BS: James Hunt (1947-1993)

Subject: BS: James Hunt
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 01:06 PM

Would have been 65 today (29.8.47 - 15.6.93).

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 01:09 PM

That's interesting. I typed it yesterday and it disappeared...

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: gnu
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 01:35 PM

Stirling Moss, a hero of my old man, said "If you looked like him, what would you have done?" Apparently, over 5,000 women.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: MikeL2
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 02:40 PM

hi gnu

Ha ha ha .....that's a good one !!

My wife has been a very keen follower of Formula One GP ever since James Hunt started to make the headlines.!!!!

I don't think she was one of the 5000 but at times I am sure she wished she had been....lol

regards

Mike

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 02:53 PM

Not called ' Hunt the shunt ' for nothing eh !

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: gnu
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 02:57 PM

Some women like that.. well, a LOT, apparently. Not just looks but he was the dangerous guy. Drink like a fish, fuck like a mink and climb into a racing car? That's dangerous.

He was no Fanjio, Moss, Stewart, Lauda... but he sure did a lot for the business. That kinda stuff sells seats.

BTW... I don't know much about any kind of racing so I should defer my comments to those that do.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 03:28 PM

Oh...wondered who in the heck you were talking about. Never heard of him.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: gnu
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 03:38 PM

Don't Google him, kat. You'll get... AHEM! Decorum, young man!

Odd innit? Ya got the likes of the guys I mentioned above and many others and Hunt stands out in one's mind because of his antics. Yes, he was good, but he was better when he was bad.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 05:23 PM

Graham Hill was the archetypal English driver. A touch of oversteer and not too much prudence. Clark was a bit too restrained, and Stewart was positively soporific. Moss - brilliant in the wet until he wasn't. Archie Scott-Brown wasn't bad either.

In saloons, I liked Mike Chittenden, James Brodie sometimes, and Gerry Marshall most of the time. And you should have seen some of John Bekeart's antics in the Tornado-Fiat.

Hunt was just another dumb blonde.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: gnu
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 05:35 PM

"soporific"??? 27 wins and ALL the race commentaries he did in his IN YOUR FACE excited Scot's accent ON TV ON SATURDAY MAN? ACH? >;-)

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: gnu
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 07:51 PM

Hill was quite the lad. Made a great impression here in Canada. I doubt if many outside of Canada know of his racing career here. I tried to locate it on Wiki but it seems non-existant. I am quite sure I did not dream it.

Of course, as a triple crown winner (I dunno how many there are but I expect few), he is indeed one of the all time "fast guys". And, just a guy ya'd wanna hang out with after seeing him in movies and on TV.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 08:56 PM

It was hard not to like Hill because he was just so damn "British." Fangio was certainly "The Man" in his era but Clark and Stewart took car control to new levels and each had a spirit and passion that was something that surrounded them as an aura. I was always a monstrous fan of Niki Lauda as he had a bit of the American attitude of "I can drive that pig," with no real car worship involved.....he was simply using a tool to win.

And I have to mention somewhere in here Mario.........He won in jalopies, stock cars, Sprinters and Midgets, Indycars and Champ cars, dirt and asphalt, and finally F1. I wasn't a fan of his except in passing as he and his family were also great whiners, but as a driver? It just doesn't get a lot better.


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 05:56 AM

Great story about Mario, Spaw, although I can't quite remember some of the details..

Anyway he was testing at a road circuit in the States (Laguna Seca?) where turn five could sometimes be flat but other times not. So he goes out and on his second lap the guys in the pit hear his engine suddenly stop. They all pile into a vehicle and drive round the track until they find a trail of bits of car leading off the road. They look around and down the bank is Mario, standing by the side of what used to be his car, examining the remains of his wristwatch.

He looks up and calmly says, "tell you what guys, turn five ain't flat today"!

F1 World Champion in 1978.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 06:58 AM

Stewart would have been horrified by some of Hamilton's charging - it was the processional "Och, we dinna drive like that in Gron Pree" about him that annoyed me. An automaton.

