Engineers were bustling around and inquisitive onlookers sauntered in and out of pit garages, while I sought out drivers to interview. As warm-ups drew closer the roar of the engines sounded like a choir of well-tuned 'instruments' preparing for the Historic Opus.
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Peter Lindenberg's Capri Perana
Photo: Robert Southey
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We entered the pit garage of Peter Lindenberg just in time to see him walk around his 1974 Chev Can Am and 1970 Capri Perana V8. Lindenberg is well known locally for his participation in SASCAR and F1 powerboat racing.
I asked Lindenberg his chances and expectations for the day, and he said: "In the historic saloons I would think we've got a really good chance. The Can Am is on pole and it is going well. In the sports car race the Capri is not as quick as the other sports cars, but this race is really about having fun and letting the people see the cars. And even with the Can Am I'm not going to drive it flat out, because I want people to see the cars run the whole day. That's what they're here for. So it's more a show day than a race day, but yeah, we got a fair chance with the Can Am. The Capri will run towards the back of the sports car field, I guess."
In parting I asked Lindenberg what he thought of hosting more events like this to boost local motorsport. He is optimistic: "Yeah, look, there is no question that there is a place for this type of event. A whole lot of us that are involved in historic racing and myself from SASCAR are looking at trying to put something together that could work for all of us. Hopefully we will see something happening pretty soon."
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Graeme Rooke's Ford Capri V8. Photo: Robert Southey.
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His competitior, Graeme Rooke, had other expectations of the historic saloon race. I asked if we were going to see some action between his Ford Capri V8 and Lindenberg's Chev Can Am. He had this to say: "Well, I hope so, certainly. It's a traditional showdown between Ford and Chevy. I think he (Lindenberg)'s got the speed down the straights, and it's going to be a question of whose brakes are going to last the longest, I think." Not committing himself to whether he would outclass Lindenberg, Rooke replied with a diplomatic "with racing you never know".
What happened in the historic saloons was quite contrary to Lindenberg's predictions. I guess with two Ford Capris, a Mustang and a Datsun breathing down your exhaust, any thought of 'not going flat out' gets sucked out of your mind like oxygen by Halon. It was Lindenberg all the way, followed by Graeme Rooke in the Capri V8, while a cheeky Mazda R100 driven by Dave Kopke wasn't going to be upstaged by the aforementioned big boys. To the delight of the crowd, Kopke pushed the front-runners, but mechanical failure put an end to any challenge in the first race.
The Mazda R100 was back in the second race, snapping at the rear of Rooke's Capri while Lindenberg tried to edge away. Rooke managed to fend off Kopke but it soon became evident that Rooke was having problems, which eventually forced him to retire. To an off-the-record inquiry, Rooke's engineer muttered something about 'age and breaking some or other part'.
Back in the garage, we noticed the blue Porsche Carrera of Peter Gough, slated to race in the pre-1978 marque car class. Gough gave me brief insight into their history together. "I've owned the car for 15 years, well, 12 to 15 years. I can't remember. I bought the car. It's a replica of a car that raced in America. It is a 1972 model called a RSR." Has he raced the Porsche professionally? "No, I don't do this professionally. The car's won most of the races that it was entered for."
The contenders for the Pre-1978 Marque Car class lined up, waiting to get out on the track for warm-ups. While moving down the pitlane I heard a soft growl that made me wonder if someone out there might be missing his or her pet cat. I was expecting to be pounced on any minute as the 'growl' grew louder, but instead it was a 1973 DeTomaso Pantera GTS driven by Anthony Watterson, followed by another Pantera in 'full attire' that had snuck in unheard. I almost expected to see Inspector Clouseau walk down the pitlane to identify the 'white panther'.
In the race Gough's Carrera showed her authority in her class. As both Panthers slugged it out in the straights the Carrera ate away at the lead of others in front of her. Jim Cousins in a 1974 Austin Healey 100/4.2 6L was locked in an exciting battle for position when he ran into the wall. He braked too late and the Healey spun off at quite a speed. Cousins was unhurt, but the same couldn't be said for the car.
