35 replies to this topic

[Sergio Sultani]

Dear friends.

In 28/05/1972 it had a race in B.Hatch with the F1 drivers and his team managers. They drove Ford Capri races.
The race was in two heats. The first with the drivers and the second with the managers.
The team Lotus had Emerson in 8º (first heat) and Chapman in 6º(second heat).
Frank Gardner and (who?) won the race.

Does anyone have photos and know anything more about this event (the final result, etc, etc...)?

Muito obrigado.
Have a nice weekend
Sergio Sultani.

[sterling49]

Sergio, I was at the race and great it was to! All you could hear was the howling of Goodyear Grand Prix tyres as the assembled drivers gave the cars a good thrashing, I cannot remember the results, but Colin Chapman drove well in the Managers race and I seem to recall John Surtess going well also. A couple of years earlier they did the same in 3000E Capris which was just as entertaining, and just a year later in '73 they had a race for ladies in Consul 3000GT's which was super, Gillian All Askew Thomas was just amazing! She navigated Paddock on full opposite lock!Would be great to see any of these on Tape or DVD, sorry, no entry lists(that I can find ) or results.

[Milan Fistonic]

The pairings for the race were as follows:

Gill Fortescue-Thomas / Hans Baumhardt
Gerry Birrell / Rodney Bloor
Francois Cevert / Frank Gardner
Emerson Fittipaldi / Colin Chapman
Tom Belso / Tony Dron
Graham Hill / Bernie Eccleston
Brian Muir / Malcolm Gartlan
Mike Beuttler / Frank Williams
Howden Ganley / Ray Hutton
Denny Hulme / Phil Kerr
Dave Matthews / Rod Mansfield
Niki Lauda / Bill Stone
Dave Brodie / Arthur Pateman
Mike Crabtree / Simon Taylor
Vince Woodman / Jeremy Walton
Ray Allen / John Webb

Drivers race
1. Matthews
2. Brodie
3. Hill
4. Cevert
5. Woodman
6. Birrell
7. Lauda
8. Fittipaldi
9. Beuttler
10. Belso

Entrants race
1. Gardner
2. Williams
3. Stone
4. Kerr
5. Dron
6. Chapman
7. Mansfield
8. Taylor
9. Walton
10. Bloor

Aggregate result
1. Cevert / Gardner
2. Matthews / Mansfield
3= Beuttler / Williams
3= Brodie / Pateman
5= Lauda / Stone
5= Hill / Ecclestone

[Simon Taylor]

Remember it well. Ford brought along 16 identical Ford 3-litre Capris in top-of-the-line 3000E (for Executive) spec, all in black with red coachline and black vinyl roof.

Milan Fistonic's entry list is totally correct: there were two 10-lap heats, with the final order decided by awarding World Championship points - 9-6-4-3-2-1 - in each race. 16 drivers were paired off with 16 "entrants", a motley collection which included some very useful drivers (Frank Gardner, Rod Mansfield), team chiefs (Frank Williams, Colin Chapman, Phil Kerr), personalities like Bernie and John Webb, and three journalists - Dron, Walton and me.

The drivers' race was first, and their grid positions came out of a hat. Dave Matthews drew sixth on the grid but was in the lead by the end of Lap 1, while Dave Brodie had drawn a lowly grid position but came storming through, finishing a whisker ahead of Hill after a frenetic battle. Graham was miked up and his mid-race comments were meant to be relayed via Anthony Marsh's commentary box to the PA sustem, but I don't remember any choice comments being audible. Howden Ganley and Ray Allen tangled and both went off, Ganley restarting well back but setting the race's fastest lap. Cevert finished fourth from pole man Vince Woodman, with Gerry Birrell, Niki Lauda, Emerson, Mike Beuttler and Tom Belso in a queue astern.

The grid for our race lined up with the cars in reverse order from their finishing positions in the first race. Brian Muir, having had a couple of offs in the drivers' race, deliberately came home last so that his entrant, Malcolm Gartlan, could start on pole! The car I was sharing with Mike Crabtree had finished something like 11th or 12th in the drivers' race, so I think I started on the second or third row. John Webb got on the outside of the front row because Ray Allen was 14th in the first race, but his car was wheeled off the grid with an oil leak. Bernie E. was back on the sixth row because of Graham's third place.

As we came out on the grid it started to rain, and this was the last race of a long and busy day so the track was a bit slippery, although Frank Gardner's fastest lap in our race was only 0.6sec slower than Ganley's in the first, so it can't have been that bad. Tony Dron and Frank Williams were immediately behind me on the grid and came haring through at the start, Williams leading all the way until the last lap when Gardner, who'd come chiselling past us all from the fifth row, gave him a gentle nudge in the door at Druids. While Frank W. was gathering up the ensuing moment Frank G. went on to win by 4.4 sec. Bill Stone and Phil Kerr were third and fourth.

