One Race Wonders

This thread is about drivers that starred in one race and then dissapeared never to be known again

Any examples?

in one race no, but some rising star in one season yes
GC Baghetti Three win in a row in Formula one and then
jumping in one marvellous project ATS.
P Neve leading the opening Formula 2 race in March 77P factory
prototype till nearby the end of the race . This car was handed
over for the rest of the season by B Giacomelli with succes.


Robert

Again, not strictly a one-race wonder, but Kazuyoshi Hoshino drove an amazing race in a private Tyrrell, on Bridgestones, at the soaking Fuji race in 1976. He was an unknown to most of us, it was his Grand Prix debut and he had the Tyrrell as high as third at one point.

In the 60's and early 70's F1 often allowed a "privateer" entrant from the host country. Someone with some racing credentials, but not part of the regular series. The history books will reaveal many of these "one timers". I remember Eppie Weitz in the '74 GP at Mosport Park in Canada. His "Team Canada" car was entered more for national pride than raceworthiness.

It would be interesting to see if any of these "guest" drivers had any success, and who among them may have had a respectable finish.

I'm sure most of these "One Time Wonders" will have you "wondering" how they made the field.

Would it be too cruel to suggest that Jean-Louis Schlesser's one and only Williams GP drive had a profound impact on the 1988 Italian GP?

And what a sad irony it was that Schlesser's only start in WDC Grand Prix came 20 years after his uncle sadly made the headlines in his only real WDC Grand Prix start, the 1968 ACF Grand Prix at Rouen...

The most successful "local guest star" in GP must be John Love. He almost won the 1967 South African GP, after all the leaders except Pedro Rodriguez had retired. Alas a pit stop for fuel a few laps from the end deprived him from it !
About Eppie Wietzes, he even led a Canadian GP, but that was the 1973 edition where he drove the pace-car !!! In one of the most confusing Grand Prix of all time, this was the first time a pace-car appeared in F1.
The previous year, Mark Donohue started his first F1 event at the same Canadian GP in Roger Penske's mcLaren-DFV. Brillant race gave him the third place ! One of the few drivers to finish their very first WDC race on the podium.

Recently the best one-off appearance by a local driver I can remember is Nicola Larini at the tragic 1994 San Marino GP. Replacing an injured Jean Alési he finished 2nd IIRC.

Originally posted by TimD
Would it be too cruel to suggest that Jean-Louis Schlesser's one and only Williams GP drive had a profound impact on the 1988 Italian GP?


Yes

:banghead:

Stretching Invicible's original definition of a one-race winner, who can come up with the name of the man who won Le Mans at his first attempt and then never raced there again?

Good one Richard ! Hasn't this italian driver something to do with a certain turtle ?
Now same one with Indianapolis, but the feat as been accomplished more than once, and in VERY different eras...

Originally posted by FEV
And what a sad irony it was that Schlesser's only start in WDC Grand Prix came 20 years after his uncle sadly made the headlines in his only real WDC Grand Prix start, the 1968 ACF Grand Prix at Rouen....

Indeed it is... I immediately thought of this when I read Tim's post.

Another is Tim Mayer, ran in the 1961 US GP in a kind of 'win a guest drive' situation, was about to launch into his full time GP career with Cooper in 1965 when he died.

But really, I think this thread is to explore those who didn't continue but kept on living...

And next to Tim Mayer we could put Peter Ryan. What a promising career he had. His main achievement was winning the first ever Canadian Grand Prix (sportscar race) in front of many great GP drivers. Truly a great loss...

But as you rightly said Ray "this thread is to explore those who didn't continue but kept on living..." So maybe one of your compatriots (and one of the most successful of them in motor racing) could be added : Alan Jones ! IIRC his only CART start was at Road America in 1985 where he took the injured Mario Andretti Newman-Haas Lola to a great second (or third ? can't remember, but definitely a podium). After that as we all know he made his second F1 come-back, which if it lasted longer then the first one in 1983 was not more impressive !

