MotorSport Legends Issue 22

MotorSport Legends THE MAGAZINE THAT BRINGS YOUR MOTORSPORT MEMORIES BACK TO LIFE

www.motorsportlegends.com.au

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THE ENFORCER! Q U A R T E R L Y

#22 May-July 2013

M A G A Z I N E

Russell Ingall’s sheer determination to succeed

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THE EPITOME OF COURAGE Zanardi – a life of winning

SUPER MARIO The ultimate all-rounder of world motorsport 2/4/13 6:11:47 PM

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THE MAGAZINE THAT BRINGS YOUR MOTORSPORT MEMORIES BACK TO LIFE

Contents

Editorial The little things you remember.

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News Who did what on the historic and nostalgia motorsport scenes.

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Super Mario 8-15 Mario Andretti was a true racer. He drove everything from Speedway to Formula One and IndyCar. And he didn’t just compete; he won championships in almost every category he raced in.

Russell Ingall 16-21 He may not always have been the most loved by his fellow competitors, but the Enforcer didn’t race to make friends. He was the ultimate competitor with a sheer determination to succeed.

Historic Racer 23-29 Welcome to the 16th edition of our historic racing section, which includes all of the action from the Phillip Island Classic. We also take a close look at the re-born Gibson Motor Sport.

Alex Zanardi 30-34 He dominated IndyCars and was a star in Formula One, but his courageous actions to comeback and win at the Olymics and take on the New York Marathon after his horrific accident is an inspiration to all of us mere mortals.

Webb of Intrigue 37 Mick’s not scared to tell it how it was. This issue he puts the boots into Ford for not supporting Aussie icon Dick Johnson.

The history of the US GP 38-43 We take a look at the chequered past of the United States Grand Prix and muse whether or not it has finally found a permanent home in Austin, Texas.

Maserati ruling our circuits 44-49 Remembering a time when the Italian marque dominated the race tracks of Australia and the fearless charachters who raced them.

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CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE Glenis Lindley Our busiest journalist, Glenis has produced a great interview with Russell Ingall.

Known as the Enforcer, he was a hard racer on the track and didn’t have a lot of time for menial public relation activities off it. Glenis’s account of his career starts on page 16.

Her story on the courageous Alex Zanardi is also an absolute ‘must read’.

Grant Nicholas Grant catches up with Fred Gibson and Alan Heaphy in this issue to discuss the re-born Gibson Motor Sport and to take a drive down memory lane to recall some of the victories from the glory days.

He discovered that while the years may have moved by, the enthuisasm of both Gibson and Heaphy is as strong as ever.

Darren House Darren recently visited the US where he caught up with the best ‘all-rounder’ in the world of motorsport. Mario Andretti has won in most categories from Speedway to Formula One to IndyCar, and almost everything else.

Managing Editor Allan Edwards Pole Position Productions Address: PO Box 225 Keilor, Victoria, 3036 Phone: (03) 9331 2608 Fax: (03) 8080 6473 Email: admin@motorsportlegends.com.au Website: www.motorsportlegends.com.au Sub Editors Briar Gunther Adrian Musolino Graphic Design Neville Wilkinson Craig Fryers Contributors Glenis Lindley, Darren House, Grant Nicholas, Paul Marinelli, Richard Batchelor and Mick Webb.

Photographers Autopics.com.au John Doig/Torque Photos Glenis Lindley Darren House Neil Hammond Advertising Manager Jennifer Gamble Phone: 0431 451 470 Email: advertising@ motorsportlegends.com.au Distributors Integrated Publication Solutions Material in Motorsport Legends is protected by copyright laws and may not be reporoduced in any format. Motorsport Legends will consider unsolicited articles and pictures; however, no responsibility will be taken for their return. While all efforts are taken to verify information in Motorsport Legends is factual, no responsibility will be taken for any material which is later found to be false or misleading. The opinions of the contributors are not always those of the publishers.

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CLASSIC

Lines Welcome to the 22nd edition of Motorsport Legends magazine.

Motorsport Legends includes motor racing nostalgia and historic events.

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hen I was starting out as a journalist, Russell Ingall was the driver who was going to be ‘the next big thing’. It was 1993 and aged in my mid-20s I lived in England for 12 months with stars in my eyes and plans to be the next Formula One journalist.

The then editor of Motor Racing Australia (MRA), Stuart Sykes, asked me to interview Russell Ingall for a magazine feature. I found Russell in the back of a Formula Ford truck at Silverstone and he gave me about a half hour interview.

Russell went on to dominate the 1993 British Formula Ford Championship but for various reasons my article wasn’t published in MRA until late 1994, meaning I had to catch up again with him at Sandown to update it.

Soon after the article was published Russell actually sent me a letter to thank me for writing it. It was the first time that a racing driver had ever done that in my journalism career, and come to think of it, it was also the last time any driver went to such trouble.

When Russell moved into touring cars fulltime it would be fair to say that he didn’t have a lot of patience with the media and I had a few disagreements with him. But I have always respected Russell for sending that letter. I guess the fact that Russell has announced his V8 Supercars retirement and that I was there at the beginning makes me officially ‘old’.

Glenis Lindley has written a great article on Russell’s career in this issue, which starts on page 16.

Another driver who gave me some

advice I will never forget was Allan Moffat (pictured above with yours truly).

When I was the Australian Auto Action magazine Editor I had to host a question and answer session with Allan and a few other legends at the Melbourne Motor Show one year. I had never done anything like that and I was extremely nervous.

Allan obviously sensed my anxiety and leant over and whispered “just remember, they all put their trousers on one leg at a time just like you”. His words of wisdom had the desired affect and I always recall them whenever I have to speak publically.

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Until next time, drive safely on and off the race track.

Cheers, – Allan Edwards, Managing Editor

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NEWS

READY FOR TAKE-OFF

With just over a year to go, the organisers of the Sydney to London Classic Marathon Rally have announced that the first cargo plane which will transport the cars to Turkey from the end of the Australian leg is now full.

Organisers also expect the second plane to soon fill following recent entrant confirmations and expressions of interest to take part in the rally – to be held from April 12 to May 11, 2014.

In other rally news, Hannu Mikkola and his son, Vesa, have joined the entry list.

Hannu competed in the 2000 London to Sydney

Marathon with his other son, Juha, and returns to tackle the event in the opposite direction driving a Ford Escort RS1800.

Organisers have instigated a buy-back deal for the Challenge Regularity Event, enabling entrants to fly into Sydney and pick up a new 4x4 prepared for the event.

The vehicle can be bought for $36,000 and will be bought back for $22,000 at the end of the event in London.

The Challenge Event is for any suitable passenger car, including 4x4 recreational vehicles, licensed for use on the public highway with a

crew of up to four people.

Entrants will follow the same route as the Competition Event and will have regularity sections most days.

Entrants in the Challenge and Competition events can choose the whole route, or opt for either the Australian or European legs only.

Service vehicles are now permitted for the Classic Car Rally with ‘basic’ and ‘premium’ options available.

The basic service vehicles include identification plates, service book, road books, daily bulletins and access to official car parks, but with no air or sea transport or hotels provided.

The premium service includes all of the basic service plus hotels and air and sea transport for a crew of two.

For more information visit www.transworldhistoricrallying.com MSL

NEW!

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HISTORICS HEAD to winton Historic Winton presents a weekend of non-stop racing from May 24-26 featuring more than 400 historic racing cars and motorbikes from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Significant milestones which will be celebrated at the 2013 edition of what is reputedly Australia’s largest and most popular all-historic motor race meeting include 110 years of Buick, Standard and Vauxhall, 100 years of Morris, 80 years of Railton and 60 years since the first Redex Trial.

Six decades of the Lightburn Zeta, Sunbeam Alpine, FJ Holden and Triumph TR2 will also be celebrated along with 50 years since the first Bathurst, the EH Holden, Lamborghini and Honda and 40 years of the Leyland P76.

The Shannons Classic Car

military vehicles display and anyone with a vehicle older than 50 years gets free entry.

There will also be the Aussie Ute gathering for pre-1975 vehicles with great trophies awarded and the Classic Car Show for veteran and vintage, sports and classics, hot rods and customs, street machines, commercial and motor bikes.

For more information call Park featuring car and bike Benalla and District Classic Car Noel Wilcox on 0413 702 club displays is just one of the and Motorbike Tour assembles 558 or email noelwilcox@ highlights of Historic Winton at the Benalla Art Gallery at rocketmail.com along with spectator access 9am and concludes with a Entry fees are $20 for to the competition paddock show and shine display outside Saturday and $30 for Sunday, where racing machines will be the Benalla Civic Centre from $5 for the paddock. on display including a selection 3pm to 5pm.

The 37th Historic Winton of Minervas and cycle-cars.

Red plate vehicles are is conducted by the Austin 7 Those with classic or special welcome to join in and for Club with assistance from the interest cars and bikes are more information phone Historic Motorcycle Racing invited to join the spectator car Graeme McDonald on 0417 Association Vic. park display.

306 332.

More details can be found at On Friday, May 24 the There will be a historic www.historicwinton.org MSL

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www.gibsonmotorsport.com.au MotorSportLegends

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2/4/13 5:42:19 PM

MARIO ANDRETTI

Andretti’s Brawner Hawk Ford in the pits at the 1969 Indy 500.

SUPER MARIO

Sheer guts and determination saw Italian refugee Mario Andretti surpass the USA natives in Indy Cars and clinch a Formula One Championship.

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STORY BY DARREN HOUSE/PHOTOGRAPHS BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY ARCHIVES AND GLENIS LINDLEY

ario Andretti is one of the world’s true sporting legends.

Born in Montona, Italy (now Croatia) in 1940, his family was forced to flee their homeland just seven years later after it became part of communist Yugoslavia.

After a further seven years living in a refugee camp, the Andrettis settled in America.

Once there, Mario pursued his passion of motorsport, winning a national championship in his first professional season of racing. Andretti went on to become a household name, winning in everything from dirt track speedway to Formula One. Andretti’s biggest victories were in the 1969 Indianapolis 500 and the 1978 Formula One World Championship, 8

which he won driving for Lotus in the ground-breaking Lotus 79 ‘wing’ car.

A four-time Indy Car Champion, Andretti is the only driver to be named Driver of the Year in three different decades (1967, 1978 and 1984) and was named Driver of the Century by The Associated Press.

In part one of a two-part interview granted to Motorsport Legends’ Darren House, Andretti recalls life as a refugee, his incredible rise to fame and the real story behind the Lotus ‘wing’ car.

was fascinating to say the least. One thing that kept me motivated was that every year there were breakthroughs – something to look forward to. Now things are not that interesting because the knowledge is so vast; all you are doing is changing rules to eliminate this and that. The technology that I experienced, especially with the Indy Cars back in the ’90s has, if anything, gone backwards because of the rules. Our cars were more sophisticated in the ’90s than they are now.

