Grand Prix Rejects

Ataxia wrote:I'm going to assume this was back in days of a "stick-shift" gearbox, because the paddle-shift of the last few years has a readout in the cockpit and thus you'd have to be a massive idiot to manage to start in reverse.

You my friend are spot on.

Ataxia wrote:The clue "Like JV, the driver in question has won the WDC at least once" isn't a massive clue really, but I'll follow the line of enquiry along one-time champs. The only person I can think of that would be capable of this would be Alan Jones. Seeing as he'd given up by 1986, I'll take a guess it was in one of the Haas-Lolas.

It wasn't Alan jones but you are correct in that it was a one time WDC.

Then I'll make Jody Scheckter my final guess, but I'll let someone else jump in if they've got any more knowledge than I do.

James Hunt in one of his more drunken races?

Or perhaps Mario Andretti perhaps? Were the transmissions in the F1 cars different to the Indy back then?

takagi_for_the_win wrote:James Hunt in one of his more drunken races?

I like the way you think. But unfortunately it wasn’t a drunk James Hunt, Jody Scheckter or even Mario Andretti (again nice logic behind your guess however).

The driver in question has a bit of a history with gearbox issues. For instance there was another race where he completely fluffed his start. And as some people later suggested that was because he had failed to selected 1st gear. Ironically that particular bad start probably cost this driver the chance to win another WDC. I would love to tell you about the other gearbox issues this driver has had. But if I did then it would probably would become too obvious who it is then.

Nigel Mansell then, Mexico 1986 being the other example mentioned by ibsey.

Bleu wrote:Nigel Mansell then, Mexico 1986 being the other example mentioned by ibsey.

Bingo! Give that man a beer.

Mansell is indeed the driver in question. The other gearbox issues I was eluding to in my last post, were Canada 1991 where some people suggested Mansell was too busy waving to the crowd to notice his revs dropping. Which then stalled his engine & lost him the race on the last lap. Thus handing an easy victory to his bitter rival Piquet.

Then off course there was Brazil 1989, where Mansell apparently booked an early flight home, because he didn’t think the new Ferrari semi automatic gearbox would last the race. Of course it did. Meaning Mansell missed his flight home. Although winning the race might have eased the inconvenience of missing a flight home.

Do you want to work out which race it was that Mansell was in reverse gear for the start? As naturally he found himself near the back of the field, following the start.

Just on Mansell and his gearboxes,

In San Marino 1991, on the grid he qualified in the top six (cant remember exact!) but the gearbox had a mind of its own, which dropped him to the middle of the back and was then collected by Brundle eliminating the Williams

David AGS wrote:Just on Mansell and his gearboxes,

In San Marino 1991, on the grid he qualified in the top six (cant remember exact!) but the gearbox had a mind of its own, which dropped him to the middle of the back and was then collected by Brundle eliminating the Williams

Indeed (he also had problems in Brazil 1991 & probably Phoenix 1991). However, one of the funniest things that springs to mind is after his retirement in the 1991 San Marino GP is Nigel rather 'colourful' conversation with his race engineer David Brown (which appears on the 1991 Season Review video...although film from a safe distance). Which went something like this;

Nigel; "Have you ever tried changing down from 6th gear straight down to 2nd?"

David Brown; "No."

Nigel (sarcastically saying); "If you haven't tried it, I wouldn't recommend it!!! The gearbox is a bathplugging joke. I'd work my way up, then I get stuff up the back by Brundle, bathplugging disgrace!"

Which driver was titled as girls' favourite in 1986 official season review?

Bleu wrote:Which driver was titled as girls' favourite in 1986 official season review?

It had to be some obscure bloke...Maybe Alex Caffi?

Bleu wrote:Which driver was titled as girls' favourite in 1986 official season review?

That well known charmer, Nigel Mansell?

Michele Alboreto perhaps in all seriousness though

Guys guys guys it's obviously Stefan Johansson, with that beautiful hair of his!

Bleu wrote:Which driver was titled as girls' favourite in 1986 official season review?

Wasn’t it Christian Danner, with his lovely 80’s mullet…which was on par with that of Stefan Johansson’s. Danner had an ear-ring as well, thus looking like he had come straight out of a boy band…which probably attracted the ladies yet further.

80's fashion at its best... http://www.f1rejects.com/teams/rial/large/danner-89.jpg


BTW do you lot want the answer for my last question about the race Mansell started in reverse? Or shall I hold off giving the answer for another day or so?

ibsey wrote:

Bleu wrote:Which driver was titled as girls' favourite in 1986 official season review?

Wasn’t it Christian Danner, with his lovely 80’s mullet…which was on par with that of Stefan Johansson’s. Danner had an ear-ring as well, thus looking like he had come straight out of a boy band…which probably attracted the ladies yet further.

