66 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

I understand that Louis T. Stanley - author of many motor racing books, the old 'Grand Prix Year' annuals, and sometime head of the BRM and Stanley-BRM Formula 1 teams - passed away last Thursday, aged 92.

DCN

[Gary C]

a fair innings, if you ask me! RIP.

[2F-001]

Always sad when the old stagers pass on -- but he'd had a life longer and more colourful than most, I guess.

[Joe Fan]

Terrible news. He was a great help with my Masten Gregory biography and he invited me to come by and see him if I ever were in Cambridge. Too bad I am never going to get that great opportunity. He really thought highly of Masten and said that "of all the drivers, he [Masten] was totally fearless," providing the inspiration for part of my book's title. He allowed me to tape record our telephone interview so I am going to break it our here soon and listen to it once more. On the brighter side of things, he lived a full life and now is reunited with his wife Jean.

RIP Lou

[Hans Etzrodt]

During my years in South Africa, my boss always allowed me to take off during practice at Kyalami and that's where I hung around most of the afternoons, talking usually to the mechanics and drivers. I met Louis Stanley once in Kyalami during 1971, when the team had just arrived and was moving into their pit for practice. I remember distinctly, while admiring the beautiful round belly lines of the BRM race car, that Louis Stanly was asking around for a thermometer and also questioned me personally because I was leaning at their pit counter. I told him that I could bring a thermometer the next morning but then he said they needed one right away. My thoughts were puzzeled how a big outfit like BRM could make the long journey to Africa and not carry a thermometer with them to a place known to be hot.

[Dave Ware]

In the mid-seventies, my racing news was limited (no internet, of course), and many of the books I read came from the public library. One book that I read over and over was Louis Stanley's "Grand Prix 10." For some reason, that book really struck a chord with me.

15 or 20 years later, I realized that the library might not keep this book forever. So I checked it out, reported it lost, and paid the lost book fee. Best $10 I ever spent.

FYI, Mr. Stanley has also authored books on golf, Cambridge, and I believe pottery.

Respectfully,

Dave Ware

[Arturo Pereira]

RIP MR Stanley

[Ray Bell]

If you read many magazine comments of the late sixties and early seventies you'll conclude that he might not be missed in many circles...

But I think he's outlived all his doubters... good on him!

[marat]

The photographs taken by Louis T. Stanley in the pits and paddocks show well the atmosphere
of racing in the sixties. No technical notes or chassis number in his Grand Prix Year books
but enought pleasure with the images and comments on drivers and managers. RIP.

[Dennis Hockenbury]

With the passing of Tony Rudd and Louis Stanley, the last of the BRM old guard has now departed AFAIK.

While I cannot be disingenuous and say that I admired Mr. Stanley, we are all in his debt however for backing the elevation of Tony Rudd within BRM thus sowing the seeds for their vindication in 1962.

Through his marriage to Jean Stanley, Louis must have enjoyed a life of rare privilege that few among us can wholly relate.

RIP to Mr. Stanley and all of the wonderful, colorful characters comprising the BRM saga.

[Buford]

His books were a major part of this oval racer learning about road racing in my youth. RIP Mr Stanley.

[Tim Murray]

Originally posted by Dennis Hockenbury
While I cannot be disingenuous and say that I admired Mr. Stanley . . .

Excellently put!

Let's also not forget the pioneering work he did in setting up the mobile hospital at Grands Prix. I know it was not exactly an unqualified success in its time, but probably kick-started the move to the greatly improved facilities we see today.

[ensign14]

Whether one liked him or not, he was a real character, one of all too few in today's sport. I am reminded of the story when Jackie Stewart was being carted off after his big Spa shunt (I think) and Lou was with him for moral support. Jackie was a bit out of it and Lou had to remind him that his name was not 'Lewis'...

RIP your Lordship.

[Pedro 917]

RIP Mr. Stanley, a pitty we never met. I would have loved listening to your stories about Pedro....

[Don Capps]

Cameron Argetsinger and I were talking about "Big Lou" just several weeks ago. We both thought that he quite something else and a great gent. His passing is another reminder of just how thin the thread is that links us to eras not necessarily all that long past to some of us.....

Godspeed, Mr. Stanley.

[Dennis Hockenbury]

Originally posted by ensign14
Whether one liked him or not, he was a real character, one of all too few in today's sport.

I agree completely ensign.

The characters and personalities in the BRM story alone is a tale that would require a highly imaginative mind to invent. RM, PB, Lorna, Annie Mays, Sir Alfred, Tony Rudd, Tres, the Stanleys, and the many many others....what a story. Which is the reason it is so entertaining for me.