How did the sport change during your long career?

I went through different decades where the sport evolved in every way – technology, engines, plus all of the learning curve of aerodynamics. I feel very fortunate, because I think it

What was life like for you in the refugee camp?

We pretty much left our home when I was eight years of age and I spent seven and a half years in a refugee camp in Tuscany, in Luca. At the age of 15 we came to America. �

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MARIO ANDRETTI

Above left: Andretti and rivals at the 1967 Daytona 500. Above right: Preparing for the 1969 Indianapolis 500.

Below left: At turn one at the 1969 Indy 500 and speaking in victory lane after the race (below right).

It was tough but I didn’t know a different life. When I was born in 1940 WWII broke out in Europe. Even as a child you detect that things are not right, where your whole family argues and you see tears but that’s all I knew.

The first five years of my life was war and after that it was even a bit worse because we became displaced. That was by choice because the area where I was born became occupied by Yugoslavia, which was hard-line communism under Marshal Tito. My dad had a choice to succumb to communism and have that type of life or just leave. Like us, thousands and thousands of others in that region just left.

It was a huge decision to move to a foreign land speaking no English.

It was. It was a new life for all of us, especially when we came to the States.

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I remember when my dad was still here we had many conversations about it and he always said it seemed to be such a big negative in our lives and it all turned out to be an enormous positive. Looking back at many aspects of my life, I always felt that after the clouds comes sunshine.

There is always a way that things are going to turn into a positive and it certainly did for me, on many fronts. So I look back and say, okay, it was not a normal life as we know normal lives but all in all, it worked out for the best so I have no anguish about that.

How did you fit into American life?

We came to a small town where I live still (Nazareth, Pennsylvania), and there was a little bit of separation with the ethnic groups. The Italians were not the most popular people here but we were naïve about it. A few years after and we were in

a position to build a new home my dad bought some property from probably the wealthiest family in Nazareth who were Pennsylvania Dutch as they call it. They (neighbours) almost said ‘how dare you, as an Italian, want to buy a property next to ours’. Then we became best of friends as time went on. But again, if there were obstacles, they didn’t affect us. We just went on with our business and the town went on to receive us in great fashion, naming streets differently and all that.

How did you become interested in motor racing?

Early in life, the most remote aspect of our lives was motor racing and yet there was something that sparked in me - I wanted to be daring about something.

We had this little buggy and there was a narrow, narrow street because we lived in a medieval town - it was founded in

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“WHEN OUR DAD FOUND OUT WE WERE RACING AGAIN, HE HAD A SMALL EXPLOSION”

Top: Bruce McLaren (left) and Andretti with the 1967 Sebring 12 Hour race winning Ford Mark IV. Above: Andretti and McLaren tested the Ford J car at Daytona in 1966.

Right: Andretti in a Bignotti Lola-Ford at the 1968 Can Am.

the fourth century - and it curved in front of our house, and here we were coming down in a buggy and trying to run over old ladies and things. There was something daredevilish about my twin brother Aldo and I. Later, when we were in the camp, we were exposed to some local motor racing and it just captured my imagination at a young age. Aldo had the same dream. We didn’t even have an automobile - my dad did not own a car until we came to America.

How did that passion develop into a career?

I don’t know why I became so passionate about it. Maybe it’s because when I was so young and impressionable it seemed so far away – like the impossible dream.

I said to myself, ‘God, if I could just pursue that, it would be all I would ask of my life’ and that is really what it came

down to. I had no Plan B for my life and I had no idea how or when this thing was going to develop. It just did.

The last race we had seen in Italy was the Italian Grand Prix, where Fangio won, Moss was second and my idol, Ascari, third. Well, that seemed really far away but when we arrived in America in 1955, Aldo and I discovered there was a local race track. It was a typical half-mile dirt track with weekend racers but we looked at that as, ‘Oh my God, this could be the beginning’, and it was.

Two years later we started building a car and the objective was to race that car by the time we were 21 because to race professionally in those days, you had to be 21. The car was finished in two years when we were 19 and we figured we were not going to wait, so we had our licences fudged by a friend of ours in town who was the editor of a small newspaper and

we started racing.

What did your parents think of you going into motor racing?

My dad was vehemently against it, mainly because he didn’t follow it.

The only thing that he knew of it was fatalities because that was what was always publicised, so we didn’t dare tell him that we were going to race. We went through the whole first season without him knowing. At the end of the season, we had been successful enough to be invited to race at Hadfield. I got a ride with somebody else and Aldo was driving our car and during a qualifying race he had a huge accident - he was trying to pass the track champion for the lead and he got into the guard rail and went end over end. That night he was in the hospital. He had a fractured skull and they gave him the Last Rites. That � MotorSportLegends

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MARIO ANDRETTI Below: In the cockpit at the 1969 Indy 500.

Right: On the podium with Ronnie Peterson (left) and James Hunt (right) at the 1978 French Grand Prix.

Opposite page: Andretti (middle) up against Bobby Unser (#11) and Johnny Rutherford (#4) at the start of the 1980 Indy 500.

Bottom: In a Holman Moody 429 at the 1969 Can Am.

was traumatic and I had to be the one to tell my parents. My dad felt vindicated, saying “I told you so”, but I had already started building a new car with my buddies for the following season. Aldo was in a coma for weeks and I would

tell him about the new car because the doctors said talk to him about things that will stimulate him and eventually he came around.

My dad thought that we had learnt our lesson but the following season,

“WE HAD OUR LICENCES FUDGED BY A FRIEND AND WE STARTED RACING”

when our dad found out we were racing again, he had a small explosion and he didn’t speak to us for several months.

He realised later on that we were going to pursue it anyway and he became a staunch supporter.

Aldo’s injuries didn’t give you second thoughts about racing?

No, it was a psychological setback but if you are committed to it, you’re just going to do it. Throughout my career I lost my closest friends but you go on because you love it and you have the feeling that you have some control and that it is never going to happen to you.

Aldo had to take a year-long sabbatical and by the time he came back to racing I had moved onto single seaters and so he drove our stock car. He drove for 10 more years until 1969 and then he had another huge accident in a sprint car, which I owned. He never drove after that.

At what point did you think you could make a career out of racing?

It was not an overnight revelation; you

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go from stepping stone to stepping stone. I would look back at the end of every season and ask myself, ‘Am I better off than I was a year ago? Did I progress?’ and the answer was always yes. That was all I needed to know.

I was making progress and gaining experience and I was always shooting for the stars - I wanted to be at the very top. I had victories in some of the minor

categories, winning against some of the top drivers at the time like AJ Foyt, so I thought when I progress to Champ Cars (Indy Cars) I should be okay.

Did you have someone to guide you?

I wish I could have but there was no one to guide you. You were learning through the school of hard knocks (laughs). You had to just experience it and learn from

others. No one of any stature was willing to take you under their wing. They always sneered down at this ‘young kid’, so you had to prove yourself. Those were the toughest times.

One of the drawbacks for me was the fact that I am fairly small in stature physically and in those days you needed to look like Hercules to drive those cars.

Some of the owners would look at me and ask me if I was strong enough and I would reply: “As long as I don’t have to lift the car over my shoulders I will drive xx xxxxxtox it. I guarantee you I am in condition do it physically.” It was another thing I had to prove that I could do, and I did.

How did you adapt from a driving style that required brute force to one that required finesse?

Of all of the experience that you gain from the different disciplines, something is always applicable no matter what you are driving. It’s about car control; it’s about being able to feel how to get the power to the ground without wasting a lot of time wheel spinning. For example, I applied some of the car control � MotorSportLegends

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MARIO ANDRETTI

With Bobby Rahal in 1991

“THE TECHNOLOGY WITH THE INDY CARS, HAS, IF ANYTHING, GONE BACKWARDS” and the driving skills that I developed driving on the slippery surface of dirt track ovals; some of that helped me in the wet during a road race because on some of the dirt tracks, the conditions changed so dramatically. You had to adapt to it and that is what it is in wet conditions on a road course – almost every lap is different. So, everything was applicable somewhere.

You proved the value of that experience during the torrential rain of the Japanese GP. Yeah, it wasn’t easy. The strange thing was that the Europeans always thought Americans could not drive in the wet because they are not trained to and that was one point where I wanted to prove them wrong. I like to think that I can drive as quickly as anyone in the wet. I 14

think I have proved that several times throughout my career and that’s what you are looking for as far as personal satisfaction.

You met Colin Chapman in 1965 – what was he like?

Colin was a real genius as we all know and a very interesting guy. If you were on the right side of him you were golden.

Fortunately, I think that’s how things were for me because in my very first race with him I put the car on pole and I was the third man on the team, so it was an auspicious beginning. Later on, when we joined forces again we won a World Championship so we were scoring. As long as his drivers were getting results, he loved them so we developed a great relationship but I saw a different side of him towards some of the other drivers.

You declined his early offer to drive for Lotus. Why did you take so long to enter F1?

First of all I had to try to hone my skills in road racing before I could attempt that - I felt that I needed time before I could venture into F1 but at the time I was involved in Ford Le Mans programs and that allowed to me to do a lot of testing.

One driver who was very helpful to me was Bruce McLaren. He and I became really good friends and I learned a lot from him without him even knowing; just by watching him, and then asking questions. This was later in my career where I felt I was at the same level and could discuss things and get the answers.

Also, the problem was I couldn’t really commit fulltime because I had quite a relationship with Firestone. From a financial standpoint, things were becoming quite attractive and I couldn’t leave that, not that I ever raced for the money, but it represented stability for my family. I figured if anything happens to me at least my family will be taken care of by earning what I was earning.

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Left: Andretti was on the front row in a Lotus Ford at the 1978 Belgium Grand Prix.

Above: A side view of Andretti’s Lotus Ford at the 1978 Belgium Grand Prix.

Right: At the 1967 Yankee 300.

Before Lotus you had an unpleasnt experience with the Parnelli Jones team.

It’s very frustrating when things don’t go well and there is finger pointing and all that. It is the worst possible scenario and unfortunately that is what happens when you can’t put the results together - the driver blames the car and owners blame the driver (laughs).

But again, you always learn something, even from that. The switch from Parnelli to Lotus was something that was not designed – it just happened – and is another perfect example of a negative becoming a positive. At the beginning of the ’76 season we were at Long Beach on the grid when I learned that Parnelli Jones had decided to quit F1. We had a DNF in the race and Colin Chapman had probably the worst race he had in his career; one of his cars didn’t even qualify. Colin and I were having breakfast the next morning and I said, “Colin, the team quit F1 and I’d really like to continue”. I thought that he was committed with his drivers but he said,

“why don’t you come with me (but) our car is really not good right now, it’s like a London bus”. I said, “Colin, if you come back to racing 100 per cent” - because at that point he started a boat company, he started a car company and he was very much distracted - “if you delegate authority to others for those businesses, I’ll do it”.

