When Grand Prix drivers also raced in Hillclimbs

Just imagine McLaren letting Lando Norris drive one of their GT cars in a European Hillclimb!   Here is a McLaren MP4 12C driven by Pierre Courroye in a European Championship Hillclimb at Mont Dore in France.

There was a time when many would be Grand Prix drivers started racing in local hillclimbs; Denny Hulme is a good example and he went on to become a World Champion!  Before the second World War almost every Grand Prix driver also drove in Hillclimbs and they drove the same cars as they drove on the circuits!   Even up to the early seventies, some Grand Prix drivers raced on the hills.  In August 1970 for instance, Silvio Moser took his Formula One Bellasi-Cosworth to Saint Ursanne - Les Rangiers and won the International Hillclimb on that Swiss mountain.  He had done the same the year previously with his Brabham BT24.  An even more famous Swiss driver had won on this hill in F1 cars previously.  So, I got thinking, how many Grand Prix drivers could I name that had also claimed success in Hillclimbs.  To restrict myself, I only counted drivers who had won World Championship GP, European Championship GP from the thirties or recognized Grandes Epreuves from other years.   You may find some drivers on this list surprising.  Certainly, not an exhaustive list but a reminder of different times before hillclimbs became a reserve for specialists in the mid-seventies.

Today's hillclimbers will never race in Grand Prix and today's F1 stars are unlikely to drive Hillclimb cars such as this Norma.  This was not always the case......

1. Hans Stuck von Villiez.   Perhaps the greatest Mountain Hillclimb racer of all time, Hans Stuck
competed in Grand Prix for the Auto Union team and won the 1935 Italian Grand Prix.  He also won over thirty major hillclimbs and many hillclimb championships.  In particular he was 1930 European Hillclimb Racing Car Champion and 1932 European Hillclimb Sports Car Champion.  With Auto Union Grand Prix cars he took the German Mountain championship in 1934, 1935, 1937 and 1938.  He continued winning hillclimbs after the war and also competing in GP.
2. Rudolf Caracciola.  The only real challenger to Hans Stuck's position at the top of this list is another German driver, and one who was one of the greatest Grand Prix drivers of all time - Rudolf Caracciola.  He was European Grand Prix Champion in 1935, 1937 and 1938, winning eleven Grandes Epreuves in that period.  A versatile driver who also won the Mille Miglia, he won three European titles on the hills - In 1930 and 1931 in Mercedes Sports Cars and in 1932 in an Alfa Romeo Racing Car.
3. Ludovico Scarfiotti.  In the sixties some major teams fought over the European Hill Climb Championship and one of their top drivers was the Italian ace, Ludovico Scarfiotti.  His claim to fame in Grand Prix history was winning the 1966 Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari at Monza.  On the mountains of Europe he was to take two European titles, also for Ferrari, winning in 1962 and 1965.  Unfortunately, he was killed racing a works Porsche in a German hillclimb in 1968.

Porsche 718 RSK Spyder.

4. Wolfgang von Trips.  Another driver killed whilst doing what he loved was the German,
Wolfgang von Trips, who died at Monza whilst trying to win the 1961 World F1 Championship. He had already won the 1961 Dutch GP and British GP and the 1958 title of European Hill Climb Champion, thus earning his right to be near the top of this list.  His 1958 mount was a Porsche RSK sports car.
5. Carlo Felice Trossi.  This wealthy Italian driver achieved hillclimb fame in the thirties and Grand Prix success in the forties.  His major GP victories were the 1947 Italian Grand Prix and 1948 Swiss Grand prix, driving for Alfa Romeo.  Driving the same marque he was European Hill Climb Racing Car Champion in 1933.    He died shortly after his GP success of brain cancer.
6. Bernd Rosemeyer.  Maybe this brilliant German driver, who also died young, deserves to be higher up my list.  Originally a motor cycle racer, he was the first to really tame the powerful rear engined Auto Union Grand Prix cars.  He won the 1936 European GP Championship, winning the German, Swiss and Italian GP in the process.  In the same year he also won the German Mountain Hillclimb Championship.  A truly fast driver who was killed in early 1938 in a record attempt.
7. Hermann Lang.  Another German driver, who was at his peak in the war curtailed 1939 season.  That year he won the Belgian and Swiss Grand Prix and also the German Mountain Climb Championship for Mercedes.  After the war he won the 1952 Le Mans 24 Hrs with the Mercedes team.
8. Maurice Trintignant.  It is about time that I added some French drivers to this list.  Maurice Tringnant started racing in 1938 and was still winning races and hillclimbs in the sixties.  During that time he won the Monaco GP twice (1955 and 1958).  He also won the great French hill climb, La Course de Côte du Mont Ventoux, three times (1949, 1960 & 1964) the final time in his F1 BRM.

