Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: Lou Drozdowski on Thursday,October 24, 2013, 05:26:53 PM
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During It's lifespan from 1967 thru 1970 the Lotus 49's were featured by Team Lotus and privateer entries.
Campaigned in Formula One and the Australian Tasman series they included ...
Rob Walker / Jack Durlacker, Team Gunston, Ecurie Bonnier, Pete Lovely, RRC Walker racing / Brooke Bond Oxo and Scuderia Scribante.
World Champions and also-rans.... the list of Formula One pilots is formidable...In chronological order
67- Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Eppie Wietzes, Giancarlo Baghetti
68- Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Oliver, Mario Andretti, Bill Brack, Moises Solana, Jo Siffert
69- Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Mario Andretti, Richard Atwood, Jo Siffert, John Love, Jo Bonnier, Pete Lovely
70- Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, John Miles, Alex Soler-Roig, Emerson Fittipaldi, Brian Redman, Dave Charlton & John Love.
The final appearance of the 49C was in 1971, with Wilson Fittipaldi finishing ninth at the Argentine Grand Prix, and Tony Trimmer finishing sixth in the Spring Cup at Oulton Park.
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Even the drivers, who did not have that great succes in F1 were really great guys!!! Siffert, Redman and Atwood for example were most succesful sportscar racers at Porsche in the 60's and 70's.
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Had to post this...Two men, one goal.
The combination of talent and colaboration to suceed remains a cornerstone in motorsports.
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Had to revive this...hope you don't mind. I will try to cover the list at random in pictures for everyone to enjoy, along with your help I ask for any additional photos...remember only drivers of the 49. Thanks...ld
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Jackie Oliver...A bad day at Rouen & in the pits for some mentoring.
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From Spain and Switzerland respectfully...Alex Soler Roig & Jo Siffert w/ team owner Rob Walker.
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The good...Richard Atwood with the beautiful 49...The ugly...Team Gunston and John Love...How about those wings!
ps. The Atwood photo is from Monaco 68...not Dave Charlton.
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I raced a couple of times with Oliver on the track!
He's simply outstanding...
Look at this video 0:52 Oliver out of Lesmo1 surfing on his Bmw 1800 TISA.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FBwRUd8DCrg
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Keep 'em coming, Lou. I quite enjoy these photos. Cheers.
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:I-agree:
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Thanks Guys, I will keep them coming...I will post some of the less fortunate drivers together and save a full cover for the most deserving.ld
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A sad ending to one of the most enduring driver /owner combinations. Jochen, was in a class by himself and prodded by Colin to become a Champion. Dominating the season prior to his death at Monza in the 72 chassis, his career to Lotus is legendary.ld
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Some called him arrogant and hard to get along with, his known displeasure of calling Chapman's cars much too fragile came to a head after he along with Graham Hill crashed at Barcelona during the emerging wing era. A young Bernie Eccelstone tried to lure him to drive for Brabham "You can drive for Lotus and win now...drive for me and survive".
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An accomplished saloon driver, John Miles won the Autosport Vedoll championship in 63/64 winning 16 of 17 races in a Lotus Elan. Hired by Lotus to develop the Lotus 63/4 wheel drive car in 1969, a car both Rindt and Hill refused to drive and considered a death trap. Promoted to Lotus #2 driver after Hill broke both legs he ran the 49c to 5Th place in his first race in S. Africa. The following season in Italy he was instructed to help Jochen in the wingless 72 and take advantage of Monza's long straights. Frustrated by it's lack of down force and the untimely death of his team mate, John retired from formula one. However, his engineering degree helped him secure a position with Lotus road car division.
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For me, I have always regarded Graham as the father figure of Formula One. He was truly one of the greats. Spanning decades with drives for many constructors, his skill for steadiness was his trademark. Many stories abound of this kind and reserved man. The "Master of Monaco" the 49 seemed to suit him just fine. ld
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Mr. Monaco...a few more pictures for the 5 time winner. ld
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6/17/2010...Cops in upstate NY pulled over to question the driver of a Corvette ZR1 that was stopped on the side of the highway. To their surprise, Mario Andretti was the one making the pit stop...
The racing legend told them he had stopped to "stretch his legs" reports the Syracuse Post Standard. After confirming Andretti had a valid ID he jumped back in his car, which, the paper pointed out can get into 205mph, and headed west.
Now, if you were the trooper? what would you say? ....I digress...His tenure although short in the 49 was magical. Putting it on the pole for his first time in the seat at Watkins Glen in 68. He would find greatness with Colin Chapman later in his career, a driver of all calibers, in any type of car, always fast...a Champion. ld
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I wanted to tie in Bill Brack with Mario. As the story goes... Brack, the Canadian importer to Lotus cars and a seasoned racer, (later to be 3 time Formula Atlantic champ) asked Colin Chapman prior to the 68 race in St.Jovite to drive the spare car with Hill and Oliver. After much discussion it was agreed he could for $6000. Come race weekend he was only allowed 5 laps of practice and 5 laps in qualifying. Colin wanted to keep the car in one piece, needless to say he was at the back of the grid. Hill, who was fighting for the championship complained of a rear vibration. The 49's were notorious for twisting driveshaft's and overnight Brack's was swapped into Hill's...resulting in Bill's early retirement. The next race weekend Mario put it on pole. Go figure! ld
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Thanks, Lou. Two very neat stories there. Cheers
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I see that 49/2 got bent at Monaco http://forums.autosport.com/topic/193168-lotus-49-r2-crunched-at-monaco/ (http://forums.autosport.com/topic/193168-lotus-49-r2-crunched-at-monaco/)
Shame, but it'll be fixed and maybe this time they'll get the nosecone dead right. It looked a bit "off" before.
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I see that 49/2 got bent at Monaco http://forums.autosport.com/topic/193168-lotus-49-r2-crunched-at-monaco/ (http://forums.autosport.com/topic/193168-lotus-49-r2-crunched-at-monaco/)
Shame, but it'll be fixed and maybe this time they'll get the nosecone dead right. It looked a bit "off" before.
Ouch!...I closed my eyes and tried not to open the link.
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I see that 49/2 got bent at Monaco http://forums.autosport.com/topic/193168-lotus-49-r2-crunched-at-monaco/ (http://forums.autosport.com/topic/193168-lotus-49-r2-crunched-at-monaco/)
Shame, but it'll be fixed and maybe this time they'll get the nosecone dead right. It looked a bit "off" before.
Ouch!...I closed my eyes and tried not to open the link.
You'll hate this then! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8q2D1S9VM8&list=UUpCTkno8zJfSC6aGgnSqmRA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8q2D1S9VM8&list=UUpCTkno8zJfSC6aGgnSqmRA)
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Roger, Thanks for the Vid...
The crane shot from below showed the tub to be ok but... nose, radiator, uprights and all the other fidly bits $$$$$.
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/Smileys/default/welder.gif
I will post another old story to help me heal. ld
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The same outcome came to mind, at the 1968 Monaco race... Jackie Oliver starting 13th was involved in a start line crash and retired. Here is the car prior to the carnage...ld
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Jo "Seppi" Siffert the popular Swiss driver joined the formula one circus as a privateer in 1962 with a Lotus Climax. His F1 career spanned 96 races for Brabham, Rob Walker, March and BRM. A highlight victory in the 49, was his epic struggle in the 1968 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, holding off Chris Amon's Ferrari.
The lower photo...Rouen-les Essants 1968, Graham Hill offers his helmet visor to his teammate (Siffert) after Hills breakdown.
The gentlemen days of f1 racing long passed...Multi 21 and the prima donna drivers's of today have a lot to learn! ld
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The 1968 Monaco race saw Graham Hill capture his 4Th win at the historic Monte Carlo venue. With the formula one circus still reeling from the recent deaths of Jim Clark and Mike Spence, safety was paramount after Lorenzo Bandini's horrific crash the year before. Ferrari decided to skip the event over track concerns, reducing the field of entrants. It was Jackie Oliver's short debut in the 49, ending in a first lap crash with Bruce McLaren. The first sprouts of wings appeared with Hill's 49 having a revised engine cover and aero foils attached to the nosecone. ld
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I hope those of you reading my posts are enjoying our journey and fascination of days past. I will share a special story regarding my driving hero Jim Clark. While a sophomore in High school, I had the chance to visit relatives in Italy that summer. It was my good fortune to have my uncle take me to Monza where I got to see my first F1 race. I remember the spectacle of the track and the Tifosi so passionate...screaming every time a red car passed by. Feeling like and outsider at the time, I fell in love with those green and yellow cars instead.
As for the race, Clark who had taken pole position had a puncture on lap 12 rejoining a full lap behind...what happened next was perhaps his greatest drive in Formula One. Charging back through the field, Clark lowered the lap record, lap after lap... finally taking the lead on lap 60 and pulling away. It was not to be his victory however, as low fuel pressure saw the 49 sputter only to be passed by John Surtees /Honda and Jack Brabham's /Repco on the final tour.
On the drive back home I recall the quiet conversation, and how mad my uncle was. The Ferrari of Amon finished 4 laps behind. "Vergonia" (shamefull) he blustered!
I became a fan of the green and yellow on September 10 1967.
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Great story, Lou. :beerchug:
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Great story, Lou. :beerchug:
I would like your comments on this picture...
I'm certain Rindt, Siffert & Hill were discussing something other than racing. Long leather boots perhaps?
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I would like your comments on this picture...
I'm certain Rindt, Siffert & Hill were discussing something other than racing. Long leather boots perhaps?
...or perhaps short denim shirts ;)
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Jim Clark at Spa in 67...had it on the pole and led the race for the first 11 laps before pitting for a spark plug change costing him a full 2 minutes. The race was won by Dan Gurney and the maiden victory for the Eagle chassis. Spa was then about 8 miles per lap...with no wings and reaching speeds of 185 in some places. Scary cool...ld
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Which, all things considered, was a good thing. That Eagle deserved to win at least one GP, being such a lovely car.
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This shot...Graham Hill with the Casino in the backdrop is one of my favorites. The 49c looked sneaky fast for the Walker team at the 1970 Monte Carlo race. Although he could only muster a fifth place finish, the 49C was close to full development and nearing the end of it's lifespan.
Quiz....Who & What is following???
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Which, all things considered, was a good thing. That Eagle deserved to win at least one GP, being such a lovely car.
Yes, Roger I agree. It was very good for the sport at that time, the fresh taste of an American influence was taking shape.
The Eagle was a joy to look at with it's distinctive "shark nose".
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Is that a Matra? It's a bit small on my tablet. Beltoise maybe?
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Is that a Matra? It's a bit small on my tablet. Beltoise maybe?
Close Roger...You got the car right, but it was Henri Pescarolo in the Matra MS120.
I will break one of my rules for is thread (only drivers of the 49) this time for you. As penance, I will add a flying shot of Clark.
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I have always been captivated by pictures of the drivers in their cars while in the pits. Not only to get a view of their expressions, but to also get a sense of emotion and thought process. Additionally, a detail or perspective of the car and cockpit surroundings. The following shots...Emerson looks like a deer in the headlights or is really pissed at having his picture taken, Graham seems to be wondering when he is going to be soaked, Mario complaining to Bob Dance about something, and Clark's muted grin thinking he has this weekend in the bag!
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Lou, these pictures are divine. Thank you. Any Type 30 snaps. And, there was a Lotus race car that sported a Ford Boss 302 engine, can't remember the call out number.
mike
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Super pictures, Lou! Thanks!!! :lotus:
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Lou, these pictures are divine. Thank you. Any Type 30 snaps. And, there was a Lotus race car that sported a Ford Boss 302 engine, can't remember the call out number.
mike
Yes, I have a few old type 30 shots...I will tease you with one now and maybe later, for a new topic. The 30 was introduced with the Ford 289 V8 and later morphed into the Type 40 with higher displacement.
When Ritchie Ginther was asked how the 40 compared to the 30 he answered " just as bad with 10 more mistakes"...
To continue...another close up picture of Clark I like to call "Confidence"
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Great shots!!! I can't wait to see more!
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Jo 'Seppi" Siffert , his twenty two starts as driver for Rob Walker racing in the Lotus 49 served to establish a unique and close relationship with parent team Lotus during the development of the B and C versions. Winning the Brands Hatch race in 1968 showed his speed, tenacity and steady race results in the car followed.
Sadly, he would lose his life just 3 years later at the same track driving a BRM in the non championship "Victory" race in 1971.
The affable and well liked Swiss pilot, was best known for his long distance sports car successes with Porsche. His funeral procession in Friberg was led with a 917 and attended by fifty thousand mourners.
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What makes a great driver?...talent, courage and determination of course. To have the right equipment at that moment in time also plays a vital role in success. Often overlooked are the poor chaps who pull the all-nighters to have the car ready for their bidding. I'm reminded of a story at the 68 Watkins Glen race...Mario Andretti was to drive the third 49 that weekend, having inked a deal with Ford with the stipulation of a fresh DFV. Chapman however forgot to mention this to the crew until late that evening. Having just unloaded the circus, the mechanics were ready for a much deserved rest when Colin told Bob Dance what he had in mind. With the engines at short supply, it was decided to have Graham's low time motor pulled and fitted to Mario's car. Graham would get a new unit while Oliver got the mule. Three engine swaps to be completed by morning. Needless to say the boys were exhausted...When Oliver arrived at the track later that morning he complained to Chapman about the spring change he requested earlier. Dance, in the rush to complete the engine turnover completely forgot about it. When Colin asked why it wasn't done Bob had no answer and only glared back at the boss. Colin then turned to Oliver...patted him on the shoulder and told him to "get on with it". ld
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Wow! That first picture just blows my mind. The 49 taken completly to bits right out on the tarmac. So very raw and basic compared to todays clinical F1 endeavours. Very cool picture indeed.
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Cars were so quaintly simple in the past! I think they were A LOT prettier!!!
I guess Mario didn't get his fresh DFV at Watkins... Oh well. He eventually got all the fresh DFVs he needed! :lotus:
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Jackie Oliver, another great driver who really deserves mention. Although his one season with Lotus was short lived, Jackie was hired to fill the void left with the passing of Clark. Starting in 67 he ran the type 48 in F2 and had good results to become overall champion. In 1968 driving the 49, he suffered reliability issues and finished few races. His best result would be a third place at the season ending race in Mexico. His talents would see him compete and win in many classes including GT, Can Am and Prototypes. His later association with Don Nichols and Shadow F1/Can Am would develop and become Arrows F1.
Still active at age 71
Images of yesterday and today, with Colin 1968... and just recently, his reunion with the 49 at Goodwood. ld
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Lou, these pictures are divine. Thank you. Any Type 30 snaps. And, there was a Lotus race car that sported a Ford Boss 302 engine, can't remember the call out number.
mike
As promised Cal...The type 30 in the hands of Clark.
Another soon to be champion {driver} of the 49 will follow...{with a little Latin flavor} ld
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His nickname is "Rato" which means mouse in Brazilian...better known as Emerson Fittipaldi. A gritty young Emerson caught the eye of team Lotus while campaigning in the 1968 Jim Russell FF series in England. Moving up to Formula 2 the following year saw him campaign a Lotus type 59 for Team Bardhall.
