By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Racing a car, motorcycle or anything with some sort of power is a pursuit like no other. It is a passionate endeavor requiring an obsessive single-mindedness that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders find hard to understand. Ask any driver who has competed at the top level, and they will tell you that there is nothing half-assed about what they do, because the focus required is almost incomprehensible. Drivers talk about being in "the zone" - a strange state of mind that takes over their entire being while they're racing - when the faster they go the more things seem to slow down for them. They're aware of everything around them, but at the same time their focus on the task at hand is impenetrable, because anything less can result in a mistake that will likely have severe consequences. Racers are indeed a rare breed, willing to sacrifice everything for the pursuit of what they love to do, to the detriment of everything else. These racers have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the most recent issues of "Fumes" I have been recalling some of my favorites. This week, we present the great British champion, Graham Hill.
Detroit. Racing a car, motorcycle or anything with some sort of power is a pursuit like no other. It is a passionate endeavor requiring an obsessive single-mindedness that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders find hard to understand. Ask any driver who has competed at the top level, and they will tell you that there is nothing half-assed about what they do, because the focus required is almost incomprehensible. Drivers talk about being in "the zone" - a strange state of mind that takes over their entire being while they're racing - when the faster they go the more things seem to slow down for them. They're aware of everything around them, but at the same time their focus on the task at hand is impenetrable, because anything less can result in a mistake that will likely have severe consequences. Racers are indeed a rare breed, willing to sacrifice everything for the pursuit of what they love to do, to the detriment of everything else. These racers have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the most recent issues of "Fumes" I have been recalling some of my favorites. This week, we present the great British champion, Graham Hill.
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Norman Graham Hill (with Jackie Stewart and Lola's Eric Broadley at Indianapolis in this photo) was one of Britain's greatest racing drivers. With a quintessential look out of central casting for a British Grand Prix driver, Hill won the World Championship in 1962 (BRM) and 1968 (Lotus), and finished second in 1963, 1964 and 1965. To date, he is the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 (1966), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1972) and an F1 World Championship. Hill was precise, consistent and very quick, which was aptly demonstrated by the fact that he won the Monaco Grand Prix five times (1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969). Hill set up his own F1 Team in 1973 called Embassy Hill, and even though he continued to race, he retired from driving after failing to qualify for the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix. Hill and five of his team members were tragically killed on November 29, 1975, when the plane Hill was piloting crashed in the fog on the Arkley golf course while on approach to the Elstree Airfield in North London. When Graham's son Damon won the F1 World Championship in 1996 for Williams Grand Prix Engineering, they became the first father and son to win the World Championship.
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Monaco Grand Prix, May 14, 1961. American Richie Ginther (No. 36 Scuderia Ferrari 156) is pursued by Graham Hill (No. 18 Owen Racing Organization BRM P48/57 Climax) during the race. Stirling Moss (No. 20 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus 18/21 Climax) qualified on the pole, followed by Ginther, Jim Clark (No. 28 Team Lotus 21 Climax) Hill and Phil Hill (No. 38 Scuderia Ferrari 156). Moss won that day, followed by Ginther and Phil Hill. Graham didn't finish (fuel pump).
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Zandvoort, June 23, 1963. The start of the Dutch Grand Prix with Jim Clark (No. 6 Team Lotus 25 Climax) on pole, Graham Hill (No. 12 Owen Racing Organization BRM P57) second and Bruce McLaren (No. 20 Cooper T66 Climax) third. Clark won, lapping the field; Dan Gurney (No. 18 Brabham BT17 Climax) was second and John Surtees (No. 2 Scuderia Ferrari 156/63) finished third. Graham didn't finish (blown engine).
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1966. Three all-time motor racing greats: Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark chat during practice.
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Monaco Grand Prix, June 3, 1962. Graham Hill (No. 10 Owen Racing Organization BRM P57) qualified second behind Jim Clark (No. 18 Team Lotus 25 Climax) and ahead of Bruce McLaren (No. 14 Cooper T60 Climax). Bruce won that day, followed by Phil Hill (No. 36 Scuderia Ferrari 156), Lorenzo Bandini (No. 38 Scuderia Ferrari 156), John Surtees (No. 28 Bowmaker-Yeoman Racing Team Lola Mk4 Climax), Jo Bonnier (No. 2 Porsche 718) and Graham Hill.
