21 replies to this topic

[WonderWoman61]

https://www.motorspo...980s-f1-project
Make of it what you will...

Edited by WonderWoman61, 25 October 2022 - 19:52.

[WonderWoman61]

Interesting how John Nielsen claims there was an actual VW F1 chassis in the works and believed he was to be the driver.

[70JesperOH]

Interesting article about what might have been. John Nielsen are mentioned and it made me look into the three way biografi about him, Kurt Thiim and Kris Nissen titled TRE SEJE SØNDERJYDER by Carsten Frimodt. The MS article pretty much repeats JNs statements in the book, but with a few more F1 connections.

 

1979:

To pay for his way into the Formula Super Vee euro trophee, JN had a job renovating Cosworth DFV engines for John Judd.

 

1980:

This must be late 1980 as the text refers to JNs second FSVee title won in 1980. On the background of that second title Arrows was interested in JN if he could bring a budget, but no chance.

 

1983:

Late August and the Renault F1 team are visiting the Grand Prix Danmark at FDM Jyllandsringen with their test driver (Jean Ragnotti ?) doing demo laps and having a crack at the outright lap record. Recognized as the currently most succesfull Danish driver JN are inveted to share the car, but end up crashing.

The VW F1 project must have been on by then and giving JN a valuable insight into a turbo F1 car in the flesh. I wonder weather Renault would have allowed JN anywhere near if they knew about the VW F1 project though.

 

1984:

Mostly the VW F1 project.

 

1985:

The F3 win in Macau in late 1984 made Toleman, Arrows and Tyrrell interested in JN. A contract with Tyrrell was signed with the promise of bringing USD500,000 which according to JNs manager from the early 1980s Nikolai Jendrich would be no problem. First test day arrived, but no money and no maneger to be seen ever since! So no test or contract either.

 

Come August and the Dutch GP words in the paddock was that Ligier was fed up by Andrea de Cesaris and looking for a replacement. JN and the F3000 gang were there as support. Ligier team manager visits his old friend Ron Touranac in the Ralt F3000 camp and tell the story. Thackwell not interested in driving for a French team, but JN were prepared to give it a go and visited the Ligier camp, but shocked to see the size of the cockpit for the jockey sized de Cesaris and Jacques Laffite and walks away.

 

When Tyrrell driver Stefan Bellof was tragically killed later in the year, JN was called up by Tyrrell once again, but bringing a budget was still a needed. In the end Ivan Capelli came with a better offer and raced twice for Tyrrell.

 

The physical size and age of John Nielsen was probably against him by then and no further F1 connections are mentioned in the Frimodt book. He has of course become a regular F1 commentator on Danish television.

 

Jesper

[lyntonh]

Is reproducing the whole article classed as fair use under the copyright laws ?

Edited by lyntonh, 27 October 2022 - 13:13.

[Bloggsworth]

Is reproducing the whole article classed as fair use under the copyright laws ?

Well, it educated me...

[WonderWoman61]

Well, it educated me...

Hopefully it will come to educate other users in time.

[arttidesco]

Back then calling a colleague at work by anything other than formal Herr 'Surname' was definitely a faux pas at Vertrieb Innenland in Wolfsburg. I remember our German business studies lecturers took three weeks getting used to calling each other by their first names on a visit to Nottingham, as soon as they had boarded the ferry home it was back to Herr this and Herr that !

Edited by arttidesco, 27 October 2022 - 16:59.

[WonderWoman61]

Back on subject.

[WonderWoman61]

An impression of the proposed VW F1 car - https://www.motorspo...90x168.jpg.webp

Edited by WonderWoman61, 28 October 2022 - 15:24.

[F1matt]

An impression of the proposed VW F1 car - https://www.motorspo...90x168.jpg.webp

 

 

It wasn't going to be a low key entry into F1 then! 

[WonderWoman61]

It wasn't going to be a low key entry into F1 then!

Well, if their plans for an entry as a a team didn't work out, they could have been an engine supplier.

[WonderWoman61]

Well, if their plans for an entry as a a team didn't work out, they could have been an engine supplier.

An impression of the intended VW V8 F1 engine. - https://www.motorspo...68x606.jpg.webp

[70JesperOH]

Did any of the VW F1 project filter down?

 

The name of Karl Hasenbichler and his 1980s Audi turbo powered Interseries specials come to particular mind. From obscure corners of my mind, he was an Audi ingeneer and could and would likely have had his influence from Audi, but.. turbocharged rally Audi or turbocharged F1 VW?

 

Jesper

[Ross Stonefeld]

Is reproducing the whole article classed as fair use under the copyright laws ?

 

No

[WonderWoman61]

No

Oh fiddlesticks.

[WonderWoman61]

I wonder if the VW F1 project evolved into the stillborn 1985 Audi F1 project? - https://forums.autos...i-f1-team-1985/

[BRG]

My reading of the Motorsport article (in the print version) is that this was a bit of a kite flying exercise by a few VW staff and was never a serious Board approved initiative.  Now all these years later it is presented as far more substantial than it probably ever was.  A sort of 'The older I get, the faster I was' scenario.  The fact that there are people supposedly involved who deny any knowledge of it is telling.

 

As for the Audi 'project', that surely has even less substance.

[WonderWoman61]

My reading of the Motorsport article (in the print version) is that this was a bit of a kite flying exercise by a few VW staff and was never a serious Board approved initiative.  Now all these years later it is presented as far more substantial than it probably ever was.  A sort of 'The older I get, the faster I was' scenario.  The fact that there are people supposedly involved who deny any knowledge of it is telling.
 
As for the Audi 'project', that surely has even less substance.

As emphasized by the fact that only the Unraced F1 website seems to have any information pertaining to the Audi "project". - https://www.unracedf...he-1985-season/

[Ross Stonefeld]

My reading of the Motorsport article (in the print version) is that this was a bit of a kite flying exercise by a few VW staff and was never a serious Board approved initiative.  Now all these years later it is presented as far more substantial than it probably ever was.  A sort of 'The older I get, the faster I was' scenario.  The fact that there are people supposedly involved who deny any knowledge of it is telling.

 

As for the Audi 'project', that surely has even less substance.

 

Maybe that's the Audi version of BMW's 1million HP turbo. Eventually they'll be rumored to have been considering F1, predating F1 

[WonderWoman61]

Maybe that's the Audi version of BMW's 1million HP turbo. Eventually they'll be rumored to have been considering F1, predating F1 

A few years later, BMW were contemplating entering F1 with a Simtek-designed F1 car, which eventually became the infamous Andrea Moda!

[Risil]

Is reproducing the whole article classed as fair use under the copyright laws ?

 

No!

 

I'm not sure what counts as OK reproduction -- but as a general rule 3 paragraphs and a hyperlink to the rest should be the limit.

[WonderWoman61]

No!
 
I'm not sure what counts as OK reproduction -- but as a general rule 3 paragraphs and a hyperlink to the rest should be the limit.

Understood.