The cars were totally standard, with power steering, squidgy radial tyres, and lap and diagonal seat belts. The loudest sounds throughout the race were the howling of tortured rubber and the not infrequent clang of bumper against bumper, black bodywork against black bodywork. My main memory of the race was having a scary battle with an extraordinarily determined Colin Chapman, and I have a picture somewhere of the two of us going through Paddock side by side.

He pulled away from me and set about Dron, and paint was exchanged on more than one occasion before Tony gave Colin some of his own medicine on the last lap at Kidney and took fifth place back from him. Seventh was Rod Mansfield (my team-mate in the TriCentrol Escort Mexico team until three weeks before, when I'd destroyed my Mexico by rolling it at Paddock Bend), I was eighth, Jeremy Walton ninth and Rodney Bloor tenth. I can't remember where Bernie finished.....The combined order on points is as per Milan's list.

All good clean fun. After the race the Capris were all auctioned off, dents, knackered tyres and all.

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by Simon Taylor

Ford brought along 16 identical Ford 3-litre Capris in top-of-the-line 3000E (for Executive) spec, all in black with red coachline and black vinyl roof.

[...] Ray Allen was 14th in the first race, but his car was wheeled off the grid with an oil leak.

Allen must have had the ex-press fleet one, ST!

[sterling49]

Originally posted by Simon Taylor
(my team-mate in the TriCentrol Escort Mexico team until three weeks before, when I'd destroyed my Mexico by rolling it at Paddock Bend), I

I remember that well Simon, you ended up on the bank at the bottom of Paddock, spectacular indeed! I had a grandstand view as I was at the top of Paddock....the roll cage punched through the floor didn't it? They were great races the Mexico series, just great!

[Sergio Sultani]

Hi guys.

Thanks for all to all you !!

You are fantastics.

"See" you later .

FELIZ NATAL !!!!

P.S.: Emerson wrote that had a big "batlle" against Gerry Birrel...


Forte abraço,
Sergio.

[Twin Window]

The following pics are posted on behalf of Peter Darley, and all remain his copyright.

Peter can be seen here - in his position as the Britax Competitions Manager - sharing a joke with a couple of familiar faces...




...and here again, on the left, with another couple of well-known characters on the grid...




From the races themselves...

[sterling49]

Great photos Twinny, love the almost impossible angles the cars ar at, I can almost here those tyres howling now.......the 1st time they raced these I think they were H registered cars of 1970, equally impressive Yogi Muir had it sorted, but poor Denny must have had his x on the back!!!

[phinorman]

Hi,

I'm the french who is finishing to write a book about Mike Beuttler.

Nice thread ; it is a surprise for me unknowing this race from Mike Beuttler with Frank Williams.

Does anybody know a pic about the Capri #8 driven by Mike ?

Thanks in advance with my best regards.

Philippe Vogel

http://f1-mike-beutt...nsite.orange.fr

[RTH]

Originally posted by sterling49
........................... and just a year later in '73 they had a race for ladies in Consul 3000GT's which was super, Gillian All Askew Thomas was just amazing! She navigated Paddock on full opposite lock!Would be great to see any of these on Tape or DVD, sorry, no entry lists(that I can find ) or results.

Oh yes I have that race on tape!

[sterling49]

Originally posted by RTH


Oh yes I have that race on tape!

Richard you must have a great library, any chance of a copy(DVD or VHS)? I will of course, cross your palm with silver ;)

Sterling

[phinorman]

Hi sterling49,

If some pictures of Mike Beuttler / Frank Williams would be on your tape, can you send me some captures of them for my book ?

Thanks in advance with my best regards.

Philippe Vogel

[Gary C]

'If some pictures of Mike Beuttler / Frank Williams would be on your tape, can you send me some captures of them for my book ?'
Philippe, I think you should reall

[Gary C]

'If some pictures of Mike Beuttler / Frank Williams would be on your tape, can you send me some captures of them for my book ?'
Philippe, you really should think about copyright issues before you start asking people to screen-grab stuff from old videotapes!!

[RTH]

The film in question was just the Ladies Consul GT race at Brands and was ( maybe still is )commercially available with no men in it at all.

The other well known race was the race at Brands for team managers all in MK1 Escort Mexicos '71 ? which was on broadcast TV , BBC 100 Great Sporting moments with a great battle between Colin Chapman and Jack Brabham.

[RTH]

The ladies Consul race at Brands in 1971 was a David Roscoe BRSCC Club film sold as a VHS as 'Motor Racing 70s Style ' on the same tape is a Capri MK1 race in 1970 for the then current GP drivers.

[EDWARD FITZGERALD]

1 was there , it was Fordsport Day , it started really well I saw a GT40 on the way to the tube station , it was on its way to Brands . At Brands lots of action , in the the capri race the commentator had a live link to at leat one car I think it was Graham Hill , I have pics somewhere will go looking.

