TARGA SIXTY SIX AT PBIR 2010

Our next Targa Sixty Six meeting is at Palm Beach International Raceway. February 5th, 6th & 7th. 2010.

This years meeting was our largets in 18 years so be sure to sign up early.

See you in the balmy Palm Beaches. Get away from the cold ..

please click the photo see the album from this years meeting..a slide show will start..the controls are at the bottom of the screen..

Thanks to photosbyjuha.com

What is Targa Sixty Six?

What is Targa Sixty Six?

Targa Sixty Six was started in 1991 by Brian for owners of vintage and modern high performance and collector cars that do not necessarily wish to race them, but who like to drive at speed under controlled conditions, in the company of others with like interests.

At each event, the following are provided:
Three days of track use. Normal schedule is 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. (Members can expect to have 6-8 hours of track time each weekend-more if they feel up to it!)

Track marshals, EMS vehicle and staff.

Lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the track.

Saturday semi-formal (jacket and tie) evening dinner.

Driving instruction, if desired, is available from Brian or one of the other "pro’s" in attendance.

Sometimes, we will have a guest speaker/instructor, past attendees have included: Bob Akin, David Hobbs, Augie Pabst, Hurley Haywood, Juan Manuel Fangio II, Derek Bell, Richard Attwood, David Piper, Bill Adam, David E.Davis, Leo Mehl, Stirling Moss, David Murry, John Paul. Jr.

Examples of members’ cars include Ferrari: Daytona, 275 GTC, 512M, F40, F 50, 348, 355. Porsche: 962/956/917/910/550A/Speedster: Jaguar: "D" type, "E" type, XJR7. Chevron: B15/B20/B16/B19/ B21/B36. Lola: T70 Mk III/IIIB/T296/210. IndyCars: Penske, Lola, March. IMSA GTP: Spice/Chevrolet, Spice /Ferrari. Camel Light: Spice/Buick, Tiga/Mazda, Tiga/Ferrari. Morris Mini Cooper "S", Fiat Abarth, Lotus Elan, Super 7, Elite: Ford GT40, Mk I, Mk IV, Mustang…… various modern street cars...

The cars are divided into three groups; each group gets 30 minutes running time in sessions. For example:

Group A, out at 9:30am:

Group B, 10:00:

Group C, 10:30 and so on.

A: High performance cars. IndyCars, IMSA cars, Ferrari F40, Ford GT40, Lola T70 etc.
B: Cars of a lower performance, or owners who wish to drive at a more moderate pace.
C: Cars which by virtue of their type and age are inherently slower: Mini Cooper, Fiat Abarth, Porsche 356, Lotus 7, MGB etc.

In all groups drivers must wear modern safety equipment. Approved 2-layer driver suit, helmet to Snell 1995 (or later) specification.

In all groups no restrictions are placed on speed or where you overtake.

Designated instructors only may go out in any group either as passenger or driver with two people in the car.

At the end of the day, from 4:30 to 5:00, passengers may be carried in cars equipped with safety harness on the passenger side and with the same roll bar protection as the driver. Safety helmets must be worn.

The success of the Club depends upon everyone conducting themselves to the highest standards of behavior. Both on - and off - the track!

$1,500 for the 3 day weekend...as many cars as you like..2 family members may drive...as little as $250 per person per day!!!!

Brian Redman

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact:

James Redman.

Phone: 772-713-7322

Fax: 772-794-9756

E-mail: mail@gorace.com

BRUMOS WINS THE ROLEX 24 ........... PICS FROM THE BRUMOS DEALERSHIP

WELL DONE TO BRUMOS.....
ONE OF THE STALWARTS OF SPORTS CAR RACING IN THE USA

David Donohue joins a small group of drivers winning from the pole position...
Brian did it it in 1976....Thank you George Night of Orange Park for the pics from the dealership

Brian is named as the Grand Marshall for the Rolex 24 at Daytona 2009

from DIS:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.

– Brian Redman, one of the most accomplished names in international motorsports and three-time winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, has been named Grand Marshal for the 47th anniversary of the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25 at historic Daytona International Speedway.

Redman will deliver the starting command “Drivers, start your engines” and will present the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona watches to the winners of the Rolex 24 in Gatorade Victory Lane.

“Few drivers command the respect of the entire international racing community as Brian Redman does,” Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. “From his victories in various types of race cars to his legendary sports car triumphs at Daytona, Brian has put his name alongside the many greats of motorsport. It is a great pleasure to have him here in attendance and be part of the Rolex 24 weekend.”

Redman’s many accomplishments include three straight Formula 5000 championships between 1974-1976, the 1981 IMSA Camel GT Championship and being a member of five World Manufacturers Championship winning teams.

