My Favourite Race - Greater London Trophy 1969

The Greater London Trophy Race 1969 for Formula 3 cars.  Clockwise from top left - Barrie Smith in a Chevron B15, Roy Pike in a GLTL Lotus 59, Ulf Svensson in a Brabham BT28 and Alan Rollinson in a Brabham BT21B

In these difficult times where understandably most motor racing around the world is being cancelled, it is good to be reminded of better times, which I hope for most of us will be back soon.  Whenever, I am asked what was the best motor race I ever saw - the answer tends to be the May Bank Holiday Formula 3 race at Crystal Palace in 1969 - The Greater London Trophy.

In actual fact I was at first very disappointed that the annual Formula 2 race at Crystal Palace was cancelled because of money issues and replaced with Formula Three.  Perhaps, in the end it was a blessing is disguise.  The next year F2 was back at the Palace so I did get to see F2 racing at the Palace in the end.  Formula Three at the time used 4 cylinder 1 litre production derived engines - often modified Ford Anglia 105E motors with a 4 speed gearbox derived from a Volkswagen Beetle.  F3 was at the time a major stepping stone to Grand Prix racing.  Thus the F3 drivers at this meeting were hoping to emulate Jackie Stewart, Piers Courage, Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Jacky Ickx.

Thanks to Gerald Swan for these excellent photos from the meeting.  See more of Geralds photos on his excellent website click here for the link.   At this time I rarely took photos at race meetings.

Top - The start of Heat 2 with Mike Beckwith, Wayne Mitchell and Peter Hanson.
Bottom - The start of Heat 3 with Alan Rollinson, Ronnie Peterson, and Reine Wisell.

The format of the meeting was three 10 lap heats and a 25 lap final so we got to see four F3 races for our money.  Unlike today's single marque racing, at the Palace we saw ten different marques battle it out - Brabham, Techno, Chevron, Lotus, EMC, Titan, Merlyn, Matra, Alexis, Mclaren.  all of them the 1 litre screamers that F3 fans of the era remember so well.

Heat one saw the Australian Tim Schenken make his intentions clear in his Brabham BT28 as he beat off American Roy Pike's beautiful works Gold Leaf Team Lotus 59.

Heat two saw British F3 regulars Peter Gaydon and Peter Hanson battle it out.   Hanson won in his Chevron B15 from Gaydon in a Techno 69.

Heat three saw the Brit, Alan Rollinson in an older Brabham BT21B beat off the two Swedes, Ronnie Peterson in a Techno 69 and Reine Wisell in a works Chevron B15.

Top - The start of Heat 1 with Roy Pike, Tim Schenken and Tetsu Ikusawa.
Bottom - Reine Wisell in the works Chevron B15.

So the final was set for a battle royal between a number of drivers who would go on to have F1 careers and a number who were not so lucky.  The list of qualifiers for the final included Ronnie Peterson, Tim Schenken, Reine Wisell, Howden Ganley, Roy Pike, Alan Rollinson, Barrie Maskell, Bev Bond and Mo Nunn. Japanese driver Tetsu Ikusuwa and Canadian Wayne Mitchell were also amongst them.

The circuit map of the Crystal Palace circuit.   i used to stand on the exit of South Tower Corner.

At the end of the 25 lap race of this 1.39 mile circuit the top six runners were covered by just 2.4 seconds.  Schenken took victory from Peterson and Rollinson with Wisell, Bond and Pike also in the top six.   Tim Schenken took £550 prize money for his two wins and added his name to a famous list of winners of this race (Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Jack Brabham, Roy Salvadori, Jim Clark, Jacky Ickx and Jochen Rindt amongst them) .   It had been a superb battle with a number of changes in position through out the race.  I left the race a fan of Ronnie Peterson and also the strange nostril nosed Lotus 59 F3 racing car.

For the full list of results visit this excellent site.

There were supporting races for the British Saloon Car Championship and Historic Sports Cars.  Frank Gardner and Gordon Spice won the tin top battles in their Alan Mann Ford Escort and Britax-Cooper-Downton Morris Mini Cooper respectively.   A Lister Jaguar won the historic race. 

For a full list of results of the saloon car races visit this excellent site.

Thanks to Gareth Rees for the programme.

Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI - Werks Trophy

Chris MacAllister in a 1969 Porsche 917K exiting the Corkscrew on the way to fourth place in Saturday's race.

The Porsche Rennsport Reunion is a unique event, that is held once every three or four years, dedicated just to classic and more modern racing Porsches, their drivers and the men and women who made it all possible.    Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI held over four days in September 2018 was again located at Laguna Seca like the last one in 2015.  No surprise as Laguna Seca is in California, which also happens to be the biggest market for Porsche.   This year the event was subtitled The Marque of Champions - a name that speaks for itself.  The event was also part of Porsche's 70th birthday celebrations.

The Werks Trophy cars come out to play.  The Saturday morning qualifying race with the cars exiting turn 3 and heading in to turn 4.   

