The builders did very well - like Brooklands, Sitges was made from plates of concrete, but they fitted perfectly at Sitges whereas Brooklands quickly became very bumpy.

Unfortunately the builders (mostly German experts) never got their pay - and soon after the opening race rumours began that the construction had gone wrong, that the angles of the bankings were faulty, and hence the circuit was dangerous.

That might be, but the quality of the builders' work was so good, that 80 years later most of the circuit was still looking very good.

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Freedom of speech includes the right to decide when and where to speak

BTW, what happened with our spaniard (from Barcelona) friend Terramar?

He was the top poster of the "Montjuich, Barcelona" thread, posting the history of the tracks and competitions there, with a lot of knowledge, facts and pics. Suddenly he deleted that material (maybe he learned it from another member?), and I feel like the forum lost quite valuable material.

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There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see - Leonardo da Vinci

Japanese GP, Suzuka

Michael Schumacher showed why he was world champion with a faultless drive to seal his 9th win of the season as Benetton took the constructors' title. Schumacher dominated throughout and was only troubled by an amazing display from Jean Alesi who was right on his tail at one stage. However when the Frenchman was forced to retire no-one could match Schumacher who went on to equal Nigel Mansell's record of wins in a season. It was a disappointing day for Williams as both Damon Hill and David Coulthard spun off at the Spoon Curve. Michael Schumacher was delighted for his Benetton team-mates that they had clinched the constructors' championship when he won in Suzuka. "The team really earned this title," he said. "They have been the best team in the paddock this year and last year ." Schumacher equalled Nigel Mansell's 1992 record of 9 wins in a season with his win and it gave him something to aim for in the season's final Grand Prix in Adelaide. "I will go to Australia to set a new record," the world champion declared.
Herbert helped Benetton clinch the constructors' championship when he finished 3rd behind team-mate Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. "Benetton have done a fantastic job and it is good to be a part of that and to put some points on the board for them," Herbert said. "I tried to get a good start here and I was in the right position at the right time. I also had good pit-stops which helped a lot." Hakkinen said: "It was great from start to finish. I kept my place and the whole race went well."

Jean Alesi delighted the crowd with some courageous driving before being forced out halfway through the race as Michael Schumacher eased to victory. The Frenchman had to return to the pits to serve a 10 second jump-start penalty but the punishment fired him up and he began to storm through the field on the damp track. He bravely overtook Damon Hill by driving round the outside of him on the tight chicane and then moved into 2nd place behind Schumacher. He was on Schumacher's tail and pressing the German very hard. Alesi's adventure was finally cut short by engine trouble.

Damon Hill suffered another frustrating day as he spun out of the race which saw another Michael Schumacher victory. Hill had briefly taken the lead on lap 31 when Schumacher was in the pits but slipped back to 2nd and then went off the track on lap 37. He damaged the nose of his car and went into the pits for repairs but incurred a 10-second penalty for speeding there and had to go back in. However within seconds of re-emerging, Hill again spun off on the Spoon Curve and that finished his race. Damon Hill admitted his Formula One career was at its lowest ebb after sliding out of the Japanese Grand Prix. He said: "I have never felt as bad as this. The most tempting thing to do is give up and do something else but that's not the way forward. That's not what makes me tick. Just when you think it couldn't get any worse it does. There is no easy way out of this but we will have to keep pressing on. I have made mistakes. I cannot deny that and naturally that makes it even more uncomfortable."

David Coulthard followed Damon Hill out of the race when he spun into a tyre barrier when chasing eventual winner Michael Schumacher. "We had a bit of rain down the back of the circuit," he said. "I didn't want to lose any time so I kept pushing. "I spun off and managed to get back on to the track, but the problem was at the next corner. I had gravel in my side-pods and spun in my own gravel." Coulthard, who cricked his neck in the incident, added: "Now I have to look forward to Australia. It would be nice to leave Williams with a win."

One of the stars of the race: Jean Alesi in the Ferrari nbr 27

Attached Images

 

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.

II Gran Premio de España, Sitges

There were only 7 starters. Albert Divo gave Sunbeam a brilliant win, beating Louis Zborowski (Miller) and Alfonso Carreras (Elizalde).

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.

Alex Soler-Roig turns 74! Congratulations! He's a wealthy semi professional Spanish driver who competed in 9 Grand Prix between 1970-1972 - he didn't finish one single GP. He enjoyed more success in sports cars and touring cars, winning the Jarama 6 hour race with Jochen Rindt and dominating Spanish GT racing in 1970 with his Porsche 917.



Jarama 1970 in the beautiful Lotus 49C

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.

Louis Rosier died.

A former motor cycle racer and hill-climb specialist, Rosier had just started to develop his racing career when the war intervened, and it was 1947 before this garage owner from Clermont-Ferrand could compete on a wider stage.
Equipped with his self-prepared Talbot, Rosier won the 1947 Albi GP after more speedy opponents had dropped out and this win obviously set the tone for the rest of his career, for he usually raced well within his limits and placed great store by strategy and reliability as a route to success. In 1948, as a member of the Ecurie France team, he took delivery of a single-seater Lago-Talbot, winning the Grand Prix du Salon and finishing 4th at the Comminges, Pau and British GPs. The following season, with the Talbot probably at its peak relative to the opposition, Rosier won the Belgian GP and, with a succession of steady finishes, was crowned champion of France, a title he was to hold for 4 years.

