VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

phil hill

Frank Lance, Lonestar Master Mechanic, Part 5

By

Nassau, December 1963. Frank Lance [right] and Roger Penske next to the Traco Chevy-powered Cooper Monaco that Penske would race. Lining up next, the 2-liter MRT Special [the original Zerex-Duralite], the Scarab/Chevy and one of the Grand Sport Corvettes. [photo: Frank Lance Collection]

Story by Willem Oosthoek
All photos by Flip Schulke [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.

When Frank Lance joined the Mecom Racing Team in November 1963, John Mecom had already been involved in road racing for almost two years. Not as a driver, but as a team owner. John’s dad, who ran an oil exploration business out of Houston and, at one time, was among the six richest independent oilmen in the world, would not allow his son to race himself. In 1962 John was 21 years old and his first competition car was a Corvette, raced by Frank’s former colleague at CSSCI, Bob Schroeder. He and Mecom made a trip to Modena and visited the workshop of Alejandro de Tomaso [essentially a two-car garage according to Schroeder] to become the Argentinian’s best customer.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Frank Lance, Lonestar Master Mechanic Part 4

By

Daytona, February 1962. Two Chaparrals lining up for the start. Jim Hall would race the white #66, while Dick Rathmann of Indianapolis fame was assigned to run Harry Heuer’s blue #0. [photo by Art Huttinger]

Story by Willem Oosthoek
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.

With both his successful Maseratis sold during 1961, Jim Hall would race the new season with three other cars: the Troutman-Barnes Chaparral and a pair of 2.5-liter Climax-engined Lotuses, formerly Formula One cars, now racing as InterContinental Formula entries [ICF] in several USAC events.

At Daytona in February, for the inaugural 3-hour Continental race, the first two Chapparals built lined up next to each other for the Le Mans start. Hall did well by finishing 3rd overall behind winner Dan Gurney [Arciero Lotus 19/Climax] and Phil Hill/Ricardo Rodriguez [NART Ferrari Dino 246S], but Rathmann’s ride was outstanding. In spite of a delayed start, losing almost two laps due to engine flooding, and a time penalty for a bungled fuel stop, Dick broke the track record a number of times to finish 6th overall. According to the Daytona program, their Chevy V8s measured 5,227 cc [around 329 cu in] but that would change.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Frank Lance, Lonestar Master Mechanic, Part 3

By

Mansfield, March 1961. Based on Jim Hall’s grimy face, a photo taken just after the race. From the left: Frank Lance, Jim, body man Foy Barrett and part-time mechanic Billy Billings, next to Jim’s feature winning Maserati 570S. Harry Heuer’s Meister Brauser Scarab is in the background.

As told by Frank Lance to Willem Oosthoek
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.

The 1961 season started well for Jim Hall. During the Polar Prix at Green Valley in February he raced a Porsche RSK to a feature win, beating preliminary winner Delmo Johnson in his Jaguar XK-SS [chassis 701].

Frank: “That was the former Penske RSK. Jim had a new Porsche RS-60 that he raced at Green Valley in August 1960, beating Delmo’s XK-SS for first overall. Roger wanted an RS-60 because Bob Holbert was beating him with his own RS-60. So, Roger made a deal with Jim to swap cars, although not engines. I had to remove the engine from the RS-60 and reinstall it in the tired RSK that Penske sent us. We took it to Green Valley in the new year and again won overall in a race against my old friend, the XK-SS Jaguar, now with Chevy power.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Frank Lance, Lonestar Master Mechanic

By

Dallas, November 1960. Frank Lance welding the cracked tubes on Jim Hall’s Birdcage Maserati, chassis 2463. The tube structure between the shock absorbers needed reinforcing as well.

As told by Frank Lance to Willem Oosthoek.
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection] unless otherwise stated

I met Frank at the Old Race Drivers Reunion, organized by R. David Jones, a former SCCA top official, at his Soldier Creek Ranch in Fort Worth a few years ago. In addition to Frank, I met Bill Janowski, Delmo Johnson, Bob Schroeder, Jim Hall, Willis Murphy, J.C. Kilburn, Enus Wilson, Toly Arutunoff, John Mecom and many other people associated with motor racing in The Golden Age. Frank stood out with his excellent memory at 90 years of age, and I decided he deserved to have his race history in writing. Frank and I put together his story via email and I used the many photos from my collections. Parts of this series appeared earlier in my book “Sports Car Racing in the South”(Dalton Watson). Most images of Frank’s early years were the work of Dallas Times Herald photographer Bob Jackson, a racing enthusiast. Jackson became a winner of the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Photography for his image of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald in the Dallas Courthouse.

Race drivers are the ones who receive all the attention and glory in the press. Their mechanics seldom do. Yet, Frank Lance’s career should get our attention as well. Frank served as the racing mechanic for five of the most prominent Texas drivers and team owners of the fifties and sixties: Jim Hall, Ebb Rose, Carroll Shelby, John Mecom and A.J. Foyt. He saw it all, from amateur [SCCA] and professional [USAC] sports car racing in the U.S., international long-distance racing at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans, Formula One racing at Watkins Glen, Riverside and Mexico City, to the Indianapolis 500, where he was part of the winning team twice. And all that in only a ten-year timeframe.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Graham Gauld: Mini Autobiography Part 1

By

Graham Gauld with his partner Jane Wallis-Hosken at the Portimao historics in Portugal.

