RE: Pic Of The Week: Mercedes Silver Arrow
Discussion
daveco said:
Great commentary by Hill: so blasé about spinning off!
I recall reading a great piece on the Nurburgring and Fangio racing it like a man possessed, this is from his Wiki page;
"In 1957 Fangio returned to Maserati, who were still using the same iconic 250F which Fangio had driven at the start of 1954. Fangio started the season with a hat-trick of wins in Argentina, Monaco and France, before retiring with engine problems in Britain. At the next race, the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring circuit, Fangio needed to extend his lead by six points to claim the title with two races to spare. From pole position Fangio dropped to third behind the Ferraris of Hawthorn and Collins but managed to get past both by the end of the third lap. Fangio had started with half-full tanks since he expected that he would need new tyres half-way through the race. In the event Fangio pitted on lap 13 with a 30-second lead, but a disastrous stop left him back in third place and 50 seconds behind Collins and Hawthorn. Fangio came into his own, setting one fastest lap after another, culminating in a record-breaking time on lap 20 a full eleven seconds faster than the best the Ferraris could do. On the penultimate lap Fangio got back past both Collins and Hawthorn, and held on to take the win by just over three seconds. With Musso finishing down in fourth place, Fangio claimed his fifth title. This performance is often regarded as the greatest drive in Formula One history, and it was to be Fangio's last win"
We're on ph and we have to use wiki to describe the '57 Ring race and treating it as just something you once recall reading about???? I recall reading a great piece on the Nurburgring and Fangio racing it like a man possessed, this is from his Wiki page;
"In 1957 Fangio returned to Maserati, who were still using the same iconic 250F which Fangio had driven at the start of 1954. Fangio started the season with a hat-trick of wins in Argentina, Monaco and France, before retiring with engine problems in Britain. At the next race, the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring circuit, Fangio needed to extend his lead by six points to claim the title with two races to spare. From pole position Fangio dropped to third behind the Ferraris of Hawthorn and Collins but managed to get past both by the end of the third lap. Fangio had started with half-full tanks since he expected that he would need new tyres half-way through the race. In the event Fangio pitted on lap 13 with a 30-second lead, but a disastrous stop left him back in third place and 50 seconds behind Collins and Hawthorn. Fangio came into his own, setting one fastest lap after another, culminating in a record-breaking time on lap 20 a full eleven seconds faster than the best the Ferraris could do. On the penultimate lap Fangio got back past both Collins and Hawthorn, and held on to take the win by just over three seconds. With Musso finishing down in fourth place, Fangio claimed his fifth title. This performance is often regarded as the greatest drive in Formula One history, and it was to be Fangio's last win"
LotusOmega375D said:
M-B used to have a strict rule about only (ex-) F1 drivers would be allowed to drive their museum Silver Arrows. Not sure Mick Walsh and his flat cap fall into this category!
I remember seeing the slightly later and freshly restored W154 owned by Neil Corner take on a classic Grand Prix grid at Silverstone about 20 years ago. The Merc started last (it was a surprise entry and hadn't actually qualified) and by half way round lap 1 was up to mid-field until some over-excited idiot (Barrie Gillies) spun his sh!tty Riley and T-Boned the priceless Merc. We never even saw it come round for a second lap. AFAIK it was never raced again.
I remember seeing the slightly later and freshly restored W154 owned by Neil Corner take on a classic Grand Prix grid at Silverstone about 20 years ago. The Merc started last (it was a surprise entry and hadn't actually qualified) and by half way round lap 1 was up to mid-field until some over-excited idiot (Barrie Gillies) spun his sh!tty Riley and T-Boned the priceless Merc. We never even saw it come round for a second lap. AFAIK it was never raced again.
After many many years, I have just been reunited with the pictures I took at Silverstone in August 1990 of the crash between the Mercedes and the Riley. I'm trying to get in touch with Barrie again to show him the action shots before posting them online.
The Riley came around Copse ahead of the Mercedes on the second lap I think it was and put the power down a bit to soon. The result was that the Riley went sideways and once perpendicular to the original direction of travel, flipped into the air and landed on the bonnet of the Mercedes who was coming through from behind. I was just putting my camera away at the time and so only managed to get pictures after the Riley had rolled off the Mercedes and bounced into the air again. Barrie Gillies was not strapped into the car and in one of the pictures I have, he is out of the car, and both he and the car are in mid air, him upside down.
I did catch up with him once between the event and now, but only to tell him I had the pictures but did not know where.
Right... Time to Google the chap again.
The Riley came around Copse ahead of the Mercedes on the second lap I think it was and put the power down a bit to soon. The result was that the Riley went sideways and once perpendicular to the original direction of travel, flipped into the air and landed on the bonnet of the Mercedes who was coming through from behind. I was just putting my camera away at the time and so only managed to get pictures after the Riley had rolled off the Mercedes and bounced into the air again. Barrie Gillies was not strapped into the car and in one of the pictures I have, he is out of the car, and both he and the car are in mid air, him upside down.
I did catch up with him once between the event and now, but only to tell him I had the pictures but did not know where.
Right... Time to Google the chap again.
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