Kevin Guthrie's Blog

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

I often wonder what would have happened to Greg Moore if he had lived. Formula 1 was certainly a goal of his and I have no doubt he would have quickly established himself in Grand Prix racing. Whether Greg Moore would have been World Champion is impossible to tell, with so much success in Formula 1 relying on the performance of the car.

In CART racing a driver enjoyed much more input and Greg Moore quickly set himself apart from other young drivers of his generation. From his CART racing debut in 1996 he looked completely at ease driving the big cars.

There have been many quick drivers in CART racing over the years, but few managed to conduct themselves with as much class and humility as Greg Moore. He knew he was supremely talented and fortunate, but never forgot the fans or his family. His father Ric was to be seen by the side of his car before every race, wishing his boy luck.

It seems inconceivable that a decade has passed since that day of despair and sadness, when Greg Moore pulled on his trademark red gloves for the final time. Time has done nothing to lessen the memory of the great Canadian.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

I have a couple of pictures on the wall behind my computer, sharing the same frame. One is signed by Gonzalo Rodriguez and the other by Greg Moore. Today is the 10th anniversary of Gonzalo's death, in a freakish accident at Laguna Seca. I didn't know much about the guy at the time, but I avidly followed CART during those years. The fact that Roger Penske hired Gonzalo's services says a lot about his ability.

I knew a whole lot more about Greg, having followed his CART career with great interest. In my eyes he was the most exciting young driver of his generation and destined for a glittering career. For such a young man he was remarkably mature. Putting family before jet-setting and gaining experience before leaping into the piranha pool of Formula 1.

When Greg's accident occurred I was watching and my heart sank. It is a feeling I have never encountered again while watching racing. Like so many other fans of his around the globe I realised immediately that there was little or no hope. My interest in Indycars has never been the same since. Gonzalo and Greg will be on many people's minds over the next few weeks. Thanks for the entertainment.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

I'm sure every fan of motor racing would like to congratulate Sir Stirling on clocking up 80 years and showing no signs of slowing down. His is a household name, familiar to young and old alike. I've only ever witnessed him racing once, at Knockhill. Despite being an OAP Stirling fought tooth and nail for the lead of an historic sports car race, leaving everyone else trailing in his wake.

In many ways Stirling was the prototype for the modern Formula 1 driver. He didn't make vast amounts of money from racing, but he was shrewd enough to make more than his contemporaries. After his career ending Goodwood crash in 1962 he turned his mind to other ventures, becoming a successful businessman.

Today Stirling still leads an incredibly active life, between public appearances and driving historic racing cars. Remarkably, his phone number is, and always has been, listed in the telephone directory. Stirling is one celebrity who knows how to treat the fans. Any call is answered, and any mail is replied to.

In the years since Stirling competed in Formula 1 some aspects of the sport have changed for the better, such as safety. Other areas have changed for the worse. Drivers are no longer approachable, as they prowl behind paddock security fences. The sport could do with someone like Stirling today, but I doubt there will ever be another one. This, remember, is the man who spoke up in defence of his title rival Mike Hawthorn when it looked as if the Ferrari driver would be disqualified at Oporto in 1958. Hawthorn got to keep his second place and won the title from Stirling by a single point. No, they certainly don't make them like Stirling Moss anymore.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

I always look forward to September, because it means the Formula 1 cars return to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. I remember my first visit to the track well. History seems to hang in the air around the grand old autodrome. For any racing fan it is a magical place, from the current tree-lined Grand Prix circuit to the crumbling banking which hasn't been used for decades.

Monza hasn't changed much since it opened in 1922, and that's a good thing in my book. It's still easy to imagine Tazio Nuvolari or Alberto Ascari roaring around the place. Ascari was one of Monza's many high profile victims. It was there in 1955 that the great Italian champion crashed fatally while trying out his friend Eugenio Castellotti's Ferrari sports car. Ascari is still remembered at Monza. The section of track where he crashed is named after him.

I always feel a mixture of euphoria and melancholy at Monza. Euphoria because there is nowhere better to see and hear a Formula 1 car running flat out. The proximity of the trees and the low-roofed grandstands just seem to amplify the noise. Melancholy because Monza's history is littered with tragedy. Giuseppe Campari, Wolfgang von Trips, Bo Pittard and Ronnie Peterson. They are just a few who have paid the ultimate price at the track. Still, would I rather go to Monza than Singapore or Bahrain? That question doesn't even require a moment's thought. Monza is exactly what a Grand Prix circuit should be.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

The accident which killed Henry Surtees last week at Brands Hatch was viewed at the time as a freak event: a set of circumstances combining to produce a tragic result. Yet, just six days later, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was left with serious head injuries after a similar incident during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

In the case of Surtees a wheel detached itself from another car and struck the unfortunate Englishman's helmet as he passed the scene. Massa was also struck on the helmet, by a spring which fell off the back of Rubens Barrichello's Brawn. Fortunately Massa's condition is no longer life threatening, but the Brazilian has been left with skull fractures and an eye injury.