Did you know the ground effects car was on the way?

A lot of people don’t know the history of it. Ground effects happened by accident - we had no idea. Actually, I am the one who suggested the side pods because of the experience that I had with the 1970 March car, which had side pods that created a downforce effect. A lot of people didn’t realise it but I did when I was testing at Kyalami in South Africa.

I thought maybe those things create unnecessary drag so we took them off and all of a sudden the car was really flying in the front end - we lost a lot of front downforce. We thought ‘gosh, we are going to have to put them back on to

regain the balance’.

Throughout the 1976 season we had some issues but we kept talking and I tried to make some suggestions but Colin didn’t like that. He didn’t like to hear technical things from a driver but at the end of the season we sat down and the question “okay Mario, what would you like to see in the new car?” was thrown at me.

I replied downforce with no drag penalty and then I would chuckle because that’s impossible, right? I got their minds ticking over and then I explained to them the effect of the March pods.

Colin then went further; he put side pods on the car but he also put the straight fences on them to be able to direct and contain the air and that is how the ground effect began.

Nothing was studied in a wind tunnel; that came later when we had to come up with skirts and all that sort of thing.

It was just one thing leading to another.

There was no, “Oh, we just discovered ground effects on paper”. MSL MotorSportLegends

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RUSSELL INGALL

MELLOWED ENFORCEMENT

These days he’s called The Enforcer, but Russell Ingall had to take a softly, softly approach to clinching his one and only V8 Supercar Championship.

STORY BY GLENIS LINDLEY/PHOTOGRAPHS BY GLENIS LINDLEY AND AUTOPICS.COM.AU

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hen Russell Ingall was first announced as Larry Perkins’ Bathurst co-driver in 1995, it was almost a case of Russell who? However, it didn’t take long for Ingall to establish himself back here in Australia after claiming his first Bathurst 1000 victory with Perkins that year, then repeating the feat two years later.

Born in London, his family moved to Adelaide and Ingall kick-started his racing career in karting at Wyalla.

After becoming the Australian Junior Champion and winning several senior championships, he raced karts in Europe before returning home, graduating to Formula Ford and F3. Ingall clinched the 1990 Australian Formula Ford Champi16

Above: Having a chuckle at a Winton press coference in 2011. Top: The Queensland resident on ‘home turf’ at Queensland Raceway in 2000.

onship, that same year making his Bathurst 1000 debut in the hot seat of a VL Commodore with Kevin Bartlett.

He remained largely unknown here, making an ambitious decision to race in the cutthroat British Formula Ford Championship where he finished

runner-up in 1991. The year after he extended his international career, racing in the German F3 Championship before claiming the highly coveted British Open FF title in 1993.

First place in the prestigious British Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch indicated his skill behind the wheel as he mastered various categories.

Interestingly, he once competed against – and beat – now-retired F1 driver David Coulthard. In 1992, the virtually unknown Aussie started 23rd on the grid for this famous and always fiercely contested Macau Grand Prix.

Midway through the race on this notoriously difficult street circuit, he had overtaken Coulthard for fifth place.

He’d also raced in the New Zealand

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Dunlop FF Series, winning 10 from 12 races, while his brilliant 13 from 16 races in the British Championship, clocking up the highest number of wins ever recorded in a season, demonstrated this stand-out rising star certainly had talent.

Ingall drove in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship and in the off season, was enticed back to Australia to compete in the 1994 endurance races for Wayne Gardner, joining Win Percy at the wheel.

They even led The Great Race at one stage and recorded a creditable fifth place, considering Ingall’s relative lack of touring car experience.

Long distance specialist Larry Perkins recognised Ingall’s potential, securing him to drive the endurance events in 1995. Fresh from his 1995 British Formula Renault Championship title, Ingall opened many eyes with his supporting role when they claimed victory. It was a major break-through for Ingall, as that year the Castrol Perkins Commodore came from last to first (when Perkins suffered a flat tyre after tangling with pole-sitter Craig Lowndes at the start). They miraculously managed to pass every car in the field to snatch this well-deserved victory.

Perkins, who had previously struggled to climb the ladder of success in Europe, decribed Ingall as the exact opposite of a ‘Hollywood’ driver.

“He let his driving be his spokesman,” Perkins said.

With a contract in his hand from Perkins Engineering, Ingall became a permanent fixture on the touring car scene for 1996, claiming a convincing round victory at Calder Park in his first season and finishing sixth in the championship. The following year he achieved even more success, finishing third in the championship.

He certainly wasn’t unnoticed nor unknown by this stage, and for his hard-hitting, aggressive, win-at-all-costs racing style he earned the nickname ‘The Enforcer’.

“I learned to drive like that out of necessity when I competed overseas,” Ingall said.

Coming second at Sandown and winning Bathurst with the boss in 1997 saw him firmly established in tin-top ranks. The following year was successful too, clinching the

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Sandown 500, and securing runner-up to Craig Lowndes for the V8 Supercar title, as well as a second place at Bathurst.

Even though he continued his no-holds-barred approach to racing, there were no more major successes despite the fact that he’d stepped up to become the lead driver at Castrol Perkins. Out of loyalty and because “Larry was a good teacher and a very smart man”, Ingall remained there until the end of 2002.

Always ambitious and seeking greater opportunities, he surprisingly switched to the opposition Ford camp, despite being “a Holden man at heart”. Joining the top-rated Stone Brothers Racing operation, his teammate was hotshot Marcos Ambrose and that pairing proved a formidable combination for both Holden and Ford opponents alike.

“I think we will be able to learn a lot from each other,” Ingall, or ‘Rusty’ as he’s known to friends, said at

the time.

He had high hopes for immediate success, but that didn’t come quickly, as adjustments had to be made while settling into his new team. After being the top dog at Perkins, he slowly set about establishing himself with his tough, forceful driving style and �

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RUSSELL INGALL

outspoken manner, but he was destined to play second fiddle to Ambrose, who snared the 2003 and 2004 titles.

Being relegated to an agonizing fourth runner-up position, Ingall became the ‘perennial bridesmaid’. Determined to shake that tag, he even donned a bridesmaid’s dress for a publicity stunt in Adelaide. That must have done the trick because the following year he declared “I plan to become champion” and went on to claim it.

Despite his obvious ability to race at the top with his no-nonsense approach, qualifying was his big downside. Rusty has to date notched up just one pole position in his entire V8 career at Winton in 2001 and he remains puzzled as to exactly why.

“I have no idea! I just can’t seem to get my head around qualifying here,” he said.

“In open-wheelers overseas I had no trouble grabbing pole or the front row.”

Despite his perceived aggression, numerous racing indiscretions and controversies on the track, there’s really only one major incident involving Ingall that springs to mind. There aren’t too many V8 fans who don’t smile at the memory of his much publicised clash with Holden rival Mark Skaife during Eastern Creek’s crucial 2003 final round.

It was ‘race rage’ at its best for the

In deep conversation with Larry Perkins at the 2001 Bathurst.

amused crowd, but an infamous and unsportsmanlike part of V8 history.

The two drivers were never really friends, but after the run-in, there were no Christmas cards exchanged that year!

With neither giving an inch, they raced side by side, pushing and shoving.

As Skaife attempted to squeeze through on the inside, Ingall appeared to move across to block him, causing Skaife to spear into the concrete wall. The normally placid Holden champion, with steam coming from his ears and face as red as his driver’s suit, clenched his fist and jumped out of the car.

Walking towards the track in a menacing manner, Skaife shouted abuse as Ingall approached on his next lap.

Ingall seemed to veer towards the clearly livid Skaife, but swerved away again without making any contact.

“Ingall was found to be in breach of the rules and guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute,” said a steward while handing him an exclusion from the meeting, loss of points and the maximum $15,000 fine, plus he was placed on 12-month probation but received a suspended sentence.

Skaife was fined $10,000, lost his round points and also had to be on his best behaviour for a year for his part in the clash. Skaife’s punishment was for his reaction and not for his part in the crash but it cost him second place in the championship.

The Kevin Bartlett/ Russell Ingall/Rohan Onslow VL Commodore at the 1990 Bathurst.

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“He was blocking me lap after lap.

“I’ve never seen something so bad in sport. Can you believe it?” the fired-up Skaife exclaimed.

Needless to say, the press conference was one of the most entertaining journalists ever attended.

All that is past history, although the two headstrong characters have had subsequent verbal clashes at V8 Supercar shows and similar occasions.

“It’s all over now. We get along pretty well, but we’re still a bit wary of each other,” Rusty suggested with a grin.

Despite his firm belief “the more aggressive you are, the faster you go – too aggressive and you go home,” he has modified his driving style, admitting to becoming more mellow.

Nevertheless, his tenacity and fierce determination to drive on the limit when necessary are still evident and he’s extremely focused (read tense and

non-approachable around practice and qualifying sessions).

Some of the mellowing in Ingall’s life can be attributed to his family. Married to his long-time partner Julia, they have two daughters Sasha and Jaz. When he clinched his title in 2005, he’d planned that year very carefully.

But come Bathurst, his favourite track, things weren’t looking too promising as Ambrose had been perched at the top of the scoreboard throughout the season.

After another infamous altercation, this time between Ambrose and Greg Murphy, Ingall found himself leading the championship.

For years ‘The Enforcer’ had always chased the championship leader but with this sudden reversal now he played the role of defender against the pack.

Holding off a late charge from fan favourite Craig Lowndes and withstanding Ambrose’s strong

fightback in his bid to claim a championship hat-trick before departing for the greener pastures of NASCAR, Ingall clung to his slender lead over the last few rounds.

During the final round at Phillip Island, Ingall surprised everyone with his smart, conservative and cautious approach; tactics which paid dividends as his patience (not something usually associated with The Enforcer) was rewarded with the V8 Supercar crown.

Former teammate Steve Richards remarked, “It (the championship) was his to lose.”

Ingall said he gave it his all in the title fight.

“I tried everything – bashing, crashing and bucking the system,” the emotional but happy winner said.

“This was my last resort.”

With only one round win under his belt compared to Lowndes’ haul �

“I TRIED EVERYTHING – BASHING, CRASHING AND BUCKING THE SYSTEM. THIS WAS MY LAST RESORT”

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RUSSELL INGALL

Above: At the 2003 Queensland 300. Right: Ingall in Super Tourers at Lakeside in 1996. Below right: Paring with teammate Marcos Ambrose at the 2003 Sandown 500. Below: Ingall was no longer the bridesmaid, clinching the Championship in 2005.

of four victories and five poles, Ingall copped his fair share of criticism but he was too ecstatic to care.

Thanks to his consistency and solid haul of points, he’d achieved his decadelong dream.

Brimming with confidence, the new champion declared “my ambition is to stay number one for a long time” but it wasn’t meant to be.

