Seppi

[Kpy]

Took this picture 23/10/71.

Salut Seppi !!

[ingo]

Well done,kpy. I'm glad someone has posted something to commemmorate Jo Siffert. He was a first class driver, a real trier and right at his peak when he died, both in the Porsches and the superb P160 BRMs. I can't see your attached photo (any tips?) but I assume it was in practice at Brands - he took pole didn't he? I only made it down for raceday. I was at Clearways and remember it being a beautiful autumn day, Jo making a dreadful start, Gethin really flying with Fittipaldi glued to his gearbox, Seppi beginning his fightback and then the dreadful silence as the billowing black smoke rose above the trees out at Hawthorns. Very sad. I expect he and Pedro are still at it hammer and tongs round some celestial race track!

[Kpy]

Inigo - mail me - c.laws@wanadoo.fr and I'll return the photo

[Ray Bell]

I will never forget the pure joy I felt at switching on the radio that day in 1968 to hear that Siffert had won the British GP. My (then) wife was delighted too, even though her knowledge of racing was very limited...

She called him Jo 'Fish and Chips' (Siffert... seafood) and it surely added to the occasion. I never saw him race, but appreciated him from afar... the Rob Walker days, the fact that he was (like Moss before him) behind the 8-ball to start with, the rare wins (Syracuse... wasn't there another somewhere, maybe Solitude?), the wet weather ability...

One always feared for drivers when the 917 era arrived, that the two fastest masters of these monsters perished in other cars almost seems wrong.

And wasn't he the only driver ever to die in a BRM? The V16 tried hard to get Ken Wharton, the 4 tried to get Jean Behra and others, the little V8s were such darlings they never did much wrong... the H16s too stodgy to do it.. the V12s were smart cars, the safest of all that BRM built... and they got poor Jo.

[Kpy]

Ray - how true .............!

Anyone wants a look at the photo, see my post to ingo

[ingo]

Splendid photo Kpy, much better than my "blurs" of the time. Thanks. I shall pin it up at work next to Chris Amon drifting the Ferrari around Oulton Park.
I really liked those BRMs, even though, aged 14, I was a devoted Ickx/Regazzoni/Ferrari fan. At the Silverstone GP that year, once Stewart had put a stop to Clay's moment of glory, it looked as if Seppi was heading for a strong second place, and that in the aftermath of Rodriguez' accident. The BRM didn't make it that day but there was still Osterreichring and Monza to come!
Did any of you go to Bourne in 1999 for the special Raymond Mays/BRM celebrations - mouthwatering, but I couldn't believe the sketchy coverage given to such a wonderful event by Motor Sport and Autosport.

[mickj]

who cannot forget that wonderful photo of seppi in Rob Walkers short nosed Lotus 49 sideways at the Monaco GP 1968 in autosport. after seeing that photo I followed his career in F1 and sports cars. a great driver

[SL]

Sorry to plug 'Motor Sport' yet agian but this month has an article on Siffert / Rogriguez including a super shot of the start at Spa with the 2 Porsches side by side at the start heading for Eau Rouge.

Simon