Monaco_Historic_GP_Tops

Qui Me Comitat Vincebit

Monaco Historic Grand Prix

18^th & 19^th May 2002

TOPS TEAM – Report follows this

Charles Dean	1932 Bugatti 51	Paul Grant	1927 Amilcar C6
Mary Grant	1927 Amilcar C6	Irvine Laidlaw	1937 Maserati 6CM
Wolfgang Wegner-Bscher	1936 Maserati V8	Max Lustenberger	1948 Maserati 4CLT
Richard Pilkington	1950 Talbot Lago	Ric Weiland	1962 Lotus 24
David Bennett	1953 Maserati A6	Graham Burrows	1953 Cooper Bristol Mk II
Stephen Curtis	1956 HWM Jaguar	Michael Parr	1953 Cooper Bristol T24
Michael Steele	1954 HWM Jaguar	Fritz Kozka	1957 Porsche Spyder 550A
Richard Wills	1957 Lola Mk 1

Did the marshals think they were immortal and the drivers psychic?

Monaco ----- Grand Prix Historique 2002

In 2000 I entered the HWM-Jaguar for the drum brake 50’s sports-car race at Monaco and was turned down. In recompense the organisers volunteered excellent tickets to watch. I invested my spurned money in the Cento Ore Classic of Modena and thus had a marvellous time competing there in my Frazer Nash and a fantastic time watching the heroes with their acceptable cars compete at Monaco on the way home.

When it came to planning the 2002 season with James Wood in London over a bottle of Chianti or two I said we should take the HWM, instead of the Nash, to Modena for a change; but enter Monaco again to get the same ticket deal for the way home. In a generous mood I suggested that it was his turn to be turned down this time!

So much for advance planning, Monaco accepted our entry and we then didn’t feel like risking the HWM in the Cento Ore, which was only a few days before Monaco. Thus, for only the second time in 40 years, I found myself heading for a race meeting solely as an entrant. Despite the extreme Parkinson’s Law which pertains to racing car preparation, where the work ‘always expands so as to exceed the time allotted for its completion’ we eventually met up with Peter Flood, Tony Fabian and Peter’s Dixon Riley and had a jolly journey down with the cars on trailers.

We stayed at lovely Cap Ferrat, which offered some hairy brake bedding-in trips to the principality, but on one or two days the coastal traffic was such that a brief stroll to the pits from a city hotel would have seemed preferable.

Paperwork, freebie collection and scrutiny passed off without problem only leaving me to weigh up the pros and cons of our pit position, the balance being between having our own security in the shape of friendly Pompiers parked alongside and the sobering fact that we were right next to the tent where the organisers had collected everybody’s spare fuel together! Mind you all of the permanent circuits we go to in England would have trouble in competing with the views of the harbour and the city not to mention the choice between the Stars and Bars American restaurant and the more continental Café des Artistes where we had a splendid wind down meal after our race and were still able to glimpse the cars rounding Rascasse (but I get ahead of myself).

What do you know, practice day was wet and on the first lap James reported to the pits with a bruised front wing (a bit of a shock for the poor thing as it was brand new!) and tales of severe understeer which he blamed on the new tyres (and I thought I was being helpful), he could have claimed unfamiliarity with the track but like several other novices we did seem to get in a fair number of recce trips in the tow car and on foot at all hours of the day and night. After this, and in view of the weather, we agreed that he should concentrate on learning the track rather than going for a good grid position and risking not being on it at all! We were thus well satisfied with 12^th fastest out of 36. In the wet he did 2.43 and in the dry 2.27 some way off David Franklin’s 2. 16 in the Monza Ferrari.

Race day was fine and James made a terrific start aided by the HWM’s huge torque and massive traction to gain five places before the no passing zone on the approach to Ste Devote.

After all the fiddling with the brakes and throttle cable, my work was done and all I could do now was to watch and pray, with my little bag of spanners and plugs, that we didn’t see him back in the pits until the race was over. His brother Rupert and I found we could watch most of the track by running too and fro between the start straight and the back straight filling in the gaps in between from the giant screen. We were very impressed to see him claw his way through the field until on the last lap he was in a secure 3^rd place. Unfortunately although we were not professional enough to be giving him signals, nor did we have ship to shore radio, he was also aware of his position possibly from the screens or he might actually have been counting the cars he passed. The net result was that he eased off and lost concentration and nerfed the Armco on the exit to Ste Devote as the tail drifted out. The engine stalled, a few cars passed and he proceeded gently to the finish fearing the car might be more damaged than turned out to be the case.

He finished 9^th and was of course bitterly disappointed both to have lost his podium place, for which he had worked so hard, and to have damaged the car. Consolation rather than reprimand or joshing was the order of the day. His best lap time of 2.10.6 was only 0.6 secs slower than the winner David Franklin. As this is the sport of 'ifs', all I can say is that if he had been further up the grid to start with, and if he had not started to think on the last lap about being smothered in kisses by pretty girls on the podium, who knows what he and the car might have achieved? All I know is that if I still have the car in two year’s time, and he hasn’t deserted the historic scene I could be tempted to find out! A pity really as I’d still like to have a drive at Monaco myself.

You see now the problem with being an entrant/mechanic as opposed to a tourist /spectator which is what I was last time is that one finds relatively little time to watch the other races or see what is going on. But the other things that come to mind are:-

The terrible disappointment for Richard Wills who with the third fastest practice time in our race crashed his Lola in the tunnel in practice, fortunately without being injured. The type 35 Bugatti of Bart Rosman which did several laps whilst being quite seriously engulfed in flames. The unfortunate budding tyre magnate Julian Majzub having his first major accident in his Bugatti 35 having got carried away on his own tyres by their seemingly limitless grip, but mercifully he was well recovered by the prize giving.

The splendid hospitality of George Nicholson of Camper Nicholson on his Edwardian yacht beautifully restored and well victualled, not content with that and providing a Cooper Bristol for Flavien Marcais to drive he knew how the HGPCA members would rally to the cry of a free drink and had an overflow boat moored alongside. The removal of shoes to avoid deck damage gave rise to a survey of the condition of members feet and socks but this has been suppressed to avoid giving offence.

The drivers briefing was a treat in its own way. It was conducted in the Press Centre so each driver sat in front of his own TV screen in a slightly surreal fashion. It came to life briefly when it emerged that the French and English versions of the regs said different things. It became obvious that the Monegasques really are their own men when it was the English version that prevailed, imagine that happening in France!

The prize giving was memorable for the sight of the posh valet parking taking our trusty tow car away still stuffed to the roof with spare wheels tools etc. The Sporting Club d’Eté was literally fantastic with its ability to drop all its sides and open its roof to witness the Feu d’Artifice when several (very expensive) entry-fees-worth of fireworks were launched from a boat parked nearby----- a marvellous display [but a badly served and almost 'dry' dinner with waiters who, for the second year, refused to serve much wine (saving it for themselves?) and were generally unhelpful. It was sad to note that while dancing some people 'lost' things they had left on their table. Ed]

Congratulations to: Charles Dean (Race win). 1st in class: Paul Grant, Richard Pilkington, Irvine Laidlaw, Michael Steele

Pictures by Richard Hampson

S.C.