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Jim Redman's Ducati. Photo: Robert Southey.
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At the back of the pit garages, the red Ducati of Jim Redman stood out among the other motorbikes, while the legend himself handed out signatures and talked to fans. Jim and a fan discussed the salaries today's bike racers command; I patiently waited my turn while admiring the bike. A legend of the Sixties, Jim Redman survived to tell the story. Sadly, back then safety was not as advanced as in today's motorbike series. Jim shared a few thoughts about yesteryear, his ideas on racing today compared to the Sixties and his best moment.
Motorsport.com: Jim, comparing World Superbikes and MotoGP to racing in your days, how do you think it has changed?
JR: Well a lot has changed. There's the big sponsors coming in and the big money they (riders) earn. We were just discussing this a few moments ago. The best contract that Mike Hailwood and I had in the Sixties to ride a Honda was 15,000 pounds for the year. Mick Doohan's (contract) was eight million. There's a helluva difference with the money and the bikes are so much nicer to ride and with all the things it's so much safer. The safety angle is terrific. They refuse to ride on the dangerous circuits that we used to. In my day there were six riders killed every year on average and I suppose the TT even more. You know there were an extra two or three killed in the TT every year. So the TT was a World Championship race. So if you took ten riders in a year killed and sort of multiply it by the last ten years, you then take the GP result of the last ten years and cross off about 100 riders, you'll be surprised how it decimates the field. In the time that I was racing, I actually lost about 100 good friends that are not here today. So they get paid well and they don't have the danger that we had, so I think I was in the wrong era, but apart from that the Sixties is still regarded as the golden era of racing. The bikes had more character. There were no rules and you could have as many gears as you wished. We had six-cylinder 250s, they're only allowed a twin-cylinder 250. We had a nine-speed gearbox, they are only allowed six, so we had very exotic bikes. In fact the Honda 6 is acknowledged as the bike of the millennium whereas the bikes of today, whilst they are beautiful and they are fast and they got good brakes and good handling, they are very nondescript. They all look the same and all that is different is the sponsor advertised. So it is a whole different scene. The money is splashed around. They stay in five-star hotels and we used to stay in caravans in the paddock. So, a big difference. Chalk and cheese, but I think our era was much more fun.
Motorsport.com: What has been the most memorable moment of your career?
JR: It has to be the 1964 Dutch GP in Assen where I did something that had never been done in the history of racing up until that time, and that is, I ran in three Grand Prix, which I did regularly but I won three GP in one day. Plenty of people including myself have won two in a day, and I managed to get a hat trick. I won three. It had never been done in the history of racing, but of course, my old friend and rival Mike Hailwood who unfortunately isn't with us today, two years later he did it and I said to him, "you just had to do it" you know, but even so, it is a very rare era that just two of us won three GP in one day. It can never be equaled, because modern riders are only allowed to ride one GP, and the extra on top of that is today the GP is about 40 minutes. In our day, the rules said it had to be more than an hour. So those three GPs were like three hours and 15 minutes of racing in one day. So it's quite a heavy day at the office.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Jim in the race. The riders were heading for the start-finish line as we were on our way back to the pits. A driver in overalls stood next to me watching the parade. It was Clive Wilson, who came all the way from Britain for his first outing ever in a 1952 Cooper Bristol MK2 1600cc, entered in the Single Seater Racing Cars category.
When I asked him how he liked being here racing such a beauty, he responded: "Very well, actually. I have never driven the car until I came here yesterday. I seemed to get the lap times down which was good because I came over from England just to drive in this race." What does he race at home in England? "I've been racing Formula Junior in England and came second in the UK Championship this year and first in class."
But in the race, none of the single-seaters proved to be a match for the Lotus 25 1500 V8 of Chris Alford, which totally dominated as it thundered past the spectators, reminding them why it donned the number one. It won a World Championship back in the glamorous 1960s. Its only challenger was the 1961 Lotus 21 driven by Bob Woodward, but even for this beauty, the Lotus 25 proved a bit too much. Further down the field, the Coopers, Alfas, Scorpion FJ 1089cc, Merlyn MK025 1600cc, MG and Titan had their own private battles for position.
