Tag Archives: Ferrari

Talent Class Of ’13 – Toro Rosso Ferrari STR8

After 15 years of under achievement, in which the team bearing his name best season was marked by two fourth place finishes, Giancarlo Minardi sold out to Australian Airline Magnate Paul Stodart in 2000.

Kvyat, Toro Rosso STR8, Young Driver Test, Silverstone

Over the ensuing 5 seasons the perennial back markers remained just that scoring just 4 points scoring finishes, to his credit Paul Stodart determined that he would sell the team on only if those buying could add and commit to significantly improving the teams performance. He kept his word selling at the end of 2005 to a pair of Austrians Gerhard Berger, a former driver and Dieter Mateschitz, owner of Red Bull who had bought the Jaguar Grand Prix team only 12 months earlier and rebranded it Red Bull Racing.

Ricciardo, Toro Rosso STR8, British Grand Prix P1, Silverstone

For 2006 the Minardi team became Suderia Toro Rosso in deference to it’s home town in Firenza, Italy, and was operated as a talent feed for Red Bull Racing. The team took over the contract for the supply of Cosworth motors from Red Bull Racing while Red Bull switched to a supply of Ferrari motors. Additionally Toro Rosso used an updated 2005 Red Bull chassis for it’s 2006 programme.

Vergne, Toro Rosso STR8, British Grand Prix P2, Silverstone

2006 and 2007 saw no significant improvement in results with just three points paying finishes despite the team taking over Red Bull Racings contract for the supply of Ferrari motors in 2007 when Red Bull Racing switched to Renault motors. 2008 however saw Sebastian Vettel join the team and there was a dramatic up turn in results with Vettel scoring 5 consecutive points paying finishes topped by a 100/1 win in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo, Toro Rosso STR8, British Grand Prix P1, Silverstone

With the team finishing sixth in the championship Berger shrewdly sold his share of Toro Rosso to Mateschitz who equally shrewdly moved Vettel over to his main show at Red Bull Racing which now had top designer Adrian Newey on it’s books. For 2009 Toro Rosso managed six points paying finishes and slipped back to a familiar 10th place in the Championship standings.

Vergne, Toro Rosso STR8, British Grand Prix P2, Silverstone

For 2010 new regulations meant the team could no longer rely on cast off chassis from Red Bull and so came up with it’s first unique chassis and since then points finishes have become a little less sporadic, but the team has not finished any season higher than 8th in the championship. Going into 2013 Jean Eric Vergne, above, and Daniel Ricciardo, below, were retained to drive the Ferrari powered STR8 designed under the leadership of Technical Director James Key.

Ricciardo, Toro Rosso STR8, British Grand Prix P2, Silverstone

Having scored only 26 points between them in 2012 Vergne and Ricciardo managed an improvement to score 33 points in 2013. The main difference being the improvement in form of Ricciardo who scored seven more points more than his team mate, having scored six less the year before.

Vergne, Toro Rosso STR8, British Grand Prix P2, Silverstone

This was particularly noticable having kicked in after the announcement of the retirement from Red Bull from Ricciardo’s Australian compatriot Mark Webber. Ricciardo now looks forward to replacing Webber and driving alongside four time champion Sebastian Vettel.

Vergne, Toro Rosso STR8, Young Driver Test, Silverstone

Having scored the teams best finish of 2013 a sixth place in the Canadian Grand Prix Jean Eric secured a third season at Toro Rosso where he will be joined by the teams Russian 2013 test driver Daniil Kvyat (seen testing at Silverstone in the first photo). For 2013 Toro Rosso will be powered by the same Renault power trains as Red Bull Racing and it will be interesting to see if the team can pick up it’s game in a season where reliability is expected to be a key issue with the introduction of new hybrid power trains.

You can follow the fortunes of Toro Rosso on their website linked here and twitter feed linked here.

Thanks for joining me on this “Talent Class Of ’13” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an LA PD Interceptor. Don’t forget to come back now !

