Dijon MotorsCup 2016 - FIA Lurani Trophy - Formula Junior

The battle for the lead on the first lap of the Lurani Trophy with Peter Morton in car 75 challenging hard the pole sitter Manfredo Rossi di Montelera in car 65.

The Lurani Trrophy is a FIA championship for Formula Junior car with races at Hockenheim, Pau, Monza, Nubrurgring, Zandvoort and Dijon.  It is called the Lurani Trophy as the Italian Count Giovanni "Johnny" Lurani came up with the idea for Formula Junior in the later fifties.  It was a path towards Formula One from 1958 to 1963 with drivers such as Jim Clark and Denny Hulme racing in this formula.   I really enjoyed the Saturday race at Dijon-Prenois where these photos were taken.  Lovely to see close racing with lots of sliding through the corners and a great variety of cars.

Behind the leaders this was the battle for eighth place on lap one.

The battle for fifteenth place on lap one.

At the rear of the field Daniele Salodini in the Taraschi FJ leads other front engined cars in the battle for Group A.

The beautiful Stanguellini of Belgian Tom de Gres.

The Fiat engine in the Stanguelini.

On lap two the Lotus of Manfredo Rossi di Montelera has a clear lead that he was to keep for the rest of the race.

The Branca FJ on the way to the grid driven by Bruno Ferrari.

The twelfth placed  Lotus 20/22 of Lee Mowle.

On lap four the Brabham BT6 of Pierre Tonetti has moved up to third place.  He was eventually to finish second.

Peter Morton pushes his car Lightning Enyoyette through the paddock.  

The Lotus 22 of Italian Andrea Guarino.

Further back in the field the Belgian Luc Deneve holds off Colin Nursey, both in Lotus 18s.

The Italian  Guido di Eguido drives his Stanguellini through the paddock.

The only French driver in this race was Caroline Abbou Rossi di Montelera  in her Brabham BT6.

A lock up in the battle between Swiss drivers Urs Mueller and Bruno Weibel in their Lotuses

The front engined Stanguellini and Lola cars.

Canadian Larry Kinch earlier driving the Lola Mk2 to the grid.

The Lotus 18 of John Lord won his class.

The Stanguellini of  Guido di Egudio is lapped.

The Terrier Mk4  Series 1 of Christopher Drake.  He finished second in his group.

The battle for second place with Pierre Tonetti leading Peter Morton and the Wainer of Richard Smeeton.

The Swiss driver Urs Mueller talks about his Formula Junior Lotus 20/22.

Ian Simmonds walks alongside as his Envoy Mk1 is pushed to the dummy grid.  He was to finish a close second in his group.

The Ferrari inspired nose on the Italian Formula Junior Wainer 63.

To find out more about the Wainer FJ car, click here.

The unusual logo on the Wainer.

More from the Dijon Motors Cup if you click on the Motor Sport button at the top of this page.

All photos were taken from the spectator areas without a press pass.

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.

Le Salon RetroMobile, Paris 2016

Maserati, McLaren, Alta & Frazer Nash at Retromobile 2016

As usual there was something for everyone at RetroMobile this year.  A huge selection of classic and historic road, rally, racing and record cards along with many stalls selling books, models, motoring art and memorabilia.

An overhead view of some of stall selling models and memorabilia at RetroMobile 2016.

I went on the Wednesday evening and Saturday afternoon and here are some of my favourite cars, people and objects from this years exhibition.

Aston Martin DB5 from the nineteen sixties.

Memorabilia on sale at RetroMobile

Stunning 1938 Peugeot Special Sport 402 Roadster Darl'Mat.

One of the Art stands at RetroMobile.

Renault Etoile Filante record car.

Journalist, motoring writer, racing driver and co driver Johnny Rives was on hand to sign some of his books.  He is perhaps best known outside France for co driving a Matra and a Ligier to victory in the Tour de France Automobile with Gerard Larrousse in 1971 and 1974.

