Ken is that your morris minor in the back ground ?? beaut piks thanks mate ...re the weekly wages & the price of Trojan= law of relativity
Printable View
Ken is that your morris minor in the back ground ?? beaut piks thanks mate ...re the weekly wages & the price of Trojan= law of relativity
Yes Grant, that is my 4 door Morris Minor. Bought it for 80 quid and sold it a year later for 90 Pound. I should have been a salesman for you ! As our gearbox department was about half a mile from the race shop the Morrie was like a shuttle and people would pile in to go to lunch at the cafeteria. There was always interesting people in there along with lots of stories. I enjoyed the older craftsmen who lived there in Croydon during the war and their stories of German V-1 bomber strikes and a lot of bombs were dropped on Croydon so the Luftwaffe could make it back to Germany plus Biggen Hill airfield was nearby. Many drivers such as Denis Hulme, Jody Scheckter,Barry Sheene etc would also come in and sit at the tables. I remember A Scotch driver, Gerry Birrell lunching with us on a
Tuesday and on the Saturday he was killed in a Formula 2 race in Rouen, France.
I was surprised at how few of the Trojan staff went to race meetings as building a race car was just a job !
I enjoyed going to as many meetings as I could. Being with Hewland gearboxes, I could get in and hang out with winning teams !
( Ken Hyndman )
By mid 1973 the Trojan T 101 was proving to be quite a successful race car in Formula 5000 in both the Rothman Series in Europe and the L&M Continental Series in the United States.
( I do not know if any made it out to NZ )
It was well suited to handle the aggressive driving styles of drivers such as Keith Holland and Jody Scheckter.
The Trojan designer, Ron Tauranac, had now been joined by a young man just starting out, Patrick Head.
( I have provided some 1973 information clippings from my album )
Trojan T 101 specs.
Attachment 26375
1973 race results up to August,
Attachment 26376
Scheckter driving Trojan T 101 / 3 in the United States.
No mistaking that it was JODY at the wheel !
Attachment 26377
Attachment 26378
(Ken Hyndman )
July 1973. Silverstone. British Grand Prix.
You may remember my first thread started here as I delivered transmission parts to Sid Taylor for Scheckter's Trojan F 5000 that was in the States.
In the first photo, not shown before, who can name some of the people here other than Denis Hulme.
( Peter Bruin, a mechanic that Hulme trusted, Greeta Hulme, time keeping,Francois Cevert, Derek Gardner..Tyrrell designer, Ken Tyrrell, team owner. Joe Bugner, boxer. Just visible is the back of Jackie Stewart
(note how crowded the pit lane was ! )
Attachment 26392
( Ken Hyndman photo )
__________________________________________________________________________________
In this photo from the 1974 Motor Racing Year book.
Note how the spectators feet were just above Scheckter's head as he scraped along the wall and also note spectators hanging out over the railing in the top photo.
Just imagine the disaster if the fuel tanks had exploded or wheels or debris gone into the crowd !
Thank all those involved for making the track safer before another 1955 Le Mans type accident had taken place.
Attachment 26391
(Ken Hyndman )
I'm enjoying this...
Re the Trojan T101 - none were ever raced here in period. In reality their shelf life was extraordinarily short but nevertheless successful.
By the time the 74 Tasman rolled around, the T101 had been usurped by the Lola T330 and the development of the Chevron B24. Has a Trojan raced here as a 5000 in Historics? I'm uncertain about that but I do recall one was being advertised a couple of years ago - perhaps from the northern part of the South Island??
A young Peter Bruin in the orange shirt/ blue cap.
August 6th 1973. Silverstone.
This was the Rothmans F5000 race that never took place due to rain.
In practice Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101, qualified in 2nd place and we were looking forward to a good race.
Steve Thompson won pole position driving a Chevron B 24, then Holland and third on the grid was Peter Gethin also in a Chevron B24.
Fifth on the grid was Kiwi, David Oxton driving a Begg FM5. I was hoping this small team would do well here.
Alas it rained too hard right after the start and the race was abandoned.
After my previous comments about the lack of safety at Silverstone, here I am a month later, hanging over the railing as the race started !
Steve Thompson on the left, Keith Holland in the centre and Gethin on the right. Oxton is well positioned right behind Holland's T101. # 25
Attachment 26395
David Oxton in the Begg FM 5 coming back to the pit area followed by his mechanic, Joe Wright and ?
