Fangio in a BRM

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On the grid before the start of the Woodcote Cup Formula Libre race at Goodwood on September 26, 1953 are Juan Fangio and Mike Hawthorn, the latter with his dark green jacket and white top face shield.  Fangio would be driving one of the two supercharged BRM 15s entered for this five lap preliminary race and is sitting on his car’s left rear tire. Fangio did not speak English, but he did speak Italian which Hawthorn now probably had to an extent as a member of the official Ferrari team. Hawthorn would be driving Tony Vandervell’s Thinwall Special, a somewhat modified two-year old Ferrari 375 F1.

Even the great Fangio could not defeat the well-developed Thinwall which Hawthorn took out to an immediate lead and the eventual win, setting a new lap record in the process. Fangio would finish second. Here on the left is Fangio at speed with the BRM.

Later in the afternoon these two combatants would meet each other again in the Goodwood Trophy, another Formula Libre race, now a 15 lap affair. Hawthorn would once more take the win and also break his hour-old lap record with a new fastest lap. Fangio was forced to retire after 11 laps with transmission problems. Ken Wharton in the other BRM 15 was second in spite of a spin while Bob Gerard was third in a Cooper-Bristol T23.

Photos by Alan R. Smith ©The Klemantaski Collection – http://www.klemcoll.com

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Tags: BRM, Ferrari, Formula Libre, Goodwood, Juan Fangioi, klemcoll, Mike Hawthorn