Motorsports Trivia Thread!

  • Thread starter Cap'n Jack
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ClydeYellow
Three years earlier a Lotus 10 with a Bristol engine was entered by a Mike Anthony in the 3rd Daily Record Trophy at Charterhall, Scotland. However I am not sure this is the answer you are looking for, as that car...

Lotus-10-Bristol-10940.jpg


...was a closed-wheels sportscar.

(The car did well in the first heat of the race, placing first, but retired from the finals with what are reported as gearbox problems)
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Your reply concerns 6 August 1955.
Now we are getting somewhere! Your answer is correct, yet it is not the first appearance, nor even the 2nd, of a Lotus in a non championship GP or F1 race. Maserati 250F's placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in your captioned race. Please keep going.

PS - That is a cool photo of a very slick little car.

PPS - There are several examples of closed-wheel bodied F1 cars, most prominently the Mercedes-Benz W196 of 1954. I think they were abandoned back in the day not because of rules but because the shape (mainly fenders) caused lift - aerodynamic instability - at high speeds.
 
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Dotini
PPS - There are several examples of closed-wheel bodied F1 cars, most prominently the Mercedes-Benz W196 of 1954. I think they were abandoned back in the day not because of rules but because the shape (mainly fenders) caused lift - aerodynamic instability - at high speeds.
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IIRC Maserati developed an aero body too, and they used it for testing at Monza in 1955, but abandoned it because of aerodynamic lift. But both cars were still single-seaters... The Lotus 10 had two seats, making it a true sportscar, which is what's weirding me out more than the closed wheels.

Anyways, further research has led me to look at Formula Libre races, and the earliest reference I can find to a Lotus dates back to April, 30th 1955, when the same car as in the photo (and the same car which would go on to win the first heat at Charterhall retired from the National Ibsley, with the same driver at the helm. The race was won by a Maserati 250F and saw the partecipation of a couple of Connaught As and an Alta F2, so I guess it counts?

A Lotus Mk. VIII powered by a Connaught engine and a Lotus Mk. VI with Ford Consul mechanics were also entered by Brian Naylor and Chris Lindsay (who are they?), respectively, at the Ulster Trophy a couple of weeks later. The former failed to finish, and the result of the latter seems lost to history.

Finally, Sid Broad entered a MG-powered "Six" at the Formula Libre handicap event at Davidstow May 30th, 1955 and won the race, beating a Jaguar C-Type and two Connaughts which must've started half a hour later, or stopped along the way to pick daisies.

(There's also plenty of two-cylinder cars that raced in Formula Libre competitions in the UK, too. Even a J.A.P.-powered FIAT, a monostrosity which had no reason to exist, but still existed; most were F3 cars entered by guys that must've been eager to be run over by Formula 1 Maseratis and Connaughts).
 
ClydeYellow
Anyways, further research has led me to look at Formula Libre races, and the earliest reference I can find to a Lotus dates back to April, 30th 1955, when the same car as in the photo (and the same car which would go on to win the first heat at Charterhall retired from the National Ibsley, with the same driver at the helm. The race was won by a Maserati 250F and saw the partecipation of a couple of Connaught As and an Alta F2, so I guess it counts?

A Lotus Mk. VIII powered by a Connaught engine and a Lotus Mk. VI with Ford Consul mechanics were also entered by Brian Naylor and Chris Lindsay (who are they?), respectively, at the Ulster Trophy a couple of weeks later. The former failed to finish, and the result of the latter seems lost to history.

Finally, Sid Broad entered a MG-powered "Six" at the Formula Libre handicap event at Davidstow May 30th, 1955 and won the race, beating a Jaguar C-Type and two Connaughts which must've started half a hour later, or stopped along the way to pick daisies.
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I'm really very glad you've been able to research these events and document the Lotus results. Alas, none qualify for the criterion of world championship F1, non championship GP, non world championship F1, or other F1 event.

Earlier in 1955, 11 April, Mike Anthony drove the Lotus 10-Bristol in the Lavant Cup at Goodwood, which is on some but not all lists of non championship GP.

On 2 August, 1954, the highly skilled John Coombs drove his Lotus VIII-Connaught (nee Lea-Francis) to victory at the Cornwall M.R.C. F1 Race, Davidstone Circuit, marking the first appearance and win for a Lotus in a Formula One race, even though the Lotus Mk VIII was not designed as an F1 car. He shared fastest lap with Rodney Nuckey in a Cooper-Bristol.



  • Click to enlarge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coombs

With your permission, I will terminate this trivia question and request @dingodile_r89 to ask his hopefully more interesting question.