Matra F1

9. Jean-Pierre Beltoise.  Another French driver with a long career was Jean-Pierre Beltoise.  He of course took BRM's final GP win in 1972 at Monaco.  He was also successful on the hills of France, winning La Course du Côte du Mont Dore every year from 1966 to 1970.  The last of these victories was in an European Championship round and he won it in a F1 Matra MS9.
10. Joachim Bonnier.  This Swedish driver lived for a long time in Switzerland.  He took BRM's first Grand Prix victory in 1959 at the Dutch GP.    In the European Hill Climb Championship he took two wins.  The first was at Schauinsland in 1958 for Borgward and the second was in 1963 at Ollon Villars in the Ferguson-Climax 4WD F1 car.
11. Mario Andretti.  It is time to cross the Atlantic and include on my list an Italian born American and one of the most versatile drivers of all time.  Mario Andretti was World Champion in 1978 and won twelve GP in his career as well as the Indy 500, Daytona 500, a class win at the Le Mans 24 hours and the Sebring 12 hours and also an endurance race at Daytona.  What some forget is that he also won the Pike Peak Hill Climb in 1969 in his USAC Championship year. At that time this was a dirt hillclimb and a real challenge that no other Grand Prix winner has ever won.
12. Jack Brabham.  Jack Brabham was a three time World F1 Champion but he drove early on in his career in hillclimbs winning the 1953 Australian Hillclimb championship.
13. Tazio Nuvolari.  I mustn't forget another of the all time greats - Tazio Nuvolari.  He was 1932 European GP Champion and won many GP races, two Mille Miglias and the Le Mans 24 Hours. He also won many hill climbs including the 1930 Championship round at Colle della Maddalena in Italy in an Alfa Romeo P2.
14. Francois Cevert. How many today remember Francois Cevert's hillclimb success?   In 1971, the same year as his US Grand Prix victory for Tyrrell, and his F2 wins at Hockenheim and Nurburgring for Techno, he took his F2 Techno to Ollon Villars and won the International Hillclimb beating the hill climb specialists like Xavier Perrot and Johannes Ortner.

Stanguellini F.Junior

15. Jo Siffert.  Jo Siffert was a regular on hillclimbs in his native Switzerland throughout his career from the Formula Junior Stanguellini days of 1960 through his Formula One days to his untimely death at Brands Hatch in 1971.  His two Grand Prix wins were in Rob Walker's privateer Lotus 49B in 1968 in the British GP and in 1971 for BRM in Austria.  His most notable Hillclimb success was four successive wins at St Ursanne-Les Rangiers from 1965 to 1968.  The last of these victories was in the Lotus 49B F1 car.
16.  George Boillot.  Back to the days pre-World War 1 when GP events were few and far between and Hillclimbs were also big events.  Georges won the 1912 and 1913 French Grand Prix for Peugeot.  He also took a hat trick of wins in the big French Hillclimb at Mont Verntoux prior to WW1.  During the Great War he was a fighter pilot and died after being shot down.
17. Robert Benoist.  Another French war hero was Robert Benoist who was executed as a resistance fighter.  As a Grand Prix driver he won the 1927 French, Spanish, Italian and British GP to help Delage win the World Championship.  He enjoyed a number of hillclimb successes including the 1925 Nice-La Turbie climb.