Attachment 26396
A disappointed Keith Holland, in his Trojan T 101,being pushed to shelter as the rains came down.
He felt he had a good car that day.
Attachment 26397
( Ken Hyndman photos )
1973 Trojan production. The first time without McLaren on the emblem.
Attachment 26410
( Ken Hyndman )
Obviously Greeta Hulme on stopwatches in foreground but who's the guy next to her on timing???
My friend Patrick.
"Head then went to work for Ron Tauranac, who had sold the Brabham F1 team to Bernie Ecclestone and was building Trojan Formula 5000 cars. Head designed these and even the Trojan F1 car, which was run in six GPs in 1974, with Tim Schenken driving. Dispirited, Head gave up racing. He spent 1975 and 1976 building his own boat but then Frank Williams convinced him to return to the sport, offering him the job of chief engineer of Frank Williams (Racing Cars) Ltd. A few weeks later the team was bought by Walter Wolf, who appointed Harvey Postlethwaite as chief designer. Head stayed on for that year but, at the end of 1977, he and Williams left the team and established Williams Grand Prix Engineering. Williams took 70% of the company and Head 30%."
When I read this article in GrandPrix.com it brought back my memories of meeting up with Patrick in June 1973. We met at the aforementioned cafeteria at Trojan. He was alone and I needed someone to discuss the recent mayhem at the 1973 Indy 500. I liked his friendly attitude toward me and we decided we needed to live closer to work and started to check out accommodations (and pubs ) around Croydon but as neither of us had any money (then) our plans altered. I think he ended up living at home and I moved into a house in the Crystal Palace area with 6 Kiwis and Aussies which kept the rent down but not much else ! I would often go around to the race shop after hours and "hang out " with Patrick as he worked at putting the next Trojan design together. Little did I realize that he would go onto to being one of the best race car designers ever. When I left at the end of 1973 he was planning to go off to design and build boats !
I stopped in to see him in 1996 in the midst of one of Team Williams best F 1 seasons. He was still the same as I remembered him. He showed my son and I around the facility. Sean was more interested in getting to the Tower of London and also seeing where Jack the Ripper operated. Looking at race cars was much more exciting for me than it was for him back then !
Attachment 26422
1996. Visiting with an old mate.
Attachment 26424
(Ken Hyndman photos )
You can read more about Patrick at this site.
http://www.williamsf1.com/Team/About.../Patrick-Head/
Ken that was a very cool read....Thank you .....soon I would like to tell you about a connection about Frank Williams & Roly Levis...but before I do I will do a bit of research to get the story right ,,,,,,,, also a wee bit about Roly ,,,,,, on the odd trips [him & I] did to manfield etc when we re built a mustang that became a front runner [pre 65] some times just us two talking very in depth about life etc .....[ thanks to him & Tim Prentice]..........
Wasn't Roly's BT23C ex-Frank Williams ?
Baypark, December 1968.
Roly Levis talking with Leo Geoghegan.
Standing in front of Roly's Team Lexington Brabham BT 23 C / 7
This car was first owned by Frank Williams for Piers Courage to drive.
Attachment 26423
(Ken Hyndman photo )
And a lovely little car it was, too.
Oct 1973.Brands Hatch.
This shows why I am not a racing photographer, but it does show Brands Hatch at Druids corner as autumn approaches.
Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101 hurtles into the corner followed closely by Ian Ashley in his Lola 330 and Steve Thompson in his Chevron B 24.
This was the final European F5000 race for 1973. It was a wonderful season for F 5000 racing and the Trojan was very competitive. But due to the approaching oil crisis and rising expenses I do not think F 5000 was ever as good as this again in England.
Attachment 26446
Keith Holland in Trojan T101 /1 at the same corner on a practice day.
Attachment 26447
( Ken Hyndman photos )
Oct. 7th 1973. Snetterton race track. England.
I once again had the tough job of taking Hewland components to a race team. As I knew Graham Donaldson, who was originally from Rotorua, and was a mechanic for the VDS team from Belgium, I went to their area.
It was a somber day as the news came through that Francois Cevert had died at the practice for the US F1 race at Watkins Glen and many of teams here knew Francois well.
I took this photo and just recently noted it has the complete 1973 VDS team in it.
Count Rudi Van der Straten (VDS) is on the left, then driver, Chris Craft, mechanic Graham Donaldson, just appearing at the rear is driver, Teddy Pilette and carrying the tool is the Count's son Herve,who was the team manager and mechanic also.