With the vacated seat following Clark's death Chapman used various drivers for the extra chassis at some races. His first outing in the 49 earned an 8Th in England, and by his fifth start he won at Watkins Glen. Having started his career during the phase out of the 49, the ill fated 70 was not the answer, but when the 72 arrived everything changed for the better. His World Championship duels with team mate Ronnie Peterson against the Tyrell's of Stewart and Cevert was for the ages.
Worlds title #2 with Mclaren and Indy Cart Championship showed just how talented Emerson could coax the best out of the equipment. Still active and going strong his influence brought the Latin flavor to formula one and inspired the likes of Piquet and Ayrton Senna. Thanks Emmo...ld
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Emmo was certainly one of the best and the 72 wasn't too shabby either. How many F1 cars were competitive for as many seasons?
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Can you name the only F1 driver in history to win in each of his first three races ?
Heir to a wealthy Milan industrialist, Giancarlo Baghetti is your footnote to F1 trivia. Driving a works Ferrari 156 he captured the non championship events in Syracuse, Napoli... and the French Grand prix. His one off drives for ATS, BRM, Brabham and finally Lotus for the 1967 Monza race were a showcase for his continental attitude. One of the first international playboys to show some money to get a seat, although knowing he had what it takes to compete.
Driving the 49 and starting 17th, he had a steady race and worked his way up to 10th only to retire on lap 50 due to an engine failure.....
I looked real hard to show Giancarlo at the wheel of 49...but alas, I could only find this shot of Jim Clark giving the spare (Baghetti's) a shakedown during practice for the Italian GP.
Baghetti passed away in 1995, having turned his racing endeavors into a successful photo journalism career. ld
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Great shots!!! I can't wait to see more!
A rare photo indeed...Dave Charlton in a 49C, check out the paint scheme. I wanted to show some variants other than the traditional and Gold Leaf. ld
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Interesting! I would never have guessed that car was painted in those colors, but then those were the days when there were privateer teams like Rob Walker. The lip attached above the radiator snout seems odd. I'm not sure what it was for... (edit: Then I saw the picture of Fittapaldi's 49 above with the same lip... Maybe a bit less odd but I still don't know what it was supposed to do).
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I am going to devote a full page of shots of Jim Clark soon...
But in the meantime, here are some great snaps of the 49 with various drivers at the helm.
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There is an interesting study in early wing developement in these pictures. The last pic with Rindt at the helm is very cool.
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I would like to thank all of you, for the activity and interest on this topic. I had become fearful that it would end up some where in the black hole. With pushing 2.4k hits, along with the 2.6k Zandvoort first race posts...I'm glad you have enjoyed the journey considering the size of our group.
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The legendary Jim Clark and the 49. ld
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More great pics! Who wouldn't check them out? Thanks for posting them!
The picture of Clark flying in his Lotus reminds me of the movie, '1', that I mentioned on the 'Bringing it home...' thread. I knew that cars jumped at the Nurburgring, but I didn't know that there were a dozen or more places where the cars would jump. The movie shows several clips of cars flying and landing - a real test for man and machine! I wonder if they worried about over-revving the motor when it left the ground or if it didn't matter since it wasn't under load. I also wonder if landing was difficult to finesse...
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It matters regardless of load. In fact no load makes it much easier to over-rev. If you watch period movies of race cars leaving the ground, you'll see many of them get quite out-of-shape on landing.
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I thought about it some more and googled it and I think that the main stress in a free reved unloaded engine would be strain in the rods (and related oil film) due to inertial loads. The engine is only generating enough force to turn itself (and everything it spins). It's as though you are pushing against something and most of the resistance is taken away. The f in f = ma would go down even though the a (acceleration of the piston or for example) goes way up because the m (the engine is no longer acting against the weight of the car but just the rotating bits) is much less. The other potential problem is valve float that could cause the piston to tag the valve, though I think the usual problem with valve float is reduced performance. I have no idea if F1 engines of the time would have a problem with that. I would think that the amount of time they free rev - if they were allowed to - would probably limit any damage. Having said that, certainly wouldn't rev my motor to 10K unloaded (even with a 7500 rpm redline!). I guess I don't have the courage in my convictions. In '1', they showed several cars jumping at the 'ring and some of them landed 'wrong' (on one rear tire at a time and/or not straight). It didn't seem to affect them, but those snippets were from much older cars and faster cars with more powerful engines may have a harder time if they don't land 'square'. Don't really know.
Thinking even more - dangerous for me! - this is something that motorcycle riders, as in motocross, would have a lot of experience with and since I'm dangerous enough on four wheels, for the most part, I've kept off of motorized two wheeled contraptions! Given the tender age of some of those motocross riders, I doubt they'd be able to finesse the throttle so they don't blow up their engines.
Having never put any of this to the test (and have always tried not to), I only provide my $0.02. :)
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Race engines have much more radical valve timing, if it idles, it's not a full race engine. High compression and radical timing means there is no leeway for "floating" the valves, period. Other components are timed: so many miles/hours before replacement. IIRC TZ750 cranks were 300 miles between replacements. I assume F1 would be similar. Over revving can also stress components such that they do not make their allotted time: rods exiting the block pursued by a bear being the classic example. Racing is a very expensive business.
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It matters regardless of load. In fact no load makes it much easier to over-rev. If you watch period movies of race cars leaving the ground, you'll see many of them get quite out-of-shape on landing.
To continue...[from another angle] Clark takes flight at the "Ring"
I remember Jackie Stewart's description on his visual braking point while entering the famous Karussell turn...
" You could not see the entrance to the corner as it was uphill...there was a stand of 3 trees with the tallest in the center...when I was lined up with that tallest pine I braked and found the apex" ld
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Race engines have much more radical valve timing, if it idles, it's not a full race engine. High compression and radical timing means there is no leeway for "floating" the valves, period. Other components are timed: so many miles/hours before replacement. IIRC TZ750 cranks were 300 miles between replacements. I assume F1 would be similar. Over revving can also stress components such that they do not make their allotted time: rods exiting the block pursued by a bear being the classic example. Racing is a very expensive business.
You may be right that many full-race engines do not idle but I am reminded of the story from Mark Donahue's book 'Unfair Advantage' when he was working with Porsche to develop the 917 for Can Am. When he got there were no dyno charts under 5000 rpm - because it wouldn't run there! Eventually they got it to run from idle to all throttle positions so at least that race engine idled. Of course you are right about valve timing and overlap. High revving engines would have a lot of overlap so floating valves would probably be a real problem. What I don't know is at what rev the valve springs stop preventing valve float. As for the crank, I guess the counter weights and the wait of the rod, piston, etc. are a bigger component when the rpms increase but I would think that the pressure from the combustion and resistance from the rest of the car would be a bigger influence. I wondered if there was an rpm component to lubrication of the bearings but I didn't find one after a quick look at an old text book. I could easily have missed it.
I suspect but cannot substantiate that the life of many of the internal engine parts is counted in hours under load and reduced by over revving under load rather than without load. I've seen several cases where a rod went through the block but those were all under load. On the other hand, I don't ever recall anybody over revving a motor in the pits or paddock with no load so I've never had the chance to see what would happen in that circumstance. Then again, when I was racing, it was still the dark ages and most cars still had points and condensers and the points might have bounced at extreme rpm acting somewhat like a rev limiter!
If I ever get a chance to talk to Dan Gurney, Jim Hall, Mario Andretti, etc. I hope I'll remember to ask them about flying at the 'Ring. I wouldn't hold your breath but it could happen, you never know. :)
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A snake oil salesman came to our shop one day with the usual claims of engines that had lost their oil but kept going another xyz miles "with no damage". We grabbed an old car from outside, put in fresh oil with the additive and ran it for a while. We then drained the oil and revved it up though not too high. 15 seconds I think before the rods started knocking. We didn't buy the additive.
At VW bug meet we brought an engine to blow up. We built it up with old parts and not a great deal of care but we did lube everything. It was a fund raiser and you had to guess when it would let go. Well, with a bare engine, no air cooling, no oil, wide open throttle no load, it lasted 3 minutes before it heated up and slowly seized. Half hour later, it fired right up.
At my first work place, we ran a fleet of buses carrying people to the smelter in the next town. One of the buses had to navigate a very steep hill with switchbacks. One driver got going too fast, cooked the brakes and jammed it into first gear. It revved so high all the rods let go and were wrapped around the crank as though they were built that way. Didn't bother checking the valves...
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Great stories!!! Especially the VW motor story!
Didn't bother checking the valves...
:FUNNY:
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You guys are killing me, no disrespect... 917 rev charts, rod throwing smelting transports, and VW snake oil ?
Where did I go wrong?
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Sorry Lou. We kinda got carried away! Let's talk about Lotus 49s, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, and Chunky!
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Jim Clark...Selected in 2009 as the greatest formula one driver of all time. In his career with Lotus that spanned 73 races of which he earned 32 podiums, 25 wins and 33 pole positions...The only driver to win the F1 worlds championship and Indy in the same year (1965). His testament to motorsports is unrivaled...ld
A slight departure to the 49...I wanted to post this shot of the team and the Lotus 38, the first rear engine car to win Indy.
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No doubt Clark was one of the best ever.
That thought led me to investigate how he compared to other drivers in the percentage of wins. I'm sure that statistic exists but I wasn't able to find it quickly. There are lots of lists that compare drivers to pick the best ever and quite often, Schumacher is on top, and just as often, Clark seems to be left out of the discussion. But as much as we feel compelled to make those comparisons, they are highly subjective. The cars change, the rules change, the tracks change. Comparing Schumacher and Clark or Senna and Clark might be fun but worthless. Schumacher raced cars that were much safer. That alone makes a huge difference in the way you approach driving.
I just came back to Clark was one of the best ever. I stand by that. (he also drove prettier cars!)
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I wanted to single out some pictures of past " Lotus Champions" who drove the 49...Andretti, Clark, Hill, Rindt & Fittipaldi.
Mario grabs pole at Watkins Glen 1968
Clark at Silverstone...Destroying the field with a hat trick...Pole, laps led, win...Fastest lap.
Hill in France...The start at Rouen, great shot of the other cars in the backdrop.
Rindt, A relaxing moment chatting with Chris Amon ...love b/w
Fittipaldi wont fit.... he will be in the next post. ld
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Fittipaldi...Three shots of Emerson,
The novice of F1.
The transition shot, as the 49 faded away he worked with Miles and Rindt on the 72
The reunion with the forty four year old 49 at Goodwood.ld
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The rivalry between Clark and Hill was never really spoken of...although it existed. The fierce respect of each others talent, allowed both to "get on" with the task at hand. I would like to think this sentiment is pictured in the following photo.
Also dueling at Watkins Glen in 1967. ld
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That smell, the whole stinking paddock ...."smells like victory".
With acknowledgement to Francis "Ford" Copolla and Apocalypse Now...ld
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More great pictures, Lou! Clark and Hill were the best drivers and Lotus was the best car of that era. I wonder how many appreciate the risk drivers of that day took, especially now that it's been twenty years since the last F1 driver (Senna) died in a car.
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At the other end of the racing spectrum, the privateer endured anyway he could. With few resources, such was the story of Peter Lovely. A participant in a few selective grand prix he started his racing in 1957, winning his first sports car race.
Although nine laps behind eventual winner Jacky Ickx and a number of retirements, his best result using chassis # R11 was a 7Th at Mosport in 1969. ld
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Now that is a sight, a Lotus on a VW, Love it! :coolpic:
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I thought Lotus (and maybe March) were the only teams that sold cars, but checking on Rob Walker Racing's Wikipedia page, I see they Lotus as well as Cooper, Brabham and some much less well known names as Connaught and Ferguson. Does anybody know of any others?
We often forget that race cars were not always transported in huge 18 wheelers but in those days the big teams used transporters that were probably the size of a good sized motor home - although a VW truck is an extreme example but really shows the disparity of the teams and how much of a shoestring some were willing to run on!
More great stuff, Lou! Thanks!
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Enzo coined the term "Gara-gistas"...or garage boys.
Those smaller teams not formally backed by a manufacturer, that not only raced but, rented and sold their cars.
In 1967 you had...BRM, Brabham, Cooper, Lola, Protos, Eagle, LDS, Matra and the still enduring McLaren team.
Two classic pics for you...Get you goggles ready! ld
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BRM and Matra would not have been garagistes by Enzo's reckoning. They built their own engines, transmissions, etc. They didn't buy them in and assemble them into cars.
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BRM and Matra would not have been garagistes by Enzo's reckoning. They built their own engines, transmissions, etc. They didn't buy them in and assemble them into cars.
Roger...Ok, but...Enzo was asked to "compare" everyone else to Ferrari. " We make every thing except the tires."
Neither BRM or Matra were producing road and race cars at the time.
Check out the sneaky nose!...Hill shows the 49 with it's first wing sprouts.
Can you name the who's trailing in the lower picture...ld
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I'll take a wild guess. The car is light blue which I believe was the color of Matras. I can't see the helmet very well but it looks like it could have a stripe of some kind (maybe a plaid?) around it above the visor. I'll guess Jackie Stewart.
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Siffert...
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Nah. Siffert is #16 with the Swiss cross on his helmet.
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Nah. Siffert is #16 with the Swiss cross on his helmet.
I just typed in what it said under the picture, lol.
So I'll guess Mario Andretti....?
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I'll take a wild guess. The car is light blue which I believe was the color of Matras. I can't see the helmet very well but it looks like it could have a stripe of some kind (maybe a plaid?) around it above the visor. I'll guess Jackie Stewart.
Excellent!...It was Sir Jackie driving the Matra MS10/Cosworth.
A great weekend indeed for team Lotus at the 1968 Mexican Grand Prix. Siffert snagged pole and fastest lap for the Rob Walker entry but, Hill powered the 49B to win by 79 seconds and almost lapped the entire field. The story of the race however was Oliver's charge thru the pack, starting from 14th and finishing 3rd...Siffert hung on to finish 6th while Stewart was 7th. ld
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Jochen Rindt's first victory for Team Lotus was in the 49 at Watkins Glen in 1969.
He brought the 49 home again for it's last win at Monaco in 1970. The lower photograph shows the 72 in testing form during qualifications for the race with the winning 49 beside it. ld
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Some shots of Rob Walker's mates...Siffert and Hill and the Brooke /Bond /Oxo liveried 49. ld
I like the decal of the car on the car...
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You also notice the huge advancements in safety. Check out the height of Siffert's helmet compared to the height of the roll bar!
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Can't say enough about this great man...Mario Andretti
There is a petition in circulation to award Mario the Presidential medal of Freedom. One hundred thousand signatures are needed.
Please go to, http://wh.gov/ib4gg and cast your vote. ld
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I met Mario a few years after he stopped racing. Very down to earth.