With three Rolex 24 wins, he is one of only 10 drivers to own three or more triumphs in the twice-around-the-clock challenge.

Redman is today one of the world’s great promoters of historic auto racing events. His company, Intercontinental Events Incorporated, created and promoted Porsche Rennsport I, II and III, the latter two held at Daytona International Speedway.

He is also a contributing editor to Road and Track magazine and an inductee into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2002.

What is Targa Sixty Six?

Targa Sixty Six was started in 1991 by Brian for owners of vintage and modern high performance and collector cars that do not necessarily wish to race them, but who like to drive at speed under controlled conditions, in the company of others with like interests.

At each event, the following are provided:
Three days of track use. Normal schedule is 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. (Members can expect to have 6-8 hours of track time each weekend-more if they feel up to it!)

Track marshals, EMS vehicle and staff.

Lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the track.

Saturday semi-formal (jacket and tie) evening dinner.

Driving instruction, if desired, is available from Brian or one of the other "pro’s" in attendance.

Sometimes, we will have a guest speaker/instructor, past attendees have included: Bob Akin, David Hobbs, Augie Pabst, Hurley Haywood, Juan Manuel Fangio II, Derek Bell, Richard Attwood, David Piper, Bill Adam, David E.Davis, Leo Mehl, Stirling Moss, David Murry, John Paul. Jr.

Examples of members’ cars include Ferrari: Daytona, 275 GTC, 512M, F40, F 50, 348, 355. Porsche: 962/956/917/910/550A/Speedster: Jaguar: "D" type, "E" type, XJR7. Chevron: B15/B20/B16/B19/ B21/B36. Lola: T70 Mk III/IIIB/T296/210. IndyCars: Penske, Lola, March. IMSA GTP: Spice/Chevrolet, Spice /Ferrari. Camel Light: Spice/Buick, Tiga/Mazda, Tiga/Ferrari. Morris Mini Cooper "S", Fiat Abarth, Lotus Elan, Super 7, Elite: Ford GT40, Mk I, Mk IV, Mustang…… various modern street cars...

The cars are divided into three groups; each group gets 30 minutes running time in sessions. For example:

Group A, out at 9:30am:

Group B, 10:00:

Group C, 10:30 and so on.

A: High performance cars. IndyCars, IMSA cars, Ferrari F40, Ford GT40, Lola T70 etc.
B: Cars of a lower performance, or owners who wish to drive at a more moderate pace.
C: Cars which by virtue of their type and age are inherently slower: Mini Cooper, Fiat Abarth, Porsche 356, Lotus 7, MGB etc.

In all groups drivers must wear modern safety equipment. Approved 2-layer driver suit, helmet to Snell 1995 (or later) specification.

In all groups no restrictions are placed on speed or where you overtake.

Designated instructors only may go out in any group either as passenger or driver with two people in the car.

At the end of the day, from 4:30 to 5:00, passengers may be carried in cars equipped with safety harness on the passenger side and with the same roll bar protection as the driver. Safety helmets must be worn.

The success of the Club depends upon everyone conducting themselves to the highest standards of behavior. Both on - and off - the track!

$1,500 for the 3 day weekend...as many cars as you like..2 family members may drive...as little as $250 per person per day!!!!

Brian Redman

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact:

James Redman.

Phone: 772-713-7322

Fax: 772-794-9756

E-mail: mail@gorace.com

Now at wirewheel.com

Get ready for all the upcoming track days in the South East with the perfect track car from www.wirewheel.com

VMCCA Citrus Capital Chapter Charity Car Show. November 2008

"THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES"
VMCCA CITRUS CAPITAL CHAPTER
12th ANNUAL FALL CHARITY COLLECTOR CAR SHOW
"UNDER THE OAKS"
VERO BEACH, FL. NOVEMBER 22, 2008
please click the slideshow below & then choose slideshow top left for best viewing.

EVENT: Palm Beach Classic/2009 SARRC November 15-16, 2008 Saturday pics

A BIG THANK YOU TO PBIR AND THE SOUTH FLORIDA REGION SCCA FOR A WONDERFUL FIRST RACE WEEKEND AT THE ALL NEW PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY....PICS FROM SUNDAY COMING SOON!!!!!

please click on the slideshow and then...click slideshow top left for best viewing.
see you at the track
Brian & James Redman

Palm Beach International Raceway-Founders Day pics

A great day at PBIR ..thanks to everyone at PBIR and the Palm Beach Drivers Club..

click the slideshow below then choose slideshow on the top left for best viewing.

See you at the track.
Brian & James

The Legend of Brian Redmans Cat!

There are a lot of different versions about why people are drinking to Brian Redman's Cat. Credit for the Cat has been claimed by various groups; drivers, crew members, every race worker specialty and even some of the more alcoholic spectator groups. Everyone wants to get into the act. Don't believe any of them.