80's fashion at its best... http://www.f1rejects.com/teams/rial/large/danner-89.jpg


BTW do you lot want the answer for my last question about the race Mansell started in reverse? Or shall I hold off giving the answer for another day or so?

I think that you can probably give the answer at this point - IIRC, didn't Mansell overshoot his grid slot on the formation lap and decided to reverse back into it in order to avoid a penalty for jumping the start, only to realise that the lights had changed before he could get back into 1st gear?

ibsey wrote:

Bleu wrote:Which driver was titled as girls' favourite in 1986 official season review?

Wasn’t it Christian Danner, with his lovely 80’s mullet…which was on par with that of Stefan Johansson’s. Danner had an ear-ring as well, thus looking like he had come straight out of a boy band…which probably attracted the ladies yet further.

80's fashion at its best... http://www.f1rejects.com/teams/rial/large/danner-89.jpg


BTW do you lot want the answer for my last question about the race Mansell started in reverse? Or shall I hold off giving the answer for another day or so?

You are right, it was Christian Danner.

"As raceday turned near, the girls hit the beach to tan up their muscles, wear their sponsors' T-shirts and getting big chance of meeting Christian Danner."

"Christian Danner, the first Grand Prix driver to wear an earring, was much adored by women who would get plenty of chances to look at him if the Osellas maintained their track record of going nowhere and not very fast."

"But even if whole F1 circus ran without gas, Christian Danner would never ran out of girls."

"The other big story was Christian Danner's blocked move to Arrows, where Surer's seat had been left empty after bad rally accident. Osella didn't want to let Danner go. There was a lot of strange loathe on the subject, but it was change for Danner to get torn limb from limb by men."

"His way at last was cleared to join Arrows, Christian Danner posed a rare footage showing him unaccompanied by females."

"Girl photographers who were told there is a chance to meet Christian Danner came all over from Europe."

"The German GP took place at Hockenheim, a super-fast circuit which reminds the drivers why they got to the sport in first place, in order to run along the ground very quickly, and in Danner's case, to meet a lot of pretty girls."

"Hungarian radio had been telling the girls there is a chance of phantomizing Christian Danner. They came flocking in from the potato factories."

"Danner had shown he could get points as well as girls."

"I had heard that these two were my fans, but it turned out that they had mistaken me for Christian Danner."

Okay, the race where Mansell was in reverse gear for the start, was the 1982 US GP West at Long Beach;

Sunday was clear, warm and gorgeous with a crowd of 82,000. As the cars formed on the grid for the start, Lotus driver Elio de Angelis lined up on the wrong side (he claimed he was waved into the wrong place). He quickly backed out of the spot, bumping his teammate Nigel Mansell behind him. When Mansell put his car into reverse, thinking that de Angelis was coming back further, the green light came on! As a result, Mansell claims to be the only driver to have started a race in reverse! Everyone got away cleanly, though Mansell naturally found himself near the back of the field. At the front, de Cesaris made an excellent start, jumping into the lead ahead of Lauda and René Arnoux.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Unite ... _Prix_West


What a strange race! de Cesaris acting like Mansell & Mansell acting like de Cesaris

Bleu wrote:You are right, it was Christian Danner.

Mind you, according to Clive James’ very funny commentary in the 1986 F1 season review video (during the buildup to the Spa race) James’s commented on how some famous 1980’s female supermodel (who I forget the name of…but she was extremely pretty!) had the hots for Denis Jenkinson. But as Clive James’ said “Jenks is no cradle snatcher”.

I mean with a beard like this;

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=denis+ ... B400%3B600

…what female could resist such a man?

(Also just found out, that ‘Jenks’ shares the same birthday as me…although we were born on different years)

On second thoughts, I would have thought it would be Marc Surer. I mean the guy did marry not one, but two Playboy models...

tommykl wrote:On second thoughts, I would have thought it would be Marc Surer. I mean the guy did marry not one, but two Playboy models...

Rene Arnoux, now there is a ladies man’s.

Not only where there several rumors that the reason he was sacked from Ferrari after (IIRC) just one race in 1985, was because he was enjoying some prime Colombian nose candy whilst banging either the Old Man's grand-daughter/niece or team managers wife. Which is talked about in here;

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?s ... &hl=Arnoux

…read from post 12 onwards (however if you do a search on Arnoux & 1985, there are many more threads on the subject). To my knowledge nothing has ever been confirmed, however many people who are 'in the know' all have implied that the 'nose candy' rumors may have some truth in them.

But I can also recall reading a story (probably also within one of those Arnoux & 1985 threads within the Autosport Nostalgia Forum). That around (I think) the 1989 Belgian GP. IIRC basically Arnoux was more interested in getting two young girls to come back to his hotel, than he was in qualifying for the race.