Thought you would enjoy this from our friends a CarBuilderIndex. Posted today...When you were not a factory member, you brought your car to the track the old fashion way... enjoy these great photos.
http://www.carbuildindex.com/42096/vw-kombi-transporter-vintage-race-car-hauler-photos/ (http://www.carbuildindex.com/42096/vw-kombi-transporter-vintage-race-car-hauler-photos/)
Dean
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It really is amazing to look back and view the state of the art of various things back then. To see that F1 race cars weren't transported on anything more sophisticated than what club racers used seems so out of place! As your post shows, teams big and small were pretty much in the same camp. I remember seeing a picture from 1966 of the Chaparral tow vehicle (a pickup truck with tool boxes on either side of the bed such as any plumber at the time might use) towing a 2E, with wing and all, into the grass paddock area at Road America.
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very cool pics at that link, Dean. I had seen the Pete Lovely Lotus 49 + hauler photo before, but many of the others are new to me. I love the contrast of Pete Lovely with his 49 on the back of his VW, and the Gold Leaf Team Lotus hauler in the background.
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Let's not forget the 49 while down under. The Tasman series showcased the prowess of Team Lotus no matter what size engine was installed. Jimmy seems to be making engine noises while in a paddock pose at Warwick Farms.
The second photo is quite interesting... Clark, side by side with Hill...you can see the front end "squat" under braking. ld
Notice the parked Cortina's ? ...yes, both of them!
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On this day...4/7/1968...RIP
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With the last current race at Monaco I figured to go back a few years to recollect Graham's 5Th win in 1969...
Let me start with the previous race at Barcelona, both Jochen Rindt and Graham had wing failures causing violent crashes. Hill was lucky to escape unharmed but Rindt suffered a broken nose and was quite banged up. Richard Atwood was hired to fill in and drive during his recuperation. The first practice on Thursday saw the cars with wings and the organizers decided to ban them for the race. Ken Tyrell was miffed and protested as Stewart in the Matra broke the existing lap record. No matter, the race would be sans large rear aero foils.
Graham went on to collect his victory as the team was best equipped to reconfigure the chassis set up to make him the...
" Master of Monaco"
Pic 1...Thursday practice....#2....Stewart leads Atwood
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If you follow Formula one on a regular basis, you may be aware of "Grid boys" at Monaco last race weekend. Yes, instead of those lovely gals holding the starting position placards, it was decided to have a few young men perform the duties. I consider this a sacrilege to the image of motorsport. Mind you...sexual preference aside...there seems to be something wrong with this concept. One of the many allures of racing has always been danger, fast cars and great looking girls. The image of that special kiss in victory lane or "Miss Hurst shifter" come to mind.
This brings me back to the good old days...amen. ld
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Agreed! Thankfully, I didn't notice the 'grid boys' when I watched Monaco. I would have been severely disappointed!
Apropos sex and racing - I liked Jackie Stewart's comment about that during his time as a driver. He said that was when sex was safe and driving was dangerous.
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Agreed! Thankfully, I didn't notice the 'grid boys' when I watched Monaco. I would have been severely disappointed!
Apropos sex and racing - I liked Jackie Stewart's comment about that during his time as a driver. He said that was when sex was safe and driving was dangerous.
and I believe he said cornering in an F1 car was like bringing a woman to an orgasm.
They must have cornered very slowly in his time..............
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With the return of Mexico on this year's F1 schedule it seems fitting to mention Moises Solana. Having participated in a total of eight Grand Prix for various teams, his tenure as a one off driver lasted from 1963 to 1968. Oddly enough, his legend to Formula One in the early years was to have been the only entrant to use the number 13 for BRM during a race. He also went on to race Can Am and some USAC events with a McLaren. Sadly, he lost his life in a hill climb crash in 68 ...Overshadowed by the famous Rodriguez brothers, he is still revered in his native country as pioneer to break into the F1 ranks.
footnote...Pastor Maldonado is the only F1 driver to race with the #13 since Solana. ld
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Very interesting history lesson. Thanks Lou.
He may not have been famous, but driving the 49 in anger must be worth something.
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As usual, a fun history lesson from you, Lou!
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Interesting note on the Moises Solana drive at Mexico. He used chassis R4 which is still active today.
Clark started with chassis R1...while Graham Hill used chassis R3. ld
Top shot...Clark in 1967, and the other is R4 seen at Goodwood in 2014. Not much change really, less the catch tank and rear light for safety with the short roll hoop. The cooling system plumbing has seemed to have worked it's way over to the right side. I like the similar photo angles.
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A relative old timer when I was racing told me that initially, they didn't mind if the roll bar was below the top of the helmet because the driver's neck and back would compress. I don't know if that's true, but you have to wonder what they thought that bar was for if it was below the top of the helmet!
More great pictures, Lou! Thanks!
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Reflections...The quiet Champion, Graham Hill.
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I've been waiting for this weekend...to hell with setting clutch bite points! ld
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Barcelona 1969...Well before red bull gave you "Wings"
Aero for the track was the black hole to engineers in the late 60's and a few had decided to push the envelope. Jochen Rindt,Graham Hill and Jo Siffert in the 49b.
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Great picture (again), Lou. That must have been after the time of bi-planes where wings were above both the front and rear axles. It's striking how spindly the wing struts were. They didn't appear to have an appreciation for the loads those wings generated. That became painfully clear when they broke on Graham Hill's and Jochen Rindt's car later on the 72, I believe.
I think it's interesting that the Chaparrals were running wings mounted on the rear uprights for two years before the F1 guys decided to try it. The Chaparral wings were adjustable under driver control and my memory was that the F1 wings were also controlled by the driver - at least at some point - becaues after they started failing on the F1 cars (don't remember if other cars besides Lotus has a problem), the FIA banned "movable aerodynamic devices" on all race cars which outlawed the movable wings on the Chaparrals. If they were controlled by the driver, I don't know that I ever knew how it was accomplished.
Sorry for wandering a bit off the topic of the picture, but that era was pivotal since aerodynamics and stickier slicks came together and transformed all road racing!
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Continuing with the wing evolution...yes, the very fragile looking 49b.
Hill and Oliver with the high mounted foils and a rare shot of Jo Bonnier in Germany 1969 with the lower pylon version. ld
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Great shots (again)! Thanks Lou!
It's kind of odd seeing that oil cooler sticking out on a sleek race car! I noticed that they hadn't started running slicks yet. Do you remember when they did? It must have been soon after these pictures.
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Those are some great photos! I love the old stuff. Interesting looking at the tires and how they fitted on these old race cars. They are stretched a lot almost like how the dub scene guys stretch their tires lately, lol.
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Had to add this one to the collection.
After reviewing this one closely, I realized that Monty Python was a part time track steward.
Tales from down under! ld
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ROTFLMAO! He certainly looks like the well dressed steward to me! ;D
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Great shots (again)! Thanks Lou!
It's kind of odd seeing that oil cooler sticking out on a sleek race car! I noticed that they hadn't started running slicks yet. Do you remember when they did? It must have been soon after these pictures.
Oil coolers, yes...before and after the "wing ban" debacle...
The 49b has it's first semblance of a full engine cover with cooler duct and tail wing to tidy things up a bit. ld
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Back in the day, a good car could be updated for the next year (or two or three or four or five).
It's always interesting to see how they morph over time!
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Those are some great photos! I love the old stuff. Interesting looking at the tires and how they fitted on these old race cars. They are stretched a lot almost like how the dub scene guys stretch their tires lately, lol.
I will always try to post those rare and hard to find photos and yes...they are forever great to look at again! ld
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I wonder if they gave this chap hazard duty pay...I would have done it for free...Atwood blasts by in Monte Carlo.
Interesting use of color and B/W for Graham. ld
ps...You may be curious about all the recent activity...undergoing chemo can get you wired, can't wait to get to post #250.
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Watkins Glen...The old pits were along the down hill (just after the now turn one right hander). A candid shot of Clark in the famous Kendall garage. I remember how easy it was to get so close to the teams and drivers. A chain link fence separated the individual stalls, with a passageway between each. Many a moment when you could actually overhear the conversations of all involved...ld
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Completely different atmosphere now! From what I can tell, you'd be very lucky to get anywhere near an F1 driver now.
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Today, he would have been 80...Happy Birthday to the "Flying Scott"...ld
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80!!! He'll be forever young to me!
:lotus:
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A few nice shots of Jochen Rindt in the 49b...
The first time he used a full face helmet at Spa in 1970...sales for the Bell Star took off!...everyone started using them.
The Germany 69 photo shows the single rear wing (later developed into the triple element version)
Winning at the Glen in 69...ld
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I wonder what the little tab on the nose does that cranking the canards a little steeper wouldn't.
It's interesting that he seemed to have different color helmets in '69!
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Okay...You are a world renowned Formula One designer, having penned many outstanding examples of championship winning machinery. Your current employer even gave you one as a gift to keep, for your contribution to the team...
However, what race car do you own outright? Well, If your name is Adrian Newey it's pretty simple.
It will give you wings but, you can't drink it!
(honorary member of the 49 club)
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Also, wasn't the Elan Gordon Murray's inspiration for his road going cars?
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The summer of 69...Champions at Gold Leaf
Gone are the glory days of F1, today we are faced with drivers who seem to have bigger ego's than brains. Complaining at every turn, and crashing into each other if all else fails. Sorry for venting...but, my beloved sport has turned into a farce.
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Two of my favorite b/w's...
Graham getting some advice from the boss and another of Mr. Monaco himself with the molded rear wing versioned 49b.
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Two of my favorite b/w's...
Graham getting some advice from the boss and another of Mr. Monaco himself with the molded rear wing versioned 49b.
Steve Jones...captures Graham with "Oil on canvas"
A remarkable painting that comes to life, you can almost hear it. ld
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Great painting, Lou! I thought it was a photograph at first!
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Hey Lou, the fade to black graham picture attached to your post below is fantastic. Such an amazing photo, I just wish I was around in this era (I am one of the young punks around here being born in 1980). If these are your photos I would love to get a high resolution copy of it.
Ross
I wonder if they gave this chap hazard duty pay...I would have done it for free...Atwood blasts by in Monte Carlo.
Interesting use of color and B/W for Graham. ld
ps...You may be curious about all the recent activity...undergoing chemo can get you wired, can't wait to get to post #250.
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Legends...I could imagine Bobby asking Mario...Think Colin would mind?...I'll use your helmet, just park yourself in the camper for a while!
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Very cool photo. I love those old candid shots that at one time were considered 'throw away' shots, but now provide an intimate peek into history. Thanks for posting.
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This gal has a true gift...Her name is Emma Capener. Her art is truly outstanding!
Most all her work done in pencil, she has captured scenes that would rival photographs. (facebook)
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Wow!
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Yeah, what he said; WOW!
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I googled this lady to see more of her work. It is all absolutely stunning. The depth of emotion that she can capture with a mere pencil is truly amazing. Thanks for posting, Lou.
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Well, you got me started! She has a facebook page with time lapse videos of her working on some of her pictures (https://www.facebook.com/ecapenerart/videos/696151740446934/). She is truly amazing and thankfully, she seem to like car racing because many of her subjects are cars and drivers.
Here's a longer video of her drawing Mark Weber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7YbCO7ruVo
Thanks for bringing her to our attention, Lou!
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He would have been 81 today, his legend continues...
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Thanks for making me feel old!
He died much too young.
:lotus:
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Had to dust this one off...a unique picture of the team at the debut of the iconic 49 at Zandvoort. With Hill and Duckworth along 49 R1 in the back round, Jim gets a shove into the pit box from Colin. Can you imagine a team principal in today's F1 resorting to slogging about?...Not hardly!
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Drag was the killer...the slim cigar shape was pushing the envelope of adhesion. Teams were looking for a solution to diminish the lift pressure created at high speed. Here we see the first semblance of primitive foils added to the nose of the 49 the high speeds of Spa 1967...
Later developments of the high rear wing were suicidal...but I wanted to show the small wicker added, including the adjustment slots for the front wing planes.
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Great stuff, Lou. The pace of development was astounding throughout this era. I Think it is a suitable commentary for the state and growth of mechanical engineering as a whole during this period of time.
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Forever browsing for images...A nice picture /cameo of Jackie Oliver...Test your skill
Check carefully for clues...Where was this?...4 points
Pole lap time?...3 points
Race Winner?....2 points
Team mates? ....1 point per
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Ok, I'll take a crack at it, but I feel I have the location wrong;
#1 Brands Hatch
#2 1:28.9 (Graham Hill)
#3 Jo Siffert
#4 Jo Siffert & Graham Hill
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My guess is Monza
Surtees 1 min 26.07 sec
Hulme
Hill and Andretti
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My guess is Monza
Surtees 1 min 26.07 sec
Hulme
Hill and Andretti
...Aced it !...outstanding! Monza 1968, The Honda was fast but, like many others a race of attrition.
Notables come to mind, Oliver had the fastest race lap, both Andretti (Lotus) and Unser (BRM) were not allowed to race from having competed in another non-sanctioned event in a 24hr. period.
They were the talk of the paddock on Friday with Andretti setting Fastest time just ahead of Bobby...seems they were off to the Hoosier 100 in Indiana, and come then back for the Grand Prix...they never returned!
Johnny Servos Gavin (Tyrell/Matra) Derek Bell (Ferrari) David Hobbs (Honda)...most teams had extra cars.
Hulme was challenged early by Surtees, then watched as the others fell away...only 6 of 24 were classified.
Would you like to try another?...same weekend! ....
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Just curious, was there specific evidence to identify the site a Monza? Or just good educational guessing?
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Jackie only ran the number 19 at Monza that year. For some reason the car numbers changed at every race other than #1.
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Just curious, was there specific evidence to identify the site a Monza? Or just good educational guessing?
I thought you would have to look back at some earlier posts for clues...mind you, some pictures can be found in this thread and the first time Zandvoort topic.
The concrete pit boxes with painted circles...see photo...remember, you liked the overalls.
Jacky raced in 68...when was his car wore #19...Mario #18...photo
Babes...Baghetti's girl pal at Monza...photo...er...yep! that's a great clue.
Cheers!
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Cheers Roddy. I should have thought to check numbers
And thanks Lou. Never occurred to me to check previous photos. Yes, it all comes back to me now, though surely I can be excused for not focusing on the concrete beyond the legs. ;)
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On the last night of his life, Clark was asked by fellow driver Kurt Ahrens to a TV spot with Germany's Sport studio. Jim agreed, and with Kurt in the car... pushed him on to the set. Mistakenly taken as Kurt's mechanic the announcer only later learned of Jim's reputation.
After a photo stop at a local beer house, the Mercedes that Kurt was using, desperately needed some oil. With little funds at their disposal, Kurt persuaded the attendant to accept an autograph from the twice Worlds Champion for payment.
Such was the case for a humble man..RIP
On the F2 grid the next day....Ahrens with is Dad, Carlos Facetti and Beaky Simms.
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Sad to see pictures on Jim's last twenty four hours...
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Happy Birthday Jochen Rindt...75 years today, F1's only uncrowned Champion.
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Brave man! Sadly dying because he had the wings taken off his car at Monza - an untested configuration. Ironically, he was probably the only driver (up till that point anyway) who refused to drive a car because he thought it was unsafe.
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Brave man! Sadly dying because he had the wings taken off his car at Monza - an untested configuration. Ironically, he was probably the only driver (up till that point anyway) who refused to drive a car because he thought it was unsafe.
Was that not the incident that landed Colin in hot water with the Italian authorities who want to put him on trial for murder, or some charges similar to that?
