2 replies to this topic

[Rupertlt1]

I am trying to patch together what happened at this race; best efforts:

 

Riverside CONSOLATION RACE (10 laps) 10:30 a.m., Sunday 13 October 1963

1. #63 Walt Hansgen, (Redminster, N.J.) Cooper Monaco-Buick, 16:36.20, 93.957 m.p.h. for 26 miles

2. #75 Miles Gupton, (Monterey Park) Porsche RS

3. #60 Don Wester (Monterey) Porsche RS

4. #44 Frank Monise (Pasadena) Lotus 23

5. #43 Bob Markley (Midland, Texas) Lotus 23B

6. #97 Rick Lewis (Riverside) Road Runner II

7. #102 Jack Nethercutt (West Los Angeles) Lotus 19

8. #120 Ron Dykes (Palo Alto) Maserati Birdcage

9. Bob Drake (Redondo Beach) Lotus 23

10. Chuck Gounis (Redondo Beach) Riva 6 (Elva 6?)

11. Steve Matchett (Ojai) Lotus

DNF #2 Lotus 19, Jim Clark, retired lap 8, oil pressure

The Los Angeles Times, Monday 14 Oct 1963, Page 44 etc

 

Grid: ^ Wester Gupton Monise

                 Hansgen Clark

 

Redondo Beach is 3 miles from Manhattan Beach, where Bob Challman had his Lotus dealership.

 

Can anybody add to this?

 

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 14 February 2023 - 17:42.

[teegeefla]

Rupert-

 

the following is from Gus Vignolle's Motor Racing tabloid newspaper, issue dated October 18-25, 1963.

 

"...affable Jim Clark of Scotland.  He drove a Ford-powered Lotus 23B.  And the crowd can thank Bob Challman, the local Lotus distributor, for being able to eyeball the world champion.

Clark's Lotus 19 was not ready, and Challman hustled out the 23, which had just been flown over from England.  A scant half hour before the end of qualifying yesterday, Clark got on the course.   On the 6th lap, with a new car, he turned 1:38 and then qualified at 1:37.6.  He would have a go with the 19 in today's consolation."

 

In another part of the coverage...

 

"Clark tried to qualify his original car in the 10-lap consolation race this morning.  It was Frank Arciero's Lotus 19.  Clark took the lead from Walt Hansgen, Cooper Monaco, on the 2nd lap and led until the 8th, when he was forced out with loss of oil pressure.  Hansgen won; he and the following, by virtue of their positions in this race, made the main event: Miles Gupton, Porsche RS; Don Wester, Porsche RS; Frank Monise, Lotus 23; Rick Lewis, Road Runner II, and Ron Dykes, Maserati Birdcage."

 

From Competition Press Volume 11, issue 8 dated October 26, 1963:

 

"In the under-2-liter class, World Champion Jimmy Clark behaved like a gentleman as well as a champion when Frank Arciero's used-up 2.7 Lotus 19 to which he was originally assigned never got its oil pressure problems solved and he was forced to switch to an untried Lotus 23B with which he won the small-car class and took 5th overall."

 

So it appears that Clark realized that the Arciero Lotus 19 was going to be a struggle so he hedged his bet and took a gamble on the fresh from the crate Lotus 23 and put it in the field on row 8.  He then honored his obligation to try to get the 19 in the field via the consolation race and when that failed, he was still in the field with the 23.

 

The info from those articles, as well as this from https://www.racingsp...1963-10-13.html indicate that the LA Times article was incorrect.  

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Tom

[Rupertlt1]

Many thanks for this. My revisionist view of what really happened ref Jim Clark and the Lotus 23 is here:

 

https://forums.autos...2#entry10174724

 

RGDS RLT