The changing face of motor sport...
- Thread starter Robert Lawrence
- Start date
Was just watching a programme on J.P. Beltoise... was interesting because it covered his period in the Matra's during the 5.0L reign of the late 60's...and there was a fair share of GT40 coverage...
While watching I noticed that Beltoise was wearing the same crash helmet in his 68 BRM Malboro F1, as in the 1970 Matra 3.0L Sports Proto win at Le Mans (could tell because the same scratches existed across both bits of footage!)
Besides the fact that the BRM Malboro was the best ever F1 car... I came to wonder how amazed a current F1 driver would be at the fact that a helmet could last 3 seasons..
Neil
While watching I noticed that Beltoise was wearing the same crash helmet in his 68 BRM Malboro F1, as in the 1970 Matra 3.0L Sports Proto win at Le Mans (could tell because the same scratches existed across both bits of footage!)
Besides the fact that the BRM Malboro was the best ever F1 car... I came to wonder how amazed a current F1 driver would be at the fact that a helmet could last 3 seasons..
Neil
The biggest change that we've seen in motor racing is probably safety, but as a science, it was still at the steep end of its learning curve in the 60s.
Just to put it all into perspective, we are now 30 years BEYOND that era... but 15 years BEFORE that era, drivers were opposing safety restraints, saying that they preferred to be thrown clear of the car!!!
Incidentally Neil, I'm impressed by your powers of observation re the helmet
[ May 19, 2002: Message edited by: Chris Liokos ]
Just to put it all into perspective, we are now 30 years BEYOND that era... but 15 years BEFORE that era, drivers were opposing safety restraints, saying that they preferred to be thrown clear of the car!!!
Incidentally Neil, I'm impressed by your powers of observation re the helmet
[ May 19, 2002: Message edited by: Chris Liokos ]
Thanks Chris!
Therein lays a story....
I live about 5 miles from what was the BRM factory at Bourne... which is in the middle of nowhere....
As a very young child, I was regularly treated to visits to see the BRM F1's roll out of the factory to head off for events...
So I grew up in the early 70's on a diet of listening to the great wins of the '70's Marlboro BRM...with Beltoise at the helm...
Along with this I was indoctrinated with a pathalogical hatred of all things Ferrari!
So what a logical step it was to follow through on Beltoise' previous history in the Matra at Le Mans..
While digging in to this subject as an obsessed child, I came across this marvellous machine called a GT40 from a couple or three years earlier.... it was stunningly good looking, incredibly fast, and best of all... was giving the Ferrari's a good bashing on their own stomping ground...
What more could a boy want!
And from that day on, I has been a complete fanatic on the subject of the fabulous Forty!
Neil
Therein lays a story....
I live about 5 miles from what was the BRM factory at Bourne... which is in the middle of nowhere....
As a very young child, I was regularly treated to visits to see the BRM F1's roll out of the factory to head off for events...
So I grew up in the early 70's on a diet of listening to the great wins of the '70's Marlboro BRM...with Beltoise at the helm...
Along with this I was indoctrinated with a pathalogical hatred of all things Ferrari!
So what a logical step it was to follow through on Beltoise' previous history in the Matra at Le Mans..
While digging in to this subject as an obsessed child, I came across this marvellous machine called a GT40 from a couple or three years earlier.... it was stunningly good looking, incredibly fast, and best of all... was giving the Ferrari's a good bashing on their own stomping ground...
What more could a boy want!
And from that day on, I has been a complete fanatic on the subject of the fabulous Forty!
Neil
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