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I think that was Frank Williams for the Senna crash.
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The first Lotus incident with the Italians crying foul was in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix on 10 September at Monza, Wolfgang von Trips in his Ferrari collided with Jim Clark's Lotus. Von Trips's car became airborne and crashed into a side barrier, fatally throwing von Trips out of the car and killing fifteen spectators. (Wikipedia).
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The first Lotus incident with the Italians crying foul was in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix on 10 September at Monza, Wolfgang von Trips in his Ferrari collided with Jim Clark's Lotus. Von Trips's car became airborne and crashed into a side barrier, fatally throwing von Trips out of the car and killing fifteen spectators. (Wikipedia).
Life and Karma...Jochen's parents were killed in an allied bombing raid near the end of WW2, and was raised by relatives in Austria. Always the wild one, he was influenced to motorsports as a young boy and his idol was the German ace Von Trips. Was it his fate to perish only meters away from the same place?
As for Senna, it is Italian law that all motor vehicle deaths are to be investigated...and, as in this case, Frank Williams would be summoned to a trial to determine if fault was present. Homicide investigators scoured the equipment and all black box data. It was revealed that during construction of the Williams chassis, Senna did not like the position of his steering wheel and requested it be altered. The column was cut and a 3" splice was welded in...It was this splice that failed during the Imola race, causing the loss of steering control.
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The cause of the Senna crash is still a subject of debate. I'd suggest reading the Nostalgia forum for some very erudite opinions.
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Once in a while I'll come across a couple of shots taken at the exact moment in time by different photographers...
The first privateer win for Rob Walker at Brands Hatch in 1968 with Jo"Seppi"Siffert in the 49B.
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More great pictures, Lou. I wonder why the Lotus steering wheel hub was taped over?
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Lou, what about Stirling Moss winning the Argentinian Grand Prix, Trintignant at Monaco in 1958, 2 more GPs for Moss in 1959, all in Coopers, and further wins by Moss, like
Monaco 1960, incidentally the first GP win for a Lotus, Moss again at US GP, Monaco and Nurburgring, etc., etc. All for Rob Walker.
Seppi's win wasn't Walker's first, but I think it might have been his last.
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I wonder why the Lotus steering wheel hub was taped over?
Because the Lotus emblem was a bad fit, it kept falling out, and Chunky hadn't paid the suppliers so they hadn't delivered the new batch.
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I guess that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone!
:lotus:
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Lou, what about Stirling Moss winning the Argentinian Grand Prix, Trintignant at Monaco in 1958, 2 more GPs for Moss in 1959, all in Coopers, and further wins by Moss, like
Monaco 1960, incidentally the first GP win for a Lotus, Moss again at US GP, Monaco and Nurburgring, etc., etc. All for Rob Walker.
Seppi's win wasn't Walker's first, but I think it might have been his last.
Roger...It's about the 49, not about who won where, when, and what chassis was used...I did not want it to sound like his victory was the first privateer to win a GP. Sorry you interpreted it that way...ld
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In 1967 the French Grand Prix was held at Le Mans...
I love this shot because it captures the feeling of tension and excitement of the pit lane on race day. Closer examination shows another Worlds Champion in the photo...care to identify him?
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Other than Hill and Clark?
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I'm looking for a 6 year old.
Haven't seen him yet..............
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Is that Jack Brabham on the left of the picture in white overalls?
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Is that Jack Brabham on the left of the picture in white overalls?
I think you are correct. Well spotted.
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Is that Brabham on the left? I'm using a phone so the image isn't too clear.
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Is that Brabham on the left? I'm using a phone so the image isn't too clear.
Is that Jack Brabham on the left of the picture in white overalls?
I think you are correct. Well spotted.
Well done boys!....Black Jack!
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He's been mentioned once, in this thread.
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Probably the strongest team mates for their era...Clark and Hill set the benchmark during their brief tenure together at team Lotus. Although Jim was regarded as leader, his gentlemen approach and team spirit never soured the relationship between these two great drivers.
Silverstone 67...Lockout pole, Clark and Hill started 1st and 2nd
Victory for Clark...12 seconds over Hulme (Brabham/Repco) with Amon in the Ferrari 3rd. Hill retired on lap 64 (engine)
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There is something special associated to the identification of your favorite drivers...What distinguishes them apart, to know at first glance who is behind the wheel. Helmets...
I have been a Jim Clark follower as long as I can remember, His familiar dark blue lid with white visor and those goggles have indeed become iconic...almost to a brand status. There are many images of his early days, when wearing a simple dark colored dome...but, as far as I can document, there has been one instance when he donned a full face shield.
Italy 1967...perhaps his most memorable drive through the field. Here, pictured is Jim during practice that weekend.
Other favorites...Hill of course, with his rowing team stripes...Lauda, and his simple super rat red...Stewart, in tartan stripe, Mario in the silver along with the Ronnie Peterson blue and yellow peak. Dare leave Senna's off my list.
Today's F1 pilot's are a real challenge..changing all the time you can never tell. Give me the old school...when you can spot Tom Pryce, Emmo or Cevert. Those, were the days!
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I think I really prefer the simpler helmet designs of the past to the more intricate ones of today's drivers even if they might not be as interesting.
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Sad news, After a long illness...Eddie Dennis, chief mechanic to Team Lotus has passed away. Condolences to the family...
5/30/38-7/21/17
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RIP :'(
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Sad news. RIP Eddie Dennis.
I quite like the photo of him at Monza.
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I never get tired of these old pictures...
Rare shots of Jim Clark at Spa 1967...using the first ever nose wings during practice, and in race trim without. You will note that assigned numbers were not the norm for the day. Usually #3 #4 #5 & #6 were allocated to Team Lotus for the 67 season.In the latter stages for Spa and Monza, the team wore numbers in the 20's....
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I like pictures of the old cars too. There's an elegant simplicity about them.
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It's fitting that Clark would be the first of many men who claimed a seat in the 49...and won!
Love that smile! Zandvoort 1967
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Nice photo.
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I love it when a story comes together...
This past weekend Bob Dance visited our local Lotus Pals group here in Pennsylvania...I could not make the show. Fortunately, Glen...aka "Certified Lotus" had made a video available for our viewing pleasure. I mention this because Bob recalls the conversation of Mario and Colin at Watkins Glen in 1968..."When do you want me to put it on pole"
And, like a cat amongst the pigeons, Mario delivered for the team.
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The second photo is classic Mario. Thanks for posting.
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I recently received a request for guestions for an upcoming Lotus Ltd. interview with Mario. I couldn't think any questions but if anybody has any good questions, contact Lotus Ltd. or post them here and I'll submit them for consideration.
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Question for Mario Andretti:-
"Does he think the current F1 regulations and the F1 governing body prevent innovations, such as the blown rear diffuser, by banning any innovations quite quickly, if any team starts to gain an advantage by using that innovation".
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I'll submit this question but I would guess the subject matter of the interview will center on Andretti's experience with Lotus.
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Lotus aka Colin Chapman, were/was the innovator supreme.
Would his innovations have been banned today?
Have the new rules/hierarchy prevented innovation like CC managed in his time?
The Lotus 72 was quite different (the JPS car), and therefore very successful.
Do the new rules/heirarchy choke innovation?
Would CC have been as successful if the restrictions had been so great?
Do the current rules/heirarchy prevent any major thinking outside the box?
CC thrived on outside the box innovation.
I think you get the idea.
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Got it! I'll pass them on.
Anybody else have questions?
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BDA...Although Mario's exposure was limited in the 49, I would like to ask him about the time with Colin during the development of the Lotus 78 and 79 chassis. I recall reading or hearing about Colin's complete control of even the smallest changes made to the car without his awareness.
Case in point...I believe it was when Mario asked to have some extra fuel added before the start of a race, the mechanics responded and dumped a few more gallons into the car. Colin went bananas...and had the fuel removed, only to have Mario loose the lead that day...running out of gas on the last few laps.
What if?...Mario had any gripes about Colin's management style...what would he like to see different.
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I'll add that, Lou. I also think I remember that Mario demanded expanded safety tesy like (extra?) strength testing of suspension components. I guess there's a question in there too.
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Can you imagine a modern F1 car of today, rolling out of the workshop and racing the next day!!!
Well that's exactly what took place on July 14th 1967. One day before the British GP, chassis R3 was finally completed and trusted to the hands Graham Hill. Still going strong at fifty years old.
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The problem with the modern F1 rules is that the engines are far too complicated for 4 different engine manufacturers to come up with engines producing the same power and reliability so there is decent competition between several teams.
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I guess that's what some people call progress. I prefer cars that do not require a bank of satellite computers just to start and run (actually, I prefer cars that make no use of computers whatsoever).
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As any software geek will tell you...be sure to back up your files.
So, like a good little soldier every once in a while I run a copy to support my stuff and picture library. Well, as is the case while performing some usual laptop cleanup earlier this week...#*%#@^????...crash!
Got it going again but, everything down the tubes, besides...it was as if the machine was a virgin!
No recovery, no prior restore dates, all web info gone, links the whole shooting match.
OK...I spent the better part of the last two days reconstructing everything from browsers, sites and passwords, printers and devices, last item on the agenda was to re load my old photo files. So I go to collect the disc rack and find it has some how grown legs and was moved to a spot where it had been solar irradiated!
Needless to say, It will take me some time to bring back the lost treasures, so be patient.
Thankfully, I have this site and the other threads to start once again.
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Boy, that's bad luck! Good luck with restoring your collection and thanks for the nice Clark/49 picture!
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Lou, sorry to hear about your system crash and total loss of data. I have gone through this twice in my lifetime and finally got smart to install automatic and full sytem back ups my my computers. Let me know if you want a strong recommendation.
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That's a serious bummer, Lou. Very sorry to hear that. Such is the age we live in, I guess. Good luck with rebuilding the collection.
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Monza 1968, Mario's lost weekend...
Plenty of miles traveled, from Italy to Indiana and back to Monza only to have Sig. Baccagalupi invoke the FIA 24 hour rule of rest.
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Well, that was a bummer, but it was an unforced error. In reading about the '68 Monza race, I found that Bobby Unser and Mario set the pace. I didn't remember that Bobby Unser (we used to call him Bunser) ever competed in F1 but he was also a DNS from the ACI 24 hour rule (a driver was not allowed to participate in another event within 24 hours).
Thanks for the pictures!
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Im amazed at the rough paint work. When you consider the immaculate turn out of the JPS in comparison Still great pictures though Cheers
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Followers...This is a psychological test...No cheating, just impressions...
Look at this picture and tell me what you see.
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I don't know but it doesn't look good...
Merry Christmas, all!
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It looks too long between the steering wheel and the roll cage.
A two seater?
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Something weird about the GLTL emblem, like 1 superimposed on another. Numbers odd too.
Photoshop?
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For 1968, the numbers were 9 & 10.
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For 1968, the numbers were 9 & 10.
Something weird about the GLTL emblem, like 1 superimposed on another. Numbers odd too.
Photoshop?
Italy 1968...Drivers - Hill, Andretti & Oliver #'s 16, 18 & 19. The double decal and misaligned number on Oliver's car is legit, I have another shot showing it. In the picture a disconsolate Oliver seems quite uninterested. Bette Hill with her familiar lap chart and Colin chatting with a reporter. The only bright spot that weekend was Oliver's fastest race lap. Hill's lasted but 5 laps due to a broken wheel. Oliver had a transmission failure on lap 38 and Mario was banned from starting.
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A wet and soggy weekend greeted the F1 circus at Mosport in 67. It started well for Team Lotus as Jim Clark posted a 1.22.4 to garner pole position. Graham Hill slotted into 2ND to lock out the front row. First timer in the 49 was Eppie Wietzes, who qualified 17TH some 8.4 seconds adrift of Jim's time.
As fate would have it...Both Clark (who set the fastest race lap at 1.23.1) and Wietzes would suffer ignition failures on lap 69. Eppie was later disqualified for receiving outside assistance.
Graham's third place podium was some consolation for the team, in an otherwise disappointing event.
Did you hear? Those dopes at Liberty are dropping Grid girls!
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More great pictures and history, Lou!
I heard about the Grid Girls and I'm really disappointed - as are the girls. All this because somebody was offended FOR THEM. They should mind their own business.
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Yeah, I heard this too. All good things must come to an end, I guess, but on motorsport grids of all types all over the world, things won't be the same. Things do move on, though. How long has it been now since a trophy girl was expected to grant the grimy, sweaty wining driver a kiss, and probably permit a groping of the derriere as well?
I think we need a couple photos of 49 era grid girls. Got any of those stashed away?
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Salutations...Graham Hill 2/15/29
One of the greats, and a true gentleman World Championship driver...Happy Birthday!
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:happy-bday: Graham!
I'm struck how Graham, Clark, Stewart, et al. were greats of such a different era - not only technically, but in every way. I miss that era.
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:happy-bday: Graham!
I'm struck how Graham, Clark, Stewart, et al. were greats of such a different era - not only technically, but in every way. I miss that era.
Yeah, me too. Masters in the era when driving was still a very pure art form, and gentlemen to boot.
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Sorry if this is me: :deadhorse:
I do not intend to take anything away from today's drivers, but as you say, they were gentlemen who excelled at a very basic, or even raw, art form. In spite of the fact we are talking about F1 drivers, the previous drivers, besides not having the technology that is available today, had to contend with something that today's drivers have almost no worry of - death. Today's drivers practice on simulators for a long time before they put a wheel on the track and even then, it is almost inconceivable that one will die no matter what miss hap should befall them. It is certainly a good thing that it is a rare circumstance that a driver will die in a race car. And that fact may actually allow today's drivers to be "more skillful" since they have much more control over their car due to technological improvements and also because driving over the limit will only be momentarily embarrassing (and expensive) whereas before a driver could be seriously injured or killed.
Of course, the concept of "gentleman" seems to be a thing of the past. Again, this is not a knock on today's drivers, but that is something that geezers like me morn.
As good as today's drivers are, I think the performance of the drivers up to the Hill/Clark era and even up to the Senna era deserve a lot more credit.
[/rant]
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Today's 49 Quiz...
It's a three part answer...Who drove it? Where was it, and when?
The answers can be found in this thread.
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Eppie Wietzes, Mosport,1967. Just a guess :)
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Eppie Wietzes, Mosport,1967. Just a guess :)
Nice try...you are about 3000 mi. off target...but since you are my neighbor (Whitehall, Pa.) I'll give you another chance!....Think about pasta w/ red sauce.
Another clue would be, it's the only time the 49 carried the # 24....cheers ! ld
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The answers can be found in this thread.
Oh, in that case:
Giancarlo Baghetti
Italian Grand Prix, Monza
1967
8)
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I think I will wait for the verdict on Gavin's answer before I research this further. I am a Lotus Elan owner but I'm catching the Europa bug thanks to Lou and Certified Lotus (Glen) who is rebuilding his Europa Twincam :)
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I think I will wait for the verdict on Gavin's answer before I research this further.
O ye, of little faith. :))
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I think I will wait for the verdict on Gavin's answer before I research this further.
O ye, of little faith. :))
Thanks, to you both. These little quizzes will pop up every now and then. My next one will be a tad harder . ld
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A little change of pace for today's post.