Couldn't we put Johnny Servoz-Gavin in the band ? Second at Monza in 1968, lead the Monaco GP (before crashing stupidly in the second lap of the race for some or cruelly stopped by a broken suspension for others !!!) before giving it all up after non-qualifying at the same Monaco GP in 1970. He really dissapeared from the racing scene for almost 30 years.

Originally posted by FEV
Good one Richard ! Hasn't this italian driver something to do with a certain turtle?

You find me too easy to read these days Frank!

Originally posted by FEV
Now same one with Indianapolis, but the feat as been accomplished more than once, and in VERY different eras...

True, but that might be an unfinished story, just as it was in 1966!

So, now that FEV and I have thoroughly confused you all, who the hell are we talking about?

One clue: Mirror, mirror ...:rotate:

The first ever Indy 500 winner Ray Harroun retired from motorsport straight after winning I believe

Harroun actually came out of retirement to run in that race, he'd retired some time before and took some convincing to be in it... he made certain conditions and actually had a co-driver drive part of the way.

The Schlessers seem like the best examples, though neither had especially good results. Of all the stories of people who only started one Gran Prix, there are some great ones on F1 rejects, though by definition of the site none of them starred. For example Tom Jones (no, not the singer), who was excluded for being too slow, or Pierre-Henri Raphanel, who outqualified Piquet, Cheever, Capelli and Moreno amongst others in his only start, at Monaco of all places. I can certainly think of plenty of one-SEASON wonders, who had one year which rose way above anything else they did, such as Ukyo Katayama (F1 1994, read the F1 Rejects article to see what I mean)(no, I'm not being sponsored by F1 Rejects), Tim Sugden (BTCC 1991), and Ivan Capelli (F1 1988, with one other brief flash in 1990). Maybe that'd make a good other thread.

Originally posted by Invincible
The first ever Indy 500 winner Ray Harroun retired from motorsport straight after winning I believe

Correct, Invincible! So what did the clue about mirrors mean then? NOT YOU RAY!!! I'm sure you know ...

And what's the rest about?

No-one's picked up on the turtle yet...

Well, you haven't excluded me from this one, though I thought it was another thing that was self-evident... I assume you meant that Nuvolari only entered Le Mans once and won it...

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Well, you haven't excluded me from this one, though I thought it was another thing that was self-evident... I assume you meant that Nuvolari only entered Le Mans once and won it...

It's only self-evident if you know the answer ...:p :)

And yes, of course, you're right about Nuvolari!

Ray Harroun's car was the first to feature a rear-view mirror I believe

Originally posted by Invincible
Ray Harroun's car was the first to feature a rear-view mirror I believe

You believe correctly, but can you tell me why he needed it in 1911, but wouldn't have needed it in 1912 (if he'd raced)?

And what's the unfinished bit about ...

1911 Ray Harroun was the only one man car in the race,hence the need for a rear view mirror, all others had 2 men per car. 1912 every body had 2 men in car.
1911 the displacement limit was 600 cu inches. The winning car, a Marmon Wasp,had a 6 cylinder, 447 cu.in.engine
Ray Harroun winner of the 1911 race was relieved by Cyrus Patschke for 35 laps.
Ray only raced once at Indy, he died Jan 19, 1968.

Well put Hans, but just to clarify a little, riding mechanics were mandatory in 1912:)

I think I read in the Helck book that Harroun was forced to instal the mirror when the organisers were not going to let him run without the 'riding mechanic'...

As for Ray Harroun, here's a lovely story that I'm quite sure the author won't mind me quoting:

A bit off topic but since autographs came up I have one few people have, I bet. It was a blisteringly hot day in May, 1961. My brother and I were walking along the garage area fence with our autograph books at IMS. I was 13, my brother 10.