All the attention is on Craft's Chevron B24, which did not have a good day and dropped out of the race due to a drop in oil pressure.
This team was a good bunch and Graham rates the Count as one of the best owners he ever worked for.
Attachment 26449
( Ken Hyndman photo )
June 1973 at Trojan Racing. ( Hyndman & Donaldson outside the workshop )
I know this has been on another thread but this shows the last time VDS Racing was at Trojan after using Trojan vehicles over several years. About to load up the mighty powerful but very unreliable M8F Turbo. Teddy Pilette was a brave driver who said that when driving this car "On a fast corner it always felt like the back is going to overtake the front, while at the end of the straight the brakes have to stop almost a ton travelling at 170 mph " ..A brave driver indeed while trying to control 1300 BHP !
Teddy Pilette went on to be the Rothmans European F5000 driving a Chevron B24.
I was pleased to hear that he and Graham Donaldson are still in contact with each other even to this day.
Attachment 26454
(Ken Hyndman photo taken by Bill Meace )
Attachment 26455
Teddy Pilette at speed
(VDS file photo)
(Ken Hyndman )
Motorman, Jan-1974- Eoin S. Young writes-
Ron Tauranac has been nursing a "secret" formula 1 design ever since he left the Brabham organisation after it had been taken over by Bernie Ecclestone. Ron had told me from time to time that this design, a culmination of his best ideas, was waiting for the right opportunity to be transformed into a car.The right moment came with an offer from Trojan to design them a F5000 car and this has just been completed for testing at Goodwood by Keith Holland. Fuel problems slowed times on the first day out with the new T102, but Tauranac is obviously looking on this car in 5-litre form as a rolling testbed for a Tauranac F1 car, and apparently his deal with Trojan includes a reciprocal arrangement on hardware.
So this means that Ron could really come up with a 3-litre car using most of the bits made for the F5000 Trojan.
He says he is pressing along with the project and hoping that a sponsor will come along to back him before it is ready to race.The Trojan features the familiar lobster claws radiators from the BT34, but these are faired in with the nose more than they first appeared on the Brabham.
Interesting to see that Ron didnt follow the trend to radiators either side of the cockpit...but then wasnt it Tauranac who said way back in the days when Brabhams were staunchly space-framers,that the fastest thing about the monocoque Lotus was Jimmy Clark
John,
That is good input and you beat me to it !. I am still going to write some stuff and have photos regarding the Trojan T102.
Again I do not want to bore people with repetition.
( Ken Hyndman )
"Again I do not want to bore people with repetition."
Ken, please keep it up, I'm enjoying this thread.
Marty
Ken I LOVE yr piks this part of Brands was very special , for a young Kiwi on big O E we can see the top of pik is it Paddock or Clear Ways this was where we [Dad & I] stood in sweltering summer of 76 where James & Lauda had the coming to gether ........ as for Druids this is a corner I spent a few years watching from .... just great stuff Ken ... Thank you..keep them rolling big Brother from TaurangaQuote:
Originally Posted by khyndart in CA
Snetterton, England. Oct 7th 1973. Paddock area.
The Rothmans European Championship F 5000 race is about to begin. Teddy Pilette in car # 33. VDS Chevron B24 under the watchful eye of Herve Van der Straten.
Clive Santo in car # 3. Lola 330. Ian Ashley in car # 6. Lola 330.
In the corner is Bob Evans in car # 11. This was Trojan T101 / 4.
Bob had qualified fifth and not done as well this season as he had hoped, but this was to be his day.
Attachment 26456
(Ken Hyndman photo )
Oct 7th 1973. Snetterton paddock scene.
About to assemble on the grid. In front is car # 32. A Chevron B24 driven by Peter Gethin.
Car # 44 is the brown Hexagon Highgate Trojan T 101 / 5 driven on this day by Damien Magee and at other events by John Watson.
The yellow Lola T330 is driven by Tom Belso. The red #7 car I believe was a modified M10B known as a Kitchmac and driven by Richard Knight. If you look closely on the left is car # 22 with Graham McRae in his Iberia Airline GM1 as they work frantically to replace the engine in time to start the race as Graham had qualified on the front row. He made the start but retired after 9 laps with oil cooler problems.