As you well might know, great racing was to be had in the land down under. During the winter months of off season, the F1 circus headed south to Oz...famous for it's Roo's, Dingo dogs and hero Anzac diggers.
The competition was fierce, with the usual factory efforts along with local track legends. Pictured below, the front row at Sandown in 68...Can you name the Aussie? ( there is a clue if you look closely)
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Well Hulme, Amon and McLaren all came from an Eastern Australian penal colony called New Zealand, so that leaves only Sir Jack Brabham as being my only contender.
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Well now, how about Frank Gardner? As Aussie as they come.
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This is the closest I can get:-
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24
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That's my guess too . . Frank Gardner.
Was this the Tasman Series?
Just a typo note; the track is spelled Sandown . . with an "n".
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Boy, you guys are on it...yes, I expected to throw a curve at the group, ya nailed it...
Frank Gardner, in the yellow Brabham BT 23 Alfa V8, a two time British saloon champion, runner up in European F2 and touring cars and a F5000 title. When I decided to start my competition driving, I was drawn to Frank's book which was perfect read to getting started right.
A shout out to (dakazman)...for the re pop of Baghetti's #24...love them legs.
Back to the Tasman....
Clark, showing the Kiwi 49 nose diving under braking & a happy Hill at Teretonga park
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1968....
2018...
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It's amazing how complex F1 cars have gotten! It has to be a huge ordeal to learn and understand all those buttons and knobs.
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Yes, crazy complexity. It surely must take away from the purity of the drive.
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Research and development...or, when some bloke wants to try those new bits of kit in real life.
A fascinating part of racing, as with any boundary adventure is adapting new methods of attack, to address overall performance. Having extreme longevity as a chassis, the 49 was one of the most evolved during it's time.
As the versions morphed through the years, power and drive systems remained relatively stable. Chassis, suspension, tires and aerodynamics with sub component relocation were the work of the day.
Here we see the R8 of Siffert at Brands Hatch in 69...and the first vestiges of the nose nacelle's on Rindt's entry, which were introduced quite eariler. The object of removing the high pressure area and stacked air behind the radiator into the front bulkhead. With improving cooling as a benefit, these ducts not only lowered the dirty internal turbulence but increased the down force in front of the nose, and also added a greater exit speed creating a higher negative air flow on to the body forward to the cockpit. With adjustable wing slats, wicker bill, and side end plates soon followed, to manage and control increased load effects.
Before the wind tunnels...
The black art of Aerodynamics was living in the pit lane every weekend, along with the clinched butt cheeks of all the drivers. ld
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Graham leaves the pits in South Africa 1968...
With a Team Lotus front row lockout, Clark with a full second in hand after qualifying, paved the way to a Sunday grand slam at the seasons opener.
From the looks of it, I would rather to turn the clocks back 50 years for F1.
Can't follow or pass, drive by wire data streams, halo, no grid girls, drs, 3 engines, fuel strat modes, grid penalties, with a VSC undercut and beat you delta, you win !...
Please God not...(ESPN)....Where are you Hobbs? I can't understand Di resta at all!
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The reporting leaves a bit to be desired IMHO. I miss David Hobbs but Martin Brundle is ok. There is nobody like Steve Matchett which is a big loss. There is little analysis and few interviews. I don't like ESPN anyway (but that did allow me to go to the next lower tier on my DirecTV subscription) and to me, their coverage makes it less of an event.
I think Liberty has made some positive changes with better access to the drivers for the fans, for example, but screwed up other things like ESPN, no grid girls, etc. I don't like the looks of the halo, but I got used to it. I think the cars are pretty ugly anyway.
As for the rules, I think the fewer the better. Costs killed the original CanAm but look at the current costs for F1 now!
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I agree with all of the above. It's hard to get seriously interested in F1 now. The machines are much more like 200 mph 'remote control' computers rather than a mechanical machine. I just can't identify with them anymore, and the rules are stifling and far too contrived, designed to suit money-making agendas (read, TV) rather than facilitate good racing. I'm just confused these days when trying to watch an F1 race, with all of these DRS zones (is he in it or not?) and regenerative braking (can he use it now or not?). I don't understand much of it, and there is little incentive to learn.
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I stopped watching F1 years ago. Not like the old days when I woke up in the middle of the night to watch every race. Too much like a video game now. And where is the innovation? Remember when wings appeared, ground effects, and holly sh** when Tryrell appeared with a six wheel car.
Here is a ‘different” video history of Formula 1: https://youtu.be/hgLQWIAaCmY
Now I Race 1/10th scale formula 1 Cars that are electric and are more fun than watching on TV. Plus I get the build them and make my own mods.......
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I've watched pretty regularly over the past several years. I started when Kimi and Romain drove the ersatz Lotus (at least it had an ACBC roundel) Now there's an American team (yes, they still buy an awful lot of the parts from Ferrari but it is still built in North Carolina).
I don't much care for the look of the cars and I don't like a lot of the rules, but there is actual passing as opposed to back in the Schumacher era when there was precious little. There is also records being broken and that's exciting, too.
Agreed, it's not as good as it once was but it's better than it had been and a US team adds to the excitement.
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A sad twist of fate...
Heard the news this morning that we lost John Miles yesterday at age 75, exactly fifty years after Clark's fatal accident at Hockenheim. His Grand Prix career included 15 Formula one starts scoring two championship points. Instrumental in the early development of the ill-fated type 63, saloon racing the 47 and finally working in the road car division for Lotus.
RIP and God's speed ...
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RIP John.
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When tales of Lotus lore are uttered, especially with regard to racing road based cars, John Miles' name is always prominently, and favourably mentioned. R.I.P. John.
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Victory # 25....
Dueling with Pedro...backmarker traffic in the same corner, looks like the same line. You always needed to rely on mirrors when Jimmy was nearby, since there was always a chance by mid distance he was lapping you...ld
Note: fans in the back round on the micros and com tower disrobing. Hot Times !
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Today I was able to watch my first Formula 1 race of the year. It was an excellent race and I actually enjoyed the announcers. My ESPN2 feed had no commercials! Had no trouble understanding DiResta and his Scottish accent. For me watching F1 in the 60's and 70's it was about the racing, but also about the innovation and difference in car design. Costs and rules are what kills innovation. I don't think you will ever see innovation like seen in those "Golden Years".. Technological advancement as it applies to race cars has reached a point of diminishing returns and the rules reflect that. Currently in F1 there three teams ultra competitive with each other with a few others close behind. Racing in all the major series(F1, Indycars and NASCAR) is competitive as a result of spec type rule restrictions. :)
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May 12 1968...Jarama, Spain
Only one Team Lotus entrant as Graham Hill carried the colors. The team was in transition after the death of Clark and Chapman decided to have Mike Spence fill in the vacant seat. Those plans did not materialize, as Spence was tragically killed at Indy only five days before the Spanish event. Chapman inconsolable, decided to forgo attending in respect of his lost mates.
The race however would fall to Graham, running in the top five but outpaced by pole sitter Amon's Ferrari, he hung on long enough to secure the win as the other drivers had mechanical gremlins and dropped away.
The podium was shared with Dennis Hulme (Mclaren) and Brian Redman (Cooper BRM)
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Happy Birthday to John Miles...
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:happy-bday: John Miles!
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Simply gorgeous...
As seen at this year's Monaco Historic event,, chassis # R8 currently owned by Adrian Newey.
I need to address and update the list of drivers of the 49. While looking into the history of R8, I failed to examine the history of this particular car. Created for Graham Hill and the Tasman series, it participated in four F1 championship races with Hill, Richard Attwood and Joakim Bonnier. It was then raced by Dave Charlton twenty times with thirteen additional wins in the South African domestic series. The car then passed to Piet de Klerk who carried the honors for twelve more races, finally ending up with Meyer Botha for two more events.
That would have been it for an out of date and very second hand racing car, it's monocoque damaged and destined for the scrap heap when it was shipped to Austraila and resurrected by the Hon John Dawson-Damer and his brother the Earl of Portarlington.
Used in Historic events and demonstrations like Goodwood...It was finally returned to the UK and restored by Classic Team Lotus to the last configuration as raced by Graham Hill.
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Pretty! It looks a little "off" with slicks!
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Pretty! It looks a little "off" with slicks!
Don't we all tend to get a little wider with age ?
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Sadly, many of us do so I'm not being critical. I'm only saying that I expect to see tires on the 49 with treads and slicks seem a bit out of place.
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It's been a while since the last post, figured some of you needed a taste of nostalgia again.
As a reminder, the Goodwood revival meeting is being held this weekend. A fantastic event that can be viewed via live stream off their web site, or Facebook. Practice and qualy today with a full schedule on tap for Sunday. Of special interest for me will be the open wheelers...In the 1.5 liter class F1 (1958-65} keep you eye out for Andy Middlehurst in the Lotus 25 Climax. My pick for the win.
If any of you would like...The perfect gift for those garage days, just add a few Lotus patches and you will be the best dressed in the paddock... 99 pounds at the Goodwood store.
In keeping with the topic...Seppi in the 49...Cheers to all !
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Fantastic pictures, I enjoy them every time, keep them coming :)
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Fantastic pictures, I enjoy them every time, keep them coming :)
Nockenwelle...Thanks
Some rare shots of the initial roll out at Hethel, as Graham Hill is the first to test the 49 prior to Zandvoort.
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Nice historical pictures. The first thing I noticed is how low the roll bar is! When I was racing, I had to get extensions welded on my roll bars because I was too tall for them. I guess your helmet protects the shiny roll bar.
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Those cars would terrify modern drivers.
Gary
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10/5/69...Watkins Glen
Having secured pole position, Jochen Rindt battled Jackie Stewart's Matra in the early stages of the race. Stewart would drop out due to lack of oil pressure, leaving Rindt to control the remaining laps to his first win. His margin of victory was 46 seconds over Piers Courage in the Brabham with John Surtees BRM, a distant two laps adrift.
Things did not go well for Graham Hill...having spun and stalled on lap 33, he got out, and push started himself, but could not re-buckle his belts. Not knowing one of his rear tires was damaged, he signaled the pits that he would be coming in on the following lap. While on the back straight, the tire exploded, throwing him clear after impacting a grass berm. He suffered fractures to both legs, but was lucky to survive
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Thanks for the blast from past, Lou!
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Although I was tempted to post this tidbit in the "Zandvoort" topic...I decided that because of Clark's immense talent to understand a car's behavior it belongs here. I took the time to go to Motorsports magazine archive, and read again the July 67 entry to the first race for Jim in the 49.
As documented, Jim's initial seat time was for Fridays practice to get settled in to the new car. Pedal adjustments, brake pad bedding and gear ratios were the work of the day. As it turned out both cars would have their gearboxes changed for Saturday, with Clark advising Colin that he sensed something was amiss. A cursory check of the car revealed no issues, and Clark resumed his lapping. His concerns remained, and a further detailed inspection took place to reveal a broken ball race to the r/rear hub assembly. Was it a bad casting to the hub, or the race itself?...Chapman worried, and was relived to find that the race had not seated correctly.
The rest is History...
I wonder what was going through Jim's mind as he zero's in over the 49's first mystery.
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Interesting back story, Lou! And great picture of the business end of the 49! It had a ZF tranny - maybe the last year for them before Hewland came to the fore.
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Great story. How intuitive he must have been to identify such a subtle issue whilst testing a new car for the first time. I think it says a lot about the mans' natural engagement with, and sypathies for the equipment.
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It was practice for the 1968 French Grand Prix...
Jackie Oliver had just run his second lap, in retrospect, we know today that the rear wing collapsed. A failure that was to plague the team in future events, and cause near fatal injuries to Hill and Rindt at Barcelona.
I've linked a video...hope it works!
https://youtu.be/MOYq0PjH_5I
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Yikes! That had to be a rough ride!
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Got a reply from Bainford today on old race car transporters...
In keeping with the theme of the 49, here's a couple of new and period shots.
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Excellent photos, Lou. Cheers.
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I love this picture...
Here we have three Worlds Champions, and the youngster John Miles. With the exception of Sir Jackie Stewart, who never drove the 49 during his tenure in F1...gabbing it up in the Rob Walker pit stall. Jochen, seems to be describing how he can pat his head and rub his stomach at the same time, while Graham, relaxed, appears to be holding court. The ever dapper Rob Walker looks on.
These were truly the glory days of racing, when drivers were not only gentlemen, but friends, that looked after each other.
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I've heard a lot about the camaraderie of the old F1 drivers. That's remarkable given the fact that one never knew when the next driver would die.
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Awesome photo. Such a great scene.
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Strange but, I had thought my eyes were deceiving me.
Seems like every picture or photo document of the Lotus 49 I have come across, has had the car equipped with the silver bullet (Talbot) style mirrors...
That is not the case however, as best as I can tell Mr. Clark favored these green painted "Sebring's" at the Glen in 67.
ps...Can any one help to ID the gent in the cowboy hat at the pit exit signal ?.....I'm guessing Tex something !
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Interesting detail, Lou. I've been (slowly) gathering materials to build a model of Jim's 49, and that's a detail I need to get right.
Regarding the fellow in the cowboy hat, he puts me in mind of Smokey Yunick. I wonder if Smokey had any F1 involvement at that time?
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As for the guy with the cowboy hat, you have to pick someone from Texas but it's late for Jim Hall (Jim was much skinnier, too), AJ Foyt, or Carroll Shelby (all who raced F1), but I'm thinking he wasn't there as a driver but a consultant or guest and given Shelby's and Foyt's relationship with Ford, and that both were in Europe with the Ford GT 40s, it could be either. A third possibility is Carroll Smith who was a wrench on the GT 40s. I'd choose Shelby because I think his relationship with Ford was surely at a higher level than the others so he was more likely a guest.
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Doubt it is him but Gurney worn big hats at times.
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I have been researching...
The legendary Tex Hopkins was the starter at the Glen...Famous for his big cigar and wild suits!
The chap in the cowboy hat can be seen about 30 seconds in...Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf6RNZ9PYFA#action=share
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Up close...
A classic shot of Siffert in the much modified 49.
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What are the odds ?...Yes, from behind the pits at Mosport in 1967.
A Europa in the same picture with the 49's of Clark and Hill at the fuel truck. I wonder where it is today?
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Good eye, Lou!
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… and the engine cover is open. Go figure.
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Read an article about Keith Duckworth and the Ford DFV recently...
Suck...Squeeze...Bang....Blow....92 times per second per cylinder
Spark plug firing per second...733 at 11000 rpm
7.5 metric tonnes of force created on the piston...
The success of the 49 and it's drivers had a lot to do with Keith and his wonderful creation, one of the finest examples of race engineering ever, in Formula one history.
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Overhead profile's... Team Lotus at Monza 1967...sans the Baghetti #24
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More cool pictures, Lou! I wonder what that access panel is for.
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More cool pictures, Lou! I wonder what that access panel is for.
Dual purpose access panel to foot well pedal box and fuel tank. Pete Lovely gets some go juice at Brands Hatch 1969.
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Thanks! I first considered it as possible access to brake fluid reservoirs but it was obviously too far back.