(Motorsport Images)
Monaco Grand Prix, May 10, 1964. Graham Hill (No. 8 Owen Racing Organization BRM P261) on his way to the win ahead of Richie Ginther (No. 7 Owen Racing Organization BRM P261) and Peter Arundell (No. 11 Team Lotus 25 Climax). Graham won the Monaco Grand Prix five times: 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969.
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Riverside International Raceway, October 31, 1965. Graham Hill (No. 3 McLaren Elva Mark 1 Oldsmobile) leads Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Elva Mark II Oldsmobile) in the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix for Sports Cars. Hap Sharp (No. 65 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet) won that day, Jim Clark (No. 1 Team Lotus 40 Ford) was second and Bruce finished third. Graham didn't finish.
(Dave Friedman)
12 Hours of Sebring, March 23, 1963. Graham Hill (No. 18 North American Racing Team Ferrari 330 TRI/LM) that he shared with Pedro Rodriguez. They finished third overall and first in P+3.0.
(Dave Friedman)
12 Hours of Sebring, March 21, 1964. Graham Hill (No. 24 Maranello Concessionaires Ferrari 330 P) and John Surtees (No. 21 S.E.F.A.C. Ferrari 330 P) run up the pit straight during the race. Hill, with co-driver Jo Bonnier, qualified second but didn't finish. Surtees, with co-driver Lorenzo Bandini, started from the pole and finished third. Mike Parkes/Umberto Maglioli (No. 22 S.E.F.E.C. Ferrari 275 P) won, followed by Ludovico Scarfiotti/Nino Vaccarella (No. 23 S.E.F.E.C. Ferrari 275 P) making it a Ferrari 1-2-3.
(Motorsport Images)
Dutch Grand Prix, June 4, 1967. Graham Hill (No. 6 Team Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV V8) qualified on the pole for the race debut of the Lotus 49 and the brand-new Ford-Cosworth DFV V8, but he only lasted one lap due to a broken gearbox. Graham's teammate, Jim Clark, won that day in his No. 5 Team Lotus 49 Ford Cosworth DFV V8, in a sensational debut for Lotus and the new racing engine. Jack Brabham (No. 1 Brabham BT19 Repco V8) was second, and Denny Hulme (No. 2 Brabham BT20 Repco V8) finished third.
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May, 1966. Graham Hill and Lola's Eric Broadley discuss the performance of Graham's No. 24 American Red Ball-sponsored Lola T90/Ford during practice for the Indy 500. Graham won the race in his first try. Jim Clark (No. 19 STP Gas Treatment Lotus 38/Ford) was second, and Jim McElreath (No. 3 Moore-Brabham/Ford) finished third.
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Graham Hill averaged 144.317 mph in his John Mecom-entered No. 24 American Red Ball Lola T90 Ford in winning the 1966 Indianapolis 500, after inheriting the lead from teammate Jackie Stewart when Jackie's John Mecom-entered Bowes Seal Fast Lola T90/Ford lost oil pressure inside ten laps to go. Graham was the first rookie winner at The Speedway since 1927 although, ironically enough, Stewart was named rookie of the year.
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Graham Hill's debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1966 couldn't have gone any better.
(IMS)
Graham Hill returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1967 for another run at the "500," this time in the No. 81 Team Lotus STP Oil Treatment Lotus/Ford. He suffered a blown engine after just 23 laps. Yes, Andy Granatelli and Colin Chapman are prominent in the picture.
(IMS)
Graham Hill was entered in the 1968 Indianapolis 500 in the No. 70 Team Lotus STP Oil Treatment Lotus 56 Gas Turbine. He qualified second to teammate Joe Leonard (No. 60 Team Lotus STP Oil Treatment Lotus 56 Gas Turbine) but wrecked out of the race on Lap 110. Leonard ran up front for most of the race before dropping out on Lap 191, finishing 12th. Bobby Unser (No. 3 AAR Rislone Eagle/Offy) won that day.
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In just a few short years, Graham Hill made his mark at The Speedway.
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Monaco Grand Prix, May 26, 1968. Graham Hill (No. 9 Gold Leaf Team Lotus 49B Ford-Cosworth V8) started from pole and went on to win. Richard Attwood (No. 15 Owen Racing Organization BRM P126 V12) was second, and Lucien Bianchi (No. 7 Cooper T86 BRM V12) finished third.
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Graham Hill and Team Lotus: An almost unbeatable combination at Monaco. A side note: Colin Chapman's signing of the Gold Leaf tobacco corporation to sponsor his F1 cars in 1968 transformed F1 and ushered the sport into a new commercial age.
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Jim Clark and Graham Hill: Friends. Teammates. And World Champions.
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG