BULLETIN BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH RACING DRIVERS’ CLUB DRIVERS’ RACING BRITISH THE OF BULLETIN Volume 30 No 1 • SPRING 2009 OF THE BRITISH RACING DRIVERS’ CLUB Volume 30 No 1 1 No 30 Volume • SPRING 2009 SPRING Sunday 27th May 1979 Lap one of the Monaco Grand Prix and already Jody Scheckter in his Ferrari 312T4 is stamping his authority on the race and the World Championship as he leads the field from Casino Square past the tip top bar and Tiffany’s towards Mirabeau. As a Monegasque resident for some years, and winner for Wolf two years earlier, this is “his” circuit. He has arrived hot from his win at Zolder two weeks earlier which has taken him into the lead of the World Championship for the first time. In first qualifying on Thursday, Ferrari team-mate Gilles Villeneuve tops the time sheets but on Saturday Jody rises to the challenge and secures pole position from Gilles by 0.07 sec which he then celebrates with a spectacular burn out from Tabac to the swimming pool. As Jody converts that pole into a lead which he will never relinquish, Gilles is outgunned off the line by Niki Lauda’s Brabham BT48-Alfa which has rocketed away from fourth on the grid. So it is ‘King Rat’ not Gilles who follows Jody for the first two laps while behind the second Ferrari are the Ligier JS11 of last year’s winner Patrick Depailler, his team-mate Jacques Laffite, Didier Pironi’s Tyrrell 009, Alan Jones in the Williams FW07 and Jochen Mass’s Arrows A1B. After 76 laps and the best part of two hours’ racing, Jody will win by just under 0.5 sec from a rapidly closing Clay Regazzoni in the other Williams (well out of shot here down in 15th place) and those bars and night clubs will become the scene of much celebrating by drivers, team personnel and race fans alike. Ian Titchmarsh THE BRITISH RACING DRIVERS’ CLUB President in Chief HRH The Duke of Kent KG Volume 30 No 1 • SPRING 2009 President Damon Hill OBE CONTENTS Chairman Robert Brooks 04 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 44 ROAD TEST Directors 10 Damon Hill Behind the wheel of the Ferrari F430 Ross Hyett Jackie Oliver Stuart Rolt 09 NEWS FROM YOUR CIRCUIT 48 BLAST FROM THE PAST Ian Titchmarsh The latest news from Silverstone Circuits Ltd The 1959 Tourist Trophy Derek Warwick Nick Whale Club Secretary 10 SEASON SO FAR 52 ARMCHAIR COMMENT Stuart Pringle Tel: 01327 850926 Peter Windsor looks at the Formula 1 season Racing in Argentina email: [email protected] PA to Club Secretary 18 RACING MEMBERS 56 UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT Becky Simm Tel: 01327 850922 email: [email protected] A look at who has done what around the globe WTCC racer Rob Huff BRDC Bulletin Editorial Board 32 Ian Titchmarsh, Stuart Pringle, David Addison 20 GOING FOR GOLD 58 OBITUARIES Editor The early-season standings in the BRDC Gold Star Remembering deceased Members and friends David Addison Photography 21 SILVER DREAM RACERS 63 SECRETARY’S LETTER LAT, Jakob Ebrey, Ferret Photographic An update of the BRDC Silver Star Stuart Pringle BRDC Silverstone Circuit Towcester 24 STARS OF TOMORROW 64 MEMBER NEWS Northants Meet the BRDC Rising Stars A round up of Club events NN12 8TN Sponsorship and advertising 28 SUPERSTARS 66 BETWEEN THE COVERS Adam Rogers Tel: 01423 851150 42 We look at the BRDC Superstars for 2009 Book reviews email: [email protected] © 2009 The British Racing Drivers’ Club. All rights in and relating to 32 TIM HARVEY 70 WHAT’S ON this publication are expressly reserved. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission from the Racer, broadcaster, motorbike lover. Meet Tim Harvey Club and regional events BRDC. The views expressed in Bulletin are not necessarily those of the editor, the BRDC or the publishers. 36 FATHER AND SON Front cover Design David and James Matthews From the ashes of Honda rises Brawn GP. Jenson Button celebrates his Damion Chew second career Grand Prix win, with fellow Members Rubens Barrichello Produced by 40 WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS and Ross Brawn. Rubens has endured a fraught time to take second place Barker Brooks Media Ltd Barker Brooks House 56 A pictorial look at the Race of Champions in Australia, whilst Ross Brawn’s emotions are on display as he relishes a 4 Greengate, Cardale Park Harrogate Grand Prix win for a car bearing his name. (Photo LAT) HG3 1GY Tel: 01423 851150 41 SHOWTIME Back cover email: [email protected] A look at the highlights of Autosport international Adam Carroll is enjoying a fabulous season in A1GP for A1 