Such a contrast with F1 today. Alas.

[Richard Jenkins]

Louis Stanley was one of the rudest, most arrogant, most condenscing & belittling of individuals it has ever been my misfortune to personally experience (and unjustifably too - all I asked him for was his memories of Chris Irwin at a time that both himself & Jean were relatively well) BUT

I cannot deny that he was a real character, really interesting & someone admirable (albeit through gritted teeth) - in his own little way, he did quite a lot for the sport & must be applauded for his enthuiasm.

I shall not mourn him, but I know many who will, & so, to his family & friends, I extend my deepest sympathies

[Joe Fan]

Richie,

Are you sure you didn't catch him at a bad time? This hardly seems like the gentleman I talked to and I am sure others feel the same. Perhaps Doug can share some more insight into this area as he probably interviewed him quite a bit over the years.


EDIT Nevermind Richie, I realized we had this discussion in the past and I found it doing a search. However, I would like to hear some more from Doug.

[ensign14]

I do not wish to be disrespectful but defamation under English law does not survive death, so any legal threats to sue for comments made about Mr Stanley in (say) a proposed book or 2 about a team Big Lou ran in the 1970s will no longer be valid...

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by David Beard


A number of us may have been wondering how to say that. Well put.

Yes, David, indeed. But ensign14's a man of the law ... very carefully phrased I thought!

Does this perhaps mean that BRM Vol 2 will soon be available in a revised edition?

[Doug Nye]

No it doesn't....

It sounds to me as if you blokes are aware of a better story than the one of which I'm aware....

Let him rest in peace fellers...Graham Hill's 1962 World Championship title victory with BRM probably would not have occurred without his influence - and where other matters are concerned, I am confident you would agree that right now is not the time.

DCN

[Roger Clark]

The death of anybody diminishes us all, and this is not the time for condemnation, particularly not in public.

My condolences to his family.

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
It sounds to me as if you blokes are aware of a better story than the one of which I'm aware....

Only a rumour from years ago that threats of a libel action were preventing publication of certain books...defamation is a desperately difficult and expensive area of law and no-one wants to fight a claim if they can avoid it. I am certainly one of those that detest blatant cash-ins as soon as someone has died trying to dismantle their reputation - but sometimes even the most anodyne and friendly statements can be mis-construed with costly results.

I do find it a little sad that he was never officially recognized for his contribution to the Grand Prix medical centre. That must have saved a few lives. Yet not even an MBE. Maybe he should have made a record.

[Dave Wright]

As well as his contribution at BRM, as some have already mentioned, I will remember Louis Stanley for his annual "Grand Prix" books of which I have three - 1964, 1965 and 1967. Some of his character is evident in the books, and although the quality of the photography and its reproduction can be criticised, I do think they are a valuable addition to the historical record of the period.

[Doug Nye]

For the record keepers - Louis T. Stanley was born on January 6, 1912, in Wallasey near Liverpool and died on January 8, 2004, at Trumpington, Cambridge.

DCN

[WGD706]

There is a Bourne motor racing memorial commemorating Bourne’s contribution to international motor racing and to Raymond Mays on a plot of land on the banks of the river in South Street.
It was officially unveiled on Sunday 16th November 2003 by two men who have long standing connections with the town and its Formula One motor racing history, David Owen, chairman of Rubery Owen Holdings Ltd, and Louis Stanley, former chairman and joint managing director of BRM.
Pam Rudd, erstwhile resident of Bourne and widow of the great designer Tony, had travelled over from Norwich along with daughters Leslie and Phillipa with their respective families.
http://homepages.whi...tormemorial.htm
http://www.motorsnip...p?articleid=388

I'm guessing that the gentleman in the wheelchair is Mr Stanley.

[Jack-the-Lad]

I've had Mr. Stanley's 1961 yearbook since publication, signed contemporaneously by Phil Hill. I treasure it. It seems to convey the flavor of the GP "circus" of that time like no other book. It's almost like a family album which he and Jean have decided to share with us.

[EProduction]

I have the 1999 MBI edition of Stanley's "Strictly Off the Record." It was a real eye opener for me and one of my most treasured F1 books.

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
For the record keepers - Louis T. Stanley was born on January 6, 1912, in Wallasey near Liverpool and died on January 8, 2004, at Trumpington, Cambridge.

DCN

Thank you, sir!

[Kekefan]

In 1967, Louis Stanley founded the GPMS, Grand Prix Medical Service, with support from the GPDA.
It consisted of mobile medical units that were used on several European circuits because some of them refused to use them because it was not affiliated to the FIA.