Ignore all rumors. Especially the one that says the Cat was invented by corner workers at an emergency drinking meeting of the "Road Racing Roundtable: In the parking lot of Schwartz's in St. Anna, Wisconsin".Corner workers are damned particular who they raise a glass to. Their toasts are a sign of respect bestowed only to the fastest people like Fangio, Moss, Clark, Donohue, and Brian Redman.

All properly conducted Saturday drinking contests follow a pattern. You take turns making a toast. You are expected to toast someone faster than your predecessor. Lately, the toasting seems to always end with a final toast, "Here's to Brian Redman's Cat". The Cat really isn't quicker than Brian, but he is faster than most, especially in the rain (his claws are an advantage).

Here now is the straight story: "The Cat", he didn't have a name in those days (actually, he still doesn't), was first noticed by corner workers at Road America. He lived his entire first life right there at the track.

That first life was what started the Legend. We are certain that each of his remaining lives will contribute to the legend and he will take his rightful place in racing history. When first spotted, he certainly didn't look like legend material.

He was apparently booted out of a car as a kitten and grew up wild at Road America, scrounging for his food and fighting for survival. He was a skinny pitiful sight, obviously undernourished and very anti-social.

The event was a cold May Drivers School and it was raining. That dumb Cat was standing there, soaked to his skin, watching the racecars, just like the corner workers. He was obviously impressed."The Cat" was having a really rough time when he discovered the generosity of corner workers.

At lunchtime, eating with them was better than scrounging for food. This was easy; he was well-fed at every corner he visited. He never understood the fact that maybe the amount of food available for cats had something to do with the quality of the lunches.

He really learned to love the vulcanized bratwurst with melted Hershey bar on top. He even learned to like the "mystery meat".

Eventually, he became tamer and actually permitted a few corner workers to give him an occasional pat on the head. He seemed to enjoy them and their company.Later, he started drinking with the workers at the end of the day.

He found that most corner workers had alcoholic beverages in their survival kits for after the last car. He got into the habit of making the rounds of the corners. He'd have a quick one with anybody who was willing to share.When he wasn't eating or drinking, he was watching the racecars.

He couldn' t hide his admiration for the fastest drivers because he was pretty fast himself. Just like his friends - the workers - he became an ardent fan of Brian Redman.

In fact, every time Brian Redman raced at Road America, you could find The Cat hanging around his pit. If you looked real careful, you could see he was listening to and watching Brian's every move.

As years went by, The Cat developed two burning ambitions. One was to drink with every corner worker in the country and the other was to beat Brian Redman's time at Road America. He used to work at it at night.

If you were at the right place, at the right time, you could see The Cat - who by then was known as "Brian Redman's Cat" - doing hot laps. Gradually, he worked his time down to where he was within a couple seconds of Brian Redman's best time.

He probably would have made it if it hadn't been for a tragic, unfortunate accident.One particular dark night, he had a very fast lap going. He came into Corner 10 right on the ragged edge. Unfortunately, a large deer was asleep in the apex and The Cat hit it at speed. There weren't any corner workers there to help and he did not survive the crash.

The next morning, when the corner workers came out to set up the station for the day, they found his remains. And out of respect for The Cat and Brian Redman, they buried The Cat with a good view of the turn.

Today, at Station 10, you'll find a rather large mound of rocks with a crude cross on top of it. Directly in front of the mound is a granite headstone with the following inscription, "Here Lies Briand Redman's Cat, The Bloodshot Blur with Fur".

That is the final resting place of Brian Redman's Cat. When a corner worker is assigned to Corner 10, it is tradition to add one more rock to the pile.That might have been the end of this legend, except for a strange phenomenon that was noticed shortly after the crash.

Whenever corner workers got together for serious partying, The Cat would usually show up after a sufficient number of toasts "To Brian Redman's Cat". That damned Cat would come back for one more drink with his friends, the corner workers. And so, if you are a good corner worker and have faith, especially if you drink enough (this is very important), sooner or later, you will see "Brian Redman's Cat"......Unknown Author

Targa Florio 1970, with Brian...

Glover Trophy Goodwood Revival 2008

21 September 2008

Scroll down for Brians account of the race!!!

4th place..2nd fastest lap on the penultimate lap with a loose wheel.

1.5 liters against 2.5!!

COLLIER COLLECTION BRM P578

The Glover Trophy race for 1.5-litre Grand Prix cars provided typically close racing. James King got to Magwick first from the middle of the front row, only for pole man Simon Hadfield to get the jump on the Brabham BT7 driver on the exit aboard his ex-Jim Clark Lotus 21. King tucked in behind, staving off fellow American Duncan Dayton, the Brabham BT11 driver running ahead of Chris Locke’s Lotus 32B. Best start, though, came from ex-Formula 5000 champion and sidecar racer Ian Ashley who hustled his unfancied LDS-Alfa Romeo from ninth on the grid to fifth although he was soon shuffled down the pack.