1947 Stanguellini 1100 Motto Coupé, up for auction.

Old Petrol pumps at RetroMobile

1926 BNC 526GS

Cute Mascot on an old Wolseley

Michael Schumacher's 1992 Belgian GP winning Benneton B192

Art made from toy cars

Austin Healey "Frogeye" Sprite.

1947 Alamagny Prootype.  You could drive it both ways so no reason to turn it around in a narrow street!

1924 Renault 40CV record car.

Interesting Salmson & memorabilia display.

Ford 3L P68 Cosworth engined Alan Mann built Group 6 sports racing car from 1968.

Automodule. Les Rhomboides - RetroMobile 2016.

1911 Fiat S76 'The Beast of Turin".

This and so much more - don't miss it next year!

Here is a link to the RetroMobile website.

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.

For a daily posing of a fast car, visit my new blog Auto Vitesse by clicking here.

More pictures of Retromobile in the coming weeks will be published on Auto Vitesse.


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Single Seaters at the Coupes de Printemps - Montlhéry 2015

There were not many single seaters at the Coupes de Printemps 2015 but three if them particularly caught my eye.

Formula Junior races were held at Montlhéry from 1959 until 1963.   Some of these races were for the Coupes de Printemps that is nowadays a "Rencontre Automobiles" and track day.  Some of these cars from the late fifties and early sixties were represented on the track at this year's event at Montlhéry last Saturday.   Here were some of my favourites:

1. Stanguellini-Fiat

Stanguellini were one of the first manufacturers to produce a Formula Junior car in about 1959.

 Formula Junior was an Italian inspired low cost single seater formula designed to replace the 500cc F3.   They truly look like mini-GP cars of the late fifties and were quite successful in the formula from 1959 to 1960 but then became uncompetitive with the rear engined cars.   They had 1.1 litre 4 cylinder Fiat engines with twin choke Weber carburettors and used a number of modified Fiat components.  When you get close to them you realise that the cars are quite asymmetrical due to the transmission that is on the right hand side of the car rather than the middle.  More than 100 of these cars were built and quite a number survive to today.

At Montlhéry in the Coupe de Printemp meeting their best result was third in the 1960 driven by Pierre Houdusse.  However, the same year at Montlhéry a Stanguellini won the Prix de Paris Formula Junior race driven by the Portuguese driver Manuel Kelecom de Soussa Eusebio.   Elsewhere they were also winners driven by the likes of Lorenzo Bandini, Taffy Von Trips and Walt Hansgen. They apparently had a top speed of about 110 mph.

I couldn't recall seeing one of these beautiful cars before so I took rather a lot of pictures!

Is it a Ferrari, is it a Maserati?  No its a Stanguellini!

A Stanguellini won at Montlhéry in 1960 and was here again winning our hearts in 2015!

Not a symmetrical car at all!

You take the high road and I'll take the low road!

Stanguellini into the Chicane at Montlhéry....

.....and out again

My companion of the day, Gareth Rees, also taking a photo of the Stanguellini

2. Envoy-Cosworth

This car from about 1959/1960 was a Formula Junior car designed by Ken Cooper and built in Chelmsford.  At Montlhéry we saw a Mk1 of the type raced by Ian Raby amongst others.  It had a Cosworth modified Ford 105E engine.  Only about nine of these cars were built so nice to see one today.

Envoy-Cosworth Mk1 FJ on the Montlhéry banking

Cosworth modified 105E engine and cockpit of the Formula Junior Envoy

3.  Porsche Formula Vee

Formula Vee started just as Formula junior was fading, in 1963, although it didn't become big in Europe until 1966/67.  I remember seeing F.Vee in the sixties with great drivers such as Gerry Birrell.  World Champions Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg also drove in Formula Vee.

It was nice to see this F.Vee car at Montlhéry with its nod to James Dean's Porsche 550 and its "Little Bastard" nickname.

Porsche "Little Bastard" Formula Vee car at Montlhéry

Being air-cooled there is no need for a radiator

I was impressed about how high on the banking this driver went!

Diving in between two Porsche 356s

The photographer, John Etherton, asserts his copyright to the photos in this blog.  However, you may publish them elsewhere on the web as long as you accredit the photographer and this blog site and provide a link to this web page.