8 replies to this topic

[Fast One]

I go away for a few days and Atlas F1 opens this great forum! Thanks, Don Capps, for taking the time to do this.

There is a story Peter Miller recounts in his book, "The Fast Ones", about Fangio that I thought I would share. The event was the Swedish Grand Prix for sports cars, August 7, 1955. It was a minor event, with Fangio and Moss running away from the field in their Mercedes, running nose to tail. Stirling recounted to Miller that "once they were in the lead Fangio gave him driving instruction around the circuit. For several laps, the Argentinian maestro would select a particular corner for instruction and as he approached it accelerated ahead of Moss. He then went through the bend on a perfect line to show Stirling the fastest and neatest way through it, and often Fangio would look back and wave him on admonishingly if he was slow. When Fangio felt his pupil had mastered that corner, he would then select another one for instruction. Only a genius could find time to give private coaching as well as winning the motor race!" (page 98-99)

This is one of my favorite stories! I try to imagine any driver doing that now. Just thought I'd share it with any Fangio and Moss fans out there.

[Dennis David]

Thanks Fast, I love that book.

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Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Don Capps]

Fasty,

Like DD, I really liked that book. And the story you related has stuck with me forever as an example of just how things were with Fangio. BTW, it wasn't just with Moss that he did things like that: in another sports car race, Fangio led a fledgling driver through the corners and held up his fingers to indicate the gear that his pupil should be in... Amazing. Indeed, it is difficult to find something NOT nice that was said about Fangio by the other driver, etc., and only at the end when he weary of racing did a few even mumble out loud their concerns about his departure: what is lost in the shuffle was that the end of the Peron era hurt Fangio financially for several years until things sorted themselves out...

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

[Fast One]

Bira--

Consider the kudos duly given. How fortunate we are to have a place such as this to find our fellow aficionados.

Don and Dennis--

It's hard to imagine a great driver showing such largesse today, or the recipient telling anyone about it, as Moss did.

[f li]

Eureka! Now I understand what Frentzen was telling Blundell!

Times have changed, You really have to admire the "guts" of someone who is not only not afraid to share what he has learned but willing to. I know that W. Hansgen mentored M. Donohue, D. Gurney -> S. Savage, J. Stewart -> F. Cevert. But what was the relationship between J. Clark and J. Stewart?

[Dennis David]

From what I understand they had a very good relationship though Stewart does mention that Clark was a little less forthcoming on advise as Stewart became more of a threat.

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Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Fast One]

I think the Jimmy and Jackie tie in was more that they were both Scotsmen, rather than mentor and pupil. Oddly, it was trying out Jackie's Lola-Chevy to help him sort it out that Big John Surtees had his near fatal accident, which became the chip that Dragoni played to get John to quit Ferrari, costing them another title in '66.

[Pete Stanley]

I don't remember where I saw it, but Phil Hill gave an interview where he talked about Fangio teaching him one time, at the Nurburgring. Hill was having trouble with one section -- shifting too many times. He asked Fangio (in Italian, as JMF did not speak English, nor Hill Spanish), and Fangio told him to keep it in fourth gear. Hill dropped his lap time by four seconds!

[arttidesco]

Funny 11 years on there is no sign of F1 drivers showing each other the ropes, in part because most drivers are so much better prepared when they get to F1 I suspect, there does appear to be a little of the kind of camaraderie discussed above in NASCAR where for example Jeff Gordon helped out Jimmy Johnson by co founding the whole #48 team with Rick Hendrick, interestingly Jeff is not beyond roughing up his pupil a little these days as Jimmy Johnson closes in on a fifth Sprint Cup title to better his owners Cup tally :-)