Man on the move, though, was ex-factory Ferrari and Porsche racer Brian Redman who battled hard with sixth-placed man ‘Fearless’ Frank Sytner throughout the opening laps, the latter’s Lotus 24 being outfumbled by the Lancastrian ace’s BRM P578. Sytner fought back, by now comfortably ahead of Ashley by quarter distance. Both stars swapped places as they drove up to the back of Licke’s Tasman Lotus.

With thirteen minutes left to run, Hadfield’s lead eroded to nothing as King battled for the lead, the former just having the edge. Behind them, Dayton was visibly closing as Locke was dropped by Sytner and Redman. With minutes to go, King used the extra power of his Brabham to surge past Hadfield out of Lavant, Dayton being keen to make it a Stateside whitewash.

With six minutes to go, King spun at Woodcote having hitherto appeared to have the race in the bag. He got his car going in time to resume in third behind the Dayton/Hadfield battle. The racing became increasingly frantic, Hadfield running wide at Lavant and dropped to third. King then slid inside Daytona with just three minutes to go, the former works March Formula 3 driver having the pace to outdrag his rival in a straight line. On the final lap, Dayton was forced to retire, King leading Hadfield home, with Sytner taking the final podium spot from Redman on the last lap.

Hi James, many thanks for your message! Mum picked the phone up, but said it was "garbled"
Yes, I had a great race in the BRM - this is a famous car, known as "Old Faithful" with which Graham Hill won the world championship. Apparently, in the day, it did over10,000 racing miles without an accident!

I qualified 4th - with 3 Coventry Climax engined cars ahead and three behind. At the start I was passed by a Lotus, with a 2.5 liter engine (BRM is 1.5) and although I passed him four times, he always came past on the straight.

Also, half way through the race the back of the BRM started "wandering" on the straights and under braking - the left rear wheelwas loose!

On the last lap I was into 3rd place when I spun at Lavant, but still finished 4th......it would have been nice to be on the podium though!

James King won, Duncan dropped out part way through and Simon Hadfield who was easily quickest in practice finished 2nd, he must have had a problem.

Still a great race.the BRM handling was excellent, the engine was very good, although according to Rick Hall it was built for long-lfe rather thanoutright performance, the gearbox was good,but 5th gear is "out of the gate" alongside 4th. You move the lever out of 4th, forward to neutral then right and back again.....not the most natural of movements!

Brian

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2008 photographs: Rebecca Schwartz

click the image for the full album

Play spot the famous racing driver with these fantastic photographs.
Thanks very much to the Busby clan. Goodwood Festival of Speed 2008.

Pics by Rebecca Schwartz

mindcolors@mac.com

Lola 50th

Some of motor sport’s most respected names from both sides of the Atlantic - including Damon Hill, John Surtees, Carl Haas, Brian Redman, Paul Tracy and current F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais - will support Lola’s 50th Anniversary celebrations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (11-13 July). Also in attendance will be the founder of Lola cars, Eric Broadley MBE, who will be joining Martin Birrane, Lola’s current owner and Executive Chairman, to mark this milestone occasion.

50 Years ‘Lola Hall of Fame’ poll, as voted by media and former Lola drivers.In 2008 Lola Cars celebrates a memorable 50 years in motorsport, during which it has recorded more race and championship victories than any other racing car manufacturer in the world. As part of the ‘50th Anniversary’ celebrations the Huntingdon based marque invited leading journalists and drivers to vote for their top 10 favourite Lola cars of all time.

A number of notable voters included ITV F1 expert Mark Blundell, who set the fastest ever pole position lap at Le Mans in 1990 with the Lola built Nissan Group C car, Brian Redman, a regular race and title winner in a variety of Lola’s from T70’s, F2 cars and F5000 designs; three times Cart Champion Bobby Rahal and ALMS race winner Chris Dyson.

In 50 years Lola has mastered all disciplines of the sport including Formula 1, Le Mans, Daytona 24 Hours, Can-AM, Champ Car and Indy 500. Lola has an established reputation for producing ground-breaking race car designs, having manufactured almost 4000 competitive cars during the last five decades, so it was always going to be a tough task for anyone to narrow down their selection to just 10 favourite Lola Cars.

1st Place - T70 MIIIB: The T70 MIIIB took the chequered flag, finishing the 50 Years ‘Lola Hall of Fame’ poll in first position. Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful Sports-Prototype cars of all time, the Lola T70 MIIIB was the successor to the T70 Can-Am. The T70 MIIIB was an immediate success, when the sleek design of the new coupe claimed victory in the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours to secure Lola’s status in world motorsport.

