F1Weekly Podcast # 983

Play Podcast: 03-14-23f1weekly983.mp3

NASIR IS PREPARING THE HOST FOR A FERNANDO WIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND POSSIBLY MORE THRILLS IN JEDDAH THIS WEEKEND. WE HAVE MORE F1 HISTORY THIS WEEK CAPPING IT OFF WITH ANOTHER INTERVIEW FROM THE F1W ARCHIVES…JACKIE OLIVER!

JACKIE OLIVER started in motorsport with a Mini, which would be driven on the road to race at Brands and Snetterton, and following this was a Marcos. After wrecking it at Snetterton, another Marcos was obtained (raced as Ecurie Freeze) plus he also raced his father’s business partner Ken Baker’s E-type and a Mustang. Then came a Lotus Elan and he came to people’s attention after a number of impressive performances, with wins and podiums at Brands Hatch, Crystal Palace, Monthlery, Croft, Snetterton and Rufforth.

In 1966 he was signed by Lotus for their F3 team, Charles Lucas Team Lotus, and went on to finish third in the Les Leston championship. 1967 saw him in F2 with a Lotus Components run Lotus and he came fifth overall and won his class at the German GP plus also took a class win in Oulton Park’s Gold Cup and victory at the Nurburgring. He also took victories with a Mustang at Silverstone, Snetterton and Brands Hatch and shared a Lotus 47 with John Miles in the Brands Hatch BOAC 500 race. In 1968, he was called up by Team Lotus to partner Graham Hill after the tragic death of Jim Clark. His first F1 race was at Monaco and he told how, before the start Colin bent down into the Lotus 49’s cockpit and said to him, “Lad, in the whole history of this race there have never been more than six finishers.’

 

Not quite true, but I got the point. Whatever I did, I had to finish. First lap, coming out of the tunnel, lit by about one 25-watt bulb in those days, into the bright sunlight, Bruce McLaren hit the barrier and tore off a wheel. Scarfiotti’s Cooper slewed sideways to avoid him. I arrived and had nowhere to go. Tore two wheels off. Lap one. I walked back to the pits. Colin, bent over his lap chart, didn’t even look up. ‘You f***ed that up, didn’t you. You’re fired.” There would be a number of frustrating retirements, and he was even leading the British GP until an engine failure forced him out, and best results were fifth in Belgium and third at Mexico.

In the following year he switched to BRM but the two seasons with them would prove to be disappointing, with his best results being seventh in South Africa, sixth in Mexico, fifth in Austria and seventh in Mexico. He had been running a strong third for most of the Dutch and British races though he finished fifth in the Race of Champions and third in the Oulton Park Gold Cup. However, there were highlights during 1969 with victories in endurance racing, at Le Mans and Sebring in a Gulf Ford GT40 (with Jackie Ickx). He made his debut in CanAm and at St Jovite, he qualified the Autocoast Ti-22 third behind behind Dan Gurney and Denny Hulme. But during the race air got under the car and it reared up and performed a complete backflip before landing and sliding on its nose. Fortunately the titanium chassis absorbed all the damage and enabled him to escape virtually unharmed.