Vic Elford Chat archived ..., in case you missed it. Options

[SirAndy]

Here's the Chat Transcript. The Chat lasted for about 1 1/2 Hours ...

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Andy

[SirAndy]

Part #1:

ClayPerrine Vic is here and we are waiting for him to join us.
tmp914 hi everyone
ClayPerrine Hello....
iamchappy Welcome Vic!
tmp914 Hi Mr. Elford
ClayPerrine Welcome Vic
SirAndy hello vic!
Lawrence Hello, Mr. Elford!
tmp914 hello sir
davep Welcome to our world, Vic.
vacca_rabite Good evening
So.Cal.914 Hello
ClayPerrine Mr. Elford, would you please tell us a little about what you are doing now?
Vic_Elford OK maybe I just found it!!!
davep Ah, here we go!
vacca_rabite Woot!
ClayPerrine You did Sir.
So.Cal.914 Hello again, nice to have you here.
Vic_Elford Thanks. Nice to be here now I sort of know how it works!
ClayPerrine Who was the first person to give you the nickname "Quick Vic"?
davep We had a lot of practice chatting with Ralph Meaney.
Vic_Elford I think it was Eric Carlso of SAAB fame when I first started drving in rallies in Europe
ClayPerrine Betty and I have done a few rallies here locally. Who did you use for a navigator?
URY914 Vic, are you living in Miami now or were you at one time?
Vic_Elford My first was a local guy in UK then when I joined Triumph they asked me to try David Stone. We hit it off very well and he became probably, along with Jean Todt the best navigator/c0-driver ever. Daniel Elena with Loeb is probably at that level as well now
So.Cal.914 I have to ask, what was it like to drive the Kirby Kar? And did you ever have the fans quit at a bad time? Like in a fast corner
ClayPerrine We always end up screaming at each other for the first few minutes. Does that happen at the pro level too?
Vic_Elford I live in Plantation, florida, which is abour 15 miles/minutes due west of Fort Lauderdale
Vic_Elford Absolutely not. at least not with me and david.
tmp914 hi sir ever drive a 914?, if so how does it compare to a 917!
Vic_Elford I only ever drove a 914 a couple of times on the road. Nothing NOTHING ever could compare with a 917!
tmp914 thats great!! thanks
ClayPerrine What was the big difference between the short tailed and long tailed 917s? I heard that you liked the long tail better.
URY914 Was your first drive in the 917 as scary for you as it was for some of the other drivers? I understand it was a handfull at first.
Vic_Elford I liked both equally. The short tail was much easier to drive you could move it around quite easily. the long tail had to be driven with absolute preecision once committed to a corner you couldn't change your mind but it was wonderful at eLe Mans because it was 25 mph quicker than even the short tai
Rleog On the Mulsanne straight, did it tend to get light in the front, or at all unstable at speed?
vacca_rabite What was it like working with Steve McQueen on Lemans?
URY914 When you won Sebring in '71 how many hours did you drive compared to Larrousse? I attended Sebring in "72 and still have the race program that is filled with pictures from the "71 race. I'll have to get you to sign it for me.
Vic_Elford only the very first one in 1969. once Piech & co got the aerodynamics sorted it was fine wotking with Steve was great fun he was really nice to be with and he was also a very good driver
iamchappy Tell us something about Mark Donahue, did both of you race the 917's as a team.
Vic_Elford First Sebring Gerard and I both drove about 50% each
Headrage I B Here
Vic_Elford Mark Donohue was a great driver. we never drove as a team only against each other in world champ races when he was driving Ferrari
Rleog Can you describe what you felt when Jim Hall first inquired about having you drive the "sucker" Chapparal?
Vic_Elford I could hardly believe it. But I was very pleased and Jim and I made a good team.
So.Cal.914 Did you ever have the fans fail? If so how big a difference
Vic_Elford Yes they failed in the last race. I was going round turn 9 at Riverside - for those who don't remember it was a long 180 degree corner at about 150 mph. the fans failed and the car shot up in the air so it was only riding on about 2 inches of tire..very exciting but I didn't crash!
Rleog Was the Chaparral predictable as it approached the limits of adhesion?
Vic_Elford Totally. for a while we didn't know what would happen because noone had ever been there,,,then I discovered that it just simoly started sliding very gently all four wheels together...I just lifted off a bit and it simply stopped sliding!
ClayPerrine Where is your favorite place to go racing?
wild_6 Do you do any track or lapping events? What is your all-time favorite track/car combination?
Vic_Elford I don't race any more... but my favorite place was the Nurburgring..not surprising I suppose since I won 6 major races there
ClayPerrine What was so special about the Ring?
Vic_Elford First learning it...14 miles and it is actually very fast and a real challenge
URY914 You won the 1000Km of Nurburgring twice in a 908-3. That must have been a wild ride though the mountains in that car. What do you recall the most about it?
davep What was your most memorable race?
Vic_Elford I won twice in a 908/3. It was the PERFECT car for the Ring. Tiny, great visibility and easy to drive. Most memorable race Targa Florio which I won in 1968 afetr losing 18 minutes on the first of the 10 laps I made it all up to win
ClayPerrine What caused the 18 minutes of lossed time?
Vic_Elford A wheel nearly fell off! the lug nut was a mis fit. I had the wheel replaced at the unofficial pit high in the mountains but it came off again and I also had a puncture and had to use the space-saver spare to get back to the pits
zoic How was driving Targa Florio, did you have it memorised like a normal circuit, or was it more like a rally stage where you might remember tricky spots and rest is as fast as you dare?
Vic_Elford I am lucky I have almost a photographic memory so by the second time I went there iknew it TITALLY. even Nino Vaccarella didn't know it as well as I did so I could be absolutely flat out the whole way
iamchappy Vic your still a young man in your early 70's?, Paul Newman is in his 80's I believe, why have you stopped racing. Do you still get out and run the cars non competitively.
zoic Fascinating, Thank you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
URY914 Which do you like more, the rally driving or sports cars? Why?
So.Cal.914 Just curious, do you drive a 911 on the street now?
Vic_Elford I still enjoy driving but only in demonstrations, etc. ten years ago I drove a McLaren in the 30th anniversary of CanAm and was horrified by the driving of some people in big CanAm cars that they definitely should not have been driving. I decided there and then that I would never race again!
tonyakavw Do you or have you owned a 914?
Vic_Elford I never owned a 914 but my young son had a used one about 15 years ago a 914/4 with holes in the floor for A/C
iamchappy What cars do you own for your personal driving.
mikez You and two others woon the 1967 Marathon De La Route in a 911R. How did you like it compared to full race cars?
URY914 You stopped racing before the 935's came on the scene. What was it that made you stop driving at that time? I'm sure you would have been competitive.
Vic_Elford An old Ford Escort that I know I can leave in the parking at Miami airport and it will still be there when I come back. my wife has a Honda accord
iamchappy Get out of town, "Really".....
ClayPerrine What was your favorite car to drive?
Vic_Elford teh 911 R for the marathon was fairly standard. I drove a 911R with the four cam motor a couple of times and it was sensational. the four cam was the forerunner of the 8 cylinder and then the 12 cyl engines. I think they only ever builtr about 3 of them and I was the only driver who ever drove one
Rleog Did you ever drive the Ferrari 512, and, if so, could you contrast it to the 917?
mikez That 911R