64 replies to this topic

[dmj]

Obsession with speed was immanent to many, if not all racing drivers. Most of them raced other types of cars or bikes but i would like to know more about their results in powerboats, planes or other forms of racing.
I know that speed record chasers, like Donald and Malcolm Campbell tried to achieve speed records on land and water. I also know that a lot of great drivers, from Rickenbacker to Boillot, used to fly planes during both great wars. But who actually did race boats or planes?
Didier Pironi comes to mind instantly - can anyone post his results in boat racing.
I believe David Purley also raced boats, maybe even planes. Is it true?
Count Trossi is also linked with boat racing in my memory. Am I right?
Villeneuve brothers both raced snowmobiles - I believe Jacques Sr. was quite good at it.
OT: this subject was brought to my mind because of Ivan Sola, a Croatian motorcycle racer that formed our national bobsleigh team that will contest at Olympics in Salt Lake City. Did any other racing driver tried a bobsleigh?
This is an topic I don't know almost anything about - please enlighten me with some good stories!

[Ian McKean]

Timo Makinen won the Round Britain Powerboat race.

[William Hunt]

Erik Comas flew a jet airplane (F16).

[LB]

Way off topic but I remember in Sarajevo 1984 Chrisopher Dean of Torvill and Dean fame went bobsledding with the British team ( along with one of the other dancers). I just remember the look on his face at the end of it a tenious Bobsleigh racing link is Prince Albert of Monaco - a pretty good bob driver and a attendee at monaco podium cerimonies

I know a few drivers have been out in the offshore powerboats but not of any save Pironi that actually raced them.

[William Hunt]

The Schumacher brothers and Juan-Pablo Montoya also too a bobsleigh run recently.

[Vitesse2]

Well, bobsleigh ain't boats ;) ... but Fon de Portago was a member of the Spanish Olympic bob team and broke the record on the Cresta Run.

I don't think David Purley raced planes, but he did own a Pitts Special aerobatic plane - it was in that plane that he lost his life when it crashed in the English Channel.

[Ian McKean]

Didn't Varzi, Count Trossi and another couple of Italian drivers make up the Italian 4 man bob team at the 1936??? Olympics?

I think I saw this at Dennis David's site so he will confirm.

[LittleChris]

Ron Flockhart died in 1962 doing a UK - Australia plane race IIRC

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by LittleChris
Ron Flockhart died in 1962 doing a UK - Australia plane race IIRC

Not a race, but a record attempt. Or maybe even a recce for a record attempt.

Henry Taylor was another bobsleigh ace, apart from de Portago, and lots of lesser British racing drivers were too: Robin Widdows, I think (the F2 driver, not the Goodwood press man). Certainly Keith Schellenberg.

[ensign14]

Lamberto Leoni raced 2 man powerboats in the early 1990s.

[clickhappy]

Damon Hill raced a powerboat

http://home01.wxs.nl...-career-12.html

Odd that the boat was sponsored by Derek Warwick? Take a look at the picture...you will see what I mean.

[anjakub]

The best of all Grand Prix drivers, who raced powerboats, is Lamberto Leoni.

Motorboat racing debut in 1992.
He won 8 rounds of the Class 1 Offshore World Championship.
1993
Marbella: with Lino Di Biase (boat Bilba Cadey)
Dubai : with Steve Curtis (Bilba Cadey)
1995
Dubai: with Edoardo Polli (Bilba Cadey)
1996
Montreux: with Edoardo Polli (Bilba)
1997
Taranto: with Edoardo Polli (Bilba)
Beyrouth: with Edoardo Polli (Bilba)
1998
Istanbul: with Massimo Lippi (Jolly Motor)
Dubai: with Massimo Lippi (Jolly Motor)

[Mark Ballard]

As well as breaking the land speed record and racing in Grand Prix, George Eyston did a couple of seasons racing Hydroplanes ( this was after he got married and thought Motor racing was too dangerous -about 1924.). Amongst other people he raced against was Woolf Banarto ( Le Mans Bentley driver)

A number of the early pioneers of motor racing also raced on the sea including William K. Vanderbilt III and S.F. Edge ( the winner of the 1902 Gordon Bennett race) also won the Harmsworth Trophy for motorboats in a Napier engined craft.

