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CooCoothenoo

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Formula Ford Festival still goes strong, late night viewing on motors tv. Problem is ford changed the engines late 90's to an 1800 zetec for there new road going range, replacing the succesful 1600 kent engine from the 1960's. The festival now has trophies for the two different classes, plus pre 90 etc which has just dilutted everything. The clubman/regional championships went different ways, for example the Scottish went from Kent to zetec and now back to kent.

Use to go over to Croft couple times a year watch the racing, last time i seen F3 there was September 07. Two drivers racing that day now in F1. Sergio Perez, who was racing in class B, and Max Chilton, who at that stage of the season did not have a top 10 finish. Out of the racers that day never thought those 2 would have made F1. Money talks. Sadly F3 no longer comes to Croft or the other smaller Britsh Circuits, now goes to Monza, Spa and Pau etc. Distanting its self from the Britsh public/race goer and costing extra for the racers.

Justin Wilson is the only racer i think i seen in Formula Palmer Audi who made it to F1.

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Since 1983 drivers I thought maybe should have not been issued with a licence for this level

Formula 1

Taki Inoue

Surely not Taki, might have been crap but getting taken out by the safety car in Monaco and hit by it again at Hungary is fantastic and worth it. laugh.gif

http://youtu.be/nzqZV9V4R-s?t=28s

Other drivers that spring to mind is Ricardo Rosset who had a spell in Lola in 97 when they were epically bad and then went to Tyrrell for a year and was shown up by the Japanese lad Takagi who went to Champ car?

Talking of Minardi, Tarso Marques was another one I didn't rate, but actually ranked higher than Alonso as he had a higher finish than him that year! Minardi's last year had 3 former drivers of F3000 involved- none made it at F1, Albers, Doornbos and Friesacher. Indeed Friesacher and Doornbos traded places mid-season, yet Albers who was the worst of the lot in F3000 got a full season.

Sergio Perez, who was racing in class B, and Max Chilton, who at that stage of the season did not have a top 10 finish. Out of the racers that day never thought those 2 would have made F1. Money talks.

Money talks in general in motorsport now rather than talent. Such a shame.

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Surely not Taki, might have been crap but getting taken out by the safety car in Monaco and hit by it again at Hungary is fantastic and worth it. laugh.gif

I'm not on Twitter but have been told by a couple of people he's worth following.

And yes, Rosset was very underwhelming.

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Another interesting guy, Ronnie Bucknum. Chosen by Honda to be their sole driver for their F1 debut in 1964. The strange thing being that the American, as far as I'm aware, had never driven a single-seater up until that point. I believe the general consensus was that Honda felt a rookie team should have a rookie driver and any shortcomings could be blamed on him.

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Surely not Taki, might have been crap but getting taken out by the safety car in Monaco and hit by it again at Hungary is fantastic and worth it. laugh.gif

http://youtu.be/nzqZV9V4R-s?t=28s

Other drivers that spring to mind is Ricardo Rosset who had a spell in Lola in 97 when they were epically bad and then went to Tyrrell for a year and was shown up by the Japanese lad Takagi who went to Champ car?

Talking of Minardi, Tarso Marques was another one I didn't rate, but actually ranked higher than Alonso as he had a higher finish than him that year! Minardi's last year had 3 former drivers of F3000 involved- none made it at F1, Albers, Doornbos and Friesacher. Indeed Friesacher and Doornbos traded places mid-season, yet Albers who was the worst of the lot in F3000 got a full season.

Money talks in general in motorsport now rather than talent. Such a shame.

I think Rosset's fairer value was when he was at Arrows and indeed he was easily outpaced by Verstappen but I would think he was worth his shot at F1 due to his runner up in F3000, but in hindsight no. Marques was alright, not brilliant but way ahead of the drivers I mentioned. The other three did a job in poor cars but like Marques were better than the drivers I mentioned in my list.

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Got reminded by the Retro F1 guys earlier that today is David Purley's birthday. Now there was a guy who lived life to the full. Besides serving in Aden and his heroic efforts to save Roger Williamson (during which he ruptured blood vessels in his arms) he also survived this!

post-7389-0-13433500-1359229044_thumb.jp

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1359229067[/url]' post='7019967']

Got reminded by the Retro F1 guys earlier that today is David Purley's birthday. Now there was a guy who lived life to the full. Besides serving in Aden and his heroic efforts to save Roger Williamson (during which he ruptured blood vessels in his arms) he also survived this!

HOW!?!?

Was the roger Williamson the one a Zandvoort? I'm sure someone was given some equivalent to a George cross for something similar.

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HOW!?!?

Was the roger Williamson the one a Zandvoort? I'm sure someone was given some equivalent to a George cross for something similar.

Yes, Purley is the guy you're thinking of. Mike Hailwood won the same award that year for going into a fire to rescue an unconscious Clay Regazzoni from his burning BRM.

Purley's crash happened at Silverstone in 1977 when a stuck throttle sent his car into an earth bank (maybe 'protected' by railway sleepers, I can't remember). He was in the Guinness Book of Records for many years for having survived the highest ever deceleration (I think Kenny Brack eventually broke it with his massive IRL crash in 2003). He broke most things and had several heart stoppages but eventually recovered, although his F1 career was over. He eventually took up stunt flying, only to crash fatally near Bognor Regis in 1985. I've seen the wreckage of his Silverstone car at Donington and it is incomprehensible that anyone could have escaped alive from it.

You've probably used one of his family's products at some pint. They founded LEC Refrigeration. In fact his F1 cars were called LECs.

Edited by CooCoothenoo
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And very difficult to engage at times.

BTW, the start of the racing season in my view starts with the Daytona 24 hrs....however theres not much racing going on at the moment. Fog everywhere.

unbenanntb9jg4.jpg

I was watching it last night,

what was the craic with McNish, he didn't get into the car for his stint as expected, and i was too tired to keep watching!!

Few good spins and crashes early on though!!

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Vintage Rosset:

Think this was the incident that prompted his Tyrrell mechanics to rearrange the letters in his name on his scooter, swapping the R with the T.

I mind in Monaco '96 both he and Verstappen went through all but two of the Arrows team's front wings and most of the rear wings as well in practice and qualifiying. No surpising what happened within the opening laps of the race. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be either driver having to return to explain myself to Tom Walkinshaw.:ph34r:

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I mind in Monaco '96 both he and Verstappen went through all but two of the Arrows team's front wings and most of the rear wings as well in practice and qualifiying. No surpising what happened within the opening laps of the race. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be either driver having to return to explain myself to Tom Walkinshaw.:ph34r:

Aye, big Tom was not a man to mess with! Last I heard of Jos he was in court for beating up his partner I think.

Daytona is fantastic just now :D

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