In the wake of these accidents some have called for a radical review of cockpit safety in open wheel racing, but I can't help think that efforts to avoid a repeat should be focused in other areas. In both cases the cause of the accident was not an exposed cockpit, but a part detaching itself from another car. Wheel tethers have been around for a while now, but perhaps there is more that can be done in that area. In the case of the Brawn incident surely the best idea would be to look at ways of containing suspension and engine components within the bodywork of the car if they should fail.

Such incidents have happened before. Anyone with a decent knowledge of Formula 1 could ever forget the terribly freak accident which claimed the life of the brilliant Tom Pryce in 1977. Formula 2 driver Markus Hottinger suffered a similar fate three years later, hit on the helmet by a wheel from another car.

At the moment it seems Renault have been made the scapegoats for recent events. The French team has been suspended from the next Grand Prix for releasing Fernando Alonso from the Hungaroring pits with a loose wheel and not informing the driver. Alonso's wheel eventually detached itself from the car, fortunately without injury to anyone.

Personally I think the two accidents are just a tragic coincidence, just as the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend was. Hopefully there will not be an ill thought out knee jerk reaction from the sport's governing body. Open cockpits have been around since the first motor race over a century ago and incidents such as those which befell Surtees and Massa are incredibly rare.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

Like millions around the world I sat glued to my TV last Sunday, captivated by the extraordinary battle between FIAT Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in the latest instalment of MotoGP. It could not have been scripted better, with the acknowledged master fighting the mercurial apprentice, desperate to win in front of his home crowd.

Rossi's pass for victory at the final corner was remarkable. I can't recall ever seeing anyone pass there before, but it didn't really matter who won. Motorcycle racing was the real winner, and those who rule Formula 1 would do well to take note. No budget caps, no breakaway threats, just good old fashioned wheel to wheel racing.

In the days preceding the Spanish MotoGP round I enjoyed my annual Isle of Man TT fix. I find it hard to express my admiration for those guys and girls who tackle the Mountain Course. Rossi was there, and even completed a slow lap of the circuit with Giacomo Agostini, but the current MotoGP star admitted he was glad the TT no longer featured in the World Championship. There can be little doubt that TT riders are a breed apart. They do it not for money, but for the satisfaction of conquering what I consider to be the greatest challenge in racing.

This weekend sees the final British Grand Prix to be held at Silverstone. I may watch the race or, then again, I may find a local motorcycle racing club meet to go and see. Ill thought out plans and downright stupidity are in danger of ending Formula 1 as we know it.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

Well, I'm getting pretty excited about Indy now, only three days away. I'm sure this year's 500 will provide the usual dose of excitement, disappointment and ultimately, for someone, triumph. There will be the inevitable accidents, but the risk of serious injury will be pretty low. With SAFER barriers and the latest generation Dallara chassis crashes, more often than not, look worse than they are.

27 years ago this was not the case. In May 1982 the Indianapolis circuit was still lined by a concrete wall. It was in turn three, on May 15th, that Gordon Smiley's March lost downforce and ploughed headlong into the outer retaining wall. Smiley's accident has been dissected and documented over the years and I don't see any need to go into the details here. Suffice to say, survival was impossible.

To many racing fans that is all Gordon is remembered for, a few spectacularly destructive seconds. Scan the internet for information about the crash and you will discover frequent references to his inexperience and arrogance. These are easy explanations, rolled out to dismiss the accident as the fault of an overly confident young driver who didn't show Indy the respect it deserved.

I can't help feeling that these explanations do a great disservice to Smiley's memory. This, after all, was a driver who had led the Indy 500 the previous year. The March chassis he drove in 1982 was known to be an evil handling example and Smiley struggled throughout practice, fighting against both the car and some underhand opposition in similar cars who were not reading from the same rulebook.

Smiley's background was in road racing. During the 1970s he was one of the quickest Formula Ford drivers in the world, with a spectacular cornering technique. He also raced, and won, in the Aurora AFX Formula 1 series. Smiley was comfortable with oversteer, instinctively applying opposite lock when the back stepped out of line. When his March broke away at Indy that day it was most probably pure road racing instinct that made him try to correct it. In a ground effect car it was the wrong thing to do, as the suction provided by the skirts was lost. From that moment the situation became irretrievable.

I'd urge any racing fan to investigate Smiley's life before May 15th, 1982. They will be rewarded with the discovery of one of racing's great forgotten talents.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

For racing fans of a certain age this time of year inevitably brings back unwanted of memories of the terrible 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend. Tributes will be paid worldwide to commemorate the anniversary of Ayrton Senna's death. Love him or hate him, the Brazilian's talent was undeniable.