Gerhard Berger I think was another ladies man, maybe James Hunt was still living it up by 1986? (famously Hunt’s motto was ‘Sex is the breakfast of champions’ & IIRC in his biography there was a story of him appearing from his hotel on the morning of the 1976 Japanese GP, with two Japanese flight attendants). And I vaguely recall reading one or two things about Nelson Piquet cheating on his attractive wife.

So with all these ladies men in F1 in 1986, makes you wonder whether there was enough groupies to go around?

ibsey wrote:

David AGS wrote:Just on Mansell and his gearboxes,

In San Marino 1991, on the grid he qualified in the top six (cant remember exact!) but the gearbox had a mind of its own, which dropped him to the middle of the back and was then collected by Brundle eliminating the Williams

Indeed (he also had problems in Brazil 1991 & probably Phoenix 1991). However, one of the funniest things that springs to mind is after his retirement in the 1991 San Marino GP is Nigel rather 'colourful' conversation with his race engineer David Brown (which appears on the 1991 Season Review video...although film from a safe distance). Which went something like this;

Nigel; "Have you ever tried changing down from 6th gear straight down to 2nd?"

David Brown; "No."

Nigel (sarcastically saying); "If you haven't tried it, I wouldn't recommend it!!! The gearbox is a bathplugging joke. I'd work my way up, then I get stuff up the back by Brundle, bathplugging disgrace!"

1991 was my first F1 review I saw, would have been 11-12 yrs old, very amused by the colourful language. Surprised the FIA didnt edited out, but things were different.

The 1996 review, particular reviewing the Australian race and podium scenes was better for rather obvious reason..!

Not complaining but if that happened in 2013, the FIA will be sued for heaps IMO!

Who is the driver?

Jocke1 wrote:Who is the driver?

I thought it was Bob Kubica, but the file name is throwing me. Is that deliberately misleading? Anyway, Kubica.

Backmarker wrote: Is that deliberately misleading?

Of course it is
Kubica is correct.

Guess on F1 drivers:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

2 might be Fangio
And 6) is Bourdais. As far as I know he is the only F1 driver who raced with his glasses on.

Jocke1 wrote:Guess on F1 drivers:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

1. someone Japanese - either Taki or Tora Takagi, I reckon

2. pass

3. Johnny Herbert?

4. David Coulthard?

5. Jean Alesi

6. Bourdais - I recognise the frames from his ChampCar days.

7. Mazzacane?

8. Kartikeyan. Otherwise it'll be Chandok, but I reckon it is Narain.

pi314159 wrote:And is 6) Bourdais? As far as I know he is the only F1 driver who raced with his glasses on.

Didn't Ralf Schumacher and/or Jacques Vileneuve sometimes race with glasses too?

dr-baker wrote:1. someone Japanese - either Taki or Tora Takagi

Inoue is correct.

pi314159 wrote:2 might be Fangio

Correct.

3. Johnny Herbert?

Nope.

4. David Coulthard?

Correct.

5. Jean Alesi

Correct.

6. Bourdais - I recognise the frames from his ChampCar days.

Correct.

7. Mazzacane?

Correct.

8. Kartikeyan. Otherwise it'll be Chandok, but I reckon it is Narain.

NK is correct.

Didn't Ralf Schumacher and/or Jacques Vileneuve sometimes race with glasses too?

Yes, they did. And I have saved this cool photo for a long time, it's not an F1 driver I think, but he looks awesome none the less:

3.

So this one remains.

Jocke1 wrote:Yes, they did. And I have saved this cool photo for a long time, it's not an F1 driver I think, but he looks awesome none the less:

That is in fact the great Masten Gregory, definitely an F1 driver

I don't know what I was thinking, I got the photo from here around 2004
http://www.atlasf1.com/2000/aut/cox.html
but It slipped my mind on the identity of the driver.

Jocke1 wrote:3.

So this one remains.

Is it Mika Salo?

Yep.
http://cdn-5.motorsport.com/static/img/ ... 5/s1_1.jpg

Mika Salo! Of course it is! Don't understand how I didn't recognise him sooner...

Who are these two F1 drivers then?

dr-baker wrote: 4. David Coulthard?

I have to say I was impressed by that. How did you know?

Jocke1 wrote:Who are these two F1 drivers then?

I would say that 1) is Mansell and 2) is Häkkinen.

Also, the misleading image names are very annoying...I like it

Both are incorrect.

Jocke1 wrote:Who are these two F1 drivers then?

99% sure the 2nd one is Allan McNish.

shinji wrote:

99% sure the 2nd one is Allan McNish.

Bingo.

I think number 1 is Daniel Ricciardo.