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JS designation on all Ligier Chassis
Jo Schlesser died at Turn 3 at Rouen (1968) - he was Guy Ligier's friend
 
Dotini
On 2 August, 1954, the highly skilled John Coombs drove his Lotus VIII-Connaught (nee Lea-Francis) to victory at the Cornwall M.R.C. F1 Race, Davidstone Circuit, marking the first appearance and win for a Lotus in a Formula One race, even though the Lotus Mk VIII was not designed as an F1 car. He shared fastest lap with Rodney Nuckey in a Cooper-Bristol.
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That should be the same car Brian Naylor drove in 1955? I knew the odd combination was originally cooked up by John Coombs (of Matra F2 fame), but I didn't know it was ever entered in a race together with F1 (technically, F2) cars until now. Oh, well, knowing that Coombs gave Lotus its first F1 victory is no bigger surprise than finding out Jean Todt was Timo Makinen's co-driver or Max Mosley is the son of that Mosley guy... And they say motorsport history isn't fun.

P.S: if Ryk's answer is acceptable, then @dingodile_r89's question is (tenuously) connected to @Dotini's: Jo Schlesser rose to fame driving for the works Matra F2 team at the German GP in 1966 and 1967 (which was a mixed F1/F2 race).
 
Ryk
JS designation on all Ligier Chassis
Jo Schlesser died at Turn 3 at Rouen (1968) - he was Guy Ligier's friend
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Well, so much for not too easy to figure out. Should really make more effort on questions :(

Your turn
 
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I had always wondered as a small kid why Ligiers were "JS" - I knew Brabham's "BT" were named after the engineers Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac... it stuck with me when I found out why Guy Ligier used JS as the designation...
---

Since 1949 the Italian GP had a run for 20 years in Milan at various layouts of Monza but in 1968 something odd and unique happened. What was it?

(There will probably be a grid full of good trivia answers here - but this one relates to the grid as a whole)
 
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Ryk
Since 1949 the Italian GP had a run for 20 years in Milan at various layouts of Monza but in 1968 something odd and unique happened. What was it?
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24 cars were declared for the grid but 2 drivers didn't race as they were threatened with a ban if they flew to America to compete in another race within 24 hours. Andretti (I guess) and... somebody else.
 
True (Andretti and Unser?) but this fact directly relates to this years winner of the Italian Grand Prix.

(Sorry for such a naff question!)
 
Ryk
Since 1949 the Italian GP had a run for 20 years in Milan at various layouts of Monza but in 1968 something odd and unique happened. What was it?

(There will probably be a grid full of good trivia answers here - but this one relates to the grid as a whole)
Click to expand...
Ryk
this fact directly relates to this years winner of the Italian Grand Prix.
(Sorry for such a naff question!)
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Finishes at Monza had usually involved slipstreaming battles resulting in close finishes. But in 1968 the winner was almost a full lap ahead of the remainder of the field, badly depleted by accidents and mechanical retirements.
 
All good - But two of the podium cars were different to cars that had previously raced at Monza. Jacky Ickx's Ferrari was nothing special compared to previous years, but the BRM of 4th placed BRM driver, Piers Courage, also was something not seen in the last 20 years at Monza - BUT The Ferrari's of Chris Amon and Derek Bell had something not seen on a Ferrari on race day at Monza for at least 20 years...
 
no...
Bobby Unser's BRM, Jackie Oliver's Lotus and Dan Gurney's Eagle had something never before seen at Monza

but Mario Andretti's Lotus, John Surtees Honda, Jack Brabham's erm Brabham didn't
 
Was it the first race won by the Defending Champion running car number 1? I know that in the early days of F1, numbers were handed out by the organisers, rather than being based on previous championship positions, so drivers would use multiple numbers through a season.
 
Close enough. Prior to 1968 every car that started the Italian GP did so with an EVEN number. In 1968 they went wild and used odd numbers
 
3 Tracks, 3 answers. First person to post all three (and only three) in the same post wins.

UT2.jpg

2: Has hosted World Championships

UT5.jpg
5: Has also hosted a World Championship

UT11.jpg
11: Hosted one championship for one event successfully before both the Championship and circuit disappeared into obscurity.


egg-fried-rice-8.jpg

Tasty
 
Ryk
I had always wondered as a small kid why Ligiers were "JS" - I knew Brabham's "BT" were named after the engineers Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac... it stuck with me when I found out why Guy Ligier used JS as the designation...
Click to expand...

Still, being answered in 5 minutes for what I thought was an interesting and slightly difficult question was brutal :grumpy:
 

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