Caught In A Cat Fight – Ferrari 500TR/625LM Touring Spyder #0642MDTR

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On the 24th of June 1956 Ferrari entered three 2 litre 122 cui Ferrari 500TR’s with bodies by Touring into a sports car race at Monza. Today’s featured car chassis #0642MDTR driven by Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn started 3rd and won the race by 26 seconds from the Maserati 200S driven by Cesrae Perdisa and Stirling Moss with the two remaining factory Touring bodied cars #0632MTDR and #0652MTDR coming home 3rd and 4th respectively.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

After the fatal tragedy at Le Mans in 1955 and due to low build volumes Ferrari were barred from entering there larger engined 860 Monza or 290MM models which were considered prototypes, a class now restricted to 2.5 litre motors.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

So in late July 1956 #0642, #0632 and #0644 took part in the Le Mans 24 hours in 500TR/625LM spec fitted with 2.5 litre / 252.5 cui 4 cylinder motors. Olivier Gendebien and Maurice Trintignant drove #0644 to a third place finish behind a Jaguar and Aston Martin both considered to be production cars and consequently allowed to run with larger motors.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

Phil Hill and André Simon retired #0632 with a rear axle problem while #0642 carrying the #11 and scheduled to be driven by Alfonso de Portago and Duncan Hamilton was involved in an incident between two works Jaguar D-Types that saw all three retire in the opening laps. #0642 was repaired at the factory and returned to 500TR spec with a 2 litre motor re-fitted before being shipped to US agent Luigi Chinetti in New York.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

From December 1956 to 1963 the car was raced by privateers amongst whom David Ash scored a victory at Thompson when he was driving the car for Robert Publicker in 1957. Lloyd “Lucky” Crasner won at Opa Locka when he was owner of #0642 in 1958, two years later owner William Kimberely also recorded an overall victory in the car at Lime Rock.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

In 1963 Arthur ‘Art’ Burmeister recorded a class win at Frayling in the cars final year of competition. Up until 1994 #0642 remained in the USA whence it returned after a ten year spell in Japanese ownership.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs of #0642 which were taken at the Blackhawk Museum.

Thanks for joining me on this “Caught In A Cat Fight” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a self build vehicle has a tenuous link to NBA super star Wilt Chamberlain. Don’t for get to come back now !

Volvo Survivor – Ferrari 750 Monza #0538M

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Seriously regular GALPOT may remember a Ferrari Friday in March 2011 in which I posted a photograph taken in 1956 by Road & Track photographer Carlisle Blackwell featuring a Ferrari 750 Monza on the 20th Century Fox back lot.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Blackhawk Museum

Geoffrey Horton caught up with the car chassis #0538 at the Blackhawk last year and while I have no new information about the car I thought you might enjoy looking at the one off low nose body which original owner Mr Paravano is rumoured to have paid Scaglietti well over the odds for.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Blackhawk Museum

Soon after #0538M was purchased by William Shaker for $600,000 with a Chevrolet V8 installed the car is said have gone on an unmanned trip down Mr Shakers drive and come to rest against his Volvo, ironically Volvo is Latin for “I roll”.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Blackhawk Museum

I have not been able to establish which, if indeed any, of the Ferrari’s panels were damaged in the incident.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Blackhawk Museum

Another mystery as yet unresolved is who was seen at the wheel of #0538M when Carlisle Blackwell took the photo’s of it for the cover of Road & Track in December 1956 ?

Ferrari 750 Monza,

(Photo Reproduced Courtesy of the Blackwell Archive)

If you recognise him please do not hesitate to chime in below.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs from the Blackhawk Museum and Pamela Blackwell for permission to use her fathers photograph.

Thanks for joining me on this “Volvo Survivor” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again for a look at a nice self build. Don’t forget to come back now !

Brighton Speed Trials Under Threat of Permanent Cancellation !

In their infinite wisdom, Brighton & Hove City Council are seeking to ban the Brighton Speed Trials from 2014.

If you care about speed and or motorsport history, please sign this linked petition to save Brighton Speed Trials in 2014 and beyond.

It’s a faf to Register before signing, but relatively painless compared to loosing the event which has been run with few interruptions since 1905.

You do not need to be resident in Brighton, or even the UK to sign.

More on Brighton Speed Trials on this link.

Thanks and please spread the word through whatever social media you have at your disposal.

What Goes Around (Slight Reprise) – Ferrari 250 MM Vignale #0260MM

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I first looked at today’s featured Vignale bodied Ferrari 250 MM #0260MM in June 2011, but since Geoffrey Horton was kind enough to send me some more recent photo’s of it I can indulge you with a few snippets of additional information that have come to light.