F1 Past

[dr_gn]

darren f said:

dr_gn said:

i've posted links to these clips a few times, but it sounds like this might bring back some memories (2':30") here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTCmzQ4mh5c

Great memories.

Absolutely, thanks for posting the link. I had to watch a couple of times to see if I was in the spectator footage! Those were the days, a fiver to get in all day and practically no crowds! I went for several years- even managed to blag a couple of corporate days, the first when Martin Brundle and a very young Schumi were at Benetton (1992?), we got decent pit lane access, I must dig out my photos. It was only in the later years that it got crazy busy and Silverstone also (ISTR) started to ramp up the admission charge.
One other thing... that Jordan really was an achingly pretty F1 car, probably my favourite of all time, such a simplicity of design, it puts the current batch of aero appendage adorned ‘horrors ’ to shame.

I scanned mine in recently (‘85 - ‘92 approx.), they are here if you’re interested, along with others from the same tests:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[paulguitar]

dr_gn said:

I scanned mine in recently (‘85 - ‘92 approx.), they are here if you’re interested, along with others from the same tests:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Amazing photos.

I am thinking about going to Silverstone this weekend. If I do, it will be a hassle and very expensive, and looking at the photos you posted reminds me yet again of how relatively lame and sanitized it all seems now.

[darren f]

dr_gn said:

I scanned mine in recently (‘85 - ‘92 approx.), they are here if you’re interested, along with others from the same tests:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Yes, thanks again, great photos, I’m absolutely convinced I was there at some of those days! A coincidence with the therein discussion about and photo of Martin Donnelly in the ‘crock’ that was the Lotus 102, in that this appeared in the local paper today. A potential legacy of that horrible Jerez crash. Here’s wishing he makes a good recovery.

[paulguitar]

Really enjoyed this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXiMdTM4fYo

[chunder27]

I had been looking for that session for years on youtube, been uploaded before but deleted, one of my favourite ever normal sessions.

makes you realise what you are missing now, the gladiatorial, me, then you, then me again sessions where it was about timing and planning your traffic.

BBC got this so right, great cameras but also amazing sound, the sound was superb for this considering the time.

ut you did see the development of the looks to people in pits too which is the plague of a lot of modern Motorsport coverage nowadays!

[darren f]

Indeed, great stuff- a real nostalgia fest for me thanks. I was there on the day, remember it well. Again, ‘the spectacle’ was a huge part of it..., the noise and skid-plate sparks making it feel all a bit surreal. Other memories it brought back: we stood at Vale / Club (the first year it was used?) and there used to be a audible gasp from the crowd, even heard over the engines whenever Mansell or Senna slowed in the last bit of Vale with brake discs glowing red hot (on a dull day it was very apparent). I also picked up the noise of the Renault V10, it was distinctly different, deeper in tone, more guttural (?), certainly different to the shriek of the V12 Ferrari.

I also loved the simplicity of the footage, no split times, or masses of info cluttering the screen, using a visual split under the shadow of the bridge! And so good to hear James H again.

[dr_gn]

darren f said:

dr_gn said:

I scanned mine in recently (‘85 - ‘92 approx.), they are here if you’re interested, along with others from the same tests:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Yes, thanks again, great photos, I’m absolutely convinced I was there at some of those days! A coincidence with the therein discussion about and photo of Martin Donnelly in the ‘crock’ that was the Lotus 102, in that this appeared in the local paper today. A potential legacy of that horrible Jerez crash. Here’s wishing he makes a good recovery.

I was there for five June tests, late 80’s early ‘90’s with my dad (now gone bless him). Very special memories that will stay with me for good. In fact those YouTube clips were among the last we watched together - they actually reminded us of some awesome summer days we had together, during some pretty grim times.

I’m convinced those years were the ultimate for F1 spectacle. I consider myself extremely lucky! I’ve watched those videos (posted by Andy Kitson who I think is an artist), but I can’t see my dad or me in any of the years we were there.

Shame about Donnelley. He’s very lucky to be alive at all though - I guess you’ve seen “Senna”?

[dr_gn]

paulguitar said:

dr_gn said:

I scanned mine in recently (‘85 - ‘92 approx.), they are here if you’re interested, along with others from the same tests:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Amazing photos.

I am thinking about going to Silverstone this weekend. If I do, it will be a hassle and very expensive, and looking at the photos you posted reminds me yet again of how relatively lame and sanitized it all seems now.

Last time I went was at the test during the last atmo year. I wanted my son to experience it before it was gone for good. No way I’d bother these days.

Edited by dr_gn on Tuesday 9th July 23:15

[dr_gn]

dr_gn said:

darren f said:

dr_gn said:

1991 - Bridge - before the Abbey chicane was put there was awesome. In real life it was everything F1 should be. On TV it was just another corner.

IIRC Pedro Lamy’s Lotus ended up in the pedestrian tunnel one year during testing, with debris strewn around our favourite viewing place. That was that.

Bridge was a 160mph entry corner in the early 90s layout (before the chicane at Abbey)- watching them from the spectator banking as they changed direction as they turned in was breathtaking stuff- then they had to get it stopped for Priory- it was F1 epitomised- mad acceleration, hair raising noise, mental grip from aero and ridiculous braking....I miss those days.

It was good of AdC to deposit his fluids ( ... phnarr) off the racing line in the above YT clip, that could have got very ‘interesting’. It looks like he lost it at Abbey, which was a ‘kink’ back then. Mechanical failure? I know Lamy’s accident was such- a failure of modified aero after Imola ‘94 ISTR. As mentioned the violence / debris aftermath of that accident and poor PL’s injuries pretty much ‘did for’ Bridge as viable F1 corner.

