up to a point on the Helle Nice one. I guess that quite a lot of what is admittedly "a very good read" was made up by the Author. Miranda admits in the intro that because she was able to discover very little detail of much of Helle Nice's life and doings, she was forced to invent quite a lot of it. Still, as I said, it's a very worthwhile work in its way, and I enjoyed it.

Edited by kayemod, 05 November 2018 - 19:38.

[Charlieman]

Stirling undoubtedly was a "hero" when he was racing, but I can't really think of many others in motor racing, from recollection of my young teenage years.

Tony Brooks? Was he recognised at the time -- like Hawthorn or Collins?

[ensign14]

My mom, who has no interest in motor racing at all, remembers Roy Salvadori from her childhood, but nobody else (other than Moss, of course).  So he obviously had some prominence amongst the non-cognoscenti.  Presumably though that was because of his name.

[Sterzo]

Stirling Moss and Graham Hill were the two drivers best known to the general public in the sixties, always good for an interview, commenting on anything to do with "motoring" or taking part in a TV panel game. Graham's appearance in the film Grand Prix (acting very badly) brought a roar of applause and laughter from the cinema audience.

 

Mike Hawthorn made the newspaper headlines as a plucky Englishman beating the Continentals, but I doubt any non-racing enthusiasts had heard of Peter Collins or Tony Brooks. As for Roy Salvadori, he was allegedly very attractive to ladies. He did win Le Mans, which was always seen as newsworthy, so maybe he was pictured frequently or interviewed on TV at the time.

[Eric Dunsdon]

All of the kids that I knew in the 1950's were well aware of Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori  because I told them all about them!. .

[Eric Dunsdon]

Actually, after Stirling Moss and Geoff Duke, the driver best known to the general public was probably Reg Parnell.

[RCH]

Thinking back to the fifties as a young lad before I became a motorsport fanatic, Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn were well known. Then maybe location had something to do with it, perhaps picked up from local papers. Certainly, as a Brummie I knew of Peter Collins and Ken Wharton. Later into the sixties, despite what has been said here, Jim Clark was the best known. Graham Hill as well of course and maybe Paddy Hopkirk?

[Ray Bell]

Surely there was a lot of press in 1958 as Moss and Hawthorn battled to be the first British World Champion?

This would have raised their stakes with schoolboys of the time...

[GTMRacer]

My Father when I asked him for a favourite always rated Brooks having seen him race several times, He regarded him as the equal to Moss, He never failed to mention the word "Spiv" when talking about Hill. 

Though I think that says more about my Father than Mr Hill!

[Roger Clark]

I think the BBC Sports Personality of the Year provides an indication of the general public’s awareness of racing drivers. In the 50s and 60s:

Moss was second in 57 and won in 61
Surtees (bikes of course) won in 59
Jim Clark was third in 63 and second in 65
Graham Hill was second in 68.

This seems to me to be a reasonable return compared with other sports.

[Michael Ferner]

I am, and will always be, an admirer of NGH.  He was not the greatest, but he was bloody good and perennially underestimated.  This was the man who kept Jim Clark honest!

Couldn't have said it better. He died before I really got my teeth into motor racing, but when I discovered the history of our sport, bit by bit, Graham developed into a hero for me. And that's even before I learned enough English to understand his humour...

[D28]

 

 

 He was not the greatest, but he was bloody good and perennially underestimated.  This was the man who kept Jim Clark honest!

Agreed. I saw him race several times and was impressed by his pace, and how very smooth  he was, smooth enough for those 5 Monaco wins. The best time I saw him  was at the 1967 USGP. He managed to pip Clark for poll, I think about the second time as a Lotus team mate. He led easily for 40 laps then clutch trouble let Clark by. In turn Clark suffered suspension breakage which called for a reduced limp to the finish. Hill caught right up and failed to win by 1 lap as he finished 6 seconds adrift of Clark, also setting FL in the bargain. Had both cars remained healthy, there is little doubt Hill would have enjoyed a perfect race week-end.

 

Perhaps Hill was unlucky to be a racing contemporary of Clark, Gurney, Surtees and a few others, but that was out of his hands and his record stands up well years later.

[john aston]

I think the BBC Sports Personality of the Year provides an indication of the general public’s awareness of racing drivers. In the 50s and 60s:

Moss was second in 57 and won in 61
Surtees (bikes of course) won in 59
Jim Clark was third in 63 and second in 65
Graham Hill was second in 68.

This seems to me to be a reasonable return compared with other sports.

  Graham seemed ubiquitous in the 60s but never won the award , but Damon did. Ironic really, given Graham's life and soul of the party shctick and Damon's more introspective and cerebral nature. But I found Hill junior a far more sympathetic character - with Graham  I was always left wondering - 'Yes , you can charm alright , and your anecdotes ,are well honed but come on - what are you REALLY ;like ? '

[SophieB]

My mom, who has no interest in motor racing at all, remembers Roy Salvadori from her childhood, but nobody else (other than Moss, of course).  So he obviously had some prominence amongst the non-cognoscenti.  Presumably though that was because of his name.

 

A year or so back, I asked my similarly 'doesn't care about motor racing' mum how many racing drivers she knew of. FWIW, her answers were, as best as I can recall:

 

• Lewis Hamilton
• Jenson Button (she got his name very slightly wrong but I forget how)
• Oh, That Bald One, Years Ago (further probing revealed this to be Sir Stirling Moss)
• Nigel Mansell

and...