Memorials to Georges Boillot and Robert Benoist at Montlhery

18. Louis Chiron.  The Monegasque driver, Louis Chiron enjoyed a long career winning over four decades from the twenties to the fifties.  He won the French GP five times (1931, 1934, 1937, 1947 and 1949).  He won the Nice-La Turbie Hillclimb in 1926 and 1928.  One of his final wins was the Monte Carlo Rally in 1954.
19. Jean-Pierre Wimille.  This French driver was the star of immediate post-WW2 Grand Prix racing before being killed in the 1949 Buenos Aires GP.  He won the 1947 Swiss and Belgian GP and 1948 French and Italian GP for Alfa Romeo.  Pre-War he had won the Nice-La Turbie climb three times (1932, 1933 and 1935).
20. Albert Divo.  This Parisian won the French Grand Prix for Delage in 1925 and was winner of the Nice-La Turbie climb for the same marque in 1924.
21. Giuseppe Campari.  This larger than average Italian was a lover of food and opera singing, but started hillclimbing and was a successful Grand Prix driver and won the Mille Miglia twice.  His Grand Prix wins included the 1931 Italian Grand Prix for Alfa Romeo.  His hillclimb wins included the 1928 Vittorio Veneto - Cansiglio.
22. Piero Taruffi. This Italian driver won the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix for Ferrari.  He was a successful sports car driver, winning the final Mille Miglia in 1957.  Pre-War he had successfully raced both motor cycles and cars and won the 1931 Hillclimb at Bolsena-Montefiascione in an Alfa Romeo.  He continued to hillclimb after the war and won the Susa-Moncenisio in a Cisitalia.
23. Achille Varzi.  Nuvolari's great rival was fellow Italian Achille Varzi.  Varzi shared victory at the 1931 French GP with Chiron as it was a 10 hour race.  He also won the 1933 Monaco GP and the 1934 Mille Miglia amongst many other victories.   Like other drivers of his era, he also raced in hillclimbs and won the 1929 Trieste-Opicina.
24. Manfred von Brauchitsch.  I mustn't forget this fast German racer who drove for Mercedes and won the 1937 Monaco GP and 1938 French GP.  In 1933 he had won hillclimbs at Kesselberg and Gabelbach Wurgau.

Bugatti hillclimbing.

25. William Grover-Williams.  Another war hero was "Williams" who was born in France but had an English father.  He is best known as the winner of the first ever Monaco GP in 1929 but he also won the 1931 Belgian GP for Bugatti.  He competed in a number of hillclimbs, also normally in a Bugatti, and won a number of them.  In a Hispano Suiza he won the Mont des Mules hillclimb in 1926.
26. Henry O'Neal de Hane Segrave.  A British National who was born in America of an American mother and Irish father, he was the first Briton to win a Grand Prix. He won the 1923 French GP for Sunbeam.  Also in a Sunbeam he won a 1925 Hillclimb at the famous Shelsley Walsh.
27. Jim Clark.   Having Jim Clark so far down the list doesn't reflect on his ability but reflects the fact that his hillclimb successes were in relatively minor events.  It is well known that he was World F1 Champion in 1963 and 1965 and won 25 World Championship Grand Prix. He also won the 1965 Indy 500 and countless victories in all types of car.  As far as hillclimbs go, everyone remembers his two visits to the Ollon Villars hillclimb, especialy in 1965 with the Indianapolis winning Lotus.  His class win at the famous Rest and be Thankful hillclimb is also often remembered.  He did however win the 1959 Bo'Ness hillclimb in a Lister-Jaguar and also drove a Lotus Elite and Porsche 356 at the same event.

Jochen Mass in 2015

28. Jochen Mass.  Jochen is probably the last driver to win a Grand Prix who started his career in hillclimbs.  He drove an Alfa Romeo GTA 1600 in German hillclimbs in 1969 before being employed by Ford to take to the European Championship hillclimbs in a Ford Capri.  In 1970 he won the Group 2 class in the Capri at Trento Bondone and Schauinsland. At Mont Ventous he finished third overall.
29. Richard Seaman. A member of the successful Mercedes team in the late thirties he won the 1938 German Grand Prix but was killed the following year when he crashed at the Belgian GP.  Prior to joining Mercedes he had scored a 1,100cc Racing Car class win at Mont Ventoux in a MG Magnette.
30. Stirling Moss.  Another, like Jochen Mass,  to start his career in hillclimbs was Stirling Moss who first raced at the Prescott hillclimb in 1948.  He had 1,100cc class wins at both Prescott and Shelsley Walsh in 1949 in a Cooper-Jap. After this, of course, he took countless overall wins in  circuit races including in 16 World Championship Grand Prix.
31. Niki Lauda.  A three time World F1 Champion (1975, 1977, 1984), Lauda started his career in 1968 driving a Mini-Cooper in hillclimbs.  He scored a number of class wins in that car and Porsche 911 before moving on to Formula Vee and circuit racing.
32. Louis Rosier. The final driver in my grid full of major Grand Prix winners who also had success in hillclimbs is Frenchman Louis Rosier who is best known for winning the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours but also won the 1949 Belgian Grand Prix in his Lago Talbot.  Pre war he had competed in hill climbs and post war won the 1947 Course de Côte du Bellevue.

