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Post by magnesium on May 2, 2015 3:47:25 GMT -6
Good movie. The scene where Hunt and Lauda run to see an wrecked car and fatality, I saw that crash. It was at the Watkins Glen hairpin, the driver was Helmut Konig. For no obvious reason, his car went straight on the grass and under the Armco.
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Post by lemans1955 on May 2, 2015 13:48:01 GMT -6
You were there for Helmut's crash? That was 1974, the crash in the movie was Francois Cevert's in practice for the 73 race, very similar to Helmut's crash but was at the top of the esses not the hairpin.
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Post by lemans1955 on May 2, 2015 13:49:06 GMT -6
I've seen pictures of Helmut's crash, nasty nasty wreck.
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Post by magnesium on May 2, 2015 19:00:42 GMT -6
I've seen pictures of Helmut's crash, nasty nasty wreck. I googled "Helmut Koenig" and found a thread discussing that scene from "Rush". Conclusion was they mixed a bit of both Cevert and Koenig. I won't describe what I saw. They threw a tarp over the wreck and the race continued. A coroner lifted the tarp then left. That's the way it was back then. Armco was required to protect spectators. It got replaced by catch fencing, then gravel traps,Safeco barricades, etc. If you youngsters missed out on something REALLY cool, it was CanAm. European screamers versus Detroit big block. Ever hear of the vacuum cleaner car? The 917-10 Porsche?
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Post by lemans1955 on May 2, 2015 20:14:00 GMT -6
Heck yes, can-am was probably the best series that ever was, and its European counterpart the Interseries. Wish I saw those cars in thier hayday. I've seen many of them at vintage races, McLaren's, Lola's, Porsche's, Chaparral's. They are great now but must have been absolutely awesome when those guys went balls out in them. Those Porsche 917/30s of team penske with Mark Donahue where fantastic cars, saw a few at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion at Lime Rock Park also.
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Post by magnesium on May 3, 2015 4:52:06 GMT -6
Some people said that Porsche killed interest in can-am. Maybe 1,000 hp, it won almost all the races the last year of Formula Libre. The following year I think the rules changed to 5 liters, small block Chevy's mostly.
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Post by lemans1955 on May 3, 2015 6:16:01 GMT -6
Yeah it probably did have a part in the end of can-am, spiraling costs and ridiculous speed played their part as well. Same thing killed group c and Camel GTP in the 1990s as well.
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nobody
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Post by nobody on May 26, 2015 6:27:33 GMT -6
Now that this thread has turned into vintage Can-Am I can add a quick little history blurb of things that show how basic the times were back then. As a young teen I lived in a small town about 30 miles from the McLaren engines facility in Detroit. McLaren's engine tuner lived a few houses away from us. Sometimes on a weekday evening the open deck hauler truck pulling the second car on an open trailer would come to the tuners house and unload the cars on the street in front of his house. He would work with the team tuning the fuel injection and timing on Bruce and Denny's cars right there in the driveway. Yes, it was great stuff and I still think of those cool memories when reminded of those cars. I was fortunate to be given a actual Team McLaren crew shirt that had all the lettering embroidered on the back, by one of the team guys. 1969 OH Man, boy did we get to grow up at an incredible time in racing history. That was when racers were, bad azz heroes of skill and daring!!!
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Post by magnesium on May 27, 2015 17:24:40 GMT -6
At the time you didn't realize the significance of it. I found pictures I took of F1 cars in the pit garage being worked on, you can't do THAT anymore. I'm wondering if you (nobody) are near Brighton. Now that's a town full of mechanical Wizards.
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nobody
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Post by nobody on May 27, 2015 19:44:12 GMT -6
Hey Magnesium, you are close on the guess. I grew up in Walled lake, not far from Brighton. And back then a lot of smart automotive engineers settled in Brighton area. I know on a personal level that some big time racing equipment was built in farm sheds and backyard garages in the 60's-70's. I know of a winning TRANS-AM series 1970 Camaro that was built in a farm tool shed with a dirt floor in Milford Mich. The cage was bent around a tree with a tractor some chain and a torch. I bet the burn marks are still in that tree. I will post pictures soon of a new super-mod sled we are building for a customer here in the chicken coop.
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Post by magnesium on May 27, 2015 20:18:28 GMT -6
I've bought some cool stuff out of your neighborhood. I bought some Kelsey-Hayes wheels from a Brighton guy who told me some Ford stories. Also, KarKraft is there. They did the Boss 429 Mustang under contract from Dearborn. Last time I was in Brighton I saw a pack of tuner Corvettes. The place is a hotbed.
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