MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK
MANY OF THE NAMES OF BOTH THE CARS AND DRIVERS NOW ONLY MAKEUP APART OF MOTOR SPORT HISTORY
During 1958, his first year in Europe, Bruce Mclaren had impressed people on and off the track. In May, he’d won Formula 2 (F2) races at both Silverstone and Brands Hatch followed by, in early August, his debut in a Formula 1 (F1) race, albeit in an F2 car because the German organizers extended the invitation to put more cars on the daunting 22.8km track. The Kiwi was first F2 home and came fifth overall, so picked up points despite giving away 1000cc to the F1 cars. Overall, it was a pretty solid start from the young Aucklander but gave little hint of the massive impact he would have on the world of motor racing over the next decade and a bit. He made his debut in an F1 race on Easter Monday at Goodwood 60 years ago — 30 March, to be exact — where he would compete in both the F1 race over 42 laps — just over 162km — and the F2 event over 15 laps. This was a time when there weren’t just a few non-championship F1 races — some years, these actually outnumbered the races counting for the title.
Getting race ready
Like Stirling Moss and his team-leader, Jack Brabham, 21-year-old Bruce had started the new year in New Zealand, and, indeed, they’d finished at Ardmore in that order — all in Cooper-climaxes and ahead of a trio of Maserati 250Fs driven by that ‘American in Paris’ Harry Schell, local ace Ross Jensen, and Australian Bib Stillwell. Mclaren always went well at Teretonga and took the first of his five wins in seven starts at the Southland track. He then won at Ohakea and gained the Gold Star championship, so he was race fit when he arrived back at Cooper’s Surbiton workshop for the start of his second season in Europe. Goodwood, a short distance from Chichester on England’s south coast, is some 85km from the Cooper base camp in Surrey. Bruce would have driven there through West Sussex’s natural beauty knowing that, in the F1 race, he’d be up against works British Racing Motors (BRMS) for the Swede Jo Bonnier and Schell; new works T51 Coopers for his mentor Brabham; and the super-quick-butaccident-prone Kansas native Masten Gregory; and Moss, who would have the luxury of choosing between BRM or Coventry-climax power for his dark blue Cooper, entered by Rob Walker. Both power plants were 2.5-litre four-cylinders, and the decision was made to play it safe and run the Climax.
The field would be completed by a trio of front-engined Lotus-climaxes led by Graham Hill, Goodwood specialist Roy Salvadori in a Cooper-maserati, plus four 250Fs, which were already obsolete less than two years after powering Juan-manuel Fangio to his fifth and final world championship. The Cooper of the young Kiwi was not only a 1958 model, but it was also running a 2.2-litre engine and therefore giving away nearly 300cc to the opposition. At last, after years of disappointment, BRM had cause for optimism after Schell went three whole seconds clear of the field led by Salvadori, Brabham, Bonnier, and Moss. Mclaren qualified sixth, quicker than Gregory in the newer, more powerful Cooper. A crowd of some 40,000 withstood heavy morning rain, and, while it had stopped by the time that the F1 cars came out, the track was still damp. After hounding the BRM of Schell early on, Moss went by on lap 10 and a dull procession followed (so much for ‘the good old days’) and won the Glover Trophy
comfortably, 16 seconds clear of Brabham. The BRMS were next followed by Gregory — ‘the Kansas Flash’ — a lap behind, and Mclaren a solid sixth, two laps in arrears but home in one piece.
F1 and F2!
It was a similar story in the Lavant Cup for F2 cars, with Bruce again finishing sixth. On 18 April, at Aintree, he was back in the 2.2-litre car in a combined F1/F2 race and took third behind the works Ferraris of Jean Behra and Tony Brooks. His F1 debut in an F1 car came in May at Monaco. Now with the 2.5-litre engine, he finished fifth. There wasn’t a Cooper available for Bruce in the Netherlands, but he came in fifth again in the French Grand Prix (GP) at Rouen. Aintree, near Liverpool, would host the 1959 British GP, and it was a red-letter day for New Zealand motor racing when a Kiwi stood on an F1 rostrum for the first time. Bruce was third in a race won by teammate Brabham and for which second-spot Moss had forsaken his Cooper-climax in favour of a pale green BRM P25. Bruce was on his way. An F1 future was secure, and he and Brabham formed the greatest driver/engineer pairing in the history of F1.
Peter Giddings
For many years, California-domiciled Peter Giddings was a highly anticipated visitor to these shores and everyone wondered what he would drive ‘this time’. In early January of this year, he sadly passed away, just short of his 79th birthday, after battling cancer in recent years. Despite being a great lover of Italian machinery, it wasn’t just Alfa Romeos and Maseratis that caught his eye. My two personal favourites of his were the black 1926 ex–richard Seaman Delage 15-S8, and the car that provided me with the chance to meet the tall, quietly-spoken Englishman who had made his money in Silicon Valley. It was perhaps a decade-and-ahalf ago at the annual classic racing event that the Canterbury Car Club run so brilliantly at Ruapuna. I was part of the commentary team. There were three Bugattis competing — all blue and each a different shade. A discussion erupted among the commentary team as to which was the correct shade, and so, in the lunch break, I headed off in the direction of the Bugattis to talk to the owners. Both of the Type 35s of local historian and driver Gavin Bain (he of the much-missed Fazazz emporium in Christchurch) and a visitor from Australia were close to the pale hue of what we refer to as ‘French racing blue’, but the Type 59 of Giddings was much darker. With its pianowire wheels, it was a thing of beauty, and I can confess to possibly dribbling as I discussed the merits of the 1934 3.3-litre straight-eight with its owner. We never reached a definitive answer.