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Scarlett O'Hara: Ferrari F40 Pace Car
. Photo: David Southey.
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After lunch, it was business as usual, with engineers and drivers getting ready for another round of racing. Back at Rooke Racing's pit garage I glimpsed the "Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler" of cars, a Ferrari F40 and Ford Capri V8 standing side by side looking equally proud. While the flaming red Ferrari F40, like a true delicate flower, availed herself of only a lap or two as a pace car, the Ford Capri was cut out to go the full race distance. Not much further down from the Capri and F40 were the main attractions, the Ferraris of David Piper. While Piper was hardly seen in the pitlane, the cars had quite a few visitors.
I managed to catch up with David Piper, who was quite pleased with the performance of his Ferrari Dino 206. "Well, I'm very pleased with her. The car behaved itself. It's absolutely perfect. We had a little problem in practice, but we solved that. It's fine now." I asked David about his most memorable moment. "Oh, I think really racing in the nine-hour race in Johannesburg. We had some very exciting races up there, and Kyalami was a beautiful circuit. The old Kyalami. Winning the nine-hour race with the Ferrari."
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David Piper's Ferrari Dino 206
. Photo: Robert Southey.
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The highlight came when David Piper allowed me to sit in his Ferrari Dino 206. My perceptions of how easy it was to get into a racecar like this soon got dispelled, because Yours Truly struggled at first. I got a new respect for drivers having to climb in and out of these cars with such grace, as if it is second nature. The same couldn't be said for me.
In the race itself, it was a tough battle between the Ferraris of Richard Attwood and David Piper. Instead of driving the Dino 206, Piper opted for the 1966 P4 and led for a good couple of laps. Attwood fought hard to get the lead while Piper kept him at bay, but sadly Piper had to retire with smoke pouring out the back end of the car.
In the garage I ran into John Atkins taking a look at the engine of his AC Cobra 289 4727. As I asked about the Cobra, I'm sure Atkins must have heard a whisper asking, "Psssst, aren't you forgetting something?" because he turned around to point at the Lola T70 with a smile, saying that she was the other car he was going to race.
I asked him what he thought his chances would be in the Lola. "All I want is to keep up with the other Lolas and keep it on the circuit. It's new to me and I've practiced first on Thursday and I've done about 20 laps. I've got down now to a respectable time -- as long as I can keep with them and not let anyone else come between us (pointing to the other Lola T70) then I'll be very happy. I don't want to win, I just want to keep up with the others."
He made no secret of which he preferred, the Lola to the Cobra: "Oh, it (the Lola) is totally different, because it is a real race car it handles properly, it grips, it has brakes. The Cobra is a road car and it's all over the place and it's very soft. This (pointing to the Lola) is totally different. It's fantastic and it makes you grin. It's a real big grin factor."
I asked what he thought about F1 today compared to the days of Senna and Prost. "Oh yes, it is far more a money sport now but it is still racing. It is also high tech which makes it interesting. It can be incredibly boring, but behind the scenes then the cars can be very interesting." Does he think that nowadays any driver can get into a Formula 1 car? "No, you put anybody, look at Lauda -- he hasn't driven one for 15 years; he gets in it and he spins the car four times. The driver makes a lot of difference. Okay, they are fabulous cars and you got to have the best car to win, but you also got to be a really top driver. The average driver in the mid and backfield has got to be really good."
As is customary, the Lolas rounded off the day, with their distinctive-sounding engines followed by a train of cars fighting for position in their respective categories. Atkins did a good job out front challenging for position as had he hoped, and managed to stay in third spot.
While the Lolas put their signatures on the track, we took our final walk through the pits taking a last look at the magnificent machinery on display on and off-track. It was a day of memories, sad and exciting, remembering our heroes of yesteryear and sparing a special thought for those who lost their lives while others still remind us of the illustrious days gone by.
See more photos from the International
Historic Race
