Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Grand Prix "The Killer Years"

[Larry T (l02turner]

Howdy -
I watched The "Killer years" last night and taped it - and have seen parts of it when rebroadcast this morning - I liked it - and thought they had some great video.   I am a huge fan of the Ford DFV powered Lotus F1 cars - although I was never  a fan of C Chapman's addiction to lightness - especially after owning a street Lotus for a while (and driving it for an even shorter period)  - spectacular performance when in operating condition - but so fragile that it was hard to keep it on the road!  This program really showed how dangerous Chapman was to his drivers!

But I thought the 65/66/67 Lotus DFV were beautiful F1 machines - only bettered by D Gurney's AAR F1 motorcars.    I fell in love with F1 in the 60s - not the blood and gore part but the part dealing with the engineering and the drivers amazing ability - like many others I was hit hard by J Clark's death.   IMO the time before aerodynamics became such a large part of SPEED the cars were gorgeous and the drivers, the suspension and the engine were such large contributors to the performance.  I was also a fan of the Shark nose Ferrari 156 of P Hill and the other rear engined Ferrari F1s.  What a time it was!  I just wish it weren't so darned deadly.

I thought the program was well done, if a bit gory - seeing Bandini's body in the burned Ferrari at Monaco  was hard enough - thinking about the drivers still circulating and seeing him in the burned out hulk lap after lap must have upset them no end.  But I guess they were trying to make a point - that being racing in the 60s was dangerous and little was done to improve things...

But the worst was seeing Roger Williamson burn to death as David Pearly tried desperately to help him - all in vain  - as the marshals stood by and watched for the most part.   All this at a track recently rebuilt to  make it "safer".

Stewart was right about the death of the drivers being on the heads of the course owners.

LarryT
74 911