Lauda - the untold story

Lauda - the untold story

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The Moose

Original Poster:

22,821 posts

208 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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Just seen the trailer for this.

Shame I've got a dinner meeting on the 2nd - going to try to cancel that.

1930 is the only showing at my local...fingers crossed!

Mr_Thyroid

1,995 posts

226 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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The untold story? Really?

The 76 season is pretty well documented.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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His career was a tad longer than 1 season!

LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

195 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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Reviewed in motorsport magazine as pretty much " the told story", ie you've heard everything before.

However they also say the footage is golden for fans of the period so I think it will be more than worth a view to us fans smile

If you want to really know about the untold stories, go onto eBay and purchase (for a pittance) any of his autobiographies or driving manuals-truly fascinating stuff.

Derek Smith

45,514 posts

247 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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LaurasOtherHalf said:
Reviewed in motorsport magazine as pretty much " the told story", ie you've heard everything before.

However they also say the footage is golden for fans of the period so I think it will be more than worth a view to us fans smile

If you want to really know about the untold stories, go onto eBay and purchase (for a pittance) any of his autobiographies or driving manuals-truly fascinating stuff.
How can an autobiography be an untold story? Unread perhaps.

There are many stories out there though. I met an ex Brabham mechanic, from the days of Piquet, at a party and he, well lubricated, told us about life in the pits, and especially working with Piquet. I always read of how he got the mechanics on his side, how they would work hard just for him, but what this chap said contradicted it to a great extent. I was a fan of Piquet, at least his driving, and had read a fair bit about him in the motor press, but it was as if I was hearing about his evil twin brother.

I never met the bloke again but I was chatting to one of the bloke's friends who'd been there and who knew him fairly well. It seems a few drinks was all it took and there were lots more stories.

Mechanics have a bit of an exciting life as well it would appear.

Edited by Derek Smith on Wednesday 1st July 11:52

LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

195 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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Derek Smith said:
How can an autobiography be an untold story? Unread perhaps.

.............

Mechanics have a bit of an exciting life as well it would appear.
Derek, I'd always thought Pistonheads pedantry was beneath you wink

Wasn't there a mechanics book released a few years ago I seem to remember?

Derek Smith

45,514 posts

247 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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LaurasOtherHalf said:
Derek, I'd always thought Pistonheads pedantry was beneath you wink

Wasn't there a mechanics book released a few years ago I seem to remember?
I don't think pedantry is the right word.

(Or, to put it another way, where did you get that idea from.)

I wasn't having a dig of course.

With regards to the book, you might be thinking of Machett's Mechanic's Tale. It was a good read but not an in-depth account of the goings on that went on in the teams he was in. His Benetton years left a lot unsaid I felt. I'm glad I read it but I didn't feel the urge to buy his other book.


Eric Mc

121,779 posts

264 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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I would say that about 80% of what has gone on with individuals and teams never gets told - at least, not until the protagonists are no longer with us.

The extent of Colin Chapman's skullduggery, rule bending and breaking was not fully told until the mid 1990s. The strange behaviour of people like Louis Stanley, Raymond Mays and Peter Berthon are still largely only hinted at rather than told outright - even though many years have passed since they died.

ralphrj

3,508 posts

190 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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Eric Mc said:
I would say that about 80% of what has gone on with individuals and teams never gets told - at least, not until the protagonists are no longer with us.

The extent of Colin Chapman's skullduggery, rule bending and breaking was not fully told until the mid 1990s. The strange behaviour of people like Louis Stanley, Raymond Mays and Peter Berthon are still largely only hinted at rather than told outright - even though many years have passed since they died.
^This - although I think MotorSport ran a story a few years ago of Frank Williams stealing another teams chassis.

Eric Mc

121,779 posts

264 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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There's probably a lot more they could be telling about Sir Frank that would make enjoyable reading.

Cyder

7,045 posts

219 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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I would think there are some interesting storied about Tom Walkinshaw and 'Uncle Ken' that haven't been spilt yet too.

coppice

8,562 posts

143 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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The biggest story of all will be Ecclestone's. Nobody dare to speak frankly given how he can be as litigious as he likes and given how the entire F1 paddock is beholden to him in one way or another . It is a classic case study of how absolute power corrupts absolutely . I have read two biogs- the one by Susan Watkins was a hagiography and the Tom Bower one intriguing but ultimately fell short .