2nd Place – T70 Can-Am: The T70 Can-Am won a closely fought battle to claim second position. The T70 Can-Am was famed for John Surtees winning the 1966 inaugural Can-Am Championship in this open cockpit design. During the same year, under an ‘All American Racers’ banner, Dan Gurney drove the car to victory at Bridgehampton, New York, which marked Ford’s only win in the Can-Am.

3rd T332 F5000: After an overwhelming response, the Lola car voted in third position was the T332 F5000, which won a hat-trick of SCCA/USAC titles from 1974-1976, and added the UK title in 1974.

The US success was masterminded by Carl Haas, while the car was driven by Brian Redman, so it was little surprise that the legendary British driver voted the T332 as his favourite Lola. Regular drivers behind the wheel of the T332 also included David Hobbs, Frank Gardner, Guy Edwards, Ian Ashley, Derek Bell and F1 ace Clay Regazzoni.

In 1974 Lola set a record at Oulton Park when the top six cars finishing the F5000 race were all T332 models.

Lola’s Executive Chairman, Martin Birrane, himself an avid fan of the T70 series, said: “Many racing enthusiasts have fallen in love with T70’s over the years. When you consider that the original car was built over 40 years ago, it’s an amazing testament to the design team how modern the car still looks today. Some of the original staff that built the first series of T70’s still work at our Huntingdon factory, so it will always hold an affectionate place in the history of Lola.”

The top 10 Lola cars, as voted by the media and drivers, were as follows:
1. T70 MIIIB
2. T70 Can-Am
3. T332 F5000
4. T90/10
5. Mk6 GT
6. Mk 1
7. B01/60 LMP2
8. T93/00
9. T212
10. T260

Minis. Harry Ratcliffe British GP weekend Duckhams test

14th July Duckhams Test.

Duckhams conducted an oil consumption test at Silverstone on this day. Drivers of the 1275 Cooper S were from Left to right are Brian Redman,Warick Banks, Harry Ratcliffe and Bob Smith

Below..Harry Ratcliffe British GP weekend

Click the pic..Rufforth 1965!!

Targa Sixty Six West Palm Beach 2008

A wonderful weekend was had by all, a huge turn out of some truly fantastic cars and the great people who came to play with them-

I would like to extend a special thank you to Hayes Harris of wirewheel.com for bringing 5 great cars to Targa and allowing us to use them to give rides and share the excitement of being on the track in a wonderful car..more coming soon
p.s. the cats are Dawn's mothers!
double click the images and choose slideshow for best viewing

TARGA SIXTY SIX MOROSO 2009 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

GATE OPENS FOR TRANSPORTER SET-UP THURSDAY AFTERNOON 3:00PM

GATE OPENS FRIDAY 7:30 AM

SAT 7:30 AM

SUNDAY 8:00 AM

ON-TRACK
FRIDAY 9:30 AM FINISH 4:30 PM

SAT 9:00 AM 4:00 PM

SUNDAY 9:30 AM 4:30 PM

DINNER AT THE DOUBLETREE
7:00 PM RECEPTION FOR 8:00 PM DINNER

Divina Galica MBE Targa 66 guest at Moroso

Divina Galica (above and right) won the first ever Sports 2000 race at Oulton Park in a Lola T490,

We are extremely pleased to have Divina Galica as our guest at Moroso for Targa Sixty Six..She is a fantastic athelete and was awarded and MBE-Member of the order of the British Empire-by the Queen in recognition of her sporting ccomplishments..please see below for some of her exploits!!

Olympic Record

Albertville 1992Speed SkiingWomen

Sapporo 1972Alpine SkiingSlalom

Sapporo 1972Alpine SkiingGiant Slalom

Sapporo 1972Alpine SkiingDownhill

Grenoble 1968Alpine SkiingSlalom

Grenoble 1968Alpine SkiingGiant Slalom

Grenoble 1968Alpine SkiingDownhill

Innsbruck 1964Alpine SkiingSlalom

Innsbruck 1964Alpine SkiingGiant Slalom

Innsbruck 1964Alpine SkiingDownhill

Divina Galica
UNITED KINGDOM
Born
13 / 8 / 1946
Divina Galica MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) is best known for her Olympics career and her motorsport racing career.

Divina Galica was born in Bushey Heath, near Watford, Hertfordshire.

She participated in her first Olympic games at Innsbruck 1964, competing in downhill skiing and the slalom. She also participated in the next two winter Olympics, at Grenoble 1968 and Sapporo 1972. Galica, a two-time captain of the British Women’s Olympic Ski Team, also briefly held the downhill skiing speed record at 125 mph.

