1958-08-23 — Page 6

THE CHINA MAIL SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1958.

Men of speed

• Mike Hawthorn is woll on his way to bocoming this year's world champion driver. But only five years ago he was the new boy of international motor racing. ...a now boy in a tough school.

Ն

EVERY Grand Prix driver loves his sleep. In the hours before a race he clings to his bed like a squirrel besieged by winter.

FANGIO... GONZALEZ... ASCARI...LEGENDARY NAMES

...WHAT CHANCE DID A NEW BOY STAND IN SUCH COMPANY?

The unknown who won

The drivers gathered гоил

with the referee before a fight. the chief marshal like boxers They were told the old, old

Often it is thin sleep, restless and tormented. But from those first novice days when the dawn drags and closing one's eyes is a stern discipline, what flag sinnals incant,

it becomes a craving.

It was July 5, 1953, at Rheims, in

France, and By

insufferably hot. It was a misery to slay in bed, a drudgery to get up.

que the

GLENTON

ROBERT

But

by one drivers started to pad round in bare feet, push open the shutters of their windows shrugged and relaxed. That day and frown at the sun glare the brulai, retratless Oght for Diệt championship would 1241E be from the narrow street.

joined. Anyway, it was tap

A fight promised

hot.

which skie they must drive. Which side they must overlake.

Most of them shufted,

glory for Britain

fdgeted, yawned at the old, old one thing..........he

was Gghting

story. They looked down at with a world champion. their feet and paid no attention, Haworn knew the wards too, but he wRN FO interested i bearing them

Usai in French his was the only uplifted face.

Suddenly the faded sky was thattered by the bellow of one. gines. Fangio erouched in his enr. 1-shouttlered, Gonzalez waved to the crowd. Young Mulinon, inaking his

But he had time to tell kim- self i wouldn't last. £le was the new boy. In his stream- lined mirror was the image of the Ferrart leader Ascari and his car.

fidgeted.

aine,

In a Grand Prix, corners slide hazily past and loom up again, The minutes are defeated by speed,

A driver con loses count. He cannot tell how many times he has been through this bend. How many times he will have to silde round it again. But of one thing Hawthorn was sure.

Farino, Live nidest d-lver of them all, looked as though he were sitting behind un office But a few yards away were disk., And Hawthorn tried to Soon, from a dozen baths came fleu men who, fight Tipped, squeeze his height into all the Found of Italian, South held thetr

the lower windstreamed hope, angst. In American, and

started.... glowered. British tunes, Maserati pit Fangio

The count down mostly of key, and noorly all He was being rubbed of a Five seconds....four.... three Soon Ascuri would pounce, Soon without enthusiast

chance to show sleek-haired two.... one ....

Intu

he would ruck his engine and

The last bend-and

his hunch worked

better

The drivers carefully dressed Ascari chia TORA

their pants, vests, Bght driver. overalls, and bullered, thin-soled In the Ferrari pit Hawthorn, sitors. They plcked up goggles, baffled completely by eloquent,

Jalian, helaets, and drove through the emotional

understood only one thing. He was going to strvolgde the circuit:

It didn't take long, for the lose an opportunity to learn in town was deserted. This was the the company of the masters. day of the French Grand Prix and a fight was promised.

Ever since that day a year agu, la the Dutch Grand Prix, And everyone who could walk when Ugolini had watched the

་

The flap dropped,

વ skill to roar down on There was a roar as Gon- Fangio,

zalez, rocketed ahead, the blue Then two musters would fight

make from his spinning tyres i out alone. 10) hanging in the air,

The classic

Either Ferrari or Maserall would go to bed stormity that night but it would be none of Hawthorn's business.

Meanwhile he was having the headiest, happiest struggle of Behind his life.

From the moment It started, this was the classic ruce....the classic rice of the etnuiry the Gonzalez's violent elbows were Ascari, Villoresi, Fanglo, and

Hawthorn cannot tell, neither

dawned,

or even crawl was already at young British driver, and had experts still call IL. the elreuit 11. The edge of afterwards cautiously indicated Rheims. It was a new efreul!— his interest, over since that day the fastest rack in Europe, ao at Modem, only few months ....Hawthorn.... They Lunch can anyone elre, when the truth the experts said.

pant, that the minipotent malor ed together. Wheel by wheel racing tyrant Enzo Ferrari him they slid round carners nose to self had wald: "Will you drive (nil, Unked

exhnust-filims) by for us this week-end?" he had inches. ilehed to show his skill,

Unknown

Tu add to the excilement there was the fend between the Rallun After all, was he not the first Maseratis, which Briton since the war to handle Ferraris and stopped only a tle way short the fastest cars in the world? of siffettos. And the most in- pressive Acum of drivers that

Europe had ever seen.

Furious

lay between victory for Maserati nd the hot anger of the e Italian who gave him his chonce back in Modena was....himsell, He became convelous of a while re half scrubbed

now by lyro marks.