With little joy, Ingall remained at SBR for two more years and then moved back to Holden for 2008, having finished the previous season in a hugely disap-

pointing 11th place, the first time in his V8 career he’d been outside the top 10.

Joining forces with the Paul Morris Motorsports/Sirromet team created another level of interest with a driver’s poll in 2007 voting Morris ‘the most dangerous driver’, while Ingall shared the ‘dirtiest driver’ tag with Morris and Jason Bargwanna.

The team change attracted sponsorship from Castrol and Supercheap Auto and Ingall became the public face of the latter.

While no more Bathurst victories (he’s ticked up his 21st start) or V8 Supercar

championships came his way, a television contract did and he became even more of a personality through his Supercheap/ Enforcer commercials.

The first two years at Paul Morris Motorsports produced reasonable results and Ingall once again made the top 10 (ninth for both years). But 2010 brought changes within the team and it was all downhill for the next two years as he experienced the worst results of his touring car career – 12th and 20th.

“It just ripped me to bits thinking I’m not even going to make the podium this

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Being chased by Craig Lowndes at Lakeside in 1998. After being a long time rival of Walkinshaw Racing, Ingall today is driving for them.

weekend,” he explained.

“You lie awake at night and start doubting yourself.”

For 2012, a lifeline came in the form of a move to Walkinshaw Racing and he took the Supercheap Auto sponsorship with him, marking the fifth year of the partnership.

It was billed as a “Re-enforcement Year”.

Being the oldest V8 Supercar driver and on the cusp of becoming a veteran of 18 seasons is rather daunting, but during his extraordinary career he’s

already started in more than 500 races and achieved 13 top 10 championship placings which is an amazing achievement.

For the record, Rusty considers Jamie Whincup the best current driver, while he regards his 1992 F3 race at Monaco as his best motor racing memory.

“What a fantastic experience that was, to race at Monaco in ‘proper’ cars,” he said.

Retirement at the end of 2013 isn’t something the Gold Coast resident is particularly looking forward to, despite

having a number of boy’s toys to keep him occupied.

However, with his contract extended, Ingall will now experience the Car Of The Future (COTF).

“I’m hoping to give it one final swing.

I’m also proud to still be competitive in a young man’s game.

“I won’t do it (retire) half-heartedly and wave to the crowd from the back of a ute (Now, could that be a dig at old sparring partner Skaifey?).

“I’d rather go out standing on the podium,” declared The Enforcer. MSL

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26/3/13 11:10:33 AM

HISTORIC

RACER

CHAMPIONS MAKE HISTORIC RACING DEBUT AT ISLAND CLASSIC 1981 Le Mans winning Porsche fast tracked through customs to make it to the festival.

Five-time Australian Touring Car Champion Mark Skaife reunited with Gibson Motorsport and his former Nissan Skyline at this year’s Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport from March 8-10.

Skaife, who retired from fulltime touring car racing in 2008 and been a driving force behind the V8 Supercars Car of the Future program, drove the HR31 GTS-R sedan in which he contested much of the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship.

He was the third Australian champion making their historic racing debut at the 2013 Classic. Fellow six-time Bathurst winner Larry Perkins returned to racing after a 10-year absence to drive the ex-Kevin Bartlett 1985 Pantera Bianca coupe at the meeting’s International Sportscar Challenge, while four-time Australian Driving Champion Alfredo Costanzo raced the ex-Bartlett 1971 McLaren M10B Formula 5000 in openwheeler events.

Jim Richards recently acquired the two wheel drive, 440hp turbocharged six cylinder 2.0-litre Nissan HR31, but a clash of dates with the Touring Car Masters in Sydney meant he

Mark Skaife was one of three former Australian champions making their historic racing debut at the 2013 Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport, driving Jim Richards’ recently acquired Nissan HR31.

was unable to drive it at the Phillip Island Classic.

Skaife and Gibson together won Bathurst as driver and manager respectively three times during a long and successful touring car and open wheel racing relationship.

Gibson Motorsport recently relaunched and now maintains and develops several historic racing cars and many classic road cars, including the HR31.

Skaife missed the Sunday morning race due to a prior commitment, having won the two Saturday races and he went on to finish second in the final Sunday race.

The famous Porsche 936/81 Spyder that dominated the 1981 Le Mans 24-Hour was also at

the Classic.

The ship carrying the 360kph open Porsche from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart did not berth in Melbourne until the day before official practice and qualifying.

Special arrangements were made to rush the Porsche in its container to the circuit where customs officers inspected it.

Alex Davison, the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Champion, drove the Porsche in the International Sportscar Challenge feature race, which was a highlight of the meeting.

The 936/81 lined up for a rolling start alongside a near capacity grid of ‘big banger’ sports cars from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. The

high powered field included nine Lolas, eight McLarens, four Elfins, three other Porsches, two Le Mans Matra-Simca MS670s, a Ford GT40 and the Pantera driven by Perkins.

Aston Martin’s centenary was marked in style at the 2013 Phillip Island Classic with the appearance of one of the British sports car maker’s most famous post-war racing saloons.

One of the rare Le Mans-specification Aston Martin DB2 coupes that formed Briggs Cunningham’s three-car entry in the 1950 Sebring Six-Hour race in the USA was driven in Regularity events by its joint owner, Australia’s first Le Mans 24-Hour race winner, Vern Schuppan.

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FRED GIBSON

TEAM GIBSON REUNITED

STORY BY GRANT NICHOLAS/PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED BY GIBSON MOTORSPORT, JOHN DOIG/TORQUE PHOTOS AND AUTOPICS.COM.AU

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G

ibson Motorsport originally opened its doors in 1981 and during the ensuing two decades amassed an enormous number of national and state victories plus Australian Touring Car Championship titles and V8 Supercar successes.

Founder Fred Gibson’s technical prowess with performance vehicles saw him start his motor racing career during the mid 1960s in an MGA sports car and the journey from then has resulted in the recognition as a leading driver, team manager and owner.

After a six-year hiatus from the automotive scene Gibson has opened an all-new evolution of Gibson Motorsport in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Hallam, which has also included the return of Alan Heaphy to the Gibson Motorsport fold.

“The focus now is all about assisting people with their classic cars, the likes of Ford Falcon GTHOs, Ford Mustangs, Mopar muscle cars and Nissans from both road and race backgrounds,” Gibson said.

“In addition, we can assist international and interstate teams with their historic racers and we have the facility to restore, race prepare and service their cars for the Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport or other special events of their choice.

“We have experienced personnel with a wealth of knowledge in getting exceptional performance from any type of classic car.”

Gibson’s knowledge of classic cars stems back to the ’60s when he operated Road and Track Automotive Services in Randwick, Sydney, while racing a variety of sports cars and former Tasman Series

McLaren and Brabham open-wheelers.

The car that made motor racing pundits take notice of Gibson’s race driving expertise was a competition Lotus Elan that he purchased in kit form from Geoghegan Brothers, the Sydney Lotus agents. Gibson, aided by his father, unpacked the Elan from its shipping crate and proceeded to assemble it in the Geoghegan race shop with their race mechanic John Shepherd assisting.

Shepherd and Gibson upgraded the Cosworth engine from 145-horsepower to 180-horsepower and during the next two seasons of competition their partnership resulted in Gibson setting �

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FRED GIBSON

a new record of 21 straight race wins at Oran Park Raceway. Race fans and fellow competitors closely followed his battles at various Sydney circuits with wealthy businessman Neil Allen in a similar Elan.

Gibson recalled a slight, dark-haired figure admiring how he had powered the Elan through the famous high-speed kink at Lakeside Raceway at a Tasman Series round.

“It was none other than Lotus factory driver Jim Clark, Scottish two-time Formula One World Champion,” he said.

In 1966 Gibson shared a Morris Cooper S with Bill Stanley and finished second at the Bathurst 500 to the factory entry of Bob Holden and Finnish rally star Rauno Aaltonen. Legendary Ford team boss Harry Firth noted his touring car prowess and invited Gibson to share a Falcon XR GT with him a year later, leaving his young charger to do the bulk of the running over the weekend while ‘The Silver Fox’ orchestrated the factory team’s three-car campaign.

Gibson nearly took pole position from Ian Geoghegan’s factory GT that he was sharing with his brother Leo,

after a yellow flag was waved at the top of the mountain while on his quickest qualifying lap. Sunday’s race saw Gibson establish a new lap record on his way to his first major race victory and the beginning of a five-year partnership with the auto manufacturer.

“Despite a series of DNFs at Bathurst I raced with success with Ford all around the country in the fabulous Falcon GT-HOs and the new Group C Falcon XA hardtop. I won back-to-back Toby Lee Production Car Series in 1970 and ’71 and that was quite satisfying.”

In early 1968 Gibson’s former sparring partner, Neil Allen, invited him to join his Sydney-based team that contained some extremely potent machinery including a new Lotus 23 sports car, Lotus Elan, Ford Mustang Trans Am, Elfin 400 sports car, an ex-Frank Gardner Brabham BT16 Climax and the ex-Piers Courage McLaren M4A 1.6-litre Cosworth FVA open-wheelers.

“The BT16 was a Formula 2 chassis that Gardner had shoehorned in a 2.5-litre Climax for the 1967 Tasman Series,” Gibson said.

o Er

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“I ran it in the ’68 Australian Gold Star Series and had a ball with it. It was great to drive as you could see where the wheels were instead of having to find them in a touring car.

“Neil crashed the McLaren heavily whilst testing at Lakeside Raceway and had his team engineer Peter Molloy rebuild the car for me to run at Warwick Farm and Sandown. For a number of years I drove all of Neil’s cars at a wide range of circuits with mixed success.”

Former Ford Motor Racing Manager Howard Marsden established the Nissan Motorsport team in 1981 and Gibson was invited to join leading rally exponent George Fury in the factorybuilt turbocharged Bluebird race cars.

Unfortunately the Bluebird was fragile and unreliable but extremely fast and Fury managed to snare pole position at the 1984 Bathurst 1000 endurance race. Gibson headed the team after he retired from racing in ’83 and Marsden was heading up Nissan’s European motorsport operation.

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Clockwise from above: At Oran Park in 1967, Gibson races a Lotus Elan at Catalina Park in Katoomba in 1965, in a R&T Chev V8 at Warwick Farm on September 5, 1970 and Gibson plays his part in a Falcon/Monaro dice at Amaroo in 1970.

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FRED GIBSON

Above: Gibson and Heaphy have reunited at Gibson Motorsport. Top right: Jim Richards in a Nissan G-TR at Sandown in 1991 Right: Mark Skaife drove the Skyline back in the Group A days and the Nissan is now in the hands of new owner Robert Marshall.