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Great photos, Lou.
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Remember...51 years ago today, he took his last lap.
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RIP Jim Clark!
:lotus:
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The weather was fantastic today so, I put some garage time in getting things sorted...but, all the while I was thinking of Jim Clark. His face on the wall calendar seared my memories of days past, and for me he will always be the GOAT...
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Great photos again, Lou! It's interesting that the second picture had air foils in the front. That seems to be prior to the aerodynamics revolution. Maybe they had some inklings that far back...
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Great photos again, Lou! It's interesting that the second picture had air foils in the front. That seems to be prior to the aerodynamics revolution. Maybe they had some inklings that far back...
Yes, you are right again!...The first F1 nose wing sprouts made their debut for Lotus on the 49 at Spa in 67. They were only used and tested for practice and were removed for the race on both cars...
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More great photos. RIP Jim.
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This weekend's Chinese grand prix will mark the 1000Th formula one race.
Part of the celebration will include a static demo and parade laps of the 49, with Damon Hill as honorary driver.
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With this weekend's Spanish grand prix on the plate, I'm reminded of a turning point in the sport.
The wing era had outpaced the dynamic loads placed on the cars, as evidenced in 1969's race by the dual failures for Rindt and Hill. Graham was lucky to walk away...Jochen ended in hospital, and during his recovery penned the infamous letter to Colin to strengthen the 49 or quit the team.
The crashes forced a complete ban on the device and the FIA then decided to regulate size, height, mounting location and materials going forward.
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It was lucky that both of them survived. Rindt was a strange bird at the time in that he was actually concerned enough about the safety of his cars that he would refuse to drive it if he didn't feel it was safe (trying to drive Monza without a wing not withstanding). Later, when Chunky hired Mario, Mario insisted that parts must be tested for strength. I wonder just how much stress analysis was done during the design of race cars back then. I'm thinking not much. After all, Can Am cars had had wings for a year or two by then without the catastrophic failures Hill and Rindt experienced.
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The letter...Jochen's plea to Chapman.
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A guy on the yahoo group had this signature for his posts:
"When I notice a rear wheel overtaking me, I know I'm sitting in a Lotus." - Jochen Rindt
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Very interesting, Lou. Thanks for posting the letter.
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Changing of the guard...Monaco 1969 retrospective
Graham Hill would win his fifth Monte Carlo event, with three Lotus 49's in the top four.
This would be Graham's last victory for Team Lotus...
Piers Courage Brabham took next spot, with Siffert's Rob Walker Lotus third. Dick Atwood put in a fine showing in the other team car in a one off drive to finish fourth.
It was always regarded the way forward for a driver in the sport, was to make a splash at the F3 race.
Driving a Tecno, young Ronnie Peterson put it on pole, and won heat one. Rene Wisell duplicated the feat in his Chevron for heat two. What followed was an epic wheel to wheel battle for twelve laps, as Peterson held on for the victory. Both young Swede's fortunes would benefit, with promotions to the upper ranks the following season. Wisell getting a works ride with Lotus and Peterson going to March.
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The beginning of the legend of Super Swede!
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I’m digging that photo of Hill’s Lotus. It’s a cool angle with the car at what must be pretty close to full lock. It’s a cool view of the duck tail wing, too.
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I have to say I am always awestruck on how many period images you have and the stories to go with them. It is really amazing. Thank you for sharing this information. I love the letter to Chapman, very interesting to see the communications of the racers in period with the team.
Ross
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I have to say I am always awestruck on how many period images you have and the stories to go with them. It is really amazing. Thank you for sharing this information. I love the letter to Chapman, very interesting to see the communications of the racers in period with the team.
Ross
...Right back at ya Rosco...Thanks
It's important to me to pass on the images and stories...
Earlier in this thread we relived the 1968 USGP. I thought of the daunting task awaiting Jackie Oliver as he faced off against team mates Graham Hill and "Hired Gun" of the Ford Motor Company...
Mario Andretti
This was the old circuit of 2.35 miles... the down hill section towards the light bulb after the long back stretch had not been built yet. It was cold and grey, the estimated crowd of 93k were there to cheer on the home town heroes of Mario, Dan Gurney and Bobby Unser.
The gathering was treated to a historic qualifying tussle as seven drivers fought it out to see who be on top. The field of Stewart (Matra),Hill (Lotus), Amon(Ferrari), Hulme (Mclaren), Rindt(Brabham} were separated by a scant .6 tenths and could not match Mario who posted a 1:04.20
Stewart would claim the victory as Mario, while leading damaged the nose cone and pitted on lap twelve. His efforts ended fighting back from 19Th with a clutch failure on lap thirty three. Graham drove at steady pace to take second.
As far as Oliver...well lets say the had a better night at the Glen Motor Inn and celebrated Stewart's F1's record pay out purse of $10 thousand for winning!
footnote...If you look closely, you can see the burn scars from the Indy race on Mario's face.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM54gTXqybs&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR09Lf5HjSUdndiIa9RfZGdJemeA9D6TEMbaSg1QgufKbArmEWCGkw9v9DQ
I always have welcomed the refreshing commentary of Peter Windsor...
He always delivers a spot on overview, with those interesting details of the men and machines of the glory years of formula one.
Hope you enjoy...Jim Clark's greatest race
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Great recounting of a great race. Thanks Lou!
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Just Faces..
We tend to forget the simple images of the men who drove the 49 and dared to be great.
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Cool photos, Lou. Graham always has that period smooth look, like he should be working in a bank rather than the cockpit of a Lotus 49.
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Time lapse... British GP 1969
I wonder what Ronnie was thinking?
Poised to make the jump from F3 into F1, a young Peterson wanders over to the Lotus mechanics to get a better glimpse at the workings of the 49. I'm sure Colin noticed his presence, as a future star and works driver he was to hire some three years later.
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I love these old pictures! It's so incongruous to see people working on a Formula One car in conditions no better or worse than when I was club racing!
I'll bet you're right that Chunky had been watching Ronnie for a while!
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Cool photos, Lou. Interesting scene.
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The definition of class...Rob Walker
Mostly mid field runners due to under funding, the Walker led team was always considered a first class operation. With strong ties to the factory led Lotus effort and quality drivers like Hill and Siffert, they were never to be counted out of scoring championship points.
With a rich heritage in the early open wheel classes, a true privateer, Walker's influence as a contributing writer in Road and Track magazine helped develop Formula one's global reach.
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Such a different time! F1 is so far beyond the reach of privateers now. Ironically, Chapman is partially responsible because he brought sponsorships to F1 and raised the stakes. It was going to happen anyway but he started it.
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Car control at the limit...
Jim Clark had it all, a raw talent, pure speed courage, technical brilliance and a sympathy for machinery. Like Fred Astair he would be one and dance with the car depending on the situation. Be it a tango or waltz, you would always know he had a mastery of calculating exactly what was needed to gain the edge on the competition.
I was reminded of how Jackie Stewart explained in his driving F1...
"The car is like a woman, sometime you have to caress her and be gentle like tender lovemaking...other times you have to be a brute and show who's the boss "
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Stewart described Jimmy's driving in words to the effect that he was so smooth, it didn't seem fast and appeared effortless.
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Graham Hill...his triple still stands...F1, Indy,Le Mans...(rip)
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I found this video about Graham towards the end of his career (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x-V5a1c6w0&feature=youtu.be). In includes his fatal crash.
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Congrats to Lewis Hamilton, no doubt destined to be a legend in the ranks of F1's finest. As we find it so difficult to match driver skills from era to era and the advancements in technology,we can only speculate who is the best by results.
Today was Hamilton's 250th race...with 84 wins = 29%
Clark had 72 races and had 25 victories = 28%
However...if you factor in the number of races versus accomplishments achieved, Clark's domination of his short entries as compared to Lewis still has a slight edge in the perfect weekend.
33 poles, 32 podiums, 28 fastest laps and still the leader in grand slams with 8
( Pole, Win, Led all laps, Fasted lap)
Ascari-5 Hamilton-5 Shumacher-5 Stewart-4 Senna-4 Mansell-4 Vettel-4 Piquet-3
If we look at % of pole position..
Hammy pips Jim 28 to 26%...podiums it's Lewis again 60 to 44%.
You can argue that today's driver aids and outside assistance have evevated the talent pool to make the decision more influenced.
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I like a lot about Hamilton and I do think he is destined to be considered among the best ever but you're right that comparing drivers of different eras is difficult if not impossible. And there are so many yardsticks and many of them leave out significant drivers.
Both Ascari and Fangio had a higher winning percentage at 39.4% and 46% respectively.
Consider that the only driver that Jim Clark really feared was Dan Gurney.
Chris Amon probably shouldn't be considered one of the greatest of his era, but he was surely much better than his record - he was probably the best driver to never win a race.
And how many drivers joined a team that had been on the top but no longer was? How many died (e.g. Senna) or retired (e.g. Stewart) before they had a chance to accumulate wins and championships to be considered among the very best. That's not to mention that there are a lot more races held now than in the past.
There is no doubt that Clark should be considered a member of a very short list of possible best ever drivers and that list should span all eras. Who of any era could fall a lap down due to a puncture, over took the entire field, equaling his pole time in the process, and finished third only because he ran out of gas (Monza '67)?
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Great stuff, Lou.
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Here's one for the statistics nerds. The most full-on statistical analysis of formula 1 driver performance that I've seen is available to read here
http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/96995/14/WRRO_96995.pdf
It's based on data from 1950 to 2014. The aim was to see how much each driver contributed to racing success, and how much the team contributed. Fangio is found to be the greatest driver of all time followed by Prost, Clark, Senna, Alonso, Piquet, Stewart, Schumacher, Fittipaldi (Emerson), Vettel, Fittipaldi (Christian), Hamilton, Rosberg (Nico), Hill (Graham), Gurney, Scheckter, Button, Surer, Hill (Damon) and Rosier in that order.
Hamilton would surely rise up the rankings if the analysis was re-done with data to 2019. I wouldn't have guessed Prost for number 2, maybe he's underrated. Schumacher is an interesting case. If his career after his 2006 retirement is discounted then he rises to 3rd place.
They also break it all down into wet and dry weather performance, and performance on different kinds of track, etc. It's worth a look, but if you don't want to plow through it all then just scroll down to the end for the various top 20 lists.
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Lou, do you mind if I swipe the Nov 29 photo of Jimmy for my personal collection?
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Lou, do you mind if I swipe the Nov 29 photo of Jimmy for my personal collection?
Of course Trevor, many of the images I have posted have come from years of collection via books and the web. I try to acknowledge copyright when necessary,but in this forum they are for all to appreciate and use as they seem fit.
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Racing brothers...with the 49
Emerson's debut at Brands Hatch with chassis # R10 May 1970 finished 8TH
Wilson in #R6 comes home 9Th, Argentina 1/71...
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I wanted to revisit the French GP held at Rouen-les-Essarts in 1968.
Although Team Lotus fared poorly, it had some unique milestones and dire consequences to impact the entire sport for the future. Oliver crashed in practice with a wing failure and did not start. Hill would suffer a half shaft failure and retire on lap nine, gallantly assisting Jo Siffert in the sister Rob Walker 49 with swapping his visor.
The race itself would be the first held in France other than Le Mans, with Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari taking his maiden victory, Jochen Rindt's first pole in a Brabham B26 Repco, and the introduction of Honda to F1 with the RA 301 and revolutionary air cooled RA302.
(footnote) John Surtees was unaware of the second Honda entered, seems Mr Honda traveled to Paris, and made a deal with the French auto club to enter the experimental car. Refusing to drive it as unsafe, Jo Schlesser was hired to test bed it during the race and sadly lost his life just two laps in.
The race continued, with Schlesser's titanium chassis blazing away forcing the drivers to puncture a wall of fire for the following laps in a steady drizzle.
The poor fire fighting response,inadequate equipment, medical shortcomings and steward's decisions drew heavy criticism as the event was broadcast live.
If formula one was to survive, the issue of safety had to be dealt with...
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If formula one was to survive, the issue of safety had to be dealt with...
Very true. It took a long time, a lot of motivation, and a lot of new technology (primarily carbon fiber).
I think carbon fiber has probably saved scores of F1 drivers.
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Lou, what do you mean by "The first held in France other than le Mans"? The first in 1968?
I remember that race well. My father worked for Honda at the time, the repercussions went on for a while.
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Lou, what do you mean by "The first held in France other than le Mans"? The first in 1968?
I remember that race well. My father worked for Honda at the time, the repercussions went on for a while.
Sorry Roger...What I meant to say was that in 67 they used the short track at LeMans and did not like the venue. Thus the switch to Rouen for 68...
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Ah yes, the Bugatti circuit at le Mans. Nobody liked it.
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Got 10 minutes?
Then let's go back to May 1969 & Monaco, one of the better documentaries and film of the day. Plenty of great footage of Team Lotus !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugEBxbqHW4s
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Great video, Lou! I wish there was a second part. It just stops seemingly in the middle! :(
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Nice Find Lou. Hadn’t seen that one before. Yes, at 10 minutes the film just stops.
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Clark at Nordcshleife... "Green Hell"
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Nice shots of Clark. Such a lovely landscape to blast through; tranquil greenery, birds singing, DFV racket echoing off the hills... heavenly.
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It only takes two...to race!
Read it, see it, hear it...The 1969 British Grand Prix battle of Stewart & Rindt.
Although Stewart was on pole, Rindt led most laps but had to fall back with a broken rear wing end plate. Stopping to have it removed and later running out of fuel spoiled the remarkable duel between the duo.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/watch-rindt-and-stewarts-greatest-f1-battle
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Sad result for Rindt, but would have been epic to watch in person. Thanks for the link.
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Great article and video (too short, unfortunately), Lou! Thanks!
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Oil spots...
This is Spa 67, when the first vestiges of nose wings sprouted on the 49 during practice. What I find most interesting in these two shots of Hill and Clark are the lines each have taken thru the same corner.
If you look closely at the track, the pattern of three oil spots in the tarmac are directly in front of Graham's right front wheel. The same three stains can be seen in the Clark photo...on the flank even with the "S" in Lotus.
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Interesting observation, Lou! It's hard to tell for sure without being able to see the edge of the track but it looks like Graham is taking a tignter lne.
It also looks like Graham has something attached (or taped?) on either side in front of his windscreen. I wonder what they are for?
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Looking for that extra edge, Graham's duck tail seems to have a bit added on. Like many of our friends, myself included... racers tape works wonders! "Duck it"
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Duct tape and sheet aluminum - when you need just a little more rear downforce! :)
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Ah, the age of free experimentation.
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Jim Clark OBE 3/4/36...he would have turned eighty four today.
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:happy-bday: Jimmy! I wish you were still with us!
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:happy-bday: Jimmy. yes, It would have been interesting to see what he would have achieved in the 70s.
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Monaco 1969...
Wings used in practice and ban was instituted for the race...Richard Atwood
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I would have thought it might be more dangerous to require a car with a wing to run without it and better to require better bracing, but then those wings were an afterthought on those cars so I suppose it wasn't a problem. But look at the orientation of the car in the hairpin! He certainly could have used some extra downforce!