• Kimi Raikkonen (she liked the name)

 

I always admired Graham Hill for his very late start in motor racing. Seems so much more impressive than the early starters who like to point out how this shows They Were Talented From An Early Age. Not to take anything away from those drivers but you can also sees that as 'if you've been doing it so long, I would expect you to get pretty good...'

[Arjan de Roos]

Here another Top 10 of his best drives in chronological order:

Le Mans 1961, DNF with Moss

Nassau Trophy 1961, 5th

Brand Hatch, 1961, 1st

12 hours of Sebring 1963, 3rd with Rodriguez

TT at Goodwood 1963, 1st

Sussex Trophy 1964, 1st

Le Mans 1964, 2nd with Bonnier

Reims 1964, 1st with Bonnier

TT at Goodwood 1964, 1st

1000 km of Paris 1964, 1st with Bonnier

Edited by Arjan de Roos, 08 November 2018 - 11:21.

[kayemod]

  Graham seemed ubiquitous in the 60s but never won the award , but Damon did. Ironic really, given Graham's life and soul of the party shctick and Damon's more introspective and cerebral nature. But I found Hill junior a far more sympathetic character - with Graham  I was always left wondering - 'Yes , you can charm alright , and your anecdotes ,are well honed but come on - what are you REALLY ;like ? '

 

Graham Hill can't have been much good really though, can he? All the best drivers these days start winning in karts at the age of 4 and continue upwards from there, but I agree with SophieB about his relatively late start, which makes his eventual success all the more impressive. On the whole though I agree with John A, despite his laddish charm and public persona, Graham always had a distinct touch of the cad about him, and leaving aside his undoubted talent, Damon's excellent book lays his dad's make-up and character pretty bare. As previously mentioned, although I never really met him, I was in the same room for an hour or so near the end of his career, and he seemed rather a sad character, not a particularly nice man at all, Bette must have been saintly. Son Damon seems like a far better and generally nicer person, and in many ways his career and record were even more impressive. Both father and son had days on the track where they were more or less unbeatable, I rate Damon's Suzuka win as one of the all-time best ever performances, no-one could touch him that day.

 

It doesn't really prove anything much, but in his fascinating book Formula One, the Real Score, author Brian Harvey assesses records, making due allowance for the quality of driver's machinery, "bad luck" etc, and in summation, Damon comes out some way ahead of Graham.

[Doug Nye]

There is no doubt whatsoever that Graham could be a thoroughly nasty piece of work.  He was unpredictable and could change in a flash from being very pleasant, a wonderful raconteur, instinctively witty - to being unreasonably snappy, cold, dismissive, rude and bullying.  The late Nick Syrett of BRSCC fame pretty much detested him - not least for entirely unacceptable behaviour towards some of Nick's staff, especially female ones who (much to Graham's open-mouthed struck-dumb astonishment) proved more than equally feisty and more than capable of absolutely standing up for themselves.  

 

But on one of his good days, at his best - Graham could be terrific, both as a man and as a driver.

 

Never forget the manner in which he picked-up the utterly shattered Gold Leaf Team Lotus and put them back on their truly competitive feet once more, following the death of Jim Clark - their icon.  Colin Chapman was in pieces, and apart from what some interpreted as his own hard-faced resilience it was largely Graham who put him back together again. Had he been in the Army, Graham Hill might not have been regarded as natural officer material, but he would surely have made a supremely effective NCO...

 

I was a fan - even after I got to know him...but as above he did have a very nasty side to his character, and it was not very far beneath the surface. In my view that was one of the characteristics which made him as successful a racing driver as he became.

 

DCN

[kayemod]

My mom, who has no interest in motor racing at all, remembers Roy Salvadori from her childhood, but nobody else (other than Moss, of course).  So he obviously had some prominence amongst the non-cognoscenti.  Presumably though that was because of his name.

 

For my own mum, long departed, one of the greatest drivers ever was Riley man Percy Maclure. She knew him a little, and while she never went into much detail, she obviously had "a bit of a thing" going. Although only a vague fan of the sport, she lived not a great distance from Donington, she often went there to meetings where Percy raced, he'd spot her waving in the crowd, and wave to her every time he came around. Rosemeyer? Nuvolari? Caracciola They all sound a bit foreign to me, who are they?

 

It's a thought that Percy apparently came quite close to being my own father. Coincidentally, my eventual father was also at the big Donington races in 1937 and 1938, though he hadn't met my mum at the time. Dad was only a humble National Provincial bank clerk in those days, but she decided he was a better long term bet, and decided to hitch up with him.

 

Edit : Incidentally, Percy's name might not mean a great deal to some on here. He's pictured in a photo in the "Donington Closing" thread, sharing the front row of a grid with Raymond Sommer and Giuseppe Farina, so he was a proper racer.

Edited by kayemod, 08 November 2018 - 20:02.

[Doug Nye]

...who - I have been told by one who knew him - more or less worked himself to death during the war...

 

DCN

[Vitesse2]

Strangely neglected, considering his remarkable performances with a self-tuned unblown 1500cc Riley, which often ran with - and occasionally beat some of - the ERAs. Overshadowed by 'Fast Freddie' Dixon, but IMO just as much of a Riley tuning genius!

[Arjan de Roos]

Maclure deserves his own thread I suppose. Percival William Maclure also had brothers Edgar and little Peter who raced. Father Gustav was engineer at Riley. 

Edited by Arjan de Roos, 09 November 2018 - 09:43.