I was a huge Senna fan. He was, in my eyes, the best driver of his generation. At the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari that weekend he was under considerable pressure, with no points from the opening two races and a car which was not handling well. At the other end of the pit lane the mood was lighter, as Roland Ratzenberger prepared to go out for qualifying.

Roland had achieved a lifetime ambition two weeks prior to San Marino when the Austrian qualified his Simtek for the Pacific Grand Prix. He could finally call himself a bona fide Formula 1 driver. Several years after the Imola weekend I had some correspondence with Roland's parents. They were incredibly proud of their son's achievements and that solitary Grand Prix start brought them much comfort.

Despite being a new face in the Formula 1 paddock Roland was well known in the racing world, having competed successfully in an eclectic mix of classes. In the aftermath of his devastating accident during qualifying at Imola his countryman and friend Gerhard Berger contemplated immediate retirement. Senna raced to the scene in an official car and, upon being told by his great friend and Formula 1 doctor Professor Sid Watkins that Roland was beyond help, he had to be led away from the scene crying uncontrollably. Watkins tried to persuade Senna to walk away from the sport, but the Williams driver felt he would be letting too many people down.

I remember reading an interview with Roland ahead of the 1994 season. His enthusiasm and excitement about finally becoming a Formula 1 driver were palpable. The 15 years which have passed since that Saturday afternoon in eastern Italy have not dimmed his memory. Roland was undoubtedly one of racing's nice guys and a worthy addition to the Formula 1 ranks. Along with Senna, he deserves to be remembered.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

I never got to see Jim Clark race. I wasn't even born when he started his final event at Hockenheim on April 7th, 1968. Despite this I have long appreciated Clark's contribution to the sport I love. His name is revered, and not just by fans of Formula 1. He was a consummate all-rounder, competitive in any type of car.

There are a couple of reasons I particularly admire Clark. First of all, he is a fellow Scot and I am unashamedly proud that our small nation produced such a world class talent. Secondly, he was a genuinely humble human being. I usually drive down to Chirnside once a year to visit Clark's grave and it says a lot that the dedication on his headstone mentions that he was a farmer first and world champion racing driver second.

To have no enemies in life is rare. To have no enemies in such a fiercely contested sport as professional motor racing is remarkable. Clark was such a person. Many of his rivals admitted that he was better than them while they were still actively competing against him. His natural gift for driving cars was greater than any of his contemporaries, but there was nothing to dislike about Clark. He conducted himself in such a manner out of the cockpit that his fellow competitors couldn't help but take to him.

Today it is April 7th again. For many, if their feelings for the sport didn't cease altogether 41 years ago today, they certainly changed forever. After that miserable wet day at Hockenheim things would never be the same again. I'll be raising a glass tonight to Jim, one of my all time racing heroes.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

I was disappointed, if not surprised, to discover that the organisers of the recent Australian Grand Prix failed to commemorate a significant piece of their country's motor sport history. Five decades ago Sir Jack Brabham became the first Australian to win the Formula 1 World Championship, driving a Cooper to the title in 1959.

History seems to count for very little in today's business of Formula 1. Those who are in charge of the sport, including the individual organisers such as the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) would do well to remember how Grand Prix racing arrived at this point.

Only one other Australian has ever taken the Formula 1 World Championship. Alan Jones won in 1980 for Williams. Jones has never been one to suffer fools gladly, and had this to say about the AGPC's failure to recognise Brabham when interviewed by the Herald Sun;

"He is an icon and a national treasure, and to overlook him in that fashion is pathetic."

The AGPC did eventually extend an invitation to Brabham but the 82 year old triple World Champion declined the offer. Having personally witnessed the octogenarian hurling a Cooper around with consummate ease at the Goodwood Festival of Speed I can't help but wonder what the AGPC must have been thinking not to honour this remarkable man.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

March 22nd, 2009 marked the 35th anniversary of Peter Revson's death. After switching Formula 1 teams, from McLaren to Shadow, he perished in a testing accident at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa.

It was drivers like Revson that first got me interested in the sport. Handsome, talented guys courting death on a weekly basis. Revson, much like his contemporary François Cevert, was never far from a beautiful woman. Both enjoyed the trappings of their success, but they also knew the danger. Revson and Cevert were both remarkably philosophical about the possibility of dying, and not afraid of discussing the subject.

Although Revson was perhaps not among the very best drivers of his generation, on his day he could be peerless. Such a day came at Silverstone in 1973, when he drove flawlessly to win the British Grand Prix in a McLaren. He followed up this debut victory with another win later in the year at the Canadian Grand Prix.