There are plenty of other Grand Prix winners who competed in hillclimbs including Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt and Clay Regazzoni but I had to stop somewhere.

There are also lots of Formula One drivers who didn't win Grand Prix but had successful hillclimb careers.  Gerhardt Mitter, Rolf Stommelen, Edgar Barth and Bobby Unser spring to mind.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page. 

Basil Davenport drove a GN Spider into second place to Hans Stuck at Shelsley Walsh in 1930 but beat Rudolf Caracciola's Mercedes.  This is David Leigh in an evolution of that car in 2018 at Etretat.

2016 Tour Auto Optic 2000 - The first day

Eric Vandevelde in his 1955 Jaguar XK140 in the beautiful Burgundy countryside.

What more could you wish for in April than a nice sunny day, to be in some beautiful French villages and countryside, to see some of the best classic cars in the world and watch some motor racing action?  This is the 2016 Tour Auto Optic 2000!  For the third year running I headed out to Burgundy with my camera to capture the first day’s action. 

The cars and their drivers are divided on this event into those who are competing in the speed competition and those who are taking part in a regularity rally.   The cars are then further divided into classes depending on their age and performance.

The day started out sunny but cold and this seemed to catch quite a few of the quick drivers out and they had minor offs at the corner where I was standing on the special stage.  Later it became one of those perfect spring days that we all love.

The following cars were some of the stars on the 1st stage at Sens-Les Gaillards, pictured either on the first stage, at the lunch stop or on their way to the lunch stop.  Times varied from just under 5 minutes 30 seconds for the fastest car to over 7 minutes for the slower cars or those who hit problems.

Best of the Competition cars on Index of Performance

Top in terms of Index of performance on the first special stage was this 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce driven by Alexis Raoux.

Frédéric Puren in this 1954 Porsche 356 was second in the Index of Performance on Sens-Les Gaillards stage.

This Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS was fourth in the Index of performance on stage 1 driven by Adrien Cathiard.

Competition VHC 1965 & prior GT Cars

2nd of the VHC GTs and fastest of the Shelby Cobra 289s was Ludovic Caron.

This Lotus Elan driven by Damien Kohler beat many more powerful cars and was third fastest of the VHC GTs.

This Porsche 904 GTS was running in the GTP category and was the 4th fastest VHC car at Sens-Les Gaillards.

Competition VHC 1965 & prior Touring Cars

The fastest VHC Touring Car was this 1965 Ford Mustang 289 driven by Christian Odin.

Second fastest VHC Touring Car and fastest lay driver in the VHC category was Daniella Ellerbrock in this Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA

Third fastest VHC Touring Car was the Lotus Cortina of Richard Depagneux.

Competition VHC 1965 & prior Sports Prototypes

Top VHC Sports Prototype was the Porsche 550 RS Spyder driven by Jean-Philippe Grand.

Also running as a Sports Prototype was this Ferrari 625 TF. 

Competition Cars 1966 to 1971 Touring Cars

Fastest in this category was this 1971 BMW 2800 CS

Second fastesrt in this category was this 1970 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAM

Competition Cars 1966 to 1971 GT Cars

The Benezet's Porsche 911 ST 2.5L was fastest in this category.

Second fastest G1/2 GT was this Lotus Europa JPS of Pascal Rapallino.

Competition Cars 1966 to 1971 Sports Prototypes

The fastest GT40 of Philippe Vandromme filling up with petrol in Noyers.

Second fastest GT40 was that of Marc Doncieux.

Competition Cars 1972 to 1981 GT Cars

Fastest time of the day in all categories was made by Christophe Van Riet in this Porsche 911 RS 3.0L.

Also fast was this Ferrari 308 GrpIV Michelotto.driven by Florent Jean.

Just one second slower was the other Ferrari 308 GrpIV Michelotto of Francois-Xavier Entremont.