Watching Clark and Hill up close at Brands Hatch - at Druids - Clark with the fractionally faster car round with a tiny bit of understeer, Hill in the BRM, nose on the correct line, tail wider, which gave him a better line into Bottom Bend: real racing.

I don't think there has ever been better car control than Moss. He was uncatchable in the wet in frankly inferior, slower cars. Until...

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: catspaw49
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 08:38 AM

Thanks Pete for that story. Love it. One of my favorite stories in the cross cultural racing category involves Jackie Stewart.

Are you at all familiar with American Sprint Cars (1200 pounds with 850 horsepower) and Midgets? On both dirt and asphalt the action is continual and fast and sideways......makes for great racing all the time. Mo Nunn went up to Eldora a few years ago during the USGP week and was completely gassed but the best line came from Jackie Stewart back in his prime. Taken to a Sprint Car race at Winchester (I think), all the drivers wanted to meet him. He'd been watching the first few heats and was being shown around the pits shaking hands. One of the guys asked him if he'd like to try one out. Stewart replied that he'd left his helmet back in Indy. When someone offered him a helmet he cranked out a great line......."No thanks, I left me balls there as well."

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: Musket
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 10:16 AM

James Hunt was the English cad and bounder that everybody aspired to since James Bond became a by word for hero.

he was one of my heros and as a young 'un helping with my brother in law when he used to race Formula 750 before becoming a scrutineer, Hunt was one of the up and coming drivers who always had a bit of time for the young lad polishing his brother in law's car in the paddock.

At the time, I wished I had his driving ability. Now the years pile on, I wish I had his stamina in other areas....

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 11:19 AM

Yes, Spaw I've seen midget racing on the TV. Another amusing story from F1:

In 1975 a chicane was installed at Woodcote corner at the Silverstone circuit to slow down the F1 cars. At the start of practice all the team managers went there to see how the cars coped with it.

Brian Henton (Lotus) was catching Wilson Fittipaldi (Copersucar) as they approached Woodcote for the first time and when Fittipaldi started braking - apparently very early for Woodcote - Henton thought to himself "Jeez no wonder he's slow!" and overtook him. Then he remembered, far too late, the chicane and ended up in the catch-fencing right under the noses of the team managers. Lotus team boss Colin Chapman was not amused.

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: catspaw49
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 11:48 AM

LOL.....Yeah, I've never heard that Chapman was much amused at anything. When Lotus came across the pond initially, it was an intersestingpairing with the proper Chapman and the glad handing, ebullient Andy Granatelli.

Granatelli had the greatest of admiration for Jimmy Clark and believed him to be one of the greatest ever. Clark was about to run a qualification for The Indy 500 and Granatelli had always had a final word with his drivers while they sat in the car. He would tighten their belts a bit as he talked.   When he started to reach for Clark's lap belt, Jimmy grabbed his hand and stared at Granatelli. When Andy looked down he realized that Clark's lap belt was broken and if the stewards saw this they would stop his 4 qualification laps.   Clark headed out and after 4 laps his STP Lotus was on the pole.   Considerring the speeds and G-forces at Indy, this was a brave and difficult thing to do and Granatelli never forgot it.


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: Edthefolkie
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 01:03 PM

Struggled down to Brands Hatch on the train in 1974. Hesketh teddy bears everywhere once we got there. Got a really good spot to watch the Boy Wonder. Only went off on lap two, didn't he! (Mind you so did half the field).

Re Graham Hill, I always remember the story George Bishop (I think) told in Car magazine. They took some fairly ineffectual British sports car down to Silverstone for a test, photo session etc. Hill was just walking down to test an F1 car. He gives Bishop an evil grin and says "'Ello ace - come to blow us all off have you?"

Subject: RE: BS: James Hunt...(1947-1993)
From: MikeL2
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 02:24 PM

hi

Not only was Graham Hill a great driver and wonderful to watch, he produced a son who was probably technically an even better one but nowhere near as exciting to watch. I also understand he was a good musician.

I actually prefer two wheels but my wife still enjoys the Formula ! stuff. Louis Hamilton seems to stir her emotions though these days.

Cheers

MikeL2