Attachment 26457
(Ken Hyndman photo )
Me too, great stuff (and a unique, personal perspective, which makes it even more valuable. Just what this website is about, IMHO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty
Thanks Shano, Marty and Grant etc.. I appreciate the encouragement. The old shoe box of photographs is getting close to empty though !
Cheers, Ken H.
Snetterton. Oct 7th 1973.
Trojan Wins !
Bob Evans drove a very good race after passing Teddy Pilette and went on to win. This was the last important race won by a Trojan F5000 car. I was glad I made it to the event and again I would hang around with the "big boys" and celebrate before heading south back to London. It was good day at the races. Now it was back to getting the next Trojan ready, the T102
Attachment 26459
Getting ready to load up the Bob Evans Trojan T101 after winning at Snetterton.
Note the official score tower. Shows # 11 (Evans) # 33 (Pilette )
( Ken Hyndman photo )
Ken, wonderful photos of the F5000's, still I believe one of the best classes ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyndart in CA
You note a Richard knight in car #7, Could that have been the Richard Knight who won the very first Australian Formula Ford Driver to Europe Championship?
In the photo to the right of the Hexagon transporter, is that an MGB towing a Mini?
Terry,
Yes that is the same Richard Knight.
As for the MGB. I think the trailer is not hitched and the MGB is backed up in front of it. (I am not certain on that though !)
(You have good eyes mate !)
The red car in front of McRae's is Brian Robinson in a McLaren M19C/ 2 that a year earlier was being driven by Peter Revson in Formula One.
Ken H
I have really enjoyed the fascinating account of your working experiences in the UK over those years. You were inspired to take those photos also. So many people didn't realize how important photos become in time, as they "tell a thousand words" about an era that at the time seemed so ordinary, but over the years prove to be unique.
Brilliant stuff Ken - I look forward to more gems from the shoebox!!
During the seventies I worked with Ray Grant's brother in Auckland.
Ray (Kojak) would call in whenever he was back in Auckland to see Gary at our office for a cuppa and a chat. It didn't seem strange at the time to have James Hunt's mechanic (with shoulder length hair) sitting in our Drawing Office chatting about life in a F1 team.
Look forward to more tales in future - brilliant stuff. Cheers Ross
Agree with Ross and others, excellent stuff- the memories and the colour pictures.
Eoin Young in his columns was literally the only way I heard about the F5000 scene.
Also thanks to Youngs World I know that in 1973 Peter Revson had a good season-won 2 grand prix, Miss World -Marji Wallace - was his girlfriend, and he was the heir to Revlon fortunes
Yes John, Peter Revson had his best year in 1973. Apparently, even though he was an heir to the Revlon empire, he was a good guy to work with /for. He seemed to work well when teamed up with Denny Hulme.
This photo captured perhaps his finest moment after winning the 1973 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Attachment 26462
Attachment 26540
(Closer image of Revson,Peterson and Hulme)
( Ken Hyndman photos )
Attachment 26539
Artist Michael Turner skills produced this card showing
the exciting finish to the 1973 British Grand Prix.Revson beating Ronnie Peterson and Denis Hulme.
James Hunt came in 4th less than 3 seconds behind the winner !
Brian Robinson drove Revson's McLaren M19C/2 from the 1972 Formula One season in the 1973 F 5000 season now with a Chevy V-8 instead of the Cosworth DFV. It was a fairly consistent finisher in 1973.
This photo shows Robinson in the M19C being chased into Druids corner at Brands Hatch by Keith Holland in the Trojan T 101.
Attachment 26463
In 2004 on display at Long Beach Grand Prix Arena.
Peter Revson's 1972 McLaren M19C/2 after what looks like a magnificent restoration.
Attachment 26464
(Ken Hyndman photos )
October 1973. Trojan Racing workshop.
After the success of the Trojan T101 car and having the great design team of Ron Tauranac and Patrick Head many thought the next Trojan F5000 race car, the T102 would be an instant winner. Ron had started with a clean sheet and his trade mark design of putting split radiators ahead of the front wheels soon became evident. Tauranac explained that the front radiators have got the coolest air in and the best flow out, plus the added weight up front kept the front down in place of spoilers. Between the radiator pods was a fully adjustable central wing.
These photos show it quite well and it also shows the similarity to the Tauranac designed "lobster claw"Brabham BT34 Formula One car of the 1971 season.
Attachment 26525
Hyndman at work on the T102. Photo taken by Patrick Head.