Also , if I rememeber correctly both Henry Seagrave and John Cobb were killed attempting the water speed record.

[Gerr]

I saw Don Whittington(1979 leMans winner and Indy driver)a crash-land this hot-rod P51 http://www.p-51musta...P51Who/96.shtml at the Reno Air Races in 1988. Robs Lamplough(F5000)was also racing a stocker-Hawker Sea-Fury that year. As a rookie in the '76 Reno races Whittington set a new qualifying record of 438.81 mph. Bill Whittington also used to race a P51 at Reno.

[beyondnascar]

Not F1 but...
Indy Driver Salt Walther raced unlimited hydroplanes
and
Top Fuel Drag Racer Eddie Hill was a great Top Fuel Drag Boat racer.

[Ray Bell]

John Goss got into aircraft racing, but his description of it seemed to make it pale in comparison to the AGP and Bathursts he's won.

[Paul Hartshorne]

I remember reading about a powerboat race between Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi (a third driver may have been involved) near Monaco in 1981. There were photos in Grand Prix International IIRC.

I presume that it was some sort of marketing promo for a new powerboat.

Cheers, Paul

[William Hunt]

David Coulthard raced a powerboat F1 last year.

[anjakub]

In one weekend in 1981, between Grand Prix of Holland and Italian Grand Prix, seven Grand Prix drivers took part in powerboats race on Lake Como (Lago Di Como). The race organised Daniele Audetto, manager of Arrows team. All participants started on Abbate boats with advertisement of Rothmans and Fila. The race won Gilles Villeneuve from Bruno Giacomelli, Marc Surer and Didier Pironi.

[Geza Sury]

Originally posted by Ian McKean
Didn't Varzi, Count Trossi and another couple of Italian drivers make up the Italian 4 man bob team at the 1936??? Olympics?

Many people believed this, but in fact, it's not true. Leif Snellman revealed the truth, you can read it on his excellent website by clicking here.

[anjakub]

Raul Boesel drove 1HP. Before he became interested in auto racing, his first sport was a horse jumping.

[Felix Muelas]

Originally posted by Paul Hartshorne
I remember reading about a powerboat race between Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi (a third driver may have been involved) near Monaco in 1981. There were photos in Grand Prix International IIRC.

I presume that it was some sort of marketing promo for a new powerboat.

Cheers, Paul

Paul,

Thanks for the clue ;)
There were actually at least five drivers, the others being Patrese, Giacomelli and Surer.
The place, Lake Como, and the "promotional" surrounding had something to do with Claudio Abatte and his new workshop. 20,000 people were reported as public!
As the story shown in my copy is in Spanish and I do not really feel like translating it tonight (but someone might follow and just scan the article, it is on the Italian GP issue), I´ll leave you with the main pic...quite refreshing.

Un abrazo

Felix



(in case you wonder, yes I know how to resize pics to make them look smaller, but this one I feel has to be shown in this kind of size...sorry for the time it takes

[josh.lintz]

That's okay, it was worth the time effort of my 28.8K modem...Neat pic!

[Leo]

Takuma Sato finished a surprising 3rd in his first powerboat attempt last year at Ramsgate. He started from the back and gradually worked his way up in a field of powerboating professionals.

[anjakub]

Lamberto Leoni and his results in powerboat racing.
(second part)

Classification in Class 1 Offshore World Championship:
1992 – 21st place
1993 – 2nd place
1994 – 4th place
1995 – 4th place
1996 – 3rd place
1997 – 2nd place
1998 – 3rd place



Lamberto Leoni in boat Bilba Cadey (Aurantum-Lamborghini) in 1995.

[No27]

I thought Didier Pironi did some serious powerboating after he recovered from the accident he had at Hockenheim in 1982. He actually died while racing one.