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I find the progression of wing development in F1 (or racing in general) quite fascinating. Especially the degree to which designers without a good working knowledge of aerodynamics tried to emulate those who did. Sometimes with disastrous consequences, not to mention, frequently comical appendages.
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Plenty of time on my hands naturally, need to upload some more photos.
I like this one...
Don't get me wrong, I adore the 49 in all It's forms and changes but, the wing profile in this is fantastic. The car looks like it's already at speed! Jochen Rindt, at Brands Hatch.
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Great photo. That is a cool wing. Interesting pit scene.
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Race of Champions...Brands Hatch 1969, way before DRS!
Care to take a guess?
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4/7/68... Jim Clark
Career laps led 49%
Fangio 44%
Senna 35%
Hamilton 31%
Schumacher 30%
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Led 49%!! That’s a stunning statistic.
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One of the very best ever! :trophy:
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A fixture at team Lotus, and still going strong.
Bob Dance (commonly known as)...
The Vicar!
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Great guy. I met him once, but before I realised who he really was. We had a fine 1/2 hr conversation... about submarines. :WTF:
Wish I had that 1/2 hr over again.
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Dance is often a guest at LOGs put on by Lotus Ltd. If you could make it to the next one on the east coast, you wouldn't be able to have the 1/2 hour back but you could have a new 1/2 hour!
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Bob is a prince of a guy. I’ve been fortunate enough to have dinner with him in the UK and many conversations over the years at LOG events. He is actually quite shy and it takes a while to get him talking. He refers to Colin Chapman as “the governor”.
Here is a video I shot of him speaking at one of our local Lotus club’s meetings (PALS).
https://youtu.be/syoeKkR76aA
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Karl Jochen Rindt 4/18/42...Happy Birthday
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:happy-bday: Jochen! RIP
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Another mention is due of the unique history of chassis #R10...
Formula one cars are purpose built, ever changing and usually obsolete by seasons end. There are however those instances when a design is so competitive it can outlast the test of time. A true survivor, R10 continues to this very day under the care of Classic Team Lotus. The only F1 machine to win at Monaco twice, with a pedigree of legendary drivers.
Hill, Oliver, Brack, Andretti, Miles, Solar Roig & Fittipaldi...
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They don't build them like they used to!
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Interesting, thanks Lou. The 49 looks good in wingless red.
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Monaco 1968
Graham Hill showed why and earned the title " Maestro" with yet another splendid victory.
In the sister 49 was Jack Keith "Jackie" Oliver, whose race was ended early with the usual chaos and banging on the tight circuit. The wings, then no wings meeting would be lessons learned for everyone on chassis set up and spring rates. What better teacher to have under the circumstances than father Graham to show the way.
Oh...and a supportive and attractive wife to make sure your tires stay toasty!
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Graham won more Monaco GPs than anybody until Senna who is still the only driver to win more than him.
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October 1967 Watkins Glen
How good was the 49 and Cosworth?
Since it's debut at Zandvoort which was the third race of the season the team had captured pole position in the following seven consecutive races. The Glen would see more of the same with Graham Hill on top and Clark next to him. Walter Hayes of Ford was so confident of another victory he asked the drivers to flip a coin to determine who would lead and the result was to be reversed in the next event. Graham would win the toss and forge ahead to a slim margin only to be passed by Clark later on. A dodgy clutch would hamper Hill throughout the race, having lost precious seconds finding the right gear.
Clark then dominated and would sail to a comfortable drive only to have his r/r suspension pick up fracture causing his wheel to lean in. Easing off and nursing the final two laps his margin to Hill was reduced some forty seconds and Graham finished six seconds adrift.
To put the domination into perspective third place Hulme was a full lap behind, Siffert two laps, Brabham four laps and Bonnier's sixth place was seven tours in arrears.
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Amazing stuff! That puts pretty much in perspective, doesn't it?
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Amazing stuff! That puts pretty much in perspective, doesn't it?
Agreed! That paints the picture. Not a man to rest on his laurels, but Colin must have been pretty happy with his latest creation.
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A follow up to the Glen in 67...
In my prior post I had failed to mention a third team car was entered for Moises Solana. The journeyman from Mexico represented himself quite well that weekend. Having put the 49 in seventh starting position, only to suffer ignition issues and completing only a hand full of race laps.
The established drivers of the other teams who were out qualified, were surely surprised by the effort Solana showed and the superb quality of race craft to be competing against.
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History has taught us to always remember those who accomplish noteworthy milestones...
First on the moon, the four minute mile, the summit of Mt. Everest as examples. In the annals of Formula one there had never been an entrant to score pole position in his first race. In retrospect this historic feat would be accomplished twice some thirty days apart.
In September of 1968, Mario Andretti would out pace all other drivers in his debut at Monza with Chapman's Lotus 49, only to be excluded from the race. Although cleared by organizers, an obscure rule was invoked because Mario had participated in a sprint car feature some twenty four hours prior in Indiana.
The following race in October at Watkins Glen, Andretti would again claim first starting spot and be recognized as the first man to capture pole in his debut in Formula one history.
Post credits to...Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin & Apollo 11 captain Mike Collins
Roger Bannister
Sir Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay
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I know Mario was busy doing other things but it's too bad his F1 career didn't get fully into gear till later.
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Mind blowing stats. I never heard this before. Very impressive.
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The affliction is real...
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Nice wall you got there, Lou! :)
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Very cool!
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Mexico 1967
Another dominating weekend by Jim Clark, setting fastest time in all practice sessions and then capturing pole position. The race start however proved to catch Clark unaware as a balky flag drop had caused Jim to hesitate momentarily and was rammed by Gurney. The Eagle's radiator holed by the Lotus exhaust dropping Clark to third.
It took Clark just three laps to regain the lead, passing both Amon's Ferrari and team mate Hill on successive tours. Steadily Clark expanded his margin, but on lap eight his clutch slave gave up forcing him to run the remaining sixty or so laps shifting by feel...
During this powerful drive, Clark smashed the lap record by five seconds, lapping the entire field except his nearest rival Brabham who finished a minute and twenty five seconds behind.
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Another dominating performance by Jimmy!
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Wow! That's impressive.
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Number 1,
Many greats at lotus.
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Nice collection of drivers there!
:lotus:
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To be a fly on the wall...
Mentioned earlier, the early days at Zandvoort curcuit had no provisions or secure facilities for the participants. The teams were in town proper and cars were driven to the track.
I'm not sure which day this was taken, remembering that Clark was first introduced to the 49 that weekend makes me wonder if he had turned a wheel yet. The garage itself was either on St. Davis street or called St. David's....still chasing that detail down.
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Nice photo and trivia note! I had heard similar stories wrt endurance racing of that era but I hadn't heard of it in relation to F1.
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I'm not sure if it helps to identify the garage: the car behind Jim Clark is a Opel Rekord C. Maybe the garage was a Opel dealer ship.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Rekord_Series_C (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Rekord_Series_C)
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Happy Birthday...
Jackie Oliver 8/14/42
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:happy-bday: Jackie!!
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This weekends race at Monza salutes the Champion...
Thank you, Jochen
https://classicteamlotus.co.uk/en/news/posts/2020/remembering-jochen/
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RIP Jochen!
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Next weekend will mark the return of F1 to the famed German circuit Nurburgring. The reworked Eifel track was once famous for it's 14 mile length, punishing leaps, numerous corners and changing climate...
A look back at the 49...with Hill, Siffert and Clark waiting for gravity to engage.
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Cool pictures of jumping cars!
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Great photos.
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Just look at the grin on Colin's face...
I think he knew right there and then he had a winner!
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Really great picture, Lou! That’s a classic!
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Gallery artwork...nice screensaver!
Lotus 49 R1 thru R12
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Very cool. That would make a great garage poster.
Just seeing the photo of Colin above. What an awesome picture. That might just be my favourite Colin picture.
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Am I the only fool to get up early and watch this morning's Istanbul rain dance?
A cracker of a race, with another page of F1 history written. I'm not a Lewis fan but, I must give credit to his skills and fortitude in capturing his record tying 7th title.
This brings me back to again re access the greats and legendary drivers in formula one history.
Fangio, Clark and Senna are still on my podium for top three of all time...with Prost, Shumacher, Lauda, Hamilton, Piquet, Stewart and Alonso trailing. All multiple champions, who on any given day deserve the accolades of greatness. You could also make a case for Vettel, G. Hill, and the other past champions.
We all have our favorites, If I was asked as team owner, who I would want to drive for me? (all things being equal)...
Jim Clark is still, and forever my choice...
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I think it’s hard to compare drivers of different erase but I think you have to give extra weight to drivers who drove when it was truly dangerous (Didn’t Hemingway say the the only sports were auto racing, bullfighting, and mountain climbing. All the rest were just games.). So I think I agree with you on your top three.
I also wonder if most metrics we use to gauge drivers doesn’t let us down sometimes. I wouldn’t say Chris Amon was one of the greatest but he was very good and he never won a race. Dan Gurney was known to be very gentle on his cars. I read once that after a race, his brake pads were much thicker than other driver’s yet he was still very fast.
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Today's Turkish GP was the first time I have seen a GP won on slick intermediate tyres.
New inters gave less grip than worn inters, and soft slicks would not get up to temperature when the track was near dry. Hamilton's tyres were nearly down to the canvas when he finished. He declined to come in with 2 laps to go as the pit lane was too slippery on slick inters.
For Hamilton to win by 30 seconds and lap his team mate in an identical car shows just how good he is in wet testing conditions.
Every bend on every lap was a challenge. The cars were sliding all over the place. 2 went off going from the pits to the grid.
A remarkable race from start to finish, with any one from about 5 in contention.
Hamilton was in tears at the end, he couldn't speak he was so emotional.
A worthy 7 times World Champion.
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Another one of Werner Buhrer original drawings...penned in 1967
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That would make a great wall hanging in the garage.
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Dream big!
I thought it would be fitting to salute the original members and caretakers...
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3/1/69...The F1 season opener in South Africa would see Team Lotus field three entries for Hill, Rindt & Andretti. Additionally, there would be another two 49's entered. One for Rob Walker with Jo Siffert at the wheel and the privateer John Love.
New rules would see the mandatory use of fire bottles for the first time. The Rob Walker entry sported a modified tub with slim sided three gallon fuel tanks fitted directly to the monocoque.
This was the troubled early phase of wing development. Team Lotus, following Brabham's lead...added a large front wing mounted directly to the top rockers. Both wings could be "trimmed" via a slim foot control cable/pedal next to the clutch.
All three team cars would suffer in practice...Hill and Rindt had major front wing failures due to the cable operation (Hill's shoes were too wide) causing premature engagement while Andretti's collapsed against the r/f tire during cornering.
The team decided to remove the front wings on all cars for the race.
Mixed results would follow, Hill would finish second, behind the Matra of Stewart, while Siffert managed a strong fourth. The remaining 49's all did not finish...
Rindt 44 laps (fuel pump) Andretti 31 laps (gearbox) Love 31 laps (ignition)
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The biplane era! It sure had a rocky start!
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Life becomes art...Jim Clark Mexico 1967
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Great pair!
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Very cool! Great photo and painting.
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Can't be Mexico 1968, Jimmy had died earlier in the year. 1967 maybe?
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Can't be Mexico 1968, Jimmy had died earlier in the year. 1967 maybe?
Thanks Roger...
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What an extraordinary photo...they got them doing everything in those days
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Graham Hill...on a cold morning in May 1967 at Snetterton.
The first test of the new 49 with the Ford DFV..."It's got some poke"
Watch:
https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a10330447/lotus-49-graham-hill/
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Great R&T article! Unfortunately, some of the links in it are so old they are broken...
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Today we celebrate the birthday of Graham Hill....2/15/29
Still the only man in racing history to have won the Formula one title (2x), LeMans and the Indy 500.
*** Chatting with Sir Jackie & the king of cool at Monaco
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:happy-bday: Graham!!!
Another great picture, Lou!
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Great stuff, Lou.
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3/4/36..." Jim Clark was the greatest racing driver ever ".... Fangio
Happy Birthday! https://www.racefans.net/2018/04/07/fangio-said-greatest-ever-jim-clark-remembered-50-years/
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:happy-bday: Jimmy! You died way too young!
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STILL the Greatest Of All Time :happy-bday:
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I was going to mention that F1 had it's first official testing day today.
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Great pics, Lou.
There's something really cool about riveted panels.
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A couple of great hi-res pics there, Lou. I'm taking a copy of these. Very helpful in my model making. Cheers
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Great pictures Lou!
Thanks
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Fifty three years ago today...
His natural talent and driving skills are still regarded and revered to the generations.
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Breakfast of Champions!
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That must be a Brit cereal. Pretty cool!
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Well now, that's really cool. I have a Wheaties box with Jeff Gordon's mug on it, I would gladly trade for a Jim Clark cereal box.
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I don’t have either, a lotus enthusiast posted it on Instagram and I thought it was worth a mention.
It as just to cool to pass up.
Dakazman
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very cool! 8)
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A day late... Happy Birthday Jochen Rindt 4/18/42 - 9/5/70
Grab some popcorn, and watch this excellent Sky tribute.
Great interviews, race footage and career insights!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfW0OJBDl1s&t=222s
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:happy-bday: Jochen!!! You died way too young!
Thanks for the video, Lou!
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I'll bet Graham spent some quality time in keeping that mustache so perfectly trimmed,
I like the photo comparison as to evolution to the 49 and driver's gear. The clean unfettered design to the later winged version. The classic traditional open faced with goggles to the full balaclava and Bell star.
I wonder what trade secrets are being discussed between Colin and "rival" Hill while he was campaigning the Rob Walker entry.
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Classic Team Lotus will have two special guests at Goodwood this year!
https://classicteamlotus.co.uk/en/news/posts/2021/emerson-mario-at-festival-of-speed/?utm_source=emailmarketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=april_2021_mailing&utm_content=2021-05-04
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Cool! I don’t want to miss that!
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Oh, I'd like to be there for that. I went to the Goodwood FOS in 200, best auto event I ever attended, and have been wanting to go again ever since. It would be great to go on a year when Lotus is a featured marque, or at least plays a large part of the proceedings.
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Something to get the juices flowing for this weekend...
Yes, it's time for another race through the streets at Monte Carlo. Although I'm not a fan of the current situation in today's F1 ( testing ban, aero rules, driver aids, drs, tires too many penalty rules...I can go on and on) lest, I should also mention some drivers that should not even be on the grid.
I will watch anyway ! Why ?....The track...
It really hasn't changed much. No run off or kitty litter to save you from a mistake, brain fade here is instant guard rail.
I will be looking forward to the special one time Mclaren livery to honor the Gulf partnership of days gone by.
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Came across this photo today...does anyone know where it was taken?
There's a sandwich shop and employment office across the street.
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It says Watford (there is a Watford in England) on the ACE Employment Bureau sign opposite.
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My best guess is Watford High Street, Hertfordshire UK, but it has changed a lot since the early 1970s.
That looks like Graham Hill's Lotus 49 from 1969, and the Elan + 2 has alloy wheels, which is around 1970.
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Very cool photo of an old Lotus show room.
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Lovely to see the Mk III.
