Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy
The Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy was a motor racing event in Donington Park , UK , held in 1979 in honor of racing driver Gunnar Nilsson who died in the autumn of 1978 . Without exception, Formula 1 cars took part in it , but it was not part of the Formula 1 World Championship . The Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy was the last competition in which the so-called vacuum cleaner Brabham drove, and it was also the last event in which the former Formula 1 World Champion James Hunt took part during his active driving days.
background
Swedish racing driver Gunnar Nilsson, British Formula 3 champion of 1975, competed in Formula 1 for Team Lotus in 1976 and 1977. During this time, he achieved five podium finishes, including a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1977 . For the 1978 season Nilsson signed a contract with Arrows , but could no longer drive there because he had been diagnosed with cancer at the turn of the year 1977/78 . In the course of 1978 Nilsson underwent various therapies, which, however, did not cure anything. For the past few months he has worked on the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Treatment Campaign and the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Fund , a fundraising program linked to Charing Cross Hospital in London to provide funding for cancer research. Nilsson died five weeks after the accidental death of Ronnie Peterson , with whom he had been friends.
In memory of Gunnar Nilsson, the British Racing Drivers' Club organized the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy, a commemorative event designed to raise funds for Gunnar Nilsson's research fund. This took place on June 3, 1979. The venue was the racetrack in Donington Park in central England . The Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy was part of a supporting program of several other races and shows, including a non-championship Procar Series race , and was intended to be the highlight of the day.
The original plan was to hold a real race for Formula 1 cars. However, the FIA refused to give its consent, so that only an individual time trial could be held instead.
procedure
Five drivers competed in the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy. They included Mario Andretti, the reigning world champion and James Hunt, a former Formula 1 world champion. In the run-up, numerous Formula 1 works teams and also some racing teams had agreed to take part in the Aurora AFX Formula 1 series ; however, many of them gradually withdrew, so that ultimately only five cars took part in the competition: The works teams from Arrows, Brabham , Lotus, Williams and Walter Wolf Racing each provided one car, with Brabham making the BT46B, which has become known as the "vacuum cleaner" from 1978 to the start, which was no longer allowed to participate in world championship races. Continental European teams didn't start at all.
The Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy was run as an individual time trial. Each driver had five laps; the best time was counted. It started in the reverse order of the training result, i.e. H. the slowest to train was the first to take to the track.
The fastest lap time was set by Alan Jones in the Williams FW07 , James Hunt was second. After the end of the event, James Hunt announced his immediate retirement from active motorsport. He had made the decision earlier but withheld publication until the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy was over.
Results
| Item | driver | vehicle | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Alan Jones
|
Williams FW07 - Cosworth | 1: 01.37 min |
| 2 |
 James Hunt
|
Wolf WR8 - Cosworth | 1: 02.54 min |
| 3 |
 Mario Andretti
|
Lotus 79 - Cosworth | 1: 02.67 min |
| 4th |
 Nelson Piquet
|
Brabham BT46B - Alfa Romeo | 1: 03.61 min |
| 5 |
Rupert Keegan
|
Arrows A1B - Cosworth | 1: 05.09 min |
Supporting program
As a supporting program for the Formula 1 race, a championship-free run of the Procar series took place, which Nelson Piquet won. In addition, a Formula 3 race organized by the Royal Automobile Club with the title RAC FOCA Trophy 1979 was held, which did not belong to any championship. The winner was Michael Roe against Roberto Guerrero and John Bright .
Web links
- Statistics of the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy on the website www.silhouet.com
- History of the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy on the 8w.forix.com website
Individual evidence
- ↑ See the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy program.
- ↑ Motorsport, No. 6/1979, p. 67
- ↑ Mattijs Diepraam, Mattijs Diepraam, Tom Prankerd: The fan car raced twice! 8w.forix.com, December 24, 2000, accessed May 1, 2015 .
- ↑ Statistics of the 1979 RAC FOCA Trophy on the website www.formula2.net (accessed on May 1, 2015).