Gibson Motorsport recently completed race preparing the car for Marshall.

in 1986 followed by the more potent Skyline HR31 as well as nurturing talented youngsters Glenn Seton and Mark Skaife to run with motorsport champions George Fury, Jim Richards, Win Percy and Anders Olofsson as they collected numerous pole positions, lap records and race victories.

Nissan wanted to be the first Japanese automotive manufacturer to win Bathurst and the company sent Gibson the new four-wheel-drive Skyline GT-R to replace the HR31. Three brand new luxurious GT-R road cars were shipped to Gibson’s Melbourne race shop to be stripped and rebuilt as racecars.

“You can imagine my surprise and dismay when I discovered that the twin turbocharged six-cylinder was a straight six engine,” he said.

“I had assumed that it would have been a V6. The car was quite heavy as it had front and rear differentials and all of the four wheel drive auxiliaries plus the inline engine over the front axle. Getting it down to the Group A homologated weight was an ongoing challenge.”

It was at this time that expatriate Aussie Alan Heaphy joined Gibson 28

Motorsport and through his vast experience in PI data logging and engine development, played a large part in fast tracking the development of the GT-R into a race winner. Heaphy had ventured to England in ’81 as a mechanic and a short time later through a chance meeting with Marsden joined Nissan.

Over the next eight years he was heavily involved in the company’s European Touring Car Championship exploits before moving across to its sports car program. He was instrumental in the development of the highly successful R98/90 C engine program that powered Nissan’s Le Mans prototype spec Group C Sports Cars that secured pole at the 1990 Le Mans 24-hour race by a whopping six seconds.

Gibson Motorsport dominated on the track as the team scored three successive Australian Touring Car Championships and back-to-back Bathurst 1000 victories with the all-conquering GT-R, making it one of the most dominant touring cars in Australian history.

“This was really the beginning of the computerised age in our industry in Australia and I was fortunate to have

some of the country’s most gifted people working for me,” he said.

“It was an extremely complicated car to race prepare and the first ‘Godzilla’ cost in the vicinity of half a millions dollars to build, which was an enormous amount of money back in 1990.”

With the demise of Group A in 1992 and the introduction of Holden versus Ford V8 racing in ’93, Gibson moved to the Holden marque and continued its winning ways with Skaife claiming the 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship title after securing the Formula Brabham ’91, ’92 and ’93 Australian Driver’s Championships. Then in 1999 he masterminded another Bathurst 1000 victory with a Holden Commodore driven by Greg Murphy and Steven Richards.

A move back to Ford allowed Gibson Motorsport to savour success with Craig Lowndes at the Australian Grand Prix before he retired from motorsport management roles in 2003. The following year he was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame.

Since moving away from V8 Supercars in the mid 2000s, Heaphy worked

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Top: Gibson with George Fury. Above: Gibson was Craig Lowndes’ team manager when he moved back to Ford in 2000.

on Team Mitsubishi Ralliart’s rally program as well as developing a service and motorsport facility for Lancer Evo enthusiasts and racers, winning several Australian Manufacturer’s Championships for production cars.

With two of the nation’s finest motor racing engineers and managers once again reunited and working together at Gibson Motorsport, they offer a wide range of mechanical services from simple maintenance through to the full revitalisation of road, classic or racecars to their former glory.

They have recently completed race preparing an original Gibson Motorsport/Nissan Motorsport built Skyline HR31 formerly raced by George Fury and Mark Skaife for new owner Robert Marshall. Preparing for his Group A debut at the Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport, Marshall gave the ‘No. 3’ HR31 a shakedown at Calder Park Raceway.

“The Gibson Motorsport team have done a marvellous job in setting the car up for me as well as assisting me as I learn more about it,” he said.

Gibson Motorsport was also running a second HR31 for Mark Skaife himself at the Phillip Island Classic.

Jim Richards now owns the car but a clash of dates between the Classic and a Touring Car Masters meeting at Eastern Creek where Richards was racing his AMC Javelin saw Skaife drive the ‘No. 2’ Skyline at Phillip Island.

The five-time touring car champion dominated the Group A and C races.

MSL22 p024-29 Gibson Motorsport.indd 29

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ALEX ZANARDI

ZANARDI’S ZEST FOR LIFE Remarkable achievements and tremendous dedication define the amazing person that is race driver-come-marathon competitor Alex Zanardi.

STORY BY GLENIS LINDLEY/PHOTOGRAPHS BY GLENIS LINDLEY AND COURTESY OF BARILLA

A

fter experiencing the highest highs and lowest lows the sport dealt him, it would have been difficult for Alex Zanardi to turn his back on motor racing to face another enormous challenge in his life. Yet he went on to earn a place to compete in the London Paralympics and then win three medals.

This likeable Italian is probably remembered most for his horrendous accident in 2001 in Lausitzring, Germany, which almost claimed his life, but saw him lose both legs when his car was T-boned at 320kph. Zanardi, a former CART champion in 1997 and ’98, was leading the race when Alex Tagliani lost control of his Champ Car, skidded across the track and unavoidably slammed into his car.

The first of many miracles came when Zanardi, who lost almost three-quarters

30

Above: Zanardi in Australia at the 1997 Indy.

Top: Zanardi exhibits his forceful style on the Gold Coast at the 1998 Indy.

of his blood on the way to hospital and had to be resuscitated several times after this horrific crash, defied all odds and everyone’s fears by surviving.

According to doctors, he had only about a litre of blood left in his body, and they couldn’t understand how this critically injured driver managed to stay alive. He shouldn’t have lived through that terrible ordeal, nor should he be

able to walk again, let alone race a car competitively.

Christened Alessandro, Alex Zanardi is clearly no ordinary person.

Born in Bologna, Italy in 1966, his interest in motor racing began with karting as a 13-year-old. After his slightly older teenage sister Cristina was killed in a car crash, Alex had wanted to get a Moped, but a go-kart was considered much safer by his protective parents Dino and Anna, who feared losing their remaining child.

Alex was a self-confessed rascal who loved building things like home-made karts, after somehow managing to scrounge or acquire bits and pieces from various sources - wheels from rubbish bins and pipes from his father’s business were put to good use.

So his parents decided to raise the necessary funds for what would � become a strong family interest

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ALEX ZANARDI

Clockwise from above: Zanardi swapped motorsport for handcycling although it has been suggested that he will again race at the Indianapolis 500, talking tactics at the 1998 Gold Coast Indy event, Zanardi on Aussie soil again at the 1999 Australian Grand Prix and talking to race engineer Mo Nunn on the Gold Coast in 1998.

Opposite page: Zanardi competes in a Lotus at the 1993 Australian Grand Prix.

and purchase a ‘real’ kart. Young Alex applied himself well, learning all aspects of design, building, and racing karts before progressing up the ladder. Italian Formula 3, then European Formula 3000 beckoned, with international recognition coming in 1991.

Eleven years after his karting debut, he was ready to step up to Formula One. Following a test session in a Footwork (Arrows) at Paul Ricard, he made his debut with Jordan – replacing Michael Schumacher who’d moved up to Benetton.

Along the F1 path, Zanardi had guest drives with Minardi, test drives for Benetton during 1992 and ’93 and played a significant role in helping fine-tune Benetton’s active suspension system. His thorough grounding in karting was certainly paying dividends.

After Lotus boss Peter Collins invited Zanardi to join his team, he scored his 32

first point in the Brazilian GP in 1993.

However, his F1 aspirations were cut short as he suffered a serious practice crash, ironically caused by suspension failure, at Belgium’s famous Spa circuit and his season ended prematurely.

The Italian missed the opening rounds of the 1994 season because spinal damage and partial shoulder paralysis prevented a rapid recovery, but he returned to Lotus when driver Pedro Lamy was injured in a testing crash.

It seemed that luck and good fortune had deserted him in his attempt to crack the big time.

When Lotus collapsed at the end of 1994 after struggling all year, it appeared likely that Zanardi’s F1 career was finished. He’d persevered with totally unreliable cars and failed to score a single point or even qualify his car in the top 10.

He was bitterly disappointed, having

not achieved what he had set out to do in the highly competitive prestigious class, despite his unquestionable level of determination. But that never stopped him from giving his all and he was totally committed to his goal of reaching the top.

“I have the will to win. I always attempt to turn defeat into success,” he once stated.

His positive attitude enabled him to bounce back, so he spent a short period racing sports cars before turning his talent towards another openwheel category, CART (Champ Cars), accepting a seat at Target/Chip Ganassi Racing for 1996. The team’s chief race engineer Morris ‘Mo’ Nunn was initially against signing Zanardi, believing Italian drivers were too prone to making mistakes, far too temperamental and didn’t look after their cars.

With his far from desirable F1 debut,

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“I HAVE THE WILL TO WIN. I ALWAYS ATTEMPT TO TURN DEFEAT INTO SUCCESS” Zanardi was determined to make a better impression in CART. Faced with uncertainty and fear of failure, he worked extremely hard to achieve in this vastly different category. As revealed in his book Alex Zanardi: My Story Nunn nicknamed him ‘Pineapple’ which was a word he applied to annoying children who always wanted something more or something better.

But it was Zanardi’s enthusiasm and passion for racing, and his striving for perfection, which made him tick.

Largely unknown in America, this new face soon breathed new life, along with a much-needed injection of personality and sporting entertainment into CART. He established and broke many records, capturing the adoration of fans along the way.

Zanardi was an impressive driver with spectacular car control, often carving up the field with his daring style.

The man with a great sense of humour became only the second driver in CART history after Jacques Villeneuve the other to become Rookie of the Year and then went on to win the PPG Cup. The 31-year-old was brilliantly quick, with some dramatic come from behind finishes to back up his fast growing reputation during his impressive, record-breaking year.

It was around this time that I first observed him in press conferences on the Gold Coast and discovered that he was very accessible to both fans and media alike. Courteous and charismatic out of the car, his fiercely competitive spirit emerged when he put his helmet on.

Also being a keen showman on

occasions (or “show-off” as he describes himself), he caught the eye of officials, earning himself a few hefty fines. This happy-go-lucky Italian introduced his trademark victory celebration ‘donuts’ – something now widely copied by other winning drivers.

While the fans loved his flamboyant style, the same couldn’t be said for some of his rivals but he shrugged off criticism, insisting that he’d never deliberately cause anyone to crash.

“In Italy we have a saying: a lot of enemies, a lot of honour,” Zanardi explained.

Away from the track and racing, Zanardi married his long-time girlfriend Daniela, who was to become his major support and friend when things got unimaginably tough. They have one son, Niccolo.

Clinching back-to-back championships, he became the third driver in CART history to achieve this feat, but surprisingly, Sir Frank Williams enticed CART’s ‘golden boy’ back to Formula One. Zanardi felt there was unfinished business there, but he was beaten by his less-than-friendly and unhelpful teammate Ralf Schumacher and an unreliable car. He failed to score a single point during 1999 and Jenson Button ‘replaced’ him at Williams.

