June 13, 2002

by Edvar van Daalen
Photos by Edvar and Arvid van Daalen

Everybody knows the great stories about the old racing days, when the drivers didn't wear any helmets and when the cars didn't have ABS or launch control. Especially for the younger generations, it's a pity that there is no time machine to go back to the days of Tazio Nuvolari or Alberto Ascari to experience this. But visiting the Monaco Historic Grand Prix certainly helps you to get a bit closer.

The winner of series C, David Franklin in his Ferrari 750 Monza. For a larger photo click here

As in 1997 and 2000, the 73-year-old track of Monaco was used again by the drivers and their now-ancient Grand Prix cars to fight for the prizes and the honour. The course is virtually the same as when the first race was held in 1929, and the circuit always is a big challenge, with difficult corners, which make it hard to overtake other cars. A total of seven different series were necessary to split all 194 cars up, the oldest being a 1924 Riley, while the most recent vintages were a Surtees and a Tyrrell from 1978. The list of cars certainly can be called impressive, with many Bugattis, Maseratis, Alfa Romeos and Ferraris, but also marques like Amilcar, Gordini, Osca, BRM and Cooper. The drivers list was also impressive with famous names like Phil Hill and Sir Stirling Moss, along with with current Formula One drivers like Takuma Sato and Alex Yoong.

The old and new at Monaco: Barrie Williams' yellow Connaught A4, circa 1956. For a larger photo click here

Preparations
On Friday, almost all of the cars were already present, in the paddock and the pit-lane near the harbour. As there wasn't much space available, the cars were placed quite close to each other. This wasn't really a problem, but a single running engine could make half of the paddock 'deaf'. So, a good suggestion for future visitors; don't forget your earplugs!

Of course, all the teams were working hard to prepare the cars for the races, but in the evenings there was still some time to spend in the city. Perhaps a drink at Café de Paris, enjoying the Ferraris and Lamborghinis at the Casino, a nice meal at Stars and Bars, or otherwise you could always shop for some new toys at the Bonhams Auction. But everybody was looking forward to the next day, when the real work would start.

Rain in Monaco
Although located on the Mediterranean, Saturday saw rain, rain and more rain, which was unpleasant for most of the drivers and spectators. The slippery track caused some nasty accidents, but it also resulted in some spectacular exhibitions of wet weather driving by some of the drivers. Nevertheless, all participants fought hard for a good qualification. Among them was Duncan Dayton in his Brabham BT11, who showed some nice driving during the first qualifying session. Unfortunately, his 6-second lead didn't help much, as a damaged suspension forced him to retire.

New boy in old car: Alex Yoong in the Lotus 72 was defeated by the Tyrrell P34 of Martin Stretton. For a larger photo click here

To get an impression of the times, let's take a look at the fastest series, the pre-1979 F1 cars. Despite the rain Flavien Marcais qualified for the pole position at 2'12"702 in his BRM P180, while the fastest lap in the race was set by Trevor Reeves in his Tyrrell 008 in 1'44"182. At the Formula One the next weekend, Juan-Pablo Montoya took pole position in 1'16"676. A nice benchmark for new and old fans.

Phil Hill (left) and Prince Albert of Monaco (right) talking about Lawrence Auriana's fabulous Alfa Romeo 3000 CM. For a larger photo click here

The races
Fortunately, Sunday was sunny and the track was dry. Interrupted by short breaks with presentations of the Ferrari Club de Monaco and the Dutch sports car called "Spyker", there were seven very interesting races of ten laps each. As there was more overtaking than in the modern Formula One races, and with some spectacular driving, the spectators on the crowded stands had a wonderful time. The fight in series G between Alex Yoong in the Lotus 72 and Martin Stretton in his 6-wheeler Tyrrell P34 was especially interesting. When Stretton overtook Yoong, the crowds went crazy!

It might be a coincidence, but all races were won by drivers from Great Britain:

Series		Winner	Car
A	GP two position pre 1934	Dean Charles (GB)	Bugatti 51 (1932)
B	GP single seater pre 1952	Julian Bronson (GB)	ERA Type B (1937)
C	Sport pre 1959	David Franklin (GB)	Ferrari 750 Monza (1955)
D	GP rear engine pre 1961	Martin Stretton (GB)	Connaught C (1956)
E	Formula Junior	Denis Welch (GB)	Merlyn (1963)
F	GP rear engine pre 1966	Frank Sytner (GB)	Brabham BT4 (1962)
G	Formula 1 pre 1979	Martin Stretton (GB)	Tyrrell P34 (1977)
(See http://www.acm.mc for the details)

A closer look at some of the drivers
Among the participants in series A was Bart Rosman, who was driving in Monaco for the fourth time. Besides participating in the two previous editions of the Historic Grand Prix in 1997 and 2000, he also participated in a Bugatti race held prior to the F1 race in 1984, eighteen years ago. On Friday, most of the time was spent to prepare his original Bugatti T35 C (s/n 4920) with his wife and two other assistants. Bart also found some time to visit some of his old friends such as the Ferrari 312 B3 (s/n 014) that he owned in the early '80s and now entered by Jean Guikas. Bart said it was great to sit in the cockpit of this car and as an added plus, he met Clay Regazzoni (who drove this car in 7 races during the 1974 F1 season).

Jean Guikas in the ex-Regazzoni, ex-Bart Rosman Ferrari 312 B3 heading for the pits because of a flat tire. For a larger photo click here

On Saturday, the light rain during the first practice session made it very difficult to drive, but Bart ended in fourth place. During the second qualifying session, it was raining even harder and none of the drivers performed better than in the first session. Starting in fourth position in the race on Sunday, Bart quickly got to the third position after Julian Majzub hit the rail with his Bugatti T 35 B in the fourth lap. Unfortunately for Bart, large flames soon came out of the engine compartment of his car. Still trying to get to the finish, he was forced to retire on the 8th lap. It was a sad end to a good race, while having a podium finish in prospect.

Bart Rosman and his Bugatti T35 C, with flames and smoke escaping from the engine compartment. For a larger photo click here

Racing in series C, Simone Stanguellini also had troubles to finish with an undamaged car. A collision with Irvine Laidlaw's Maserati 250 S in the final lap caused some serious damage to the front of Simone's car. Simone finally finished in 14th position overall and 5th in his class, after starting on the 21st position. Being the grandson of Vittorio Stanguellini, founder of the marque Stanguellini and racing team Squadra Stanguellini, he felt it was an honour to drive his Stanguellini 750 Sport Bialbero (s/n 04081) among the more powerful Ferraris.

The Stanguellini 750 Sport Bialbero, after the collision with Irvine Laidlaw's Maserati 250 F. For a larger photo click here

This is understandable, as there was a strong connection between (Enzo) Ferrari and Stanguellini. Despite the setbacks, Simone had a wonderful time racing in Monaco. And he was certainly not the only one, as most of the participants and visitors enjoyed this wonderful event as well.