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The picture is from the Watford Observer, 5 September 1969 and 6 September 2013
https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/10674362.winning-lotus-zooms-into-town/
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The picture is from the Watford Observer, 5 September 1969 and 6 September 2013
https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/10674362.winning-lotus-zooms-into-town/
Thank you gideon...outstanding research on your part!
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That is some serious air!
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My best guess is Watford High Street, Hertfordshire UK, but it has changed a lot since the early 1970s.
It seems I was right.
There are very few Lotus dealers still around in business these days, hence I could not place to name of the dealer.
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My best guess is Watford High Street, Hertfordshire UK, but it has changed a lot since the early 1970s.
It seems I was right.
There are very few Lotus dealers still around in business these days, hence I could not place to name of the dealer.
Alex...Yes, your instincts were spot on. Well done & thanks!
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This weekend's French F1 race will be held at Pail Ricard...yes, the track with all those crazy painted lines at the run off areas. Besides being flat with no depth perception for the drivers, you will need a pair of 3D glasses or at least have some motion sickness pills handy.
So before you hurl Sunday morning's breakfast...
I'll throw you back to the 1967 event, held for the first and only time at Le Mans where the short Bugatti circuit was used. Team Lotus had a dreadful weekend with pole sitter Hill and second row starter Clark both retire early with differential failures.
Here's a shot of the start...Can you name the cars and drivers?
Oh!...and NO using WIKI...you will get the Black Flag!
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I can get the first few easily, and some further back.
I think I'm right in saying that Jackie Stewart is the only driver left from that grid.
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I think I'm right in saying that Jackie Stewart is the only driver left from that grid.
As the race was 54 years ago, and say the average drivers age was 28 as they were older in those days, that would make the average age driver 82, so Jackie at 82, is bang on my calculations, and doing well, unlike his wife Helen, who has been in poor health for a long time now.
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#9 is Dan Gurney.
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Colin, " Tell when you want me to put it on pole"
Emotions were running high as Mario Andretti was honored during yesterday's final day at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
During the weekend he had stints in the 49, 79, and the Le Mans Ferrari 512 . Always the gentleman, his interview at Lord Richman's house was one to be remembered.
Check out the cool finger ring!
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He looked great for 81! And Roger Penske looked great for 84!
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We all had our heroes growing up...men we could aspire and look up to. Certainly, many of us always placed our father's at the top of the list. Certain professions also carried extra weight in determining the people we most admired... Military figures, Statesmen, Firemen, Police and sports figures come to mind.
When it came to motorsports, there were a handful of legends who were bigger than life.
A simple farmer who became an international star, and never lost sight of his humble beginnings. Today's "woke" culture should take a lesson and remember what it means to be great.
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Times change and not always for the good. Some now don’t value what’s is really important.
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Keep 'em coming, Lou. I quite enjoy these photos. Cheers.
I too love these pic Lou.
I can’t explain why , but feel drawn in strangely whenever hearing or watching playbacks . I feel like I’ve been there.
Dakazman
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Keep 'em coming, Lou. I quite enjoy these photos. Cheers.
I too love these pic Lou.
I can’t explain why , but feel drawn in strangely whenever hearing or watching playbacks . I feel like I’ve been there.
Dakazman
How about some face time...from long ago!
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Nice pictures of Lotus alumni!
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Make it a point this Holiday weekend to catch F1 at Zandvoort.
It's been 36 years since the Nelson Piquet victory in 85...
The return to the North sea coast circuit should be a banger. Fast, twisty, banked and narrow, with little run off will produce plenty of action. The Dutch crowd will be in orange bloom and flare smoke, to cheer on their boy Max.
One thing still has not changed, we will still have to wait out the current crop of drivers to match the record of victories at the dunes. Yep...Jim Clark holds the tally of four wins with Stewart and Lauda close behind with three.
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Interesting Lou. I had no idea it's been so long since Zandvoort saw F-1 action. It'll be a burner if Max wins, especially if he has to go toe to toe with Hamilton to do it. Yup, worth catching that one.
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Found this shot and I’m a fan .
Dakazman
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Look familiar to today's F1 qualy in Sochi ?
Less all the drivers aids like...radio, traction control, diff modes, engine maps, energy stores, drs, drink bottles, difusers, kers and that strat 9 shit they keep talking about...did I miss anything?
ps...Congrats Lando on your first pole!
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On a drying track, where you had to get your slicks up to working temperature to get a quick lap on Q3, it was a matter of luck and excellent car control on who got the top positions.
No car control and you would bin in into the Armco.
No luck, and someone would mess up your outlap and you would not get your slicks up to working temperature.
Mad Maxident starts at the back of the grid, with 3 Brits and a token Brit (Danny Ric) in the top 5, so far, I am happy. Tomorrow's result will depend on weather, car control, and staying out of someone else's accident.
George Russell once again punching far above his weight on a slippery track. He should go far.
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…..caught the end of the highlights…..quite exciting for sure…..love the rain it gives the chance for the car control skills to shine through. Great to see the next generation. Roll on the rain in Sochi tomorrow
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Another tribute video to...Jim Clark, perhaps the greatest driver of all time?
F1, F2, F3. Sports cars, Saloons, Indy, Stock, LeMans...a natural!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzyk_IOdvGk
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Good video,thanks. I love the three wheeling Lotus Cortinas.
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They don't even get to the 49 but this was a nice, abut short, piece on Jimmy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zqeTYuXUig
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I just found more of Hammond's tribute to Jimmy Clark on Grand Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLj9sJVsUAU
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I just found more of Hammond's tribute to Jimmy Clark on Grand Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLj9sJVsUAU
Thanks Jim, I remember seeing the video when it first aired on Top Gear.
Well, catching it again today got me thinking on the reasons why I decided to start this topic in the first place.
I have been very fortunate and a little crazy when it comes to Formula one. I'll be seventy years old come December, and I am proud to say that as a teenager I attended my first F1 race in 1967 at Monza. In the passing decades many great drivers have come and gone. At last count I have attended 33 Grand Prix, witnessed the legendary pilots of days gone by...
I have many hero's in this sport. Arguments can be made of past champions, I write and comment about Jim Clark's exploits to serve, inform and continue his legacy...
Especially for all here...who never had the chance or circumstance to appreciate his skill and talent.
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Coming and going...Jo Siffert at Monaco 1969
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Belated birthday to Graham Hill...2/15/29
How about that "spinning" helmet visor (early days in the BRM)
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Happy birthday, Graham!
Very stylish helmet!
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First of all...
Happy birthday to Jim Clark! 3/4/36 He would have been 86 today.
In 1965 Jim had the racing world by the tail, his accomplishments for a single season in various categories remain the standard all theses years later. Never before had a driver ever captured multiple titles and race wins in one year.
Races entered 65...Wins 31
F1 Worlds Champion
British F2 Champion
Tasman AU/NZ Champion
France F2 Champion
Indy 500 Winner
British Touring Car Championship 3rd (Cortina)
Selected Sportsman of the Year (ABC's Wide World of Sports)
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:happy-bday: Jimmy!!!
I would love to know what inspired the look on his face in the second picture!
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Thinking about tomorrow's Jeddah F1 cage match...where there is no room for error.
A trio of shots of Jochen Rindt at Silverstone.
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I really like the head-on shot. I wish that was a sharper photo.
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Richard James David "Dickie" Atwood...3/4/40
A skilled driver in many classes, he started his F1 career in 1964 with the Owens racing organization driving a BRM P67. Following stints with Reg Parnell's Lotus 25 and a Cooper T81B, he later had outings with the Lotus 49 and another try with the BRM P126. In total, he participated in 16 Grand Prix events scoring 11 total points with his highest 4Th place at Monaco.
Career trivia...
Winner of Le Mans in 1970 with co driver Hans Herrmann in a Porsche 917K
Finished 6Th overall in the German Grand Prix...driving a Frank Williams Brabham BT30 F2 with a one off Cosworth straight 4 Cylinder.
Past owner of a 1989 Peugeot 405 Estate, with 415k documented miles with the factory engine and original clutch! At 81 years, he can always be found at the annual Goodwood festival, behind the wheel of most anything.
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With the old 9-6-4-3-2-1 scoring system, Eleven points in seventeen races is pretty respectable!
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A couple of candid shots of Lotus 49's in Australia.
Pics - Graham Ruckert.
Packing up after practice for the Australian Grand Prix, Lakeside February 1969.
Lotus 49T's of Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt. Graham Hill looking dejected as his rear wing broke in practice as well.
As an aside, the Lakeside track is about five miles from where I live and would be considered a very small track by today's F1 standards.
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Cool, period photos, Gavin. Thanks for posting. Do you happen to have any of the rig towing the cars?
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Hi, Bainford,
Sorry, no pics of the tow vehicle, but if that large lump of wood used as wheel chocks is any indication, I imagine it wasn't terribly sophisticated.
It's worth noting that in those times, the Antipodes was well off the beaten track and the F1 crowd was still pretty much self funded. Oz ran a kinda parallel Tasman race series in an effort to attract the GP teams. Not like today where sponsors fall over each other to pay a millions for two square inches of exposure on a drivers helmet.
Also common for owner/designers like Colin, McLaren etc. to attend and be entirely hands on at every race meeting. It's likely that our local enthusiasts volunteered to do much of the donkey work like loading cars on trailers which probably explains the guy wearing flip-flops. Those were the days, eh.
One curiosity, though is that Hills car seems to have some sort of ridge or 'air dam' (?) on the nose above the air entry. The same thing doesn't appear on Jochen Rindts car.
Caption:
"Graham Hill suffers what would not be the last Lotus 49 wing failure during the 1969 Australian Grand Prix at Lakeside. He pitted, a mechanic hack-sawed the wing mounts and removed the offending items allowing GH to rejoin and finish 4th behind Amon and Bell both aboard Dino 246T’s and Leo Geoghegan’s Lotus 39 Repco (G Ruckert)"
Last pic is of the Cosworth DFV running in procedure in 1977 - makes ya think. ;)
EDIT:
More here for those interested.
https://primotipo.com/tag/graham-hill/
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Ajax, for bedding in the rings? I wonder who thought of that. And dared to try it.
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GavinT...
Thank you for posting these rare images and the Cosworth "run in" sheet.
You made my day!
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I watched them give the Ajax treatment to a Falcon GT at the Bathurst 1,000 Km race in the early 70's. It was done in full view right there in pit lane. The car might have smoked a bit less afterwards (can't recall) but they retired it after another 20 laps or so.
This is a letter Jochen Rindt wrote to Colin in May, '69. It's quite prescient really and he'd be gone little more than a year later at Monza.
I must say I feel privileged to have watched these guys in person; not only the Lotus drivers, but at the time the 49 was around there were many talented drivers in a then, fast changing F1 world. That's, perhaps, something we don't appreciate till we're older.
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Did I read that correctly - that somebody put an F2 wishbone on his F1 car?!! That's pretty bad!
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Some incredible pieces of history there, Galvin. Thanks much for posting this stuff.
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History does repeat itself...
Rindt letter was posted (reply#288) 5/10/19
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Down under...
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British GP 1969
Plenty of fans crowd around the team paddock to catch the first glimpse of the new and radical type 63-1 four wheel Lotus. The entry actually belongs to Jo Bonnier and Ecurie Bonnier who shared the area. Jochen seems relieved to trust the 49 for the event, both he and Graham Hill despised the ill-fated model. Most of the development of the two chassis that were built was entrusted to John Miles, with Andretti having had two Grand Prix and failing to finish on both occasions.
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Developing a four wheel drive car seemed like such an obvious goal... Oh well... He tried.
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Interesting stuff, Lou. Cheers.
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Learning a new windows operating system, because the old hard drive went south and would not boot up. Sucked out some of the old photos and moved them into the replacement driver.
This is only a test of my Geek skills to upload pictures... woo-hoo! it worked!
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Excellent picture to make sure you save!
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Great photo!
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Still going strong...earlier this year at the Monaco Historic races.
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I notice #5 was retrofitted with a real roll bar. The one that was on the car originally didn't come close to protecting the driver's head!
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And, in my humble opinion, still the best looking F1 car made.
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Came across this shot of Jochen and it has me confused...
I've researched all the races during his career with Lotus, and I can't pin down where this was taken.
My reasoning is that Rindt never carried the #1 on his car during his tenure with the team. The configuration of the 49 suggests mid to late season of 1969. I can only assume this was a test hop during practice in Graham Hill's chassis at one of the seasons later events.
Regardless...It' a fantastic photo!
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Agreed, that is a fantastic photo. It shows the configuration of the dual element windscreen better than most (of which I've been trying to find a good detail shot). All round great photo, thanks for posting.
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Not much about the 49 but this is a pretty good video about Jim Clark. It's an hour long and it's worth it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=728YXOeiRbQ
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A mixed bag for the 1970 British Grand Prix...
Jochen Rindt wins his third consecutive race in the type 72.
Dan Gurney bids farewell in his last F1 event.
Rookie Emerson Fittipaldi starts twenty first and finishes a solid eighth in the venerable 49.
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A portent of things to come from Emmo!
I miss Dan Gurney!
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On this day, March 4th 1936...James Clark
Happy Birthday!
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:happy-bday: Jimmy!! RIP
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I've been slacking off...and have left this thread linger way too long!
For my penance, I am submitting this photo and quiz to the group.
It's up to all interested parties to put their detective caps on and fill in the details.
Clue # 1.... Watkins Glen 1967
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Good to see you back, Lou. Cool photo. Though, not sure what details you are looking for. Drivers, etc?
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A bit late on commenting, but Lou's post from July 2022 of the 49 I dont think is Jochen. The gloves, and goggles dont look right. I did a google image search and I think it's a modern photo (taken in 2013).
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A bit late on commenting, but Lou's post from July 2022 of the 49 I dont think is Jochen. The gloves, and goggles dont look right. I did a google image search and I think it's a modern photo (taken in 2013).
Yes, another look and the gloves are a dead giveaway...
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I have to pipe in with my favorite historical Lotus photograph done by Jesse Alexander. Clark and Chapman conferring after a test drive for the Belgium GP in '62. The way that they were able to analyze the handling of the car and then dial it in was what made them the perfect team.
Check out Alexander's remarkable book "Driven". An amazing photographer.
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Today, 9/5/70 we remember the sad passing of Jochen Rindt...RIP
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RIP Jochen… Sadly he is mostly known as the only posthumously crowned F1 champion.
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RIP Jochen.
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Wilson Fittipaldi...His passing today at age 80 will leave a legacy very few F1 fans will understand. Less famous perhaps because of his brother Emerson, but because of his collaboration in starting the career's of future legends.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2005/80/no-sugar-no-beer-no-fizz/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Zoho%20Social&fbclid=IwAR2bxT0WSsdZLvmGwql1eOHRJtcNLpEx_MYuAI8FRITuA6eETL6ktmpdzQM
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I remember the Fittipaldi F1 team as a sad embarrassing blotch on Emmo’s career, but then I didn’t know the stature of the members of the team. It would have been really interesting if the money had been available to realize the potential.
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He would have been 88 today...Jim Clark
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March is a pretty big month for F1 drivers (Mario and Jim at least).
RIP Jim Clark