His charming personality shone through during his visit to the Castrol Corporate box at Melbourne’s Australian Grand Prix that year as part of Williams’ sponsorship commitments. While most drivers can’t wait to beat a retreat after making a fleeting appearance, Zanardi was only too happy to answer extra questions and sign

autographs for fans.

Taking a sabbatical in 2000, he contemplated the harsh realities of his chosen career as he relaxed at his home in Monaco, spent time with his young son Niccolo and enjoyed boating and swimming with friends.

It was his old friend and race engineer Morris, now part-owner of Mo Nunn Racing, who offered him a job for 2001. Soon Zanardi was back doing what he loved best. The pair set their sights on another championship, but despite excellent credentials and good intentions, Zanardi never reached his previous heights with this team.

Then came that terrifying crash which shattered his car and his life – miraculously he survived the impact.

His fighting spirit and willpower pulled him through. With the humble grace of a true champion, he told his wife, “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way through this”.

The initial surgery took well over seven hours, aided by many prayers and skilful doctors. After that ordeal and a long period in hospital, he admitted he never really felt depressed until he returned home and began planning his racing comeback.

“I made it my aim to lead a normal life again,” Zanardi said.

Although he had an enormous amount of dedication and support from his loving wife, family and fellow drivers, what followed wasn’t easy. The return to the driver’s seat was painstakingly difficult, with the courageous former champion enduring excruciating pain, countless operations and many tedious hours of therapy and rehabilitation. But pity was never part of his vocabulary or thinking.

Specially made prosthetic legs and a modified BMW 320i race car enabled � MotorSportLegends

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ALEX ZANARDI

him to compete in the FIA World Touring Car Championship just a few years after his life-changing accident.

Winning four races and a pole position was no minor achievement for this inspirational legend, who in 2005, won the prestigious Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year.

Returning to the scene of his nearfatal crash and driving the ‘unfinished 13 laps’ from 2001 was another event that required tremendous courage.

Everyone was apprehensive, but he wasn’t about to deny the opportunity of proving to himself and others that he could do it. In 2003 he drove a modified Reynard-Ford IndyCar and completed that fateful race on that same track, in front of packed grandstands, with not too many dry eyes in the paddock. That gave him the necessary strength to fight on and show others facing a similar plight that they could regain their lives.

“When you are 20, you appreciate medals. When you are 40, you appreciate what you do every day,” he said.

He had taken up handcycling to increase his fitness but motor racing continued to consume his life until suddenly, in 2007 he entered the New York City handcycling marathon for fun. His sponsor Barilla invited him to a ‘pasta party’ so Zanardi decided to compete in the marathon as well, finishing fourth – remarkably after only four weeks of training. He officially retired from motor racing in 2009 and by 2011 he’d claimed the New York Marathon victory and was firmly committed to his new sport and new challenge.

With marathon wins also in Venice (2009) and Rome (2010), his next ambitious goal was the 2012 London Paralympics. With his typical zest for life, fierce competitive nature and positive approach, he threw himself into this project. The irony was that his events would be at Brands Hatch where he’d previously raced cars, but never scored a victory.

First he snared gold in the 16 kilometre time trial by defeating one of the world’s best, ‘Oz’ Sanchez, then the 45-year-old completed the fairytale by adding another gold and a silver to his collection.

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Left: With grid girls in 1998.

Below: Barilla’s invitation to a pasta party sparked Zanardi’s interest to compete in marathons.

He described his amazing achievement as “my finest victory, one of the greatest of my life”. “(Previously) with an engine pushing me, I didn’t realise it was so hilly,” the colourful character said with his trademark grin. “I’ve had a magical adventure and this is a fantastic conclusion.”

When his close friends, team owner Chip Ganassi and Jimmie Vasser, a former teammate and now co-owner of KV Racing called to wish him well, they joked about Zanardi racing in the Indianapolis 500 if he won gold at the Paralympics.

“We’ll talk,” Vasser said, unsure whether it was meant seriously, but then later adding: “We’ll figure it out. We’ll get it done.”

There’s been much speculation and discussions about the possibility of this becoming reality but only time will tell so stay tuned.

His attitude and spirit have to be admired; he’s a true inspiration to everyone.

However, with his sense of humour he said something along the lines of, “I’m not really an inspiration.

I’m the same strong person I always was, just a little lighter!” MSL

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MODEL T S A C LE DIE A C S 3 ION 1:4 T D E D LIMITE

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WEBB OF

Intrigue Mick Webb reckons the Ford teams would have turned the tables on Holden and Peter Brock but for the lack of manufacturer sponsorship.

I

t saddens me to hear my old mate Dick Johnson is battling to fund his 2013 racing program. Dick is a genuine Ford icon and I feel for him today because I think Ford has let him down. For what he has done for the company over the years, he should be endorsed by Ford for the rest of his life.

Sponsorship has always been difficult to find in Australia and it was a constant eye opener to me, being involved with Allan Moffat for so many years, how he had to work hammer and tongs to get sponsorship money. He was always selling something and he and then-wife Pauline worked flat out to pay the wages and Dick did the same.

Many a time I would be sitting with Dick in his caravan having a coffee and he would say, “This could be the last meeting, because we don’t have enough sponsors”. Sure, Tru-Blu and Greens Tuf came on board and gave him a few bucks but that wasn’t enough to run the whole show.

On the other hand, we watched Peter Brock have a dream run. He didn’t know what it was like to look for a sponsor or ask for money because Marlboro and Holden were there the whole time. He was a paid driver in those early days whereas Moffat and Dick had to work their freckle off to get sponsorship. It was always very hard for us.

People on the outside asked why Brock won so often. They have to understand there wasn’t a level playing

field. Brock had twice as much money as everybody else. He could afford to put new tyres on every time he went out because he had a Bridgestone deal.

Sure, Moffat had a Goodyear deal, but Dick was a struggler all the time and it was very hard. In later years, Jim Richards arrived on the scene and he was working hard in his T-Mart to pay the bills as well as trying to build and run a race car.

People would think those Toranas were so reliable, but HDT had engines lined up for their cars - they probably blew more engines than we did because they had more to play with and they had more money to develop engines and cars, whereas we would beg, borrow or steal gear boxes and things at different times. For example, at different places, we didn’t have the right diff ratio because we couldn’t afford a new crown wheel and pinion and I know Dick was in exactly the same boat.

Holden built special cars with lightweight panels, special cranks, special heads – they even called a cylinder head a Perkins head - and they built stronger blocks in the factory. Ford drivers had just the standard road car junk to play with - standard road car heads, rods and blocks, so they couldn’t wring the cars’ necks all the time.

In the mid ’70s we had a lot of unreliability with those big Fords because to make power we had to rev them up to 6500-7000 and for production engines that was really stretching the limit.

In endurance races Moffat would do the first stint and try to get a gap on the field and then ease the throttle off to 6000. Many times at Bathurst we were down to 5000, whereas Brock was still revving his to 7000 because he had a better crank, better rods, better pistons, better everything. If we had the same thing, I don’t think Brock would have won so many races.

In 1976-77 we had money from the Ford dealers, we had some genuine bucks that allowed us to have some good engines, with two or three spares for each car. We replaced things we knew were going to break because we knew how many hours they were good for and we had the money to keep feeding those parts into the car. That is why our team was so dominant in ’77.

Then the money dried up and by mid ’78, it was all over.

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US GP HISTORY

HAS THE US GP FINALLY FOUND A

After a five-year Formula One absence from America, the outstanding success of the inaugural United States Formula One Grand Prix held in Austin, Texas in November 2012 may well mean that Formula One may have found its Stateside home at long last.

STORY BY PAUL MARINELLI; PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY ARCHIVES AND THE CIRCUIT OF AMERICAS

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D A HOME? Above: Emerson Fittipaldi won the 1974 US GP at Watkins Glen in a McLaren Ford.

Below: Mario Andretti is the only US driver to win on home soil, racing a Lotus Ford to victory in the 1977 US Grand Prix held at Long Beach, California.

T

ime will tell of course, but the importance to the sport and its future American growth depends significantly on Formula One being able to capture and develop one of the world’s largest automotive and general consumer markets as it has so successfully done in Europe, the Middle East and throughout Australasia.

As Lewis Hamilton raced his McLaren Mercedes home to a second US Grand Prix win in November, the headlines appeared everywhere. Austin had been an incredible success and the Circuit of the Americas, with the help of the design skills of the supremely talented Hermann Tilke, scored a resounding thumbs up from all involved, both on and off the track.

Of course, this has not always been the case in America. Aside from the classic US GPs of decades gone by, the constantly revolving US Grand Prix became somewhat of a tragic comedy in the years to come. In the early days of the 1950s, the Indianapolis 500 was considered the official US Grand Prix.

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US GP HISTORY

Bruce McLaren at Watkins Glen in 1966. Below: The Indianapolis 500 was considered the official US Grand Prix until 1958. Ironically, European Grand Prix drivers incuding 1965 winner Jim Clark (pictured) didn’t really attend Indy until the 1960s.

US GRAND PRIX FACT FILE The only two 2012 active Formula One drivers to have won a US Formula One Grand Prix are Michael Schumacher with five wins and Lewis Hamilton with two victories.

There have been 27 different winners over 51 events held on US soil since 1959 over several circuit and street locations across the country.

The only American driver to win a US Formula One Grand Prix was Mario Andretti back in 1977. He proudly attended the 2012 US Grand Prix as an ambassador.

In eight US Formula One Grands Prix held from 1976 to 1983, the Long Beach Grand Prix never had a repeat winner.

Michael Schumacher and the late Ayrton Senna are tied with five US Formula One Grand Prix wins each.

The only current driver with two wins is Lewis Hamilton. It is highly likely that this record will stand for some years yet, shared between two of the sport’s greatest ever drivers.

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Watkins Glen is the most used permanent circuit for staging the US Formula One Grand Prix, which has held 20 Grands Prix.

Other permanent circuits used include the first venue, Sebring in 1959, along with Riverside in California and Indianapolis, Indiana.

There have been five street circuit venues used for the US Formula One Grand Prix headed by Long Beach, Las Vegas (if car parks count!), Detroit, Dallas and Pheonix.

Before Austin returned Texas to Formula One notoriety, the one and only Dallas Grand Prix held in 1984 started at 11am to avoid the oppressive afternoon heat. The rules of the day stated that the 30 minute warm-up had to be held no later than four hours before the race start, so this meant that the warm-up session for that race took place at 7am.

The most successful Formula One team at the US Formula One Grand Prix is Ferrari with 12 victories.

event. Ironically, F1 drivers such as Graham Hill, Jack Brabham and Jim Clark started competing in the Indy event in the 1960s.

The first actual Formula One Grand Prix events in the US were held at Sebring in Florida and Riverside in California from 1958 to 1961, followed by the sport’s popular two decade tenure at Watkins Glen in upstate New York from 1961-1980.