Team Ireland. www.barkerbrooks.co.uk Adam is pictured in Friday practice at Kyalami in South Africa, where he 42 TIGA TIM finishes fourth in the Sprint Race but is eliminated on the opening lap of www.brdc.co.uk Tim Schenken has done it all the Feature race after Fairuz Fauzy tangles with him. (Photo LAT) BRDC Bulletin Vol 30 No 1 3 DAMON HILL OBE PRESIDENt’S LETTER ear Member, There is good news, too, for Jenson Button. The th Yet again the wheel has turned and we Brawn GP Team has had a hell of a winter, and Silverstone Sunday 12 July 1992 find ourselves at the beginning of a new has a mountain to climb just to survive the year. Our President’s first Grand Prix race has arrived. Already working D as the Williams test driver, Damon has secured a place alongside season. The BRDC Bulletin brings you articles on But if anyone can do it, it is the Brackley outfit Belgian Eric van de Poele in the declining Brabham team, on its last the new Formula 1 season, our Rising Stars and with Ross Brawn at the helm. I know this is so legs in what proves to be its last season. For five successive races, it has proved impossible to qualify but at Damon’s home circuit at last Superstars and a lookback at the first national important for the local motor sport community he is able to make the cut, pipping Alex Zanardi’s Minardi M192- race meetings of the year to whet the appetite. in and around Silverstone. These will be testing Lamborghini by 0.08 sec in Friday qualifying for the last place on the grid. Saturday’s qualifying is a washout, so Damon is in the race I wish all BRDC members competing this year times for everyone in the UK, but I believe that with the Judd V10-powered BT60B. Starting last, Damon finishes a terrifically exciting and successful campaign, the spirit that makes the UK world leaders in last in a totally uncompetitive car, crossing the line a few yards and four laps behind the hero of the hour and world champion elect, whether it is for the heady heights of World motor sport will be the same spirit which will get Nigel Mansell, in the dominant Williams FW14B-Renault which Championship status, or the more modest thrill of us all through this crisis. UK motor sport can be Damon has helped to develop. For Damon, next year will be very different. He will be in a Williams (the FW15C) and leading the race. a club championship; it’s all the same when the an inspiration to the whole country. The BRDC The World Championship beckons. For the once dominant Brabham lights change! embodies and champions that spirit. team, the end is just two more races away. Yet again we have announced a strong line up Have a great year. Ian Titchmarsh for the BRDC SuperStars. I wonder which of these serious contenders will make it to the top one day in their chosen field. The BRDC is doing all it can to support them, but I wish we could do more. 2009 will be the last scheduled Grand Prix at Silverstone for the foreseeable future and I know the team at Silverstone is working flat out to make it the greatest ever. Last year was such a fabulous Damon Hill OBE success it will be hard to beat, but, for the first President, BRDC time, Lewis Hamilton will be competing on home turf with the most prized number on the car – number one. I bet that feels good! 4 BRDC Bulletin Vol 30 No 1 Proud supporters of vintage motor racing Sponsor of Le Mans Classic; Grand Prix de Pau; Classic Endurance Racing A private bank unlike any other. A record of dynamic growth. Built on giving clients the service they expect and deserve. Practitioners of the craft of private banking Photo: François Veillard EFG International’s global family of private banking businesses operates in 55 locations in over 30 countries. These include London, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, Monaco, Luxembourg, Stockholm, New York, Miami, Toronto, The Bahamas, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. www.efginternational.com EFGInt - Alfa - new mirror format request 264 x 183 - quadri - publication: British Racing Drivers Club (deadline 26.03.09) Sunday 18th May 1969 With only one World Championship and two non-championship races under their belts, Frank Williams and Piers Courage have arrived at Monaco with the small team, even by the standards of the late ‘60s, that is Frank Williams (Racing Cars) Ltd and the immaculate, dark blue ex-works Brabham BT26 which Frank’s persuasive powers have charmed out of David Bridges, its purchaser from the factory which is not keen on one of its cars running on Dunlop rather than Goodyear tyres.