The 'Questions That Don't Warrant Their Own Thread' Thread

[PTRACER]

I was reading Motorsport magazine February 1980 and discovered the names Piercarlo Ghinzani and Arturo Merzario written in the Practice Times table, with the words "Did Not Take Part" written next to them. Their names strangely didn't appear in the Entry List, nor was there any mention of them in the 3-page article.

This was a full 16 months before Ghinzani's F1 debut and Merzario never raced in Formula 1 again after his effort in 1979 with his own (pathetically slow and ugly) car.

So, my question is - what team(s) were they entered with?

The best assumption I can make is that Merzario was thinking of taking his cars to Argentina, but didn't and that Ghinzani was there in reserve at Osella. Although Brambilla was there as a reserve for Depailler in case he wasn't fit enough to race (after his paragliding accident) and his name wasn't mentioned in the Practice Times list... There's no mention of them in the results at FORIX.

[CevertAngel]

I was reading Motorsport magazine February 1980 and discovered the names Piercarlo Ghinzani and Arturo Merzario written in the Practice Times table, with the words "Did Not Take Part" written next to them. Their names strangely didn't appear in the Entry List, nor was there any mention of them in the 3-page article.

This was a full 16 months before Ghinzani's F1 debut and Merzario never raced in Formula 1 again after his effort in 1979 with his own (pathetically slow and ugly) car.

So, my question is - what team(s) were they entered with?

The best assumption I can make is that Merzario was thinking of taking his cars to Argentina, but didn't and that Ghinzani was there in reserve at Osella. Although Brambilla was there as a reserve for Depailler in case he wasn't fit enough to race (after his paragliding accident) and his name wasn't mentioned in the Practice Times list... There's no mention of them in the results at FORIX.

According to my sourses Paul, and I asked around your assumptions are completely correct. Brambilla was actually going to drive but didnt end up driving due to Mechanical Problems pre going to qualify , and the team unable to repair the problem withdrew the temprimental car.

Merzario brought over his own car and apparently a spare but neither past pre race scrutinering and it never turned a wheel on that track that weekend.

Ghinzani on the other hand their seems to be no explination for?

[PTRACER]

Are you sure about Brambilla? The article just said he was there to replace Depailler in case he didn't feel like racing.

[PTRACER]

So, no one can answer the question about Ghinzani?

[Cheeveer]

Ask the same question at TNF PT.

My turn: is Guy Hobbs and David Hobbs the same person?

[caneparo]

Guy's hte son of David

[FloP]

Well, I have one, too:

Is there any relation between Shinji Nakano of F1 and Shinya Nakano of MotoGP?

[DoubleFault]

You know, i had always wondered that..

[F1FanWoodsie]

They are not. Born six years apart, the two are often confused for one another, and that IS a common assumption.

[CevertAngel]

Are you sure about Brambilla? The article just said he was there to replace Depailler in case he didn't feel like racing.

YES.............Got it from a very reliable sourse..........In fact the car in question had it seemed regular problems and Deprillier didnt like it at all. Patrick wasnt raceing due to a injury to his leg and hip that weekend. Supposidly after a un-stated accident. Known in Patrick he was probably doing something silly he shouldnt have been doing.

[PTRACER]

Someone on TNF managed to answer it for me

I found the following in the dutch magazine "Autorensport" from December 1979. Translated it says roughly the following.

Dates and drivers for 1980 were announced at a FIA press-conference on Thursday 13th December 1979.

The following drivers were announced:
1 Scheckter Ferrari
2 Villeneuve Ferrari
3 Jarier Tyrrell
4 Daly Tyrrell
5 Piquet Brabham
6 Zunino Brabham
7 Watson McLaren
8 Prost/Tambay McLaren
9 Surer ATS
10 Lammers ATS
11 Andretti Lotus
12 De Angelis Lotus
14 Regazzoni Ensign
15 Jabouille Renault
16 Arnoux Renault
17 ..... Shadow
18 ..... Shadow
20 Fittipaldi Fittipaldi
21 Rosberg Fittipaldi
22 Depaller Alfa Romeo
23 Giacomelli Alfa Romeo
24 Merzario Merrzario (just for the European races)
25 Pironi Ligier
26 Laffite Ligier
27 Jones Williams
28 Reutemann Williams
29 Patrese Arrows
30 Mass Arrows
31 Cheever/Gabbiani Osella
32 Gabbiani/Ghinzani Osella (just for the European races)
So before the season Merzario and Gabbiani were entered for only the European races.
I found at stats.f1 at the first European GP 1980, Zolder/Belgium, that Merzario was entered, but didn't participate due to "car unavailable".
I just went through several magazines (Autosprint, l'Automobile, Rallye Racing, Auto Motor und Sport, SportAuto, Autorensport, Autorevue, Autovisie, Autokampioen) about Zolder 1980, no mention whatsoever of Merzario and/or Ghinzani.

About the races. This was the original 1980 calendar (in brackets real date)
13-01 Buenos Aires
27-01 Interlagos
01-03 Kyalami
30-03 Long Beach
13-04 Watkins Glen (05-10)
04-05 Zolder
18-05 Monaco
01-06 Jarama
29-06 Le Castellet
13-07 Brands Hatch
10-08 Hockenheim
17-08 Zeltweg
31-08 Zandvoort
14-09 Monza
05-10 Montréal (28-09)
02-11 Las Vegas

13-04 Watkins Glen was originaly a Mexican Grand Prix that was cancelled and the date was returned to Watkins Glen. There is talk of an extra USA GP at Las Vegas on 2nd November 1980 (in fact F1 raced there the first time in October 1981). It was later cancelled and the Glen moved to fall.

They had been considering re-instating Anderstorp/Sweden although there still were financial problems (indeed, we never had a Swedish GP ever since 1978) and Hockenheim was originally planned for 03-08, but postponed a week for the 1980 Olympics.

About driver-licenses: for 1980 there were superlicences for besided the above mentioned drivers for at least Michael Bleekemolen, Huub Rothergatter, Bernard de Dryver and Patrick Nève.

[DoubleFault]

How did Brundle get away with driving for both Jags in the 24 hours of Monza in 1991? I thought there were rules against racing for 2 entries etc?

[Cheeveer]

How did Brundle get away with driving for both Jags in the 24 hours of Monza in 1991? I thought there were rules against racing for 2 entries etc?

It's not against the rules afaik, dunno really how it works.

[ReneLotus]

In those days it was possible for teams to swap drivers from one team to another. I read it while translating HC's Jan Lammers bio. He may have more info on this, I never knew of this before.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Often in the enduros a driver (particularly if they were championship contenders or a major attraction status) would be cross entered as a driver in both cars which would allow them to DNF in one car should it crash out or break down, and still score points by doing a stint in the other car the team had entered. Peter Brock did it at Bathurst one year and won the event in the #2 car after the main car retired. A bit like the days of F1 drivers (in the 1950's) when if the #1 driver broke down he would walk back to the pits and then the team would call the #2 in for the main driver to 'commandeer'. At the end of the race the drivers would share the position/ result and also the points and presumably prize money.