On topic- I don't have heroes but I admire Lauda more than anybody in the sport. Sublime driver (nobody changed gear quicker or smoother, his downchanges sounded like a modern F1 car's ) , he was superquick early in his career , then slowed down a bit but got even smarter and what he achieved in 76 was utterly extraordinary. The smartest man in the sport by far- and no bullst - ever. I saw him win in F2 at Oulton ,the 82 British GP and his last GP at Zandvoort and it was a privilege to be there

Derek Smith

45,514 posts

247 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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coppice said:
The biggest story of all will be Ecclestone's. Nobody dare to speak frankly given how he can be as litigious as he likes and given how the entire F1 paddock is beholden to him in one way or another . It is a classic case study of how absolute power corrupts absolutely . I have read two biogs- the one by Susan Watkins was a hagiography and the Tom Bower one intriguing but ultimately fell short .
Judges have spoken frankly about him. The EU enquiry into F1 finances were to the point. If we take those views then it shows what type of person he is. He has admitted to being willing to give bribes.

He controls pit passes.



FeelingLucky

1,082 posts

163 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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coppice said:
The biggest story of all will be Ecclestone's. Nobody dare to speak frankly given how he can be as litigious as he likes and given how the entire F1 paddock is beholden to him in one way or another . It is a classic case study of how absolute power corrupts absolutely . I have read two biogs- the one by Susan Watkins was a hagiography and the Tom Bower one intriguing but ultimately fell short .

On topic- I don't have heroes but I admire Lauda more than anybody in the sport. Sublime driver (nobody changed gear quicker or smoother, his downchanges sounded like a modern F1 car's ) , he was superquick early in his career , then slowed down a bit but got even smarter and what he achieved in 76 was utterly extraordinary. The smartest man in the sport by far- and no bullst - ever. I saw him win in F2 at Oulton ,the 82 British GP and his last GP at Zandvoort and it was a privilege to be there
Agreed.

Not the most instantly like-able man by any means, but very difficult to have anything other than total respect for him. The paddock would be a far worse place without him.

Eric Mc

121,779 posts

264 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
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FeelingLucky said:
coppice said:
The biggest story of all will be Ecclestone's. Nobody dare to speak frankly given how he can be as litigious as he likes and given how the entire F1 paddock is beholden to him in one way or another . It is a classic case study of how absolute power corrupts absolutely . I have read two biogs- the one by Susan Watkins was a hagiography and the Tom Bower one intriguing but ultimately fell short .

On topic- I don't have heroes but I admire Lauda more than anybody in the sport. Sublime driver (nobody changed gear quicker or smoother, his downchanges sounded like a modern F1 car's ) , he was superquick early in his career , then slowed down a bit but got even smarter and what he achieved in 76 was utterly extraordinary. The smartest man in the sport by far- and no bullst - ever. I saw him win in F2 at Oulton ,the 82 British GP and his last GP at Zandvoort and it was a privilege to be there
Agreed.

Not the most instantly like-able man by any means, but very difficult to have anything other than total respect for him. The paddock would be a far worse place without him.
Really?

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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There are many many tales about Frank smile Most of which will never be told until he is dead and even then probably not at all because the guys that know have died, are dying off, become ill themselves already, etc. Im in two minds about whether I should have sat down and recorded conversations with dad properly before his stroke as he can't communicate well enough to do that now, but Im also uneasy at that sort of thing. What right do I have to tell other peoples stories if they haven't told them themselves?

coppice

8,562 posts

143 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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If it's interesting it's worth recording ; and from interviews I've done the last person who realises their story is worth hearing is the person telling it. And it isn't a question of 'what right do I have ' agonising ,because if you don't do it the story is lost for ever .

Eric Mc

121,779 posts

264 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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I agree. I think if there are things that help explain the full character of a person then it is good to know them. I do agree that waiting for connected persons to be gone first is the decent thing to do though.

Smollet

10,465 posts

189 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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Top bloke Lauda. I was Brands for the first GP Mansell won and Lauda held a gate open for me and said after you. I had to do a double take to make it was him.

sideways man

1,307 posts

136 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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Slightly off topic, but anyway; every racing biography i've read has been ultimately disappointing for me, much prefer to have bit of ' warts and all' rather than everyone pretending to be squeaky clean. Anyone got any reccomendations?