She accepted an invitation to compete in a celebrity auto race at Oulton Park and surprised everyone. She eventually took up motorsport as a second career, racing in karts, sports cars, trucks, and even Formula One, racing a Nick Whiting run Surtees TS16 in the ShellSport F1 series in 1976.

She also reintroduced the number 13 to the Grand Prix world by entering the British Grand Prix that year but in the end failed to qualify. The number had only been used once, by Moises Solana at the Italian GP in 1963, since Giulio Masetti died in a Maserati carrying the No.13 when taking part in the Targa Florio in 1926.

She drove a Nick Whiting run Surtees TS16.
In 1977 Nick Whiting acquired a TS19 to replace the ageing TS16 and Davina put in some spirited performances finishing on the podium a number of times.

She entered two rounds of the World Championship in 1978 for the Hesketh team failing to qualify for the Argentine and Brazilian GPs. After that she reverted to her trusted TS19 in the Aurora F1 championship before swapping the Surtees for a McLaren M23.

Her racing career included stints in Formula Renault, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, and Formula 2.
She was made a Member of the British Empire for her sporting exploits and also one-time holder of the F1 car lap record at Donington Park race circuit in the UK.

Galica was a senior vice president with Skip Barber Racing, managing both its driving school and racing series.

She now works very hard developing and promoting driver training simulators....

My time in F5000

My Time in F5000 – Brian Redman
February 12, 2008
In March 1971, having returned from premature retirement in South Africa where I’d mistakenly gone to live, the only drive available was an F5000 McLaren M18 in England run by Sid Taylor. Built by Trojan under license from McLaren, this was a heavy and not particularly good handling car. At the end of the year I asked Derek Bennett of Chevron Cars in Bolton if he could build a F5000 car and if so, how much it would cost. His reply “ten weeks and whatever it costs me”. In early 1972 whilst awaiting delivery of the Chevron, Sid bought a McLaren M10B, an earlier car – but a better one than the M18! When the Chevron B24 was finally ready, I paid Derek $7,000 for the chassis and Sid Taylor provided the Alan Smith 302 cu.in Chevrolet engine. Immediately, as with many of Derek’s cars, the B24 was fast, breaking the lap record and winning it’s first race at local track Oulton Park. Sid had seen that there was $20,000 for 1st place at Watkins Glen in June, so off we went. The Chevron travelled to the States on an open trailer. We bought a $500 station wagon in New York, hitched up the trailer and departed for Watkins Glen. The race was run in two parts. Leading on aggregate by some 40 seconds, the battery went flat with just a few laps to go! Suspension failure at Road America, a good 2nd to Brett Lunger – where we thought we’d won – at Atlanta, another 2nd to Lunger at Lime Rock and finally a somewhat controversial win at Riverside, where leader Sam Posey protested that I’d passed under the yellow flag. I was closing up in Sam’s slip-steam coming down to Turn 9, just as I was about to pull out and try to pass, the back of Sam’s Surtees TS11 came quickly towards me and I had to swerve to miss him. Sam had slowed for a yellow flag flying on the outside of Turn 9. I never saw it. The Chief Steward came to me and in a strong Lancashire accent said “now Brian lad, as one Lancashire lad to another – I lived in Burnley, he lived in Accrington, only 10 miles away - did you see t’flag or not?” I truthfully replied “no, I didn’t” to which his rejoinder was “right lad, you’re t’winner” !

Lola importer Carl Haas and legendary designer/driver Jim Hall were at Riverside looking for a driver for 1973 and when they asked if I’d like to drive for the new team in 1973 I eagerly accepted. One Lola production T330 was sent to Chaparral Cars in Midland, Texas. Another was developed by Eric Broadley, chief mechanic Jim Chapman and myself in England. At end of April, we all met in Riverside, CA for the first race. I tried both cars, and much to Eric and Jim’s disgust, chose the Chaparral developed car. The result was a good win over a young and hard-charging Jody Scheckter in his Sid Taylor/Jerry Entin run Trojan T101. Unfortunately, my Ferrari 312 PB contract for the World Manufacturers Championship took precedence, and I missed two F5000 races due to date conflicts. Although I won five races to Jody’s four, he won the Championship by 14 points due to completing two more races. 20 points were awarded for 1st place, 15 for 2nd. 12 for 3rd. etc.