Alfa Romeo ruled the roost in 1950, the year of the inaugural World Championship, but the crafty Rosier was always well placed to pick up the pieces, and he took some good points-scoring finishes in championship Grands Prix, as well as winning the Albi and Dutch GPs. He was the best of the rest (non-Alfas) and was 4th in the F1 World Championshi! Adapting his Talbot to sports car specification, he also won that season's Le Mans 24-hour race with his son Jean-Louis (?Claude), though it was the father who was the pillar of the achievement, driving for some 20 hours. By 1951 the Talbot was no longer a competitive proposition, but Louis still managed to coax the elderly car to the finish with astonishing consistency, winning the non-championship Dutch and Bordeaux GPs.

The 1952 season brought a change of regulations, and Rosier lost no time in getting his hands on a Ferrari T375 and a state-of-the-art Ferrari T500 F2 car. The Italian machines were naturally painted French blue, and Rosier quickly put one of them to good use, winning the Albi GP in the big-engined model. For 1953 he continued with the same equipment, taking yet another win in the Albi GP and a victory in the Sables d'Olonne GP with the T500, while his old Talbot was brought out for the Reims 12 Hours, in which he took 2nd place with Giraud-Cabantous.

By now Rosier was well past his best as a driver, but he pushed ahead undaunted the following season, and after racing a Ferrari 625 he bought a Maserati 250F which he continued to campaign in Grands Prix and non-championship events in a steady and reliable fashion, as well as handling his own Ferrari 3-litre sports car. Ironically, Rosier shared a Maserati T300S with Behra to win the 1956 Paris 1000 Km, his last win, before returning to the Montlhery circuit he knew so well in this Ferrari for the Coupe du Salon. In pouring rain, Rosier overturned his car and suffered severe head injuries from which he died three weeks later aged 50. He was posthumously awarded the French Order of the Nation.



Silvertsone 1953

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.

Giuseppe "Nino" Farina, the first F1 WDC, was born 100 years ago.

Emilio Giuseppe Farina stands out in the history of Grand Prix motor racing for his much copied and admired 'straight-arm' driving style and his status as the first ever Formula One World Champion. He was however a cold and rather emotionless competitor.

Born in Turin and nicknamed "Nino", Farina was a doctor of engineering and nephew of Pinin Farina of the coach building company.

He began his motor racing career in hillclimbs, graduating to circuit racing with Maserati. But it was not until he moved to Alfa Romeo, as number 2 driver to the great Tazio Nuvolari, that his racing career really blossomed. During the late 1930s he won numerous minor Grand Prix races, securing himself the Italian Drivers' Champion 3 years in a row (1937-1939). He then went on to take his 1st major race win, at the 1940 Tripoli Grand Prix in Libya. Sadly for Farina, he was just reaching his peak as a driver at the outbreak of World War II, and it would be another 8 years before he would win a major race.

Entering post-war Grands Prix in a privately-owned Maserati, Farina took a win at the 1948 Monaco Grand Prix. When the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile announced the inaugural World Championship for 1950, Farina secured a drive alongside Juan Manuel Fangio and countryman Luigi Fagioli at the dominant Alfa Romeo team, driving the invincible 158 Alfetta cars. Farina took 3 wins from the 7 races of the 1950 season, securing himself the first ever World Championship. It was the pinacle of his career.

In 1951, he was forced to play 2nd fiddle to Fangio, whose pace was too much for Farina to match. Farina had to make do with a solitary success at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, and wins at non-championship races. Moving to Ferrari in 1952, Farina found himself being outdone by another younger team-mate, this time Alberto Ascari who went on to win 9 successive World Championship Grand Prix in 1952 and 1953.

Farina's 1st win for Ferrari, and the last of his 5 World Championship wins, came at the Nurburgring in the 1953 German Grand Prix. That year, he also teamed up with fellow F1 driver Mike Hawthorn to win the SPA 24 Hours endurance race. At the beginning of 1954, Farina won a round of the World Sports Car Championship, only to be badly burnt following a startline crash at the Sports Car race at Monza. Farina attempted a comeback in 1955, dosing himself with painkillers and scoring a couple of points finishes. However, conceding defeat, he retired from Formula 1 at the end of the season.

In 1956 he made a half-hearted attempt at the Indianapolis 500 crashing in the process, only to break his collar bone after a crash at a minor race at Monza. Again he recovered and tried the Indy 500, but this time his team-mate had a fatal crash while practicing in Farina's race car, and Farina decided to give up for good.

A notable character in early World Championship Grand Prix racing, Farina was noted for his driving style and intelligence, but also his petulant streak and his disregard for his fellow competitors on the race track. The irony of his career is after all the injuries he sustained in the latter part of his career, it was in a car crash that he finally lost his life at Chambery in France, whilst driving to spectate at the 1966 French Grand Prix.