[anjakub]

Didier Pironi was died 23 August 1987 together with his crew – journalist Bernard Giroux and former F3 driver Jean-Claude Guenard.
Pironi’s boat „Colibri” fatally crashed off the Isle of Wight. His offshore boat went over an oil tankers wake at full speed and flipped over.
At present, I’m looking for Pironi’s results in Clas 1 European Championship in my archiv.

[Graham Clayton]

Charlie Cam, the speedcar driver who lost his life at Windsor speedway in 1956 was also
well known for racing speedboats on the Georges River in the southern part of Sydney.
The family were known for being fish merchants, and spent a lot of time on the water,
which I presume accounted for his interest in boat racing.
Bill Shevill was another Windsor speedcar driver of the 50's who also
dabbled in boats as well.

[Rainer Nyberg]

Henri Pescarolo is an accomplished pilot. He flew around the world a few years ago and has also contested in helicopter precision flying events.

During the olympic season we may also mention the british ski-jumping hero Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, who flew through the air during the 1980s.

He raced at least once, in a Alfa 164 celebrity race at Silverstone...

What ever did happen to him?

[fines]

40s Indy 500 driver Bill Cantrell raced Hydroplanes.

[rdrcr]

Originally posted by Rainer Nyberg
Henri Pescarolo is an accomplished pilot. He flew around the world a few years ago and has also contested in helicopter precision flying events.

During the olympic season we may also mention the british ski-jumping hero Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, who flew through the air during the 1980s.

He raced at least once, in a Alfa 164 celebrity race at Silverstone...

What ever did happen to him?

While I can't offer much about GP drivers who raced in the air or on the sea, I can say that Pescarolo is alive and well. Campaigning sports car efforts, mainly in endurance racing.

His latest effort for 2002 is particularly ambitious: Centered over the 24 Hours of Mans where it will present two C60-Peugeots, but also on Sportscar Championship entering the following races; Barcelona, Estoril, Imola, Magny Run, England, Mondello Park, Spa & Nurburgring. His drvier line up includes; Franck Lagorce, Eric Hélary, Sebastien Bourdais and Jean Christophe Boullion.

[Gerr]

One time Indycar driver Mick Rupp also raced at Reno, P51 Mustangs,1988 through 1996.

[deangelis86]

Elio de Angelis owned a rather large boat that was harboured in Monaco. I don't think he ever raced it though.

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by fines
40s Indy 500 driver Bill Cantrell raced Hydroplanes.

Yes, not to be confused with the *other* Bill Cantrell who raced Midgets in Southern California

I mention this because they are often confused!...just doing my part

Again, not F1, but on the other end of the stick...Hydroplane racers Chip Hanauer and Tom D'Eath both tried auto racing in the early 90's. Hanauer did well in an IMSA Showroom Stock series, but sponsorship problems kept him from advancing (he was lined up to drive a Stock Car at a race in the Pacific Northwest, but a clash between his beer sponsor and a competing brand sponsoring the race kept him out of the car).

D'Eath raced Midgets and NASCAR's brutal Sportsman division and wound up breaking his neck in a crash at Charlotte in the latter series. He recovered, but was forced to wear a halo device for months and retired from racing because of his injury.

I haven't checked, but I'm sure both are in the Hydro Hall of Fame.

Buford mentioned "Salt" Walther racing boats. His brother died in a Hydroplane crash in Miami, Florida.

Bill Elswick was a top offshore boat racer who raced one year in NASCAR...and later was convicted for his involvement in drug smuggling.


Jim Thurman

[fines]

Originally posted by Jim Thurman
Yes, not to be confused with the *other* Bill Cantrell who raced Midgets in Southern California

I mention this because they are often confused!...

... which is quite understandable: William (?) "Bill" Cantrell last competed at Indy in 1952, and Willard "Bill" Cantrell for the first (and only) time the following year!

[wildman]

Stumbled on this list today while looking up some background on the Reno Air Races, which celebrate their 45th anniversary next month, BTW:
http://www.mustangsm...s/p51list.shtml

Among the notable owners of P-51 Mustangs are NASCAR team owner Jack Roush (who apparently owns three), and former Group 44 owner/driver Bob Tullius. Neither of them race their warbirds, as far as I'm aware, though.