I heard my name being called and I looked to our left and saw one of the fathers from our Quarter Midget club frantically waving to follow him. We ran after him and it was oppressively hot and we were sweating. and wondering why we were doing this. We ran about a block out into the parking area behind the Tower Terrace, and there in a little clearing among the parked cars was a 4 door sedan with all the doors open, and a small group of people standing around outside.

The father who had led us there, still puffing said, "There is a driver in the back seat of that car I know you want to get in your autograph books."

We crossed the clearing and I noticed the people were all looking at us, and smiling. I had no idea what was going on. There in the back seat we found a tiny, shriveled up old man. He was as old as old could be, in my 13 year old eyes. But I knew who he was immediately. He signed our autograph books with a hand that was shaking so much, I felt bad for having troubled him. One of the people standing there said, "He is passing the torch", and everybody smiled. I didn't know what that meant. He spelled my name wrong, but I didn't care. I was thrilled to be in his presence and to have met him.

The little old man died a short time later. I think it was only a couple of months. But 40 years later I am still thrilled at having met him and I still have that autograph book. I don't look at it much.

It makes me sad to see the names of all the drivers who died too soon, and so horribly. But wherever I look at (or think about) that one page with the shaky autograph obtained from that little old man, I smile. It was one of the highlights of my entire life, even now, 40 years later.

A great little story, one to make anyone smile, I think... and it makes me wonder about the year quoted above for his death...

I see there is a mention of an unfinished story somewhere in this thread, and story about an uncle and a nephew somewhere else... Well, we can melt it together and mention that main actor of unfinished story also has an uncle, and there is an early '80s Le Mans connection...
But I would prefer if that story remains unfinished for several more years.

Originally posted by dmj
I see there is a mention of an unfinished story somewhere in this thread, and story about an uncle and a nephew somewhere else... Well, we can melt it together and mention that main actor of unfinished story also has an uncle, and there is an early '80s Le Mans connection...
But I would prefer if that story remains unfinished for several more years.

Hmm, yes indeed, although I wan't aware that uncle had raced at La Sarthe - but what about the rumoured Maserati revival (assuming Mr Pook can pull everyone's nuts out of the fire and make real peace with that nice Mr George!!). And would they keep the dates free?

I think the best example in rallying is Finnish driver Kyosti Hamalainen who won the 1977 Thousand Lakes rally in only his second outing in a Group4 Escort RS1800, then was never heard from again, essentially.

FEV - John Love was a driver of considerable talent. He won the Britiish Saloon Car Championship and also several Formula Junior races in Europe driving for Ken Tyrell.
In the 1967 SAGP he qualified his privately owned Cooper T79 in 5th spot on the grid and out qualified Surtees (Honda), Rindt (Cooper maser), Stewart (BRM), Gurney (Eagle), Bonnier, Spence and other "top" drivers.
OK, the Repco Brabhams of Hulme and Brabham were in a class of their own, but John Love (probably second oldest man in the race - over 40) aftre a bad start clawed his way up the field and diced with Surtees and Gurney for a long time.
He overtook Rodriguez (who seemed to be having troubles with gear changing at times) about lap 25 to 30.
When the Brabhams dropped out Love took the lead on lap 59.
The irony of the whole thing was that Love had fuel pick up problems, he had fitted pannier tanks to the Tasman Cooper to go the 80 lap distance, and he had lent his spare fuel pump to Jo Siffert and apparently fitted a fuel pump which turned out to be a dud!

Things to bear in mind -

would Love have been able to get the same quality tyres as the "works" teams?

He only had one 2.7 liter Climax engine, which he had to use for the whole "local" championship season and then get it to run the Grand Prix

He had to finance his own spares (no sponsorship those days)

He was from Rhodesia, thousands of miles away from the UK so spares were a problem

He had to do his own repairs and make his own parts etc

He did much of his own work preparation (I often saw him welding bits and pieces)

It was a fine effort as were his races against Jack Brabham in the 1965 December Rand GP at Kyalami and a full "GP" field in the 1966 SAGP (Jan) at East London.