Discovery

الان

Wa the finishing line, Sixty times it had to be cros- od durmuy that race before it became the splendid rim of vie Lory. It was only a few hundred yards from a corner the French called "Thillois." It was a slow, right-angled bend.... n. bottom. gear corner.

*Hawthorn dlacovered that if he followed Fanito Inta the corner so close that the Argeti- tlufan's slip stream Orugged his own car along, he could pass Fangio before the finish- ing line.

He also discovered that if he led Fangio into the corner the little dark Argentinian would overtake him before that blurred, stained Hoc.

That line fascinated Hawihom. With less than 10 laps to go he decided to go into the corner so fast that Fangio could not Possibly be dragged along by the slip-stroúm. •

Blurred

A

THE DRIVER AND HIS MOTHER: A picture taken after the 1954 R.AG., British Grand Priz. Hawthorn was the first British driver to cross the finishing tins,

He triel. He was certainly- over the line first. But the strain of his aching wrists howling round never more than The white line was under his since Beagrave in a Sunbeam wrestling with a car that fought a hand's breadth apart.

whcels. to spin into the blurred, empty

Raging Gonzalez was not far Carce of the tricking crowd, beliind. But he was forgotten. the Insane torture of his Hawthorn, stunned by din nnd reling tyres, the whole ex- weariness, waited for the skil perience

driving beyond that Fangle would show to dis. limits he thought he knew "re- duced him to a venting. shuk- play his contempt for a novice,

ng frality.

of

But on that last lop it never came.

And there ahead was Thillois

For the lant hectic laps he didn't try that trick again. He had already decided that a man corner! to coldly expert as Fangio must have seen what he was doing, must be smiling, and must have a solution of his own up his sleeve.

He had won

Fanglo was in his mirror. The chequered flag dropped. Hawthom, with

a strange that would crain in his eyes never leave him again had won by 40 yards,

The most Incredible race in Grand Prix history was over.

a Briton had won a Grand Prix.

Under that hot, blue sky they played "God Save, the Queen," more efrasically than was to be expected, even it half of them could not resa the band parts,

For they were atili marvelling. Hawthorn, dilry, drooping With only 7.Grez. separating with a laurel wreath round his them the first five cats had neck, looked over the elm of surged past the winning fog, the sliver trophy filled-with- Choir drivers half exhausted, champagne at Fanglo, the grimy halt hypnotised by a violcneb of muestão.

known

When he first looked in his mirror and, astounded, realsed that Ascari was just a pinpoint One led and then another. In the distance, Hawthurn's face And Gonzalez, driving madly, was thicle with blacie bloom

Hawthorn, while faced now, could not in the lead he of exhaust fumes. The heat was draining is strength from his

shot past Fangio. He went Inid speed they had never

before. arts and his wrists. All the

he hod Last lap but two, last lap But the corner faster thinn time fighting the steering wheel, one....and the last Inp. The ever durid before. While the

Hastily the local band flut all the time changing gear.... crowd was wild. The heat was spinning kaleidoscope of faces, tered through their music. 700....BUU times,

forgotten. Just two

of straw bales, wide mouthed He was suddenly unhappily Italy, one driven by

a South officials was no more than a For the first time since 1923 aware that the only thing that American, one by

wanted.

Hlebind him hunched and grim were Fangio and Farina.

Lunatic...

Driving for Maserati there.wis Fangio was furious. Haw- the previous year's world chant- thorn didn't know though pion, Panglu, speaking little but Italian to tell of his disappoint- with a sure determination all ment. He stood sullen.

In th rst night Inps the over his swarthy, podgy face that They stared to the sunshine seven kaders had already over- he would regain his title.

through their green glasses un- taken the drivers at the back aware of each other.

of the field. Thets through the crowd of autograph hunters Ugolini strode

With him there was swagger- Iny Gonzalez, equally violent in his rages or his laughter, and

On the 24th Lapa the their Argentinian compatriot back. He was smiling, the French mechanics in the pits those young, talented Marimon.

were aniling. The storm was overalled saturninė and un- Icaped to

For Ferturi was the current over, the bitter words had emotional men champion Ascari; Villores, that withered. Ferrari would race their feet in company with the geying, walf of Grand Prix; after all.

thousands of spectators as they saw an Incredible lunatic sight gra, Conzulez dashed Past

Farina....and standing out like Out on to the starling grid the

A very sore thumb sinong these cars were pushed. Latins. a tall. blend-headed The hundred thousand them, then, in a tight frenzied Betton in his Arsi ful) season of spectatorr tenned, black- uriling bunch enme six cars. tep-line racing, whose naine the shadowed facca

Villores!, Hawthorn, under their Astari, crowd found almost impossible straw hats and crumpled paper Fangle, Farina, and Marimon howicd past wheel to wheel on to pronounce if they tried at all: shares.

inost Mike Inwiborn.

circuit that even the "Fangio," they shouted, Even most. British newspapers "Ascari," they screamed.

expert eye would swear would Bill spelled

No one paid any attention at have held only half of them.