On the wonderful 2.238 mile Laguna Seca road course, seven groups of Porsche cars raced over the weekend.  Given the fact that I have been following motor racing for fifty years, one of my favourite races was the Werks Trophy for cars between 1964 and 1971.  Thus a race for Porsche 906, 910, 908 and 917 plus a few Porsche engines specials.  Who wouldn't enjoy that?  We must also remember that this was the era that Porsche went from class winners to overall winners at Le Mans and became Sports Car World Champions.   As well as the on track action, there were many cars on show from the era.  Most of the cars from both the race and the exhibition from the late sixties era are featured in this blogpost.  Importantly, Porsche invites its past and present drivers to the event.  Amazingly, there are still many of the drivers who drove the 906s, 907s, 910s, 908s and 917s still around.

A selection of drivers who were at the event.  From top left in clockwise direction - David Piper, Derek Bell, Jackie Oliver, Vic Elford, Brian Redman, Rudi Lins, Willi Kaushsen and Gijs Van Lennep.

A quick reminder of the achievements of some these legendary drivers -

David Piper - perhaps one of the most famous privateers from the era.  He raced a 917 scoring some second places in minor races and provided cars for the Steve McQueen film Le Mans.  Unfortunately, he lost part of his leg after crashing during the filming.
Derek Bell drove a 917 for the JW Automotive team in 1971.   He won the Buenos Aires 1000kms and the 1000kms of Paris that year.
Jackie Oliver drove for JW Automotive in 917s in 1971 as well winning with Rodriguez at Daytona, Spa and Monza.  He also set the fastest 917 time at Le Mans.
Vic Elford is truly one of the Porsche legends.  He drove the 910, 907, 908 and 917 winning at Daytona, Sebring, Targa Florio and Nurburgring.  Not to mention winning the Monte Carlo rally in a Porsche 911T.
Brian Redman drove for Porsche in 1969 and 1970 with incredible success in the 908 and 917.  He won at Brands Hatch, Spa, Monza, Nurburgring, Watkins Glen, Daytona and the Targa Florio.
Rudi Lins raced 906, 907, 908, 910 and 917s in the period 1967 to 1971.   He had podiums at Le Mans, Paris and at Kyalami.
Willi Kauhsen was another who raced all the different Porsches of this era including the original Pink Pig at Le Mans.   He won a couple of minor events in the 917.
Gijs Van Lennep of course won in the 917 at Le Mans in 1971.  He also took a number of other minor wins in the 917.

The Werks Trophy cars come around the Corkscrew for the main race.

The qualifying race and the race itself were both on Saturday and featured some enjoyable battles and drives through the field.   Both races were over 25 minutes.  In the main race the top four cars completed 17 laps.

The winner of the Werks Trophy was Gunnar Jeannette in this 1969 Porsche 908/2.

Bruce Canepa had an oil line come loose in the qualifying race and thus started from the rear of the grid.  He fought his way up to second place in this 1969 Porsche 917K.

Close battle for second place.

After a great qualifying race, Cameron Healy had to settle for third in the main event.   His beautiful ex-Vic Elford Porsche 908/3 won its class in Friday's pit lane concours competition.

917K, 908/3 and 917K race down the Corkscrew.

The fourth placed 1969 Porsche 917K of Chris Mac Allister in turn three.

 David Hagan won the battle of the lower powered cars with a good fifth place in his 1967 Porsche 910.  He he negotiates the Corkscrew in Saturday's main race.

Sixth place went to Richard Griot in this 1969 Porsche 908/2 Spyder.

Here is the seventh placed 1966 Porsche 906 driven by Wade Carter in the Rainey Curve.

Also in the Rainey curve, Donald Anderson in the eighth placed 1964 Bobsy SR3.

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Bobsy leads 910 at the Corkscrew.

Ninth was Bruce Marquand in his 1964 Elva Mk7.

Action at the Corkscrew.

Completing the top ten was another Elva Porsche.  Rod Emory is seen exiting the Corkscrew.  

Eleventh was Stephen Thein in this 1967 Porsche 910,.

A Porsche driver at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in the nineties, Jeff Zwart was driving in the Werks trophy.

Twelfth was this 1966 Porsche 906 driven by Jeff Zwart.

906, 906, 910

Dener Pires in a 1969 Porsche 908/2 at the Corkscrew.

I only saw him in the qualifying race but here is Gregory Cambell in another 1964 ElvaMk7.

It was down to race but I only saw this 1967 Porsche 910/6 in the paddock.

The cars on exhibition in the Chopard tent and in the pits.

Beautiful Porsche 917 in 1971 Martini livery.

1970 Porsche 908/3 in Gulf livery.

1968 Porsche 907.  Note the horns.  I think this is Elford's 1968 Targa Florio winner.

Siffert and Redman's 1969 Spa-Franchorchamps 1000kms winner.

Another view of the same car.

If you missed my pictures from the 2015 Porsche Rennsport Reunion V, click here.

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. 

A Porsche 908/2 and the crowds during the pit lane concours.

Power unit of a Porsche 908/3.

Porsche 917K power unit.

Porsche 906 power unit.