by the weather but finally, on 17th July 1964, CN7 broke the land speed record at 403mph. So back to the water and time was running out. Lake Dumbleyung near Perth, Australia was thought to be suitable but there were issues with unpredictable winds. Donald almost gave up, but on 31st December 1964 he spotted from the air that conditions were perfect. Despite problems on his second run, Campbell recorded an average speed of 276mph, a record that stands to this day. He held both speed records and had broken them in the same year.
Most people would have been satisfied with that, but not Donald Campbell; he wanted to achieve 300mph on water. Despite being in great financial difficulty, he managed to buy a Bristol
BTM TALK –HUNT @ 40
ritain has produced 10 Formula One World Champions since 1950 and for those of us who were about in 1976, James Hunt stands out as a special character. The 40th anniversary of that most dramatic of F1 seasons was celebrated at a special Brooklands Trust Members’ evening on 25th October (40 years plus one day after James secured the championship). Hosted by Simon Taylor, the evening consisted of reminiscences about James by a panel made up of fellow racer Tony Dron, journalist Maurice Hamilton and James’s son Freddie, interspersed with film clips and ending with a Q&A session. Tony Dron started the story of James’s career, the pair having met in 1968 in Formula Ford and both being products of public school. Tony was too tall for F1, but James always thought he (Hunt) would make it, despite never having much in the way of funds (he earned £20 per week as a salesman). Tony revealed that Hunt was immensely strong. Aged 24, James’s career was rescued by Lord Alexander Hesketh. To many, the Hesketh team must have seemed like a bunch of ‘hooray Henrys’ with its party lifestyle and beautiful girls, but un- derneath it was deadly serious. When James won the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix, the credibility of what was a small, unsponsored team was proven. Then the money ran out and Hunt’s career ground to a halt. His first marriage, to model Suzi Miller, ended at about this time after less than a year.
B
Again, a lucky chance fell James’s way. Emerson Fittipaldi resigned unexpectedly from McLaren and suddenly the front-running team
18
Orpheus engine for £200. The Norris brothers modified Blue Bird K7 and she was ready to run in late 1966. Teething problems delayed record attempts but over Christmas Donald ran again, in secret, leading to that fateful morning on 4th January 1967. The first run was at 297mph, but the second, with less fuel on board, was expected to be quicker. Several theories have been put forward for the cause of the accident but no conclusive answer has been found. Diver Bill Smith and his team finally located
Blue Bird on the bed of the lake in August 2000 and it was raised to the surface the following year. 90 per cent of the wreck has been found and the boat is currently being rebuilt prior to going on display at Coniston.
Gareth Tarr News
Freddie Hunt (Gareth Tarr).
needed a number one driver. It would take several Brooklands Bulletins to tell the full story of that 1976 season but there is room for a few high- lights. Asked what winning the British GP at Brands Hatch meant to him, James responded, “Nine points, $20,000 and a lot of happiness.” He was later to lose those points in one of the many controversies that were to dog the season. Then there was main rival Niki Lauda’s horrendous accident at the Nürburgring. Because of the length of the circuit it took over five minutes to get an ambulance to Niki. Maurice Hamilton revealed that travelling back to the UK with Nigel Roebuck, they both expected to hear Niki was dead by the time they got home. James instead
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