[kayemod]

Originally posted by RTH
The other well known race was the race at Brands for team managers all in MK1 Escort Mexicos '71 ? which was on broadcast TV , BBC 100 Great Sporting moments with a great battle between Colin Chapman and Jack Brabham.

I remember that one. My desk in the open plan Lotus office was next to Chief Stylist Oliver Winterbottom's. Oliver had just got his new company car, which was a Mexico, and ACBC kept passing by to try to persuade OW to lend him his car for some practice on the Lotus test track. I drove the car, and it still had that lovely tight & bouncy feel that brand new 'sporty' cars have, but knowing what kind of state the thing was certain to be in after Chapman had flogged it around the track for a few hours, Oliver somehow managed to fend him off. The Man often gets a bad press, but it says something about him that he didn't just take the thing, I'm sure he could have done. I think he managed to get hold of a Mexico from some local Ford dealer in the end, and I wouldn't have wanted to be the next owner.

[RTH]

Originally posted by kayemod


I remember that one. My desk in the open plan Lotus office was next to Chief Stylist Oliver Winterbottom's. Oliver had just got his new company car, which was a Mexico, and ACBC kept passing by to try to persuade OW to lend him his car for some practice on the Lotus test track. I drove the car, and it still had that lovely tight & bouncy feel that brand new 'sporty' cars have, but knowing what kind of state the thing was certain to be in after Chapman had flogged it around the track for a few hours, Oliver somehow managed to fend him off. The Man often gets a bad press, but it says something about him that he didn't just take the thing, I'm sure he could have done. I think he managed to get hold of a Mexico from some local Ford dealer in the end, and I wouldn't have wanted to be the next owner.

The commentary was by Barrie Gill and Graham Hill , Barrie said Colin hired a Mexico from a local Ford dealer for a week prior to the race, to give himself the best possible chance in the race..........and he was brilliant !!

[kayemod]

Originally posted by RTH
The commentary was by Barrie Gill and Graham Hill , Barrie said Colin hired a Mexico from a local Ford dealer for a week prior to the race, to give himself the best possible chance in the race..........and he was brilliant !!

The Lotus test track ran right in front of the main office windows, and Chapman did an unbelievable number of laps in the thing, don't think he can have got through much proper work in the week that he had it. It would be interesting to know if Sir Jack took preparation for the race quite so seriously. Incidentally, rather than Oliver W, the owner of the new Mexico company car might have been Ian Jones, I think they both had one at the time. It doesn't make much difference to the story, but sometimes it's a bit difficult remembering things that happened about 35 years ago, I was very young at the time of course, but ACBC probably worked his persuasive charms on both of them.

[phinorman]

Originally posted by Gary C
'If some pictures of Mike Beuttler / Frank Williams would be on your tape, can you send me some captures of them for my book ?'
Philippe, you really should think about copyright issues before you start asking people to screen-grab stuff from old videotapes!!

Hi,

Sorry to have been too rash with my request but it's not my intention to forget copyright.

With my best regards.

Philippe Vogel

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by phinorman

Nice thread ; it is a surprise for me unknowing this race from Mike Beuttler with Frank Williams.

Does anybody know a pic about the Capri #8 driven by Mike ?

These pics are posted here on behalf of Peter Darley, and remain his copyright;

[RTH]

Originally posted by sterling49
Sergio, I was at the race and great it was to! All you could hear was the howling of Goodyear Grand Prix tyres as the assembled drivers gave the cars a good thrashing, I cannot remember the results, but Colin Chapman drove well in the Managers race and I seem to recall John Surtess going well also. A couple of years earlier they did the same in 3000E Capris which was just as entertaining, and just a year later in '73 they had a race for ladies in Consul 3000GT's which was super, Gillian All Askew Thomas was just amazing! She navigated Paddock on full opposite lock!Would be great to see any of these on Tape or DVD, sorry, no entry lists(that I can find ) or results.

Maybe something for our next TNF Baldock meeting ?

[phinorman]

Originally posted by Twin Window
These pics are posted here on behalf of Peter Darley, and remain his copyright;

Hi Twin Window !

Many thanks for these two pics with the Capri of Mike Beuttler and Frank Williams.

Is it possible to contact Peter Darley to ask him the authorization to use one of the pic in my future book ?

With my best regards from France.

Philippe Vogel

[sterling49]

Originally posted by RTH


Maybe something for our next TNF Baldock meeting ?

A very good idea....cannot wait to hear the sound of those Goodyears yelping for mercy Richard!


Sterling

[discovery]

I am currently restoring RWC 399K the Niki Lauda / Bill Stone 3000E. After extensive research it appears to be the sole surviving Capri from the 16.

Any one else have any memories from May 28th 1972 ?

[kayemod]

I am currently restoring RWC 399K the Niki Lauda / Bill Stone 3000E. After extensive research it appears to be the sole surviving Capri from the 16.

Any one else have any memories from May 28th 1972 ?

 

Not much of a memory, but all those Capris were auctioned off at the end of the meeting, all had various degrees of body damage, and some were probably write-offs. Two of the least damaged cars, at least that's what they told me, were bought by Team Lotus mechanics, and seeing the state they were in when they got to Hethel made me wonder how bad the others were. You say that the ex-Lauda/Stone car is the sole survivor, one or two of the 16 didn't even survive that weekend.

[Jon Saltinstall]

Does anyone have details of the race number Lauda & Stone carried, or the grid position they got in the ballot? Any help appreciated!

[discovery]

Hi, thanks for the replies, really interesting !

 

N.Lauda / Bill Stones Capri was car no 12.

[Jon Saltinstall]

Thanks Discovery

 

So judging by that grid shot then, he drew about 8th or 9th place in the ballot?

 

Interesting that the Lauda / Stone car was relatively lightly damaged at the end of the race. Does that indicate greater mechanical sympathy or that they were just better at keeping out of the way of the demolition derby!? Quite surprising that Ford thought a mash up like this was good publicity, though they were of course targeting Capri drivers 

 

Lauda was still 2 years away from joining the Ford ETC team (he was still driving for BMW Alpina in 1972) so this would have been an interesting foray for him, albeit in what would have been a very standard road car. 

Edited by Jon Saltinstall, 15 November 2013 - 15:55.

[Jon Saltinstall]

This thread has got me thinking - how many Grands Prix (or non-championship F1 events) have included support races where the F1 stars have participated? I'm thinking more of the seventies and onwards here, as I am conscious that back in the 50s and 60s it was commonplace for F1 drivers to turn out in saloon car races etc, and the late 60s saw plenty of "graded drivers" in F2 cockpits during the main meetings. So just what other events similar to the 1972 Brands Hatch Ford Capri "Celebrity" Race took place?

[discovery]

Hi Jon,  The previous owner of my Capri, did a lot of research and looking through my pile of cuttings it would seem that that fantastic starting grid photo, is  Race 2.

 

In the first race, pole man was Vince Woodman and Lauda finished 8th. Apparently, he and Fittipaldi had a remarkable dice which engulfed Tom Belso, who said afterwards, " If they want to pass you, they dont mind using the grass and if they can push you off they will. Its great fun ! "

Belso finished 10th a few inches behind Vince Woodman, Birrel, Lauda , Fittipaldi and Beutler with Dave Mathews the winner who finished well ahead of Dave Brodie who was closely hounded by Graham Hill who gave a comentary over the loud speakers by walky talky.

The great and sadly  long gone Motor Magazines June 3rd write up, by Tony Dron says that Ford man Reg Smiths face ( whos responsibility the cars were ) aquired an expression of tortured agony, as he realised that out of the 16, there was not a single car left without a dent in it and most bore the scars of battle all round !

 

In the second race, Malcolm Gartlan was pole man with Rod Mansfield on the back of the grid.  Bill Stone finished 3rd.

 

I would love to talk to Niki Lauda about the race, any one know how he can be contacted ? ?  As my Capri  is restored, i would very much like to reunite him with it  ( and any other surviving drivers ) at Brands. One of the Classic car mags have said that they will do an article on it.

[discovery]

( When My car is restored )

 

Re the fate of the cars, one report states that Ford had agreed to most of the cars being Auctioned off whilst another says that All were to be Auctioned.

A couple of years ago, an interesting guy contacted me whos Late Dad had been a Senior Manager at Wiggins Teape. He told me that he remembers his Father being given one of the 16 Capris as his Company car, but he couldnt find any photos of it.

My car was registered to Ford Motor Co at Warley for exactly a year, until March 28th 1973, when it was registered to an Ian Roberts ( where are you now Ian ? ) of Beckenham Kent, so it may ? have been my car that his Father had.

[john winfield]

This thread has got me thinking - how many Grands Prix (or non-championship F1 events) have included support races where the F1 stars have participated? I'm thinking more of the seventies and onwards here, as I am conscious that back in the 50s and 60s it was commonplace for F1 drivers to turn out in saloon car races etc, and the late 60s saw plenty of "graded drivers" in F2 cockpits during the main meetings. So just what other events similar to the 1972 Brands Hatch Ford Capri "Celebrity" Race took place?

Jon, there may be a thread elsewhere but the BMW M1 races in 1979 and 1980 jump to mind.

[Jon Saltinstall]

Got those thanks John, and the Procar series was pretty well-documented though there are scant photo records of some of the rounds. I was musing particularly if there had been other "celebrity" style races? I guess we also have the Mercedes 190s at the opening meeting of the "new" Nurburgring in 1984 to include.