Classic Motorsport Photos

  • Thread starter Liquid
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Pete05
Is that Riverside?
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You bet it is!

Check out car #8 at about :50 mark in the vid. It's a Lotus 19-Chevy driven by Jerry Grant and prepared by Trevor Harris. I used to hang out at Trevor's shop in the U-District, Seattle. Grant was a Ballard neighborhood local, known to keep a wheel straightening shop in business.

The world's greatest drivers are all seen here. Dan Gurney and Jim Clark included. Poor Clark had to drive one of the worst race cars ever made, the Lotus 40.

Edit:
Loving tribute to the Glory Days. Jackie Stewart, AJ Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti all helped make this one of the epic events in motor racing history.


Edit 2:
Historically, this event was NOT part of the Can-Am series, which began in 1966. Rather it was part of an autumnal series of West Coast US "big money" events that had grown organically since the late fifties, and came to attract the world's top talent. And of course the cars were the world's fastest road racers, far quicker than then-current 1.5 liter F1 machinery.
 
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Had a day out in the city (Adelaide) today and found some pieces of South Australian motorsport history in a little hidden camera and second hand record shop. The photos were taken either from local archives or by the store’s resident photographer, who wasn’t there at the time. Aside from that, I’m not too sure on specifics, I just loved the composition. I’m guessing the top photo may have been taken during a Formula Libre race, while the bottom was obviously from a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship, featuring the legendary Peter Brock.
It would be great if anyone could ID these (@Pete05 might have a good idea on the Torana?)
 

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Cap'n Jack
Had a day out in the city (Adelaide) today and found some pieces of South Australian motorsport history in a little hidden camera and second hand record shop. The photos were taken either from local archives or by the store’s resident photographer, who wasn’t there at the time. Aside from that, I’m not too sure on specifics, I just loved the composition. I’m guessing the top photo may have been taken during a Formula Libre race, while the bottom was obviously from a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship, featuring the legendary Peter Brock.
It would be great if anyone could ID these (@Pete05 might have a good idea on the Torana?)
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The race looks like 1973 to me from the #2 Brock Torana & the colour of the XA Falcon that just makes it into frame. That would be Queenslander & Bathurst 1981 co-winner, John French. The orange Torana is a mystery to me.

Definitely 1973 & the first year of the local Group C regulations. Prior to that, the car number was accompanied by a letter that signified which Class it belonged to. In addition to that, the XA Ford didn't make its debut until the Manufacturer's Championship of that year. So strictly speaking, if this is indeed Adelaide International Raceway, it would be Round 1 the Chesterfield 250 held on the 26th August, a race won by Fred Gibson in the factory XA Falcon hardtop.
 
Pete05
The race looks like 1973 to me from the #2 Brock Torana & the colour of the XA Falcon that just makes it into frame. That would be Queenslander & Bathurst 1981 co-winner, John French. The orange Torana is a mystery to me.

Definitely 1973 & the first year of the local Group C regulations. Prior to that, the car number was accompanied by a letter that signified which Class it belonged to. In addition to that, the XA Ford didn't make its debut until the Manufacturer's Championship of that year. So strictly speaking, if this is indeed Adelaide International Raceway, it would be Round 1 the Chesterfield 250 held on the 26th August, a race won by Fred Gibson in the factory XA Falcon hardtop.
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I’d say AIR would most likely be the location based on your information and the fact that the store only sells photos of historic significance to Adelaide/South Australia. Thanks for your help, it’s great to have some information to go along with the photograph.
 
Cap'n Jack
I’d say AIR would most likely be the location based on your information and the fact that the store only sells photos of historic significance to Adelaide/South Australia. Thanks for your help, it’s great to have some information to go along with the photograph.
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It looks like the Starting Grid & A.I.R is/was one of the only places in the Country that ever had a 3-2-3 grid formation in that era.

Surfers Paradise Raceway that closed in 1987 was the other.
 
Thanks @Liquid I don't remember seeing that livery ever! 👍

It is always interesting to see how exposed (and therefore dangerous also) the drivers' heads were back then. One thing is for sure, back in those days the helmets were an important part of each driver's persona. Even if you didn't mention their names in your post I would know who they were just by the helmets (granted, I always had trouble mixing the Watson and the Andretti helmets).
 
Liquid
Engine Failure

Pedro Diniz, 1996 Argentinian Grand Prix

BFhTZ.jpg
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Dolph Drago
Man, when those Ligier's blew up, they REALLY blew up! :lol:
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In fairness to Mugen Honda, Diniz's was due to a stuck fuel valve that allowed fuel out of the tank that had just been filled, and wasn't an engine failure.

For some reason I can still remember one British tabloid's headline that ran with the picture: "Diniz in the oven".
 
The still red suits of the crew only serves to further highlight the..off-ness of that color.
 
Pete05
Unfortunately, he’d end the day a very sore young man.

A terrible weekend in F1 history :(
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I still get goosebumps everytime I see footage of his accident... the sheer violence of it all, the silence that came afterwards. We came so close to having a third casualty that weekend, had it not been for Dr. Watkins' stellar work that prevented him from swallowing his tongue.

25 years ago. I still remember everything like it was last week.
 
-Fred-
I still get goosebumps everytime I see footage of his accident... the sheer violence of it all, the silence that came afterwards. We came so close to having a third casualty that weekend, had it not been for Dr. Watkins' stellar work that prevented him from swallowing his tongue.

25 years ago. I still remember everything like it was last week.
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I feel the same way.

I can remember the first time I saw the footage, I thought Rubens wouldn’t survive.

The only blessing on that awful, black weekend was no one died from the start line accident.
Debris flew over the fence & that could’ve killed many.

Whenever I here the names San Marino or Imola, my mind flashes to 1994.
 

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