Giuseppe "Nino" Farina numbers in F1:
GP presences: 34 (1950-1955)
Wins: 5
Podiums: 20
Pole positions: 5
Front row starts: 27
Fastest laps: 5
Points: 127.33
GP lead: 14
1950 World Champion



First Grand Prix of the Formula One World Championship, held at Silverstone. Giuseppe Farina was the winner of the race in the unbeatable Alfetta

Attached Images

 

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.

Cliff Davis was born. Cliff Davis was one of the most successful sports car racers in the 1950s. However he was equally at home in midgets, stock cars and rallying.

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.

Maurice "Le Petoulet" Trintignant was born.

Maurice was born in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, Vaucluse in France, the youngest of the 5 sons of a prosperous vineyard owner. Maurice learned to drive at 9 on the family estate and followed 3 of his brothers into racing. One of them was Bugatti driver, Louis Trintignant, who was killed in 1933 while practicing on the Péronne racetrack in Picardie, he was also the uncle of renowned French film actor, Jean-Louis Trintignant.

He began racing in 1938 at the wheel of the 2.3-liter supercharged Bugatti in which his brother Louis had been killed. The family had sold the car after the accident but 5 years later Maurice bought the Bugatti, which he called "Grandma", back. He took it to 5th place in the Pau GP, and won the 1939 GP des Frontières at Chimay before the war caused the cessation of racing activities.

After the war Trintignant used the Bugatti in the 1st postwar European race, the Coupe de la Liberation, which was held in the Bois de Boulogne in September 1945. Unfortunately the car's preparation had been cursory, to say the least and while it was stored in a barn during the war, a family of rats had made their home in its fuel tank causing the car to suffer from fuel starvation. Because of this he aquired the nickname 'Le Petoulet' which literally means Rat Droppings. A sobriquet which he accepted in fine spirit.

He soon replaced the Bugatti with an Amilcar, winning at Avignon in 1947, and after half a season in the Gersac team's Delage, joined the Simca Gordini team.

The 1948 season started well with wins at Perpignan and Montlhéry, but he was seriously injured in the voiturette race prior to the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix at Berne in which 3 drivers were killed (Achille Varzi in practice, Christian Kautz in the race, and Omobono Tenni who was killed in practice for the supporting moto GP). He was more fortunate. Maurice spun his car and was flung into the middle of the track and only split-second reactions by the approaching Farina, Bira and Manzon enabled them to miss his unconscious body, the 3 brave drivers eliminating themselves in avoidance. In hospital Maurice's life hung by a thread as he lay in a coma for 8 days. At one stage he was pronounced dead, but his pulse returned and he recovered to forge a reputation as a steady and versatile, though somewhat unspectacular, driver over the next decade.

The accident left him highly superstitious. Whenever he raced thereafter he slipped a handful of amulets into his overall pockets. He also invariably wore a St Christopher medallion and one from the Automobile Club de Marseilles, given to him by an unknown admirer before the start of a race.

By 1950 he had been successful enough in Grand Prix motor racing to join the newly formed Formula One racing circuit where he competed until his retirement after the 1964 season. 1954 and 1955 were his best years on the F1 circuit, finishing 4th in the drivers championship both years. In 1954 he won the 24 hours of Le Mans in a 4.9-litre Ferrari with Froilan Gonzalez and then the Grand Prix of Monaco in 1955 after Fangio went out with a broken axle, Stirling Moss suffered an engine failure and Alberto Ascari crashed into the harbour.

In 1955, he drove a Bugatti Type 251 in the French Grand Prix, becoming the last driver to represent the famed marque at a Grand Prix race.

In 1956 Trintignant drove in Bugatti's sole Championship appearance at the French GP at Reims. He was released by Vanwall to drive the technically advanced Type 251, the first French mid-engined design. The car featured a straight 8-cylinder engine laid out transversely across a flat chassis with the fuel tanks mounted in the bulky sidepods.

In 1957 he was back at Ferrari driving a Lancia-Ferrari. He did a stint with BRM in 1958 but drove mainly for Rob Walker, winning at Monaco again as the opposition once more fell by the wayside. In 1960 he drove briefly for the Aston Martin F1 team before moving on to Scuderia Centro Sud.

After Stirling Moss's accident in 1962, he raced again for Rob Walker before concentrating on racing his own private BRM V8.

His last race came at Le Mans in 1965, ending a remarkable career during which he had driven in 82 Grands Prix. His Bremgarten crash aside, he had been one of the safest drivers around and his mechanical sympathy was much appreciated by team managers.

Following his retirement from racing, Maurice Trintignant returned to a quiet life taking over the family vineyard near the town of Vergèze, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, where he produced a wine called "Le Petoulet". He was elected the local mayor for a period and died, aged 87, in 2005.



In a Gordini T16 at Reims in the 1953 French Grand Prix

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.

At the 1957 British GP, Aintree, in a Ferrari D50

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap of the race so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jimmy Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa-Francorchamps - 1967.