-
Detroit GP Pics
A few pics I took at the 1983 and 1984 GP's in Detroit:
This is Ron Dennis, Niki Lauda and John Barnard in 1983 during Sat qualifying. They were still running the Ford-Cosworth engine (in the MP4/1 chassis, today is the MP4/26!!) whilst most others had already switched to turbos. Lauda and Watson qualified near the back of the grid as the expressions on their faces clearly indicate.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8PsZ_AJ7B...hn+Barnard.jpg
Here's Niki Lauda in the '83 MP4/1 Cosworth. OK, now this shot is with a wide-angle lens. I'm about 2 feet away from the car!! A different world from today's tightly controlled access and viewing locations.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9X2VIApBlt...Niki+Lauda.jpg
1984 and McLaren had the TAG-Porsche turbo motors installed. Here's Alain Prost:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8_i_6aQONw...lain+Prost.jpg
And here's Niki Lauda in '84. I've got the engine block out of this car in my office as a coffee table!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BxmkqbkbwX...sche+Lauda.jpg
Jacques Laffite and current World Champion Keke Rosberg during Sat qualifying in '83. They were running the Williams-Ford Cosworth cars.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ejFQVHD41g...es+Laffite.jpg
Rene Arnoux and friend. It's good to be a Ferrari driver.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7-bT3KbbHO...ene+Arnoux.jpg
Nelson Piquet in '83:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JyntoRZKl2...n+Piquet+2.jpg
American Eddie Cheever in the 1984 Alfa Romeo 184T Turbo:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kxdKyEui8f...ie+Cheever.jpg
Ferrari paddock. This is Arnoux's 126C2b turbo:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FB1zSPwTGJ...ene+Arnoux.jpg
Ferrari paddock. Patrick Tambay's 126C2b turbo. He took over the car after Gilles Villeneuve was killed in '82:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xkm5WVfUOd...errari+Pit.jpg
-
Another shot of Piquet in '83. He would go on to win the title that year in the Brabham-BMW BT52. The 1.5L Turbo engine was rumored to have 1500HP in qualifying trim.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9xir77hTLc...n+Piquet+1.jpg
Alain Prost in '83 while still at Renault:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4-QpqaHbY7...lain+Prost.jpg
-
OUTSTANDING Curt.......... ;)
-
Doesn't seem possible that it was 28 years ago?!
-
Fantastic Curt! I remember those days (barely). Boy did the drivers sit far forward in the chassis back then. Their feet were well forward of the front axle. Yikes!
How did you get so close to the action - press pass?
-
Thanks. In '83 they started selling a 'Canon Photo Pass' for $100 for the weekend. It was unbelievable. Full access to the pits, paddock and basically all the way around the track. The following year, the price went up and the access was restricted. Each year, the price climbed more and eventually all there was were some special bleachers in 2 or 3 locations where you could take pics from. It was a joke. I only bought the pass in 83 & 84.
Also, these shots are all on 6x6 medium format Ektachrome 64. I don't have a slide scanner so I just held them up to a window and took photos in macro mode with a digital point & shoot camera! They turned out better than I thought they would. :D
And here's my only surviving photo from the '82 race. This is Jacques Laffite in the Ligier-Matra JS17. V12 goodness - just look at those headers! What a sound that made echoing between the buildings. That particular shot was taken with a handheld 35mm camera with a 1000mm mirror lens from the roof of Cobo Hall!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-b...ra+Laffite.jpg
-
Never seen the JS17 from that angle. That Medusa-head of pipes sure looks cool. I used to regularly make the trip down to the LBGP. I loved the way the Formula One cars of that pre-turbo era sounded on a street circuit, even if most of it was pretty Mickey-Mouse. Thanks for sharing!
-
Those are fantastic Curt. I really feel the most connection with this era. I saw the last F1 race at Watkins Glen in 1980 and didn't bring a camera :mad:
Thanks for sharing!
-
Agreed, Detroit was a Mickey Mouse circuit too, but man it was fun to go to a race downtown like this! Mark, no camera?! I suppose that's better than me who over the years has gone thru and threw out hundreds of photos because I was tired of carting them around ....
Here's a few more:
Nelson Piquet in the '83 Brabham-BMW BT52. I loved the looks of this car. Piquet became '83 World Champion.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O...iquet+Nr+5.jpg
This is American Eddie Cheever in the '83 Renault RE30 Turbo.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q...ie+Cheever.jpg
This is John Watson in '83 driving for McLaren. He won the '82 Detroit GP:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8...on+McLaren.jpg
This is the John Barnard-designed McLaren MP4/1. First car after Ron Dennis took over (the MP4 stands for Marlboro Project 4, Project 4 being Ron's old team). I took a bunch of pics of this car because it was revolutionary. The first F1 car with a plastic (OK, carbon fiber) tub. Many thought it wouldn't work. It was made by Hercules Aerospace in the USA. There was no ability to mold the material so they bonded together flat sheets of carbon fiber. Cool stuff at the time. And soon copied by everyone.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-b...es+Chassis.jpg
A classic shot of Rene Arnoux in the Ferrari 126C2. He always drove sort of hunched over the steering wheel with his head forward.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j...ene+Arnoux.jpg
I think this slide was mislabeled. Pretty sure this is Michele Alboreto in '84 in 126C4.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M...mbay+Nr+27.jpg
Another shot of Arnoux.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g...noux+Nr+28.jpg
-
Reigning '82 World Champion Keke Rosberg:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-t...g+Williams.jpg
Keke in the Williams FW08C Ford Cosworth. They switched to Honda turbo power later in the year.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-G...sberg+Nr+1.jpg
And finally, here's one from 1988. Alessandro Naninni in the Benetton-Ford.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8...ini+Nr.+19.jpg