Attachment 26524
(Ken Hyndman photos )
Attachment 26467
(Brabham BT 34. 1971.Graham Hill winning at Brands Hatch.)
Wikipedia photo
October 1973. Trojan Racing workshop.
Mick ... who was Keith Holland's mechanic, assembling the front on the new T 102. Ron Tauranac's years of Formula One experience was used into designing this F 5000 car to ease the mechanic's tasks as much as possible. The linkages etc were designed to accept the Alan Smith Chevy 5 litre V8 with carburetters but it could easily be adapted to fuel injection. The oil coolers were mounted low to allow clean air to flow over the rear spoiler. 13 x 11 in wheels at the front and 13 x 15 or 17 in wheels at the rear. A Hewland DG 300 5-speed gearbox. As the T 101 car had done well, Tauranac was confident the T 102 would do even better especially under braking and short circuit handling. The next season was eagerly awaited.
The original plan was to build 6 of these cars, all for sale at 7 thousand pounds each plus VAT as a rolling chassis less engine.
I thought it was a pretty good looking car and did not realize at the time that it would be the only Trojan F5000 T 102 that was going to be built ! (These are rare photos indeed ! )
Attachment 26475
(Ken Hyndman photo)
The scene inside the Trojan Racing shop at the height of production on the McLaren-Trojan M8 FPs in 1971. The T 102 was assembled in the middle front area close to the offices of Ron & Patrick.
Attachment 26476
(Trojan file photo )
The talented automotive illustrator,Tony Mathews dropped in to gather information and then produced one of his masterpieces of the Trojan T 102 that was published in the Motoring News in late 1973.
Attachment 26478
1973. Trojan Works. Croydon. London.
I noted somewhere that someone wondered why Barry Sheene was mentioned on this post. Peter Agg the owner of Trojan also owned the Suzuki of Great Britain franchise and so the motor cycle racing team worked from the Trojan premises. I found this picture on the Barry Sheene web site and it was so typical of Barry back then. (Not taken at Trojan ) He would show us in the parking lot of how he could do all sorts of "wheelies" and always had a cigarette in his mouth! He was fun to be around and especially when we all went to a London party !!!.
Attachment 26480
November 9th 1973. Goodwood race circuit.
The Trojan T102 was ready for its first test. I had been to Southhampton and then dropped by this circuit that had so many memories from the past. I had lost an uncle that had clipped the hills near here on a foggy day during World War Two and crashed his "hedge hopping"Mosquito bomber close to a nearby village.
Of course we were all shattered when we heard the news that Bruce McLaren had died here in 1970.
The course caretaker took me around the track in his brightly coloured Land Rover that had been the first vehicle to reach Bruce's crash site. He pointed out where Stirling Moss had crashed in 1962 and then came around to Lavant Straight and the skid marks from Bruce's M8D were still clearly visible. As noted by others that if it had crashed 10 yards further on it would have completely missed the flag marshal's stand !
Attachment 26482
(1970 photo. Unknown source)
Bruce McLaren did much of his testing over the years at the Goodwood track. (in the background is the red and yellow Land Rover.)
Attachment 26483
(Photo thanks to George Begg & Bruce McLaren Trust)
Nov 9th. 1973. Goodwood.
When we first arrived we had to wait while the March Formula One team was testing their March 731 car and it was great to watch J.P. Jarier powering his way around the old chicane area. As you can see it was before the days of wind tunnels and so masking tape was used in various ways. This shows March's Robin Herd talking to Jarier and also that is Patrick Head taking a look at the rear area of the car as the Trojan team was about to expand into the world of Formula One for the 1974 season and was always interested in what the other teams were doing.
(Can you imagine walking up to another team's car today and peering in and checking it out without being thrown out !)
Attachment 26509
(Ken Hyndman photo )
Nov 9th 1973. Goodwood.
Then it was time for the Trojan T 102 to get out onto the track for the first time. This shows Keith Holland entering Goodwood past that Land Rover and a concerned looking Patrick Head and Mick .... The car ran OK and did show promise before having fuel pump problems.
As we drove back to London later all the news was about the up coming Arab Oil Embargo as a result of the war in the Middle East. This was about to have a big effect on all motor racing and changes were coming.
I was soon on my way to California and note that Trojan never won again after I left !
Attachment 26510
(Ken Hyndman photo)
Well folks that is the end of my photos from the shoe box.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
( Ken Hyndman )
Loved it all Ken ................. Thank you