Competition Cars 1972 to 1981 Touring Cars

Second fastest Touring Car in this age group was Jean-Claude Basso in his BMW 3.0SCL

Competition Cars 1972 to 1981 Sports Prototypes

Mr John of B had an off and a few issues on his run in the Ligier JS2-DFV.

This CG Proto 548 was a welcome participant in the Sports prototype category.

Régularité – Basse

This Porsche 904 GTS led those going for the lower target time in the regularity section.

Régularité – Intermédiaire

This Porsche 914/6 led the regularity section after the first stage.

This Alpine Renault A110 1600S had equally low penalties.

Régularité – Haute

Leading the cars going for the faster target time was this BMW 3.0CSL.

Famous Drivers

Amongst the drivers this year were Jochen Mass and Guy Frequelin, neither of who need any introduction.

Jochen Mass in a 1971 Group 4 DeTomaso Pantera going well on the Sens-Les Gaillards stage.

Guy Frequelin in a Porsche 911 RSR Replica

Best of the rest

The following cars weren’t all quite so successful on the first test but I enjoyed seeing them, so here they are:

Anthony Beltoise drove this 1972 Chevrolet Corvette C3

1966 Ferrari 275GTB

The Renault Gordini R8 is always a crowd pleaser.

Mustn't forget the Jaguar E-Types.

1969 Ford Escort 1600 TC

1957 Maserati 200 SI

1975 Lancia Stratos GrpIV

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

More photos of cars from this event can be seen by clicking here to visit my daily blog Auto Vitesse

2015 Tour Auto - Leg 1 at Magny Cours

Following on from my previous post on the first special stage, Gareth, Peter and I drove down to Magny Cours which was the first visit of the Tour Auto Optic 2000 to a circuit in its 2015 running.   Here are some pictures I took at Magny Cours both in the paddock and out on the race track.

An Alpine Renault A110 leads a queue of classic cars to check in at Magny Cours

Porsche and Ferrari refuel in the paddock

Alpine Renault A110s arriving in the paddock.  These cars were running in the Regularity category and the lead car here is the 1970 1,600S car of Georges Meylan.

Gareth chats with Jochen Mass about how the first special stage went in the De Tomaso Pantera

Paddock scene with nice looking 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB and co-driver Stephanie Baud

Symphony in Red

It was nice catching up with some of the nice Alfa Romeos, Maseratis and Ferrari in the paddock from the Regularity category.  Here is my symphony in red....

Top - 1957 Maserati 200 SI, Middle - 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, Bottom - 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ

There was also some nice Porsches, a Ligier and some non-red Ferraris in the paddock.

1966 Porsche Carrera 906

The 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB Daytona of Alexander Rittweger

Although not in the group we saw racing, this Cosworth engined Ligier JS2 was the fastest car at Magny Cours driven by Mr John of B

The Race for VHC cars

Whilst Gareth and Peter were still examining the cars in the paddock, I was eager to get out and see some of the VHC race/special stage which was held in very bright sunlight for an April day in the centre of France.  These would be the cars that would be battling for the overall victory in the Tour Auto.

The cars start off on their warm up lap

Ferraris, Mustangs and a Lotus further back on the grid.

With the pace car pulled into the pits they are off racing with Ludovic Caron's Cobra leading the Jaguar E Type of Jean-Pierre Lajournade.  Jean-Pierre Lajournade was the eventual overall winner of this year's Tour Auto beating Caron by a small margin.

Shaun Lynn in the Cobra took an early lead.....

...but before long the Richard Meins' Ford GT40 was out in front.

Behind the GT40 positions were changing and the Cobra of Andrew Beverley took up the challenge, but watch out for Ludovic Caron who is joining the lead group in his black Cobra

Ludovic Caron's Cobra takes the lead braking for the chicane from Richard Meins' GT40

Leading group just before I left to get on the road again, with Caron leading Meins, Beverley.  This is how they finished but with the gaps extended to 2 seconds between first and second and second and third after their race of just under 17 minutes.

The 1962 3.8 litre Jaguar E Type of Franck Augis bumping over the kerbs at the exit of the chicane

The fast Bussolini Porsche 904 GTS chases the Cobra of Mark Freeman....

...and then speeds past the pits

Ferrari 275 GTBs, Alfa Romeos and Porsche battle it out further down the field.  The leader of this group in his 1966 Ferrari is Laurent Desplaces.

More photos to come soon as we also covered parts of the road section.  

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.