2
In the Fall of 2003 I was asked by UOP Shadow F1 team owner Don Nichols if I’d like to drive a 3rd Shadow at the U.S.Grand Prix. Although the throttle slides jammed early in the race, Don asked if I’d like to do F1 with him in 1974. Giving it some thought, I decided not to, as finishing towards the front in F5000 seemed a better bet than the middle of the field in F1! The driver who took my place in the Shadow team, Peter Revson, was killed when the suspension broke testing at Kyalami in January of 1974. At the same time, Carl Haas called to say there was no F5000 series. Three days later Don Nichols called to see if I’d reconsider. With no other drive available, the choice was clear. Completing the Spanish and Belgian Grand Prix's, we were at Monte Carlo when on Saturday afternoon the phone rang, Carl Haas, to say the F5000 series was back on. Sunday morning I told Don Nichols I was going back to the States and this would be my last F1 race. The driver who took my place with Shadow, Tom Price, later died in the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.

When F5000 sanctioning body the SCCA joined forces with USAC for the 1974 season there was an immediate influx of new teams and new talent. Foremost amongst them being Vel Miletich and former racing hero, Parnelli Jones with their star driver Mario Andretti....not only did they have the sole use of Firestone tires but they stole my valued chief mechanic, Jim Chapman! With Andretti predictably fast, it was a tough season and we only edged ahead after the 5th race at Ontario Motor Speedway an event promoted by non other than Parnelli Jones. We had better reliabilty and luck than Mario and ran out the Championship winner by a scant 10 points. A great race at Road America where Mario won by 0.8 of a second, after suffering fuel feed problems on the last lap.

1975 started with plenty of drama. Lola introduced a new model, the T400. In practice for the first race at Pocono, we qualified a lowly 11th.! When questioned by Jim Hall as to what the problem was, I had no answer. The car felt fine – but it was slow. Bad weather meant the cancellation of the race and it was rescheduled for June 1st, just four weeks later. Here, Carl Haas showed his uncanny business judgment. As the U.S. importer for Lola Cars and having sold at least six of the new T400 model and with a certain obligation to his customers, non the less, he instantly bought a crash damaged T332 and shipped it to Jim Hall in Midland, Texas. There, the crew of Franz Weis, Troy Rogers, Tony Connor and Davy Evans worked night and to ready the car for Pocono. Now, Bobby Unser had joined the Gurney Eagle team whilst brother Al,Sr. had joined Mario at Vel’s Parnelli. Making my way up the field from staring 11th in the second heat I came across oval racer Bobby Unser. Slipping down the inside going into a tight hairpin I went on to win the heat. Afterwards, Bobby came up to me and said: “hey Redman, what the hell you doin passing me like that on the inside?” I replied “well, er, you left a gap” – “ ïs that how you road-racers do things?”- ”well…..yes” – “O.K. – now I know”! Round Two, at Mosport, a really tremendous race with Mario. Just before the start I noticed that Mario had lowered the angle of his rear wing. I mentioned it to Jim and he asked if I would like to do the same. I decided not to. Well guess what happened. On the long uphill straight Mario pulled away like I was tied to a post. Making every effort, I could close back up by the turn after the pits, but there was no way to pass. In a thrilling race, we lapped the entire field and I finished 0.62 behind in 2nd place. At Watkins Glen in Round Three, both Mario and I lapped under the F1 and Can-Am lap records. In the race, Mario’s motor was slow to start and he finished 4th Al Unser was second, some 33 seconds behind. At Road America, Mario won and I was 8th after stopping to replace a punctured tire.

3
The first Long Beach street race was another example of my generally good fortune. On Saturday afternoon during the final qualifying session, the Lola snapped sideways after landing following the Turn 1 “jump”. I told Jim I thought there was something wrong with the Weisman limited- slip differential. Jim replied he hated to pull the transmission apart just before the race, but he’d take a look. Sure enough, the limited-slip was broken. A new unit was fitted for the race. The very strong field included Mario, Al,Sr., Graham Hill protoge Tony Brise driving for Sid Taylor, Vern Schuppan in a Gurney Eagle, F1 driver Chris Amon in a Talon, Tyrrell F1 driver Jody Scheckter in a Carl Hogan Lola with teammate David Hobbs, F1 driver and Can-Am Champion Jackie Oliver in a Shadow, former F5000 Champ Graham McRae, Canadian star Eppie Wietzes, Australian stand-out Warwick Brown and others. For the first 2 laps, Al led, on the third lap, Andretti and Brise went past. I sat in 4th place watching the action. The 10th lap, disaster! Once again the Lola snapped sideways on landing after the Turn 1 “jump”. Another broken limited-slip! The only thing to do was to take it easy on the throttle going over the very rough uphill surface before the final turn onto the pit-straight, and do the same in Turn 1. Now, I’m dropping back from the flying trio in front. Next I see Unser stuck in the wall, then Mario sidelined with transmission failure, next Brise out with a broken half-shaft! Now I’m leading but with Scheckter gradually closing – until he too suffered a broken half-shaft on the 29th of the 50 lap race. So, we won. Not a great win in terms of driver effort, but certainly memorable. After the race, they couldn’t find the Race Queen for the awards ceremony…..she was later found drunk on the floor of a local bar. Standing-in for her was Patti Queen, wife of Jack Queen, president of Boraxo. Due to the success at Long Beach, Boraxo signed on as the primary sponsor for the 1976 season.