I was watching at Woodcote in '91. After the race, I went to where the Jordan had hit the wall and collected some paint fragments - I build models and thought they might come in as a reference one day! Still got them in a 35mm film container.

I think the Jordan 191 was one of the first F1 cars to have composite front pushrods, the rumor was one of them failed.

i've posted links to these clips a few times, but it sounds like this might bring back some memories (2':30") here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTCmzQ4mh5c

Great memories.

Found these this evening - Jordan 191 by De Cesaris, and some Leyton House duct tape for good measure:



:-D

[paulguitar]

dr_gn said:

Last time I went was at the test during the last atmo year. I wanted my son to experience it before it was fine for good. No way I’d bother these days.

I went to the race at Silverstone in 2013, the tyre test and 2-day young drivers test that year too, as I wanted to squeeze in as much live F1 as I could before the change to the wheezing strimmers for 2014.

I'd prepared myself for the worst, but when I went to see/hear the hybrids live in Barcelona in 2014 I was truly gutted. Mrs Guitar almost cried, and I am not kidding about that. We plodded out of the circuit in a sort of horrified silence.

[Eric Mc]

Makes me want to cry too.

[chunder27]

I think that is part of my problem

I was lucky to first go in 89, went for about 4 or 5 years every Friday, then a Saturday in about 95 and was horrified at the queues, the awful apparel wearing wannabes and the crowds.

While working for a paper got a free ticket for 1999 qualifying, went along, was about 50 miles away, stayed about 3 hours and left, too many hooray Henrys, all the people I worked with just wanted to get drunk (bored me to tears) so I left and I think went stock car racing downt he road and enjoyed it far more.

Don't miss it and count myself lucky to witness the era of proper cars, down and up changes, decent support races (BTCC, F3 and a few others) and a more interesting track to watch it.

Yes it's old fashioned, but i still watch rallying after witnessing the Group B cars so it isnt JUST being an old git!

[24lemons]

paulguitar said:

I went to the race at Silverstone in 2013, the tyre test and 2-day young drivers test that year too, as I wanted to squeeze in as much live F1 as I could before the change to the wheezing strimmers for 2014.

I'd prepared myself for the worst, but when I went to see/hear the hybrids live in Barcelona in 2014 I was truly gutted. Mrs Guitar almost cried, and I am not kidding about that. We plodded out of the circuit in a sort of horrified silence.

I used to happily watch three days of testing during the early/mid 2000’s. I was lucky enough to score a photographers pass in 2004/2005 which allowed me to get up close and personal with the cars in the pits as well as out on track.

The sound of an angry V10 was truly something to behold. It was exhilarating to witness, even if it was just tyre testing.

I was gutted when I first heard the modern hybrids I can completely relate to paulguitar’s post.

[stevesuk]

chunder27 said:

I was lucky to first go in 89, went for about 4 or 5 years every Friday, then a Saturday in about 95 and was horrified at the queues, the awful apparel wearing wannabes and the crowds.

I feel in a similar way to events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed to be honest. Years back, it was easy to breeze in with a free "Friday" ticket from the Daily Mail (I think), and it wasn't stupidly busy. Last time I went, not only did it cost a fortune to get in, it was also packed. Bygone days and all that.

I'd love to see a historic championship for cars of the 1990s/2000s era. We already have the FIA Masters for pre-1985, so perhaps a different class/category could be added for something a touch more modern.

I guess the 1990s era cars are a lot more complicated (and expensive) to run, than a DFV engine car from the 70s/80s - which is perhaps one barrier.

[thegreenhell]

stevesuk said:

I'd love to see a historic championship for cars of the 1990s/2000s era. We already have the FIA Masters for pre-1985, so perhaps a different class/category could be added for something a touch more modern.

I guess the 1990s era cars are a lot more complicated (and expensive) to run, than a DFV engine car from the 70s/80s - which is perhaps one barrier.

https://www.bossgp.com

[stevesuk]

thegreenhell said:

stevesuk said:

I'd love to see a historic championship for cars of the 1990s/2000s era. We already have the FIA Masters for pre-1985, so perhaps a different class/category could be added for something a touch more modern.

I guess the 1990s era cars are a lot more complicated (and expensive) to run, than a DFV engine car from the 70s/80s - which is perhaps one barrier.

https://www.bossgp.com

A few years back, there were any number of old F1 cars in the BOSS/EuroBOSS series - but this year there's (I think) just two. One Benetton with a Judd V10, and the amazing V10 Torro Rosso from 2006.

[Eric Mc]

Probably just too complex to run with a small team on a "hobby" budget.

[Deesee]

stevesuk said:

thegreenhell said:

stevesuk said:

I'd love to see a historic championship for cars of the 1990s/2000s era. We already have the FIA Masters for pre-1985, so perhaps a different class/category could be added for something a touch more modern.

I guess the 1990s era cars are a lot more complicated (and expensive) to run, than a DFV engine car from the 70s/80s - which is perhaps one barrier.

https://www.bossgp.com

A few years back, there were any number of old F1 cars in the BOSS/EuroBOSS series - but this year there's (I think) just two. One Benetton with a Judd V10, and the amazing V10 Torro Rosso from 2006.

I’m sure there’s a chap on here who does the preparation for a few of these old F1 cars.

[Vaud]

Deesee said:

I’m sure there’s a chap on here who does the preparation for a few of these old F1 cars.

It's poppopbangbang

[thegreenhell]

Vaud said:

Deesee said:

I’m sure there’s a chap on here who does the preparation for a few of these old F1 cars.

It's poppopbangbang

There are a few other threads running about different cars, but I think this is the most recent:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...