[Vitesse2]

We seem to have missed Kaye Don.

[RStock]

Lady racer Madame Camille du Gast raced powerboats . In 1905 she took part in the Alger-Toulon race , but 6 of the 7 boats were swamped by a storm . She was declared the winner for coming the closest to the finish line .

[LOLE]

Thierry Boutsen flew the Alpha Jet (Belgian Air Force)

[Bob Riebe]

Originally posted by fines

... which is quite understandable: William (?) "Bill" Cantrell last competed at Indy in 1952, and Willard "Bill" Cantrell for the first (and only) time the following year!

On the hydro-plane circuit he was known as Wild Bill Cantrell.

Hurricane Bob Hannah raced planes at Reno.

[giacomo]

I vaguely remember some stupid aircraft race (London > Paris?) in the 80ies including Niki Lauda and popstar Leo Sayer.

[Bob Riebe]

Slightly different bend:

Sammy Sessions
DickTrickle
Gilles Villeneuve
Jaques Villeneuve

All drove snowmobiles professionally.

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by REDARMYSOJA
Lady racer Madame Camille du Gast raced powerboats . In 1905 she took part in the Alger-Toulon race , but 6 of the 7 boats were swamped by a storm . She was declared the winner for coming the closest to the finish line .

SF Edge raced Napier-engined boats in the same period. From reports in The Times, it appears - not unnaturally - that motor boat racing was considered 'beyond the pale' by the yacht racing fraternity. The motor clubs appear to have taken it on. So much so that I've found records of protests by the ACF at Cowes in 1904 (there's a surprise ;)) and a trophy presented by the ACGBI (later the RAC) for a match race between motor boats at the 1904 Kiel Regatta!

In August 1904 there was a Calais-Dover race, organised by the ACF. No pilots are mentioned, but Edge was the entrant for a Napier-engined craft. Other familiar names from early motor racing among the entrants (engines in brackets) are Caillois (Darracq), Thubron (Richard-Brasier) and Fournier (Hotchkiss). Edge's boat was apparently built by the Saunders Patent Launch Company.

[simon drabble]

Don Shead not only designed many racing power boats but raced them in the 60's with considerable success before in 1983 starting a successful motor racing career in both historics and later Group C with suceess in a spice at 1989 Le Mans only to have his son James race the same car with equal success at the following year's Le Mans. To complete the circle Don now collects historic planes.
Sorry I just saw that you said GP oh well....!

[Nordic]

I may have imagined it but I think Tiff Needle, or at least his family used to race small engined hydro planes.

Hence the bright orange crash helmet.

[fines]

Not GP drivers, but racing car drivers none the less: Ralph Snoddy was a prominent boat racer, and I believe Harry Hartz and Leon Duray raced boats, too. I think I have seen more prominent drivers of the twenties in boat race reports, but I never paid much attention... :

[D-Type]

Not power boats, but Bira raced yachts for Thailand in the Olympics and Briggs Cunningham in the America's cup.

[RStock]

I would think Graham Hill's time spent with the London Rowing Club should count .

[gio66]

The week following the 1993 San Marino GP, Ayrton Senna did a test with the Giesse-Ferretti, the off-shore powerboat who won the world championship in 1994, at Cattolica (Italy, close to Rimini).

After only 15 minutes, helped by calm sea, Senna in the role of throttleman reached a peak of 130 mph.

Norberto Ferretti, driver and owner of the powerboat, said:
"Fortunately Senna is not racing in off-shore. If in a few minutes he understood each adjustment to be done, in the race he would be a tough nut to crack for all."

[ensign14]

To continue the Olympic theme, sometime Grand Prix driver Warwick Wright took part in the 1908 Olympics in the motorboating class C (6.5-8 metres) event. He was one of a crew of 2 on the Sea Dog, but didn't finish. Shame, as with two starters he would have been guaranteed a silver.