Does anyone know in what year these mobile medical units became obligatory on all circuits in F1?

[Twin Window]

As I understand it, there was a whole different side to the man which is, let's say, rather unsavoury. Actually, some of it is rather shocking.

My contacts tell me that once all the evidence is gathered and substantiated a book is in the offing...

[Eric McLoughlin]

Who will be brave enough to write it?

[Vitesse2]

You can't libel the dead, Eric ....

[cts125]

In an earlier post:

"In the mid-seventies, my racing news was limited (no internet, of course), and many of the books I read came from the public library. One book that I read over and over was Louis Stanley's "Grand Prix 10." For some reason, that book really struck a chord with me.

15 or 20 years later, I realized that the library might not keep this book forever. So I checked it out, reported it lost, and paid the lost book fee. Best $10 I ever spent.

FYI, Mr. Stanley has also authored books on golf, Cambridge, and I believe pottery.

Respectfully,

Dave Ware"

Perhaps it's because I work in a library, or maybe because I just have a greater respect for books and history....but I find this akin to stealing. Now I don't mean to disrespect Mr. Ware, maybe he is unaware of the consequences of his act....but by removing a book from public circulation he deprived all current and future readers of this resource. Surely Mr. Ware you must realize that you are not the only person who might be interested in this subject...again, now or in the future. There is often consternation about how following generations will learn and appreciate the sport which we hold so dearly....the library is often the first stop for young readers. The whole premise of public libraries is to make these books available to all who share the same interest.

If you feel that because you payed a $10 fee, the book was yours to keep, I'm afraid you are either naive or cunning. Price that book now from one of the online used book sources and you will see it's monetary value.....but to restate again....libraries are not to 'buy' books from....not to take out of circulation and prevent all others from enjoying just for one's own selfish purposes.

Sorry if my point of view offends you, Mr. Ware or any others.....I feel very strongly about this.

CT

[fines]

Well put, CT. I must agree.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by cts125
In an earlier post: Perhaps it's because I work in a library, or maybe because I just have a greater respect for books and history....but I find this akin to stealing. Now I don't mean to disrespect Mr. Ware, maybe he is unaware of the consequences of his act....but by removing a book from public circulation he deprived all current and future readers of this resource. CT

I wouldn't worry about tippy toeing around this one, I'm sure Mr Ware realises he done something bad. It is frustrating in the extreme when you go (as I did) to our Australian National Library to do some research and find that some light fingered smartarse has removed one critical volume from our Motor Racing Annuals.

[MCS]

Originally posted by Twin Window
As I understand it, there was a whole different side to the man which is, let's say, rather unsavoury. Actually, some of it is rather shocking.

My contacts tell me that once all the evidence is gathered and substantiated a book is in the offing...

I'm intrigued. Who would write such a book?

MCS

[Macca]

Apropos library books; my county library had a lot of old and valuable books in the store, which anyone could order for a small fee. I used to borrow them and then photocopy them (which is OK for your own use apparently) which cost less than the lost book fee and left the book for others to borrow.

Unfortunately in the name of modernisation and providing more idiot-friendly computers instead of difficult-for-short-attention-span-of-modern-youth books, the b****rds have recently diposed of most of them! I just hope they went to a good home.

Even worse than keeping library books, to my mind, is snipping pages out of them.




Paul M

[Macca]

http://www.villageph...301&sessionkey=

Lord Trumpington with James Garner - from Stanley's own 'Grand Prix' 1966-67. I wonder why he didn't have a part in it the movie - maybe he did and yards of pompous celluloid ended up on the cutting-room floor.

With all due respect to Lou's efforts with the medical unit, and his skill at getting drivers out of trouble and cars out of customs sheds, it always struck me as ironic that he entitled a book 'Behind the Scenes' when he couldn't see what was going on under his nose. His excessive pyscho-profiling of drivers in his books perhaps underlines his total lack of appreciation of the technicalities of F1; believing, for instance, that he could BS Lauda about getting optimistic news from the engine test-house, or telling Guy Edwards in 1977 when trying to find some mug to drive the Steamer for Silverstone that he would win the race, or reputedly telling one BRM driver on the grid (where he had qualified near the back) to "get in front at the first corner and then block them for the rest of the race".



Paul M

[Macca]

Ooops.

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Twin Window
As I understand it, there was a whole different side to the man which is, let's say, rather unsavoury. Actually, some of it is rather shocking.

Hm. That may explain why even a humble MBE was not apparently offered to Big Lou.

