Post by Alfaholic on Jan 14, 2023 22:30:42 GMT -5
Another new year and to kick-start 2023 the PW F1 series continues to roll on, a car seen before but this time with a new name for my collection database.
I added a lot more models in 2023 that I expected, however during the year I refocussed slightly to chase down more Alfa Romeo models. With the current prices for Sparks and LookSmarts, that will continue this year, while waiting for the long list of pre-orders from the last two years to materialise. The PW F1 collection will continue to pop up as a break from the “red” cars.
In 1974 McLaren had the nice problem of too many sponsors. Following his falling out with Colin Chapman, Emerson Fittipaldi had left Lotus and quickly signed an agreement with rival tobacco company Marlboro. Conveniently, they had also signed on to be the primary sponsor of McLaren, so the Brazilian immediately found a new home in a front-running team. Emerson would line up in the red and white cars alongside existing McLaren driver Denny Hulme, in what would be the Kiwi’s last season in F1.
The problem McLaren had was that their previous primary sponsor Yardley, the American cosmetics company, were keen to remain involved in F1, even after the American driver Peter Revson had left the team to join Shadow for 1974. Their solution was to enter a “B-team” under the Yardley McLaren name. Around the same time this was happening, Mike Hailwood had left fellow World Motorcycle Champion John Surtees’ team so was snapped up by McLaren to carry the Yardley colours in 1974.
Hailwood was a nine-time World Motorcycle Champion who had also raced in 12 Championship F1 GPs across 1963-1965 for Reg Parnell’s privateer team, scoring a best result of 6th in the 1964 Monaco GP. These F1 races were done alongside his motor-cycling GP commitments. He continued to race and win on two wheels until 1970, but for 1971 he made the fulltime switch to F1 with Surtees. In three years with that team Hailwood scored one podium, a 2nd place in the 1972 Italian GP at Monza, the same year in which he also won the European F2 title for Surtees. Deducing that Surtees would not be able to give him a car to challenge higher up the grid (his best season result with Surtees was 8th in the Drivers Title in 1972), Hailwood was on the lookout for a better drive when the McLaren opportunity came along.
The 1974 season started off well for Hailwood, with Top-5 finishes in the first three events, including a 3rd place in the South African GP. Hulme and Fittipaldi had won the first two GPs, confirming the M23 had pace. Unfortunately for Hailwood, his season then turned somewhat sour – four more results in the lower half of the Top-10 were offset by three retirements. His season, and F1 career, came to an end at the German GP, suffering a heavy accident that left him with fractures to both legs. He would recover and returned to racing motor-cycles a few years later.
PW – Formula 1 The Car Collection
McLaren M23 – Ford-Cosworth 3.0
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing – Mike Hailwood
1974 F1 – 10th
I added a lot more models in 2023 that I expected, however during the year I refocussed slightly to chase down more Alfa Romeo models. With the current prices for Sparks and LookSmarts, that will continue this year, while waiting for the long list of pre-orders from the last two years to materialise. The PW F1 collection will continue to pop up as a break from the “red” cars.
In 1974 McLaren had the nice problem of too many sponsors. Following his falling out with Colin Chapman, Emerson Fittipaldi had left Lotus and quickly signed an agreement with rival tobacco company Marlboro. Conveniently, they had also signed on to be the primary sponsor of McLaren, so the Brazilian immediately found a new home in a front-running team. Emerson would line up in the red and white cars alongside existing McLaren driver Denny Hulme, in what would be the Kiwi’s last season in F1.
The problem McLaren had was that their previous primary sponsor Yardley, the American cosmetics company, were keen to remain involved in F1, even after the American driver Peter Revson had left the team to join Shadow for 1974. Their solution was to enter a “B-team” under the Yardley McLaren name. Around the same time this was happening, Mike Hailwood had left fellow World Motorcycle Champion John Surtees’ team so was snapped up by McLaren to carry the Yardley colours in 1974.
Hailwood was a nine-time World Motorcycle Champion who had also raced in 12 Championship F1 GPs across 1963-1965 for Reg Parnell’s privateer team, scoring a best result of 6th in the 1964 Monaco GP. These F1 races were done alongside his motor-cycling GP commitments. He continued to race and win on two wheels until 1970, but for 1971 he made the fulltime switch to F1 with Surtees. In three years with that team Hailwood scored one podium, a 2nd place in the 1972 Italian GP at Monza, the same year in which he also won the European F2 title for Surtees. Deducing that Surtees would not be able to give him a car to challenge higher up the grid (his best season result with Surtees was 8th in the Drivers Title in 1972), Hailwood was on the lookout for a better drive when the McLaren opportunity came along.
The 1974 season started off well for Hailwood, with Top-5 finishes in the first three events, including a 3rd place in the South African GP. Hulme and Fittipaldi had won the first two GPs, confirming the M23 had pace. Unfortunately for Hailwood, his season then turned somewhat sour – four more results in the lower half of the Top-10 were offset by three retirements. His season, and F1 career, came to an end at the German GP, suffering a heavy accident that left him with fractures to both legs. He would recover and returned to racing motor-cycles a few years later.
PW – Formula 1 The Car Collection
McLaren M23 – Ford-Cosworth 3.0
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing – Mike Hailwood
1974 F1 – 10th