Coupled with an eight year run at Long Beach from 1978 to 1983, the USA managed to become the only country outside of Italy to stage two Formula One events.

The comical instances were headed up by using the car park of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in 1981, which lasted just two years before becoming an IndyCar event.

1982 saw three Formula One races held Stateside, with the Detroit Grand Prix making its debut and lasting until 1988, before that too became an IndyCar event. Texas got its first taste of Formula One with the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix. So

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Above: Emerson Fittipaldi, at Watkins Glen in 1974, is one of 27 F1 drivers to win a US GP. Right: Lotus Ford team members Gunnar Nilsson and Mario Andretti at the Long Beach street circuit. Below: Lewis Hamilton at the 2012 event.

severe was the circuit break-up problems due to the extreme heat that this US Grand Prix event never saw the light of day again.

The lessons were not learned from Dallas and Formula One returned to the searing heat of Pheonix and a downtown street circuit in 1989 that was unpopular with both the drivers and the fans. The event’s three year tenure ended with the humiliating total of less than 19,000 people attending, vanquishing Formula One from the USA until 2000.

There were high hopes with the introduction of Formula One at the undisputed home of American motorsport, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a dedicated tilt at winning over US racing fans from 2000 to 2007. A combination of the legendary super-speedway and an infield road circuit layout was used and some would say to great success, with 225,000 spectators making the trek to the Brickyard to witness Formula One’s triumphant US return.

The Indianapolis races fared consid-

erably well until the disastrous 2005 event. Who could forget the farce of only six teams starting the race due to major failure problems with the Michelin F1 control tyres leading up to the race.

While there would have been justification on the part of drivers and teams due to safety concerns, thousands of American fans and television viewers felt completely ripped off, with the majority of spectators leaving before the race had

even started. Once again, the reputation of the sport in one of the world’s biggest consumer markets had suffered significantly. The 2006 event ran without problems, but in front of a far smaller crowd and television audience than in previous years and after the 2007 event, Indianapolis and Formula One could did not agree to terms to continue running the event. So in a now familiar scenario � to many other US Grand Prix

A huge turnout at the 2012 US Grand Prix. Right: Alan Jones celebrates winning the 1980 World Championship at Watkins Glen.

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US GP HISTORY

The first Formula One race at the Circuit of the Americas was celebrated with much fanfare.

“TIME WILL TELL IF THIS WILL BECOME THE HOME OF FORMULA ONE IN THE USA” events, Formula One went on another hiatus from the United States, this time for five years.

This brings us back to the highly successful staging of the 2012 United States Grand Prix at the Texan capital city of Austin. There is no doubt that the teams, drivers, fans and media all gave their total approval to it and time will

tell if this will become the new home of Formula One in the USA. Consistency is the one thing that is required in order for the sport to grow in the United States.

The pattern of chopping and changing venues based on lucrative deals, followed by long absences in a market that is extremely parochial has hurt Formula One badly in the United States. The

absence of talented American drivers is also something to be considered, as we have all seen how a country’s support can be lifted enormously by being represented in the world’s premier motor racing category. The major growth in popularity of the sport in Mexico, Spain, Russia, Finland, Poland and of course Australia are prime examples based on recent driver representation.

Austin has many factors in its favour for long term survival. The circuit is, for once, a dedicated Grand Prix racing circuit, designed by the best in the business with feedback from all parties involved.

This was essential to putting on a great sporting spectacle for both the spectators and the massive local television audience.

The next point is that the Austin event does not solely rely on the American Formula One fan base, with its proximity to Mexico and other South

Left: Ronnie Peterson on the victory stand at Watkins Glen in 1973. Far left: James Hunt scored pole position, the fastest lap and the race victory at the 1976 US Grand Prix held at Watkins Glen.

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Mario Andretti cuts the ribbon during the First Lap Ceremony at the Circuit of the Americas.

Having previously won the 2007 Grand Prix at Indianapolis, Hamilton clocked up his second USA win at last year’s inaugural Circuit of the Americas race.

American countries an added bonus. The chosen name of the venue, Circuit of the Americas, clearly resonates with this important point.

With many successful Formula One drivers originating from South America for decades, this has been a fan base that has been largely ignored, aside from the Brazilian Grand Prix and the on again/

off again status of the Argentinian and Mexican GPs, for way too long. It is now more than 15 years since a Grand Prix was held in either of those countries.

Another point in Austin’s favour is that unlike many other American cities, Austin is welcoming of foreign culture, including sport and the arts.

Many others, quite unashamedly,

simply do not care about what happens outside of their state lines, including several former US Grand Prix venues.

Let’s hope that Austin remains on the Formula One calendar for many years to come and the United States Formula One Grand Prix becomes something to be proud of for the country and for Formula One fans worldwide. MSL

THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

�

Austin’s Circuit of The Americas was constructed on 800 acres/320 hectares of land to the east of the city. The 5.5 kilometre Hermann Tilke designed circuit features 20 corners, 11 left and nine right and saw maximum speeds in excess of 315kph during the 2012 event. The average lap speed of 200kph has it up there with the fastest, with 60 per cent of the lap spent on full throttle and a maximum lateral force exerted on the drivers of 4.1g at Turn 4. Australia’s V8 Supercar Series is heading to Austin for the fifth round of the 2013 Championship from May 17-19.

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MASERATI

During a golden era in the 1950s, the fabled Maserati marque had the fastest cars racing in Australia. While Maseratis did not win every race, they were the benchmark.

STORY BY RICHARD BATCHELOR/PHOTOGRAPHS BY AUTOPICS.COM.AU AND ALEX HASTIE/WWW.STIRLINGMOSS.COM

M

aserati’s racing history in Australia began when Melbourne car dealer Reg Hunt imported a two-year-old A6GCM Maserati grand prix car in 1955.

The impact this had at the time would be akin to importing a 2011 Ferrari or Red Bull Formula One car to race on Australian tracks today.

This was the actual car which Juan Manuel Fangio drove to victory in the 1953 Italian Grand Prix at Monza in two-litre form, but it now had a 2.5-litre six cylinder engine from the latest Maserati 250F race car.

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Hunt’s A6GCM Maserati made its debut at the Fishermans Bend airstrip and it was the star of the meeting, accelerating through the gears away from the track’s three hairpin bends.

Hunt’s actions sparked a golden era that ended in the late 1950s where the marque, which is now a part of the Fiat empire, boasted the fastest cars racing in Australia. They might not have won all of the races, but they were the benchmark.

After recording minor wins at Fishermen’s Bend, Albert Park and Bathurst, Hunt took the Maserati to Port Wakefield in South Australia for the 1955 Australian Grand Prix (AGP), held

in October that year.

After only four laps he had a 23 second lead over Jack Brabham’s rearengined Cooper-Bristol but then a cam follower broke, putting the engine onto five cylinders. Hunt’s reduced pace allowed Brabham to take the lead but the Maserati’s engine held together and Hunt finished the race only three seconds behind the future three-time world champion, with whom he shared the fastest lap.

The following year brought huge excitement for racing fans in Melbourne with the announcement that Albert Park would host the 1956 Australian Grand Prix in conjunction with the

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WHEN MASERATI RULED AUSTRALIAN TRACKS Olympic Games. The great race featured the Maserati factory team of Stirling Moss and Frenchman Jean Behra in the latest 250Fs and another 250F with British ace Ken Wharton at the wheel.

By then Hunt had acquired a 250F as had his great local rival Stan Jones, while Kevin Neal was now racing Hunt’s A6GCM. Six front line Formula One Maseratis faced the starter along with another 16 cars, including a pair of very fast but ill-handling 3.4-litre Ferrari Super Squalos driven by British aces Peter Whitehead and Reg Parnell, with another Ferrari, a 3.0-litre type 625/750, driven by 1954 AGP winner Lex Davison (grandfather of current stars Will and Alex Davison).

The race was held in overcast conditions over 80 laps totalling about 402km and a very large crowd estimated at 110,000 was present.

Whitehead used the grunt from his bigger engine to out-drag Moss and Behra off the starting line, but the Maserati pair had the race under control before the end of lap one.

A brief shower of rain made the early laps tricky but allowed Moss to demonstrate his mastery and by the time the track dried out he had a substantial lead.

Moss continued to clear away from his feisty little French teammate, followed

by Whitehead in the Ferrari, with Hunt and Jones getting together in an epic duel which lasted for most of the race.

Hunt eventually finished ahead after Jones slowed due to oil breather problems and they showed a clean pair of heels to Parnell in the other big Ferrari. With about six laps to go heavier rain fell and the pace of the surviving runners slowed markedly.

After a faultless display of high speed precision driving, Moss had lapped the

entire field at the chequered flag apart from Behra, some drivers several times, and he had the Frenchman in his sights as the flag fell.

Moss won in two hours 36 minutes 15 seconds, set the fastest lap of 161.3kph and was followed across the line by Behra, Whitehead, Hunt, Jones, Parnell, Davison and five other finishers.

Another ten cars had failed to finish.

These were very dangerous times.

Moss was hitting more than 250kph along the Aughtie Drive straight, streaking past trees and other solid hazards clad only in his polo helmet, T-shirt, cotton pants, loafers and no seat belt.

More rain later in the race added to the hazards because while the cars had treaded tyres, after 300 kilometres or so they must have been like slicks.

Despite this, Moss continued to ďż˝ maintain his relentless pace, giving MotorSportLegends

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MASERATI

Top: By 1958 the 250F was obsolete. Above: Kevin Neal at the 1956 AGP before he lost control of the ex-Reg Hunt A6GCM in trying conditions and broke both of his legs.

each lapped driver a courteous wave.

Fortuitously, the late rain caused only one serious accident, with Kevin Neal breaking both of his legs after losing control of the A6GCM Maserati and hitting a race marshall and a tree. The marshall also survived the accident.

One week previously Moss and Behra had flown the Maserati flag in the Australian Tourist Trophy for sports cars, finishing one-two in the beautiful 300S two seaters. After the meeting the factory sold these cars to Reg Smith and three-time former AGP winner Doug Whiteford.

Smith in turn sold his 300S to a nuggety former cyclist and motorsport novice called Bob Jane.

Whiteford dominated sports car racing in Australia for the next few years. Jane also achieved some solid results with his 300S until 1962, when he switched to racing saloon cars with great success. The two factory 250Fs and a spare car were shipped back to the 46

factory in Modena.

Ken Wharton was killed in a crash during a New Zealand race only a few weeks after the Albert Park meeting.

Peter Whitehead, whose CV included wins in the 1938 Australian GP at Bathurst and the 1951 Le Mans 24 Hours, lost his life in a 1958 tarmac rally. Behra was killed in 1959 when his Porsche went over the top of the banked Avus track near Berlin.

Moss’ front line career ended in a huge crash at Goodwood in 1962 and in the same year Jack Myers, who had finished 12th in the Albert Park GP, lost his life at Catalina Park. Those were dangerous times indeed.

After his stirring drive at the AGP Reg Hunt retired from race driving to concentrate on his very successful car dealerships. Hunt’s retirement left Davison and Jones to dominate local motorsport. Davison scored two more AGP victories in his Ferrari and one in a Cooper-Climax, before losing his life at

Sandown in 1965, while Jones piloted his venerable Maserati to an AGP win in 1959.

Formula One cars of the day were very fast, even by today’s standards.

They could go from 0-160kph in about 10 seconds and, with suitable gearing for circuits with long straights, could approach 300kph.

The drivers sat close to unprotected aluminium fuel tanks and with the huge risk of a fire if they crashed, it is perhaps understandable why they eschewed wearing seat belts. Imagine driving one of these projectiles at Bathurst, the venue of the 1958 AGP won by Lex Davison in his Ferrari, when the track was narrower and bumpier with more trees, barbed wire fences and just a few straw bales on the corners.

Or at Longford in Tasmania, where Stan Jones gave his Maserati 250F its last great victory in 1959.

Albert Park had an additional hazard with most of the track lined with a

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Above: The superb lines of the 250F are exhibited in this photo of 1956 AGP winner Stirling Moss. Left: The paddock at the 1956 AGP at Albert Park. Below: The 250Fs of teammates Stirling Moss and Jean Behra (#7) which finished one-two at the 1958 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

continuous steel cable about neck high for somebody sitting in an openwheeler mounted to wooden posts.

The danger of this barrier was illustrated in an earlier meeting at Albert Park, when an Austin-Healey left the road at high speed and went under the cable before careering across Queens Road through everyday traffic and into a wooden fence.

The cable ripped off the Healey’s screen and rear view mirror but the driver had the extraordinary presence of mind to duck down into the passenger seat and survived unhurt.

A driver was also killed at the track when his Bugatti rolled over after

striking a kerb. Attitudes to safety were different then and the 1956 AGP was allowed to go ahead with the cables and kerbs still in place. The attrition among top drivers overseas was very high and fans would dread reading Monday’s newspaper out of fear that another ace had been killed.

Many of these accidents also included multiple spectator casualties, the most terrible being at Le Mans in 1955, when a driver and more than 80 spectators died. As US ace Dan Gurney observed: “When you left your hotel on race morning you wondered if you had brushed your teeth for the last time.”

The 1956 AGP gave Australian

motorsport a huge boost. Moss would return to Albert Park two years later with a mid-engined Cooper-Climax for a race styled the ‘Melbourne Grand Prix’, which he won from Jack Brabham’s similar car, setting a new lap record 2.2 seconds faster than the record he set in the Maserati. The relentless increase in speeds in Formula One was continuing, as it does today.

During the four years from its introduction in 1954 to the end of 1957, the 250F Maserati was one of the world’s most formidable grand prix cars, only overshadowed by the brilliant Mercedes W196 raced during 1954 � and 1955 by the great Fangio, who MotorSportLegends

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MASERATI

Above: Stan Jones at Phillip Island on Boxing Day in 1958. Right: Factory drivers Jean Behra and Stirling Moss at the 1956 AGP. Below: Doug Whiteford dominated Australian sports car racing with this ex-factory 300S.

had Moss as his teammate in 1955. It was the all-time ‘dream team’ because, unlike Prost and Senna, they actually liked one another. After the launch of the 250F in 1954, Fangio used it to win the Argentine and Belgian GPs while waiting for the Mercedes W196 to appear. He won his second world title that year after recording four more victories with the W196 and won the title again in 1955 for Mercedes.

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In 1956 Moss won the Monaco and Italian GPs for Maserati in a 250F but Fangio in a Ferrari notched up his fourth world title. Fangio switched back to Maserati in 1957 and won his final title, with victories in Argentina, Monaco, France and Germany in a light weight version of the 250F. In its most successful year, 1957, the 250F’s six cylinder twin-cam, twin-plug 2.5-litre engine was putting out about

260bhp at 7400rpm, fed by three horizontal double choke Weber carbs.

The chassis was a space frame made mainly from small diameter tubes and the five speed gearbox was combined with the differential. Front suspension was unequal length double wishbones and coil springs.

At the rear there was a de Dion assembly, forward facing radius rods and a transverse leaf spring. The car had very wide finned alloy drum brakes with steel liners and ran on 16 inch wheels, 5.50 inches wide at the front and seven at the rear. A V12 engine was tried in a 250F during 1957 and showed promise in Behra’s hands but wise old Fangio stuck with the proven in-line six to win his fifth title.

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By 1958, despite constant development, the 250F was obsolete and even the great Fangio, in a one-off drive in the French GP at 47 years of age, could do no better than fourth. Race winner Mike Hawthorn could have lapped Fangio but held his Ferrari back out of respect for the maesto.

By then the 250F had to play second fiddle to much faster front-engined cars from Ferrari and Vanwall, plus the new age mid-engined models from Cooper and Lotus. However for the period 1954-57 the Maserati 250F proved very competitive with eight victories in 27 world championship races. One of the best looking and sounding race cars of all time, the 250F still thrills the crowds at historic meetings today.

Sir Stirling Moss is now 83. The severe injuries he sustained at Goodwood in 1962 prevented him from resuming his professional career but he later took up racing historic cars, including the Maserati 250F. In March 2010 the tough old legend broke his legs when he fell three floors down the elevator shaft at his London home after the doors opened when the lift was still one floor above. Sir Stirling only retired from racing historic cars in 2011 and he continues to attend AGPs as an honoured guest.

Stan Jones had already achieved racing immortality when he drove his Maybach Special to defeat Ken Wharton’s factory BRM in the 1954 New Zealand Grand Prix. He won the 1958 Australian Driver’s Championship in his Maserati 250F and gave the car its last major victory – the Australian Grand Prix the following year – after which he switched to racing a CooperClimax. After suffering two strokes, Stan moved to London to be with his son Alan and died in March 1973, just short of his 50th birthday. Alan greatly regrets that his father did not live to see him become the 1980 Formula One World Champion.

Three-time F1 World Champion Sir

Jack Brabham is now 86 and lives in Queensland. A living legend in Great Britain and Australia, his public appearances are less frequent now due to kidney problems.

Reg Hunt sold his car dealerships in 1998 and lives quietly near Melbourne, where he is the esteemed patron of the Maserati Club. Reg, Sir Jack and Sir Stirling are truly the last of those daring young men who thrilled Australian crowds in the 1950s racing Formula One cars on highly dangerous tracks with flimsy polo helmets made from layers of cloth and gum their only concession to safety.

The old Albert Park track was bulldozed when the current circuit was built during the mid-nineties, however a relic of the old track remains. Down by the aquatic centre a 150 metre section of road called Albert Road

Drive South starts at the roundabout near the outdoor pool and now ends abruptly in parkland. Parks Victoria employees now use it as a car but it remains exactly as it was in 1956; even the asphalt looks original.

In the fifties this section of road comprised the braking area for the 90 degree left hand Jaguar Corner at the start of Aughtie Drive (the old circuit ran counter-clockwise).

There is an adverse camber on the right hand side of the road, the racing line, and it must have been devilishly slippery braking from more than 200kph during the rain in 1956. It was here that Kevin Neal lost control of his Maserati and those big trees, one of which he hit, are still there. It is a sobering reminder of a heroic age and a time when Maserati ruled Australian tracks. MSL MotorSportLegends

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26/3/13 6:04:59 PM

TRADE TALK AUSTRALIAN ICON TAKES ON THE USA Automotive cooling technologies manufacturer, Davies Craig launched its new street-smart lightweight aluminium Electric Water Pump and EWP/Fan Digital Controller Combo Kit at the 2012 SEMA Show.

The launch of the new lightweight alloy EWP150 Electric Water Pump opened a new chapter in the 40-year history of Davies Craig.

Following the very successful release of the EWP115 nylon/glass and alloy models four years ago, Davies Craig has continued to test and develop this new high-performance alloy model with the view to offering the automotive aftermarket another great electric water pump alternative.

“Davis Craig has a very proud 40-year history in the cooling technology business,” Sales and Marketing Manager, John Benson, said.

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represents the largest market and growth potential for Davies Craig cooling technology products in the world and we are determined to seek the very best US distributors to ensure this great product reaches millions of potential customers in that country.”

The new lightweight alloy EWP150 is designed for remote universal engine fitment across a wide variety of engines. The EWP150 alloy has AN-16 internal inlet and outlet threads for neat, tight, AN-16 fitting applications. Its lightweight, compact, more powerful design is suitable for small to large plus highperformance engines.

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GIVING LIFE BACK TO YOUR LEATHER These three essential formulations have been bringing life back to leather since 1858.

The rediscovered formulations are the original products manufactured

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2/4/13 5:44:41 PM

Celebrate 75 years of Mt Panorama

National Motor Racing Museum

N

o visit to Mount Panorama is complete without a stop at The National Motor Racing Museum, right beside the track at Murray’s corner. Inside you’ll find a constantly-changing array of vehicles that have made their mark not only on Mount Panorama, but in Australian Motorsport in General.

In the galleries you’ll see many of the dominant vehicles that ran in Australian touring cars, open wheelers, rally, Motorcycles and speedway. The stories of the many drivers and races are told through original trophies, race suits, leathers, race footage and photographs.

Take a break in the theatre and watch the introductory history of motor racing in Bathurst since 1938.

Before taking a spin around the Mount Panorama circuit enjoy a coffee and take in the Museum shop, playground & Peter Brock statue.

Whether travelling with a car club, bus tour, caravan or the kids, we can cater for all your needs, check our new website for full information www.nmrm.com.au

THE NATIONAL MOTOR RACING MUSEUM Open daily 9.30 to 4.30 daily 400 Panorama Avenue Mount Panorama, BATHURST NSW 2795

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Phone: (02) 6332 1872 Fax: (02) 6332 3349 Web: www.nmrm.com.au

26/3/13 AM 25/3/13 11:16:04 3:15:19 PM

CAR SALES • RESTORATION • ACCIDENT SERVICE • SPARE PARTS Although our reputation for “Concours” quality restoration is widely known, there’s much more to us than just trophy winning cars. Our Restoration Department also handles Accident Damage and Classic Car Insurance repairs from all over Australia.

We know that you want the damage repaired as if it never happened.

With the latest paint technology and our Low Bake Spray Facilities we can carry out a quality repair. Our tradesmen are skilled in Steel & Aluminum Repairs and Fabrication and all facets of Fiberglass repairs.

So take advantage of our experience – no jobs are too large or small.

OUR CLASSIC CAR SHOWROOM HAS OVER 50 CARS FOR SALE Please talk to us if you are considering selling or buying a Classic Sports Car.

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