The McLaren F1 Owner's Club

[bprchamp]

Firstly, I used chassis 024, not 025. I started the season with Andrew Gilbert Scott. Michael Cane my partner in GTC Motosport decided not to use Sachs dampers. From memory we used JRZ? Our cars were horrible to drive. You could not ride the kerbs as it reacted too violently, so in the first races we were slow compared to the Fina cars that were on Sachs dampers. In addition to this, and no one ever realises this Michelin choose one team to give development tyres to. In 1996 we had that benefit and whilst our tyres had the same markings i was always receiving new dry and wet compounds to try. Basically we were one step ahead of all the other Mclaren teams. when Schnitzer came along, they took on that privilege so for 1997 they had better tyres.
So their cars were faster for 3 reasons - dampers, tyres and better drivers and bigger budget. The fine tuning of the cars and wings etc were down to the drivers.
We had budget issues in 1997 as costs had gone from £500k per car in 1995 to over £1m per car in 1997.
I think that in 1997 Michael Cane had misunderstood the car's set up and our engineers weren't up to the job. So I decided Le Mans would be my last race. Pity really as we had Sachs dampers there as I had finally persuaded/told Michael that was what we needed and we were running 3rd when AGS had the big fire and put us out late in the race. In retrospect I should have carried on but had asked Geoff Lees to take my place. The team basically folded at the end of that year.
Chassis 022 was Bscher's Gulf car, replaced by 028 after the Le Mans fire, 025 was the Oloffson, Raphanel car, and 024 was my car - actually lent to me for the year by Mclaren as I won the 1996 Championship

[Sami Aaltonen]

Thank you very much for your comments!
Once again came lost of new detail information what atleast I didn't knew before.

[Davidoff41]

About Le Mans 1997 we can also tell that engines was not egal as the
3 Gulf long tails had 5990cm3 engine with 2 air restrictors Ø34.3
2 Schnitzer long tails 5995cm3 engine with 2 air restrictors Ø35.2

[bprchamp]

Thats news to me. Air restrictors were controlled to a max size

[DocGTR]

Originally Posted by bprchamp

Firstly, I used chassis 024, not 025. I started the season with Andrew Gilbert Scott.
...
Chassis 022 was Bscher's Gulf car, replaced by 028 after the Le Mans fire, 025 was the Oloffson, Raphanel car, and 024 was my car - actually lent to me for the year by Mclaren as I won the 1996 Championship

If I understood correctly, you say the Driving Ambition's F1 Chassis History/GTR Racing History poster has the 1997 GTR chassis numbers wrong (and many other sources have noted them in the race results wrong then too) of the GTC and Schnitzer cars.

To get the things right let's start with the DA poster's data in a table like this:



To keep it small and hopefully easier to read I left the drivers' names away, just using the car's race number to track the timelines of each chassis during the 1997 season.

So next we correct it with your input (bold green numbers) and get it like this one:



And if those are correct, the Le Mans 1997 car #42 should be 20R as there's no other reasonable chassis left.

And if this is correct, it would also mean that:
1) the chassis wrecked in Suzuka by Nielsen was 28R, not 24R
2) the Gulf #41 in MTC is 25R, not 20R
3) it would be most likely 20R that raced several years in JGTC by team Hitotsuyama, not 25R like suggested by many sources

Now the question is, are these correct?

[bprchamp]

I have all the race records for the Gulf chassis but they are not to hand - will check.
BUT I know my chassis was 024R and was used all season as No 1 in FIA and 39 at Le Mans. Bscher was 022R. At Le Mans he caught fire in practice, car was very bad so he then used 028 until his was repaired. I need to check when that was. Raphanel/Gounon/Oloffson used 020R all year and it is now in the Mac MTC. I will check on 025R

[DocGTR]

Ok, thanks for clarifying. But, wasn't your chassis put out of racing for a while after the fire incident in Le Mans then? Which chassis replaced it for the next races in FIA GT as #1? the pieces of the puzzle are now a bit confusing.

EDIT:

So if 20R was the #3/#41 car that is in the MTC that would mean then that the chassis history had mostly mixed up the chassis 24R and 25R and then all this would be much more logical and the table would look like this:



And in that case 25R was the chassis that replaced 24R in FIA GT (with drivers Gilbert-Scott/Olofson/Lees) after the fire incident in Le Mans.

Does it now look correct?

[Sami Aaltonen]

I "affraided" something like this could come up, last night I was too tired to start thinking anything.
Today seems it was worth ask 1997 things a bit more.

But this also means; all what we have here learned and taken "clear", is now totally writed new.
So let's see what this brings up, it would be nice to have (when this all is clear); clear table who drove and what chassis and were.