Giddings didn’t just own beautiful cars. He was a highly knowledgeable historian and a damn quick driver. He instantly bonded with fellow dog-lover Chris Amon when he brought his Maserati 250F here for the 2011 New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing (NZFMR) at Hampton Downs in honour of our fastest-ever farmer. It was a close call trying to decide what brought about the biggest smile — watching Chris demonstrating the Italian stunner, or Peter donning the famous Amon helmet. Giddings had grown up near Brooklands circuit in Surrey, and his passion for the sport and the machines he loved had stemmed from a boyhood crush. He wasn’t a guy who made some money and then started looking for toys to buy.
New Zealand International Grand Prix Legends’ Club
I was honoured to MC the lunch at Hampton Downs on the last Sunday of January that launched the New Zealand International Grand Prix (NZIGP) Legends’ Club. With funds from the sale of a commercial property, the NZIGP initiated this body, first, to recognize people who have made an outstanding contribution to our sport; second, to create the opportunity to bring that group together, to mix and mingle and to share stories and memories in a convivial environment at regular intervals; third, to create a group with a vast repository of experience that would be a resource that new entrants could draw on; and, last, to put something back into the sport through the Elite Motorsport Academy and Scholarships to young, upcoming engineers and mechanics.
The club’s stated objective is to “retain the considerable history and heritage of the New Zealand International Grand Prix Club and all the people and personalities who have enjoyed our sport over the years. We would like to grow this group to be a representative body including track racing, speedway, drag racing, motorcycling, and rallies; in fact, all types of motorized sport, and no doubt in the future this will include electric cars”.
Of the 100 initial members, 25 ‘golden’ inductees were named for the club’s Wall of Fame. The club decided that the inaugural inductees would include our trio at the top — Bruce Mclaren, Denny Hulme, and Chris Amon — as the founding group, but that, at this stage at least, all other inductees would be living. The other initial inductees, in alphabetical order, were: Dick Bennetts, Morrie Chandler, Graeme Crosby, Paul Fahey, Robbie Francevic, Howden Ganley, Bill Gavin, Sir Colin Giltrap, Garth Hogan, Graeme Lawrence, Leo Leonard, Graham Mcrae, Rod Millen, Steve Millen, Greg Murphy, David Oxton, Jim Palmer, Paul Radisich, Jim Richards, Kenny Smith, the Stone brothers — Jim and Ross, and Walter Willmott. This group draws on all aspects of motor sport including circuit racing, rally, the media, patrons and supporters, drag and bike racing, plus mechanics and engineers.
As David Oxton subsequently commented, “It’s just so good, overseas — England, America, Australia — they’re very good at remembering their old-timers and holding on to the memories. New Zealanders are such an informal people, not into corporate stuff. As a general rule, we’re not really into ‘show’, but the people at the NZIGP got together, they dreamed up the Legends’ Club and invited all the older people, and it’s great to cover all avenues of motor sport, so we had a great time together.”
Being quick and looking forward
One of the best things about our motor racing season is the chance to bump into knowledgeable people to discuss the big issues — such as, what makes for the perfect racing driver? Of course, perfection doesn’t exist, but you get the general drift of the discussion. Such discussions presumably occur throughout the country as we watch the young guns compete in the Toyota Racing Series (TRS). At the conclusion of the inaugural Legends’ Club lunch, Bob Mcmurray introduced the three Kiwi boys who were about to take the start in the historic New Zealand Motor Cup: Marcus Armstrong, Liam Lawson, and Brendon Leitch. All three are fit young chargers, proudly carrying the New Zealand flag, and all are focused on professional careers — F1 ideally, but if one of the 20 or so seats never quite comes their way, then there are other options such as Indycar racing, which tops a lot of driver’s lists.
Whatever they and all the other young hopefuls end up doing will depend on a number of factors, and being fast is simply one of the ingredients. It’s a fundamental ingredient, to be fair, but speed alone won’t make an F1 driver. Intelligence is crucial, as is the ability to withstand pressure both in and out of the cockpit. Also up there is the ability to provide feedback to engineers to improve and develop a racing car. Having all of these traits will get our hotshot a long way, but they’ll probably also need a single-minded and ruthless determination to reach the ultimate goal. I think of the nine years Howden Ganley spent in Europe, slogging away, picking up the odd drive but also establishing a gearbox-servicing business that eventually enabled him to buy a Formula 3 Brabham. The setbacks and the weather would have broken many, but Howden had a goal and he got there.
Even if Kiwis continue to be mildmannered, they still need a decent-sized ego, and at least a tad of obnoxiousness if they want to win world championships. When you start assembling the criteria of what’s required to support an insatiable need to win, perhaps it’s not surprising that so few get to be world champion.
One of the best things about our motor racing season is the chance to bump into knowledgeable people to discuss the big issues — such as, what makes for the perfect racing driver?