The final race of the year, Riverside, was perhaps one of my worst experiences in racing – apart from temporary incarceration in various body repair depots that is! In addition to being the final of the F5000 series, it was also the venue for the second and third IROC races with the Camaros. First of all, in the first practice session Friday morning with the Lola, everything was fine, at least until exiting the very fast Turn 9. Just as I was down on the apex of the exit, my left front tire burst. Completely out of control the Lola shot straight across the track and hit the outside wall at over 100 mph. My head went so hard from side to side that the Plexiglas screen was broken each side of the cockpit. The spare car, a T400, had never been raced and I’d never driven it. However, it had been properly set-up by Franz Weis at Rattlesnake Raceway in Midland. In the first IROC race, as usual we were all in a bunch, suddenly a friendly (?) tap from Richard Petty sent me into a spin coming out of Turn 7, Richard had kindly made sure it was in a safe place and I spun harmlessly through the dirt and gravel before rejoining the race. On the next lap, flying into Turn 9 going at least 150 mph, the throttle stuck wide open. I went straight into the outside retaining wall once again with further damage to my neck muscles. Sunday arrives, the second IROC race is immediately before the F5000 final. Dragging myself out of the Camaro my blue driver uniform black with sweat and exhausted with the effort of trying to keep my head up, but duty called and I go straight into the T400. In the race it was all I could do to just drive the round. We finished 3rd and on the last lap, taking the usual look at the engine gauges, there was no oil pressure. Switching off, I was towed in. Examination showed a broken gudgeon pin had locked the oil pump. Lucky again!

4
Lola introduced yet another all-new model, the T430, for 1976. This car was very good, smaller than the T332C and – almost! – as fast. I used it in practice at Watkins Glen, where it set a new lap record. However, at the end of the day the 332C was still marginally better. I have little doubt that with development, the T430 would have been a great race car.
Another tough year! After the 4th round at Road America the points were: Alan Jones 84, Jackie Oliver 60, Al Unser,Sr. 49, Brian Redman 44. Not good! However, at the next round, Mid-Ohio, I managed to win, and also at Road America. The final round at Riverside was won by Al Unser,Sr. with his Vel’s Parnelli Lola T332C, Jackie Oliver was 2nd in his Shadow and I was 3rd. The final points standings were: Redman 132, Unser 112, Jackie Oliver 108, Alan Jones 96, Danny Ongais 78, Vern Schuppan 45.

Great credit for success in the F5000 series must go to Jim Hall and the superb Chaparral crew, particularly Franz Weis who built the engines and test drove the car. Tremendous reliability – one engine failure and one suspension failure in four years – three Championships and a second. As noted in previous articles, at this time I lived in the England in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, a National Park, where we raised Hereford cattle, sheep and Shire horses. At the end of 1976 under pressure from event organizers, who remembered the great crowds that the Can-Am series used to attract, the SCCA changed the rules and introduced a new Can-Am, thus making the F5000 owners put bodywork on their open-wheel single-seaters. The first race of the new season at scenic St.Jovite in Canada’s Laurentian Mountains. During the first practice session I came in the pits, Jim Hall said “how is it?” I replied “good” – “what do you want” - “take ¼ inch off the front wing”. The next lap at over 160 mph the T333 took off. Landing upside down, my neck (C1) was broken, also the sternum, left shoulder and two ribs. Dragged upside down my brain took a heavy battering – from which Marion claims I’ve never recovered!

Alan Jones in the Carl Haas Lola Can-Am after Brians accident

Landing back on it’s wheels after leaving the track the track doctor, a heart specialist, was able to restart the stationary blood pump. The ambulance blew a tire whilst traveling at 70 mph on the way to the Montréal Neurological Institute.
During the past few years F5000 with it’s tremendous “bang for the buck” – 550 hp. and 1,450 lbs weight – has become popular in England and extremely popular in Australia and New Zealand. However in the USA, despite efforts over the years from HSR owner Steve Simpson the proud owner of an ex Unser Vel’s Parnelli Lola T332C, there has been little interest. This is about to change. Enthusiast Seb Coppola – www.F5000register.com – is arranging to feature F5000 at the Kohler International Challenge, Road America, July 17th to 20th and 4th to 7th September SVRA at Watkins Glen. Participation from England, Australia and New Zealand is expected.

Long live F5000!

Brian Redman