"Hawthorne,"

Black flag

10/10

If the heat in the town had boen irritating, down on the

all to the vivid red Ferrari in No matter how eagerly it was which Hawthorn crouched, fed by prusion this pace could already uncomfortable because not be kept up.

he was too big to fit a cockpit designed for the only meg the makers and tradition regarded-

circuit it was brutal, Even us fit to be Grand Prix mas-

through sunglasses the broad ters....the

stocky

circuit was on afront to the shouldered Italuns." eyes. It seemed to magnify the

And it was not!

Fent overlakus driveta. So Sudden the knotted- does weariness,

pallery of the race changed.

Gonzalez, fretfully, squander-

No Briton had been invited

din, for a twelve-hour sports car to get behind the wheel of ed those hard-wrung seconds' race that had started a midnight such a car since Dick Seaman, cod in a pit stop.

Was just ending.

years before, when

molo: Violently, urgently, out of the pack, and well in front, ap-

That race was Baishing in a racing was still simost a week-

way which threatened to have end pastime and not what it peared two cars. The driver of

sensational effect on the Grand

Prix.

During the sports care roce mechaniet had pushed a Ferrari away from some petrol splited while the -car W/03 being refuelled. As they did so the driver pressed the starter and phot away,

Exalted French: officials waved their arms and hung out the black Bar disqualifying Ferrari. They claimed it had been push-stafled which, under international rules, is illegal. Ugoilui, head of the Ferrer team, shouted and thinkered.

was at Rheims that day...a vicious feud.:-

Revelling

Gonzalez, gesticulating, stru!- fing, was revelling in the mo ment. Secretly he half emptied his fuel tank.

Tuls would give him such AD “advantage over the cars Inden down with fast that he could scream ahead, friving na he always druve, arm akimbo, cornering violently, He calculatest that in this way

one was easy to identity. Every smalt child in that Fretich crowd knew his Impassive gil- bouelto. L was Fangio, in his Maserati,

•

But the other

tbo Ferrari driver in the green overall top the racing colours of Erilain . who was Lanty

The crowd looked at their programmes, at the car's bold black number....and the mair- mur was like a sudden wind rining.

he would gain such a lend that "Howl'orn," they

he could refuel again before he

He threatened to withdraw hit was caught up.

cary from the Grand Prix. This And a car that rockels would ruin the race without a seconds ahead has another nd- doubt,

"Meek Hawi'orn,"

Exuited

'muttered.

vantage. It disturbs the rest of Hawthorn In the loud, driving The thousands of spectators the Gold Drivers try to catch better than he knew he could, Had come only to see the vicious him. They over-strain their was exulting in his moment! Af unile between the Ferrari and earn. Crushes and engine failure ono prey, blurred, tyre-seredm Maserall teams,

are their lot, Ugolini stormed of

A Maserall and Gonzalez know telephone lo contact Ferrerl 'what they were doing." himself at Moderu, and tell him Qonzalez's smug look in of his declion.

furiated the edolosk Ferrari: The news crackled its way driver waiting for the face to from pit to pit, Most drivers start,

to

ing corner, he would be ahead

of. Fangle. The next, the Minerată (all would be inghes from his. borgpet.

Above: tho?, wiln; thread; af agony of the engine piercing his car-plugs he was aware of oph

MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN

IN THE BANK, NEAR CLOSING TIME--2150

HERE'S THE CASH FROM ALL THE TELLERS' WINDOWS | EXCEPT ONE.

JOHNNY HAZARD

THE FRONT OFFICE GAVE. GIRICT ORDERS TO KEEP GULLET O'HARA IN A GOOD HUMOR... AND I GOTTA.......... BECAUSE HE'S SCHEDULED TO FITCH THE OPENING GAME TOMORROW!

FERDINAND

CORKY, I'M GOING TO HAUNT YOU GUYS THIS SEASON AND BUILD A STORY ON GULLET O'HARA AND HIS SCREWBALL TO APPETITE!.

Cars

a Brilon, tog he accelerated.

PLL. TAKE IT INTO 'THE

I WILL

TAKE

YES-- MR.COX.

THAT.

VAULT.

LEAVE A PAIR OF TICKETS AT THE GATE FOR US TOMORROW., 50 I CAN PHOTOGRAPH A PIRCHER TRKOWING SLIPERS ON.

A GREASE-COATED

STOMACH!

....30 youa previously....

By Lee Falk and Phil Duvis

LATE THAT NIGHT....

CONTINUED

By Frank Robbins

"HUN........ WHAT'S HAPPENIN'!! WHO COULD BE POUNDING AT MY DOOR AT HALF-PAST THREE IN THE MORNING?,

They couldn't say a word to each other, the Englishman with fils schoolboy French, and the South American with ten words of Italian,

They just grinned.

--(Express Service).

Here's the gift... Sheaffer's

SNORKEL

р

WORLD'S ONLY PEN WITH "NO-DENK" VILLINGI

AUSTIN

for HILLS

By Mik

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