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

It is hard to believe, but by the time you read this it will have been seven months since Jane and I turned in the key to the house, got a lift to the Nice airport and flew to London, leaving behind 27 years’ worth of memories of living in the South of France, in easy driving distance from Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Ventimiglia on the Italian border. Four weeks earlier I had celebrated the 70th anniversary of my first work as a motoring journalist at the age of 17.

Why am I telling you all this? Well Editor Pete Vack thought it would be a good idea to explain how it has been settling down in the country of one’s roots, after being away for close on thirty years. My life, so far, can be split into three parts so let’s start with the first part.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Allen R. Kuhn: Of Gauld and Ferrari

By

Carroll Shelby in John Edgar’s Ferrari 410S leads Dan Gurney in Frank Arciero’s Ferrari 375 Plus at Palm Springs on April 13, 1958. One of the many photos I shared with the Ferrari Archivist.

Story and Photos by Allen R. Kuhn

I would like to start this series of short stories – they are not Galleries as before – by telling a true story about Graham Gauld, and how he saved our skin when we were in Italy/France in 2006 for our seven-week tour of the Continent. The story really began in Maranello, so bear with me…. [Read more…] about Allen R. Kuhn: Of Gauld and Ferrari

Greatest American Grand Prix Drivers: The Top Ten

By

1961 Belgian GP (Spa) – Phil Hill (Ferrari-Dino 156) Artist: Sergio Tidel

THE GREATEST AMERICAN F1 GRAND PRIX DRIVER?
It may not be who you think….

By Clyde Berryman

In motor racing, the great ‘schism’ between the ‘Old World’ (Europe) and the ‘New World’ (America) was pretty much settled by the end of the 1950’s. Racing in Europe began on open public roads as epitomized by the turn of the 19th-20th century city-to-city races before danger led to closed-circuit road racing where designated public roads were temporarily closed off for a race.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Palm Springs, March 22, 1952 in color

By

March 22, 1952, Palm Springs California. I was there cheering Roger on — wearing my specially-made Simca T-shirt that had amused Barlow when I came to his dealership earlier that same year.This is the first of the two Roger Barlow Simcas, seen here with mechanic Bill Pringle behind the wheel. Pringle raced this car in the event, while Barlow himself drove the new Simca special, #62, with right hand drive. Pringle finished second and Barlow fifth in the main event. Al Coppel won the class in his MG special.

From the VeloceToday Archives, June 13, 2017

Studebaker designer and part time photographer Bob Temple recorded sports car events at the Studebaker Proving Grounds and the Press on Regardless Rally in the early 1950s. Temple also went out west, and was there with Kodachrome for the Palm Springs races on March 22, 1952. Most remarkably, Jim Sitz was there as well and recorded all the cars on his invaluable set of index cards. He was therefore able to identify and comment on the cars and the personalities at the race. Our thanks to both the late Bob Temple and the very much still alive Jim Sitz.

Photos by Bob Temple courtesy Vintage Motorphoto
Story and captions by Jim Sitz

I had the good fortune to attend the March 22, 1952 event at Palm Springs, California. The photographs were taken by Bob Temple. I also had attended earlier events there in April and October of 1951.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

A Later Look at the Career of Phil Hill

By

Sebring, March 1958. Winners Phil Hill and co-driver Peter Collins with a truly impressive piece of silverware. One wonders where it is today. (photo: Bob Jackson)

Story by Willem Oosthoek

After

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Jim Sitz Remembers Phil Hill

By

Hill Tribute Number 4 for September 7

Sixty years ago this week, Phil Hill won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and the World Championship. Photo by Jim Sitz

This is the last of Jim Sitz’s recollections of Phil Hill as we celebrate his World Championship year with the victory at Monza on September 10th. We have also combined all four of Jim’s photo recollections we have previously published this summer, so scroll down to read them all. Our thanks to Jim and his incredible memory, photography, and never ending contributions to the history of motorsports. [Read more…] about Jim Sitz Remembers Phil Hill

Jim Sitz Remembers Phil Hill, Part 3

By

Phil Hill, World Champion. 60 years ago this week Phil finished third at the German Grand Prix for Ferrari. Photo of Phil Hill at the LA Times Grand Prix by Jim Sitz.

This week, 60 years ago on August 6th, Phil was at the Nurburgring where he placed third, behind von Trips and Moss, who garnered one of his greatest victories that day. Still, during practice, Hill became the first man to lap under 9 minutes, coming in at 8 minutes 55.2 seconds for pole position. Sitz recalls that Phil came into pits, and all the press was making a big fuss. Then he just blurted out, ”Yea, did one lap without screwing up.” The race finished with von Trips with 33 points for the World Championship, Hill 29 and Moss 21. The Championship would be decided at Monza, September 10th.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Jim Sitz Remembers Phil Hill Part 2

By

Phil Hill, World Champion. 60 years ago this week Phil entered the British Grand Prix for Ferrari. We celebrate his championship year. Photo of Phil Hill at the LA Times Grand Prix by Jim Sitz courtesy IMRRC.

Jim Sitz’s first tribute to Phil Hill, Jim Sitz Remembers Phil Hill was published on June 14 and received a great number of very complimentary comments. Jim’s recollections and insights illuminate a rarely seen side of the champion. This week, as we celebrate the British Grand Prix (held on July 15, 1961) of Hill’s championship year, Sitz recalls seeing Hill at Torrey Pines and Sebring, 1956 as both gain in stature in their respective careers. [Read more…] about Jim Sitz Remembers Phil Hill Part 2

MENU