[bprchamp]

No, 024R was not that badly damaged, it was used for the whole season, but I will look at my detailed records next week and let you know.

[Sami Aaltonen]

Originally Posted by bprchamp

No, 024R was not that badly damaged, it was used for the whole season, but I will look at my detailed records next week and let you know.

Really looking forward to reading your post after you've checked records.
I'm 100% sure we all are looking forward this one!

This is very interesting; until this day; I've thought that
- #21R were most of the season JJ/Soper car
- #23R were most of the season the other FINA (#9)
- #24R were Lehto/Soper/Piquet in Le Mans (#42)
- #26R were the other FINA in Le Mans (#43)
- #26R were Lehto/Soper in SPA

- What more in FINA cars are different than we have thought until this day?!
Seems defenitely that things are going to change more or less big way.!

[DocGTR]

Originally Posted by bprchamp

No, 024R was not that badly damaged, it was used for the whole season, but I will look at my detailed records next week and let you know.

I think that was new info for many of us that 24R wasn't that badly damaged and could continue racing in the FIA GT series. That also got me interested of the Schnitzer cars, especially those used for Le Mans and as we had this thread over the ABS recently and as it has been thought that 24R was the other fitted with the system for Le Mans 1997. Then I spotted on DA p251 this of Spa 4H: "Schneider's Mercedes CLK catch-up rate decreased - and the Fina car '25R' won by 14.4 seconds; an amazing McLaren F1 victory."

I know that DA has many small errors and didn't pay any attention to that before but now this got me interested as we have pretty good cockpit photos of the 26R from the BMW Museum which show it still having the ABS system installed like it newer was stripped away. And as we know that ABS was not allowed by the FIA GT rules, that would suggest 26R wasn't the one used as the #8 on the FIA GT 1997 rounds 5-10, and instead it was the other Schnitzer's Le Mans racer. Also the problems with the ABS system as noted also on the DA p253: "Two incidents gave McLaren Cars cause for concern, one in testing and one to Lehto at Le Mans" could probably have led that car to be chosen to be stripped off of the ABS system for the FIA GT and saving the 26R as BMW's show piece.

So adding also that info/speculation to the table, it would like this:



So we should wait the detailed records to bring more light to this case and perhaps put the case to rest.

[Sami Aaltonen]

Mr.Bellm;

I've have gived this 97 chassis case quite much thoughts, like we all do here.
I just wondering; have you any contacts to Mr. Charlie Lamn who were 1997 BMW Motorsports - Schnitzer Team manager?
I have informations Charlie is still working with BMW Schnitzer Team today; so he is still on the business, but I haven't able to find anything Internet address or anything So that's why I ask this from You, have you any contacts to him?

It just came on to my mind, could he have detail recordings what chassis BMW Motorsport Schnitzer team used, and why in 1997 year. It would be fantastic add with your personal records from that season.

Thanks again for Your time to us in this Forum, we all appreciate this very much!

[Sami Aaltonen]

Mr.Bellm I wonder can you tell us a bit more this:

Ebay has been added recently a steering wheel, which has JJ Lehto's singature.

I think this is really the steering wheel what You, JJ and James used in Suzuka, that can be seen those fantastic onboard clips from the race in Youtube. (Which seems to taken of there)

This woked up some questions:
- How many streering wheels you had in #12R 1996?
- Why did it changed? Example Anderstorp had different than Suzuka
- Was this specific now on sale - steering wheel only used in Suzuka 1996?

The sale information is said that
"possible JJ used this also in 1995 Le Mans".

Here in Forum has been said that steering wheel which were in #01R trought the Le Mans 1995; has been added singatures of Lehto, Sekiya, Dalmas and it has been added McLaren's collection.
Do you know this true?

Again very greatfull for your time!

[bprchamp]

The steering wheel is genuine. When JJ drove the car he wanted his own wheel and fashioned the grips himself and wanted an open topped steering wheel. He used it at Le Mans, Suzuka and China. He used to take the wheel into the car for his stints!

Michael Cane said "The only thing that I can recall about this wheel is that it (and the letter) went to Paul Lanzante sometime after I cleared out the workshop at Baynards Park - so I think it must have been during 2002.

One thing I do notice is that the signature seems to be under the boss fixing bolts so it looks like someone has fitted this at a later date

[Sami Aaltonen]

Thank you very much for these informations. This was again totally new thing to me and I think many else of here also.

Incredible to hear these kind of details, which really haven't been writed anything of DA book or GT endurance books. Very much appreciate this!
Even I can not afford that steering wheel (even I really want it!), it's nice to hear such as detail informations of it. A great peace of GTR history!