For 1974 Revson had a major decision to make. Ferrari wanted the New Yorker's services, but were not prepared to pay what Revson wanted and would not allow him to drive any other make of car. In the end he opted for the American Shadow team. It was while testing their car at Kyalami that a failure sent Revson into the barriers at Barbecue Bend, killing him instantly.

Revson was the second member of his family to die in a racing car. His brother Doug lost his life during a race in Denmark in 1967. Despite being related to the Revlon cosmetics empire Revson remained grounded throughout his racing career. He was a favourite with the tabloid newspapers of the day, usually because of his social life rather than his racing antics. Those within the sport recognised him as an extremely serious and capable racing driver. Since his death no other American born driver has managed to win a World Championship Formula 1 race.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

Ever since the FIA announced rule changes banning aerodynamic add-ons and reducing downforce ahead of the 2009 Formula 1 season I've waited in excited anticipation for a first glimpse of the new cars. Surely the new machines would look far sleeker than their predecessors?

How wrong I was. Instead, what the new rules have produced is a field of ill proportioned creations, with extremely wide front wings and awkwardly narrow looking rear ones. Of course there will be those who argue that, as long as the quality of the racing is improved then the FIA will have achieved their goal, but surely the same results could have been achieved with more aesthetically pleasing cars.

Throughout the history of Formula 1 racing there have been many cars with questionable looks. Ugly ducklings which immediately spring to mind include the Tec-Mec Maserati 250F, March 711, Eifelland Type 21, Ferrari "Spazzaneve", Ligier JS5, ATS HS1, AGS JH22 and the recent walrus-nosed Williams FW26.

The difference with all of the cars mentioned above is that they were one of a kind designs, whereas the 2009 grid will be comprised entirely of machines which are ugly not by choice, but because of the new rules imposed upon designers.

Perhaps my opinion will change when I see all of the new Formula 1 cars in action for the first time, but somehow I doubt it. Instead, I expect I'll be left pining for a Lotus 79 or Eagle-Weslake.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

The name of Hans Heyer popped up in a recent conversation I had. Despite an illustrious racing career, including multiple touring car titles, the likeable German will always be best remembered for a race which he failed to qualify for.

An almost complete lack of single-seater experience was of little concern to Heyer, who landed a drive with the ATS team for his home Grand Prix at Hockenheim in 1977. Qualifying did not go well, with Heyer failing to make the grid.

Despite only being third reserve driver Heyer had no intention of missing the chance to compete in a Formula 1 race. As the other cars blasted away at the start he sneaked out from the pit-lane and joined the field. Whether no-one noticed or whether Heyer's countrymen in charge of proceedings turned a blind eye is open to speculation. Whatever, for several laps Heyer circulated happily in his yellow Penske before a gear linkage broke.

Heyer's extraordinary Hockenheim appearance was his one and only taste of Formula 1. He went on to race successfully for many more seasons, seldom seen in the paddock without his trademark Tyrolean hat. I remember being amused by the Hockenheim tale as a kid and by Heyer's sheer audaciousness. As an adult I'm certain Formula 1 will never see a debut like it again.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie

February 13th 2009 would have been Jim Crawford's 61st birthday. He was a hero to me growing up, having been born just four miles from where I live in Scotland. Remarkably, his achievements are virtually unknown around these parts. Jim's racing career was interesting to say the least. After starting out at Chevron, where his smooth driving style was used to run in new engines, he graduated to a race seat. That was late in 1973. By the end of the following season he was a Formula Atlantic champion.

Jim's Formula 1 career amounted to outings at the 1975 British and Italian Grands Prix for Lotus. The Lotus 72 was nearing the end of its life by then and there was little chance for Jim to shine. The rest of the decade was spent struggling in lower formulae, more often than not in underfunded machinery.

In 1982 Jim's career was resurrected, when he won the British Formula 1 series in an Ensign entered by Robert Fernley. The partnership moved stateside in the latter half of that year, finishing second in the Can-Am championship in both 1983 and 1984.

The Indy 500 was to become synonymous with Jim, as he competed there for a decade. His finest moment came in 1988. One year on from a devastating crash at the speedway Jim turned up for the annual race, still walking with a stick. There had been fears he would never walk again, but Jim showed tremendous courage to finish the 1988 race in sixth place. He may well have finished second, but for a late race puncture.

I have so many memories of watching Jim at Indy. The Buick engines he used were powerful, but fragile. Poor reliability prevented any more impressive finishes. Still, in 1992 he set an unofficial lap record of over 233 mph. After retiring from racing Jim captained a fishing boat in Florida. Showing a wicked sense of humour he named the vessel Turn One , after the corner at Indy where he'd shattered his feet.

It was with great shock that I learned of Jim's death in 2002, at the age of just 54. He was one of bravest and most tenacious drivers of his generation.

Posted by Kevin Guthrie