[SEdward]

Where did his money come from? Didn't his family own the Dorchester Hotel on London's prestigious Park Lane?

Edward

[Doug Nye]

No - Mr Stanley's family did not own the Dorchester. He was twice married, first time to a shipping line heiress (ending in divorce), second time to Jean (nee) Owen, a major family shareholder in Rubery Owen aka the Owen Organisation - Britain's largest privately-owned industrial combine. His own 'literary' endeavours would not have funded the life style based upon Jean's much-loved home in Trumpington, Cambridge, and which incorporated a permanent suite in the Dorchester Hotel, on London's Park Lane... His personal history is quite intriguing. To him (I gather) I was 'The Odious Mr Nye'. Praise indeed.

TOMN

[MCS]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
No - Mr Stanley's family did not own the Dorchester. He was twice married, first time to a shipping line heiress (ending in divorce), second time to Jean (nee) Owen, a major family shareholder in Rubery Owen aka the Owen Organisation - Britain's largest privately-owned industrial combine. His own 'literary' endeavours would not have funded the life style based upon Jean's much-loved home in Trumpington, Cambridge, and which incorporated a permanent suite in the Dorchester Hotel, on London's Park Lane... His personal history is quite intriguing. To him (I gather) I was 'The Odious Mr Nye'. Praise indeed.

TOMN

Another reference to his personal history being intriguing...!

What on earth did he get up to?

Is there really likely to be a "warts an' all" biography (see earlier in the thread)??

MCS

[Twin Window]

Macca/MCS/Ensign14 in particular

Based upon what I heard earlier this year, there are already 'clues' emerging on this 'ere thread with respect to certain elements pertaining to his 'other side'.

As to the possible author of such a document - if my sources are correct - it will be from the pen of one of the very best within our domain. If it's (or if it's allowed to) happen, that is...

[Dennis Hockenbury]

Whatever the skeletons that lurk in Mr. Stanley's closet, I cannot imagine that they would be of such notable importance to warrant the attention and valuable time of a major writer and/or historian.

While his "story" is perhaps of lurid interest, and not to sound at all sanctimonious as I would like to know more about Big Lou now that the subject has been brought up, but to be frank, I never viewed him as being of the stature within the sport to merit the full attention of a biographer.

His contribution to safety, and in advocating the advancement of Tony Rudd within BRM was notable. But in the overall, there seem to be many more worthy subjects to be researched and written about.

[Mac Lark]

Here here Dennis.

If a book on Tony Brooks doesn't have 'legs', how could one on Big Lou possibly be commercially viable.

Unless privately published :yawn:

[Rob29]

Originally posted by Macca
Apropos library books; my county library had a lot of old and valuable books in the store, which anyone could order for a small fee. I used to borrow them and then photocopy them (which is OK for your own use apparently) which cost less than the lost book fee and left the book for others to borrow.

Unfortunately in the name of modernisation and providing more idiot-friendly computers instead of difficult-for-short-attention-span-of-modern-youth books, the b****rds have recently diposed of most of them! I just hope they went to a good home.

Even worse than keeping library books, to my mind, is snipping pages out of them.




Paul M

Same here Macca,my local library has a permanent shelf of books for sale. I guess as new ones join the shelves they have to make room! Same system for videos and now DVDs.
BTW;I have all 11 of Big Lou's annual GP books. Always thought they were the best of the several annuals published.

[Doug Nye]

Originally posted by Dennis Hockenbury
...While his "story" is perhaps of lurid interest, and not to sound at all sanctimonious as I would like to know more about Big Lou now that the subject has been brought up, but to be frank, I never viewed him as being of the stature within the sport to merit the full attention of a biographer.....

IMHO Dennis your assessment is absolutely SPOT ON ...

I think the book someone else is considering writing (i.e. it's NOT me in case you're wondering) is absolutely NOT confined to the relatively small part of Mr Stanley's life which involved the motor sporting world. I cannot really say more...

DCN

[Dennis Hockenbury]

Thanks Doug. No, I never considered that you would be the author. You have your hands full with the rest of the BRM saga in any event!

Perhaps inspired by this thread and the comments regarding a possible book on Louis Stanley, I was googling a bit and found a large quantity of highly diverse titles authored by Mr. Stanley. Although I knew he had written a few books, I really did not realize how prolific he had been in this area.

I must confess that I laughed out loud a bit when I looked at the title of one of his books in light of the comments made in this thread, and was more than a little taken with the irony.

"Public Masks and Private Faces" by Louis T. Stanley.