13 replies to this topic

[Michael Oliver]

I haven't seen anything about this on TNF so far - if it has already been covered, feel free to delete. I was told today, as part of a wider discussion about the many recent deaths of racing-related personalities, that Tony Vlassopulos had died a few weeks ago, at the age of 87. My condolences to all his family and friends. He had apparently suffered a stroke and died in his sleep. To compound the tragedy, his wife Sue had a fall shortly afterwards and was hospitalised. I didn't know Tony other than by name so hopefully there are others who can add some colour to his story but there is a very good summary of his involvement in motor racing on the Old Racing Cars website at: https://www.oldracin...ony_Vlassopulos.

[Richard Jenkins]

Thanks Michael, I hadn't seen this. I don't suppose you know when about he died for the accuracy of the website?

 

Tony was a mixed bag - he gave me a lot of information (as per the link), was ebullient and an excellent raconteur. He was immensely proud of his involvement in Tom Pryce's career and his other involvement in the sport, and rightly so.

 

However, he had his darker side. I updated the relevant information on ORC he gave me. TV not happy.... it still says the wrong thing on Wikipedia. Okay, I'll change it but they need sources. Eventually managed to make it stick via ORC. 

 

TV STILL not happy. "The internet says the wrong thing! Change it now" "Tony, I can't change the entire internet. But what I can do is change Wikipedia so that all the sites that copy it (or ORC) will correct themselves in time".

 

I have a copy of the last email he sent to me, in big red bold font. Railing about Ron Dennis and why I was sticking up for him, why I hadn't done the things he asked (even though I had) and why Ron Dennis' page on Wikipedia was so positive. TV was not a fan (but he had personal and justified reasons for that) of RD!

 

I politely pointed out the 'rules' of Wikipedia and said there was nothing more I can do than I had already done. A very unpleasant finish to what had been a very interesting and enlightening start.

 

This all said, I really am genuinely sorry to hear he has died. A long service to the shipbroking industry too, TV was definitely a grafter.

Edited by Richard Jenkins, 06 January 2021 - 21:35.

[MarkBisset]

 

Hi Michael,

 

A photo of two of Tony V’ drivers, Buzz Buzaglo and Johnny Gerber with team mechanics and Dennis Falconer bodied Elden Mk10a Formula Ford at Castle Combe in 1972 (Buzz B Collection)

 

This lenghy epic covers Buzz’ racing in the UK including the 1974 Monaco F3 GP Buzaglo/Pryce ‘switcheroo’

 

https://primotipo.co...of-talent-luck/

Edited by MarkBisset, 07 January 2021 - 00:08.

[sstiel]

Sad. Our colleagues Darren and Kev spoke to him for the Tom Pryce book. Interesting stuff on ORC. How did you learn @Richard  that his father was from Romania? As you write, Vlassopulos sounds Greek.

Edited by sstiel, 07 January 2021 - 10:15.

[Richard Jenkins]

Sad. Our colleagues Darren and Kev spoke to him for the Tom Pryce book. Interesting stuff on ORC. How did you learn @Richard that his father was from Romania? As you write, Vlassopulos sounds Greek.

Through the extensive aforementioned correspondence with TV. But he didn't want it in interview form (which was fine) but summarised accordingly.

[sstiel]

Through the extensive aforementioned correspondence with TV. But he didn't want it in interview form (which was fine) but summarised accordingly.

Thanks. Most Romanian names end in cu 

[Richard Jenkins]

Thanks. Most Romanian names end in cu

No, thats not the case at all, that's a lazy generalisation. - escu does mean son of but there are other ancestral suffixes - eanu, - an, -oiu and so on.

Of all the Romanians I work or have worked with (about 40) just one of them has ever had a name finishing in cu.

Most other Romanian celebrities or footballers aren't finishing with cu. To keep it on racing topic - Fernic, Kolles, Szfanauer etc

That's like me saying all Scottish people have the surname with the prefix of Mc

[sstiel]

No, thats not the case at all, that's a lazy generalisation. - escu does mean son of but there are other ancestral suffixes - eanu, - an, -oiu and so on.

Of all the Romanians I work or have worked with (about 40) just one of them has ever had a name finishing in cu.

Most other Romanian celebrities or footballers aren't finishing with cu. To keep it on racing topic - Fernic, Kolles, Szfanauer etc

That's like me saying all Scottish people have the surname with the prefix of Mc

Pardon me. There's a big Hungarian minority in Romania too, I've met individuals with name like Nagy from Romania. And of course, Max Wilson was a Brazilian driver!

Edited by sstiel, 07 January 2021 - 17:57.

[Richard Jenkins]

Obviously Greece and Romania are historically intertwined anyway in the rich and turbulent Balkan tapestry.

[charles r]

How did the connection with Ken Grob come about Richard?

Whatever happened to Johnny Gerber?

[Richard Jenkins]

He and Grob were business associates, they moved in the same circles. He knew that Ian Grob was a aspiring racer so they saw a chance to potentially progress his career too.

[charles r]

This in Autosport.

https://www.autospor...lassopulos-dies

[sstiel]

Is Grob a surname that has origins from abroad?

[Geoff E]

Is Grob a surname that has origins from abroad?

 

That probably depends on where you're living. 

 

There were two John Grobs in the 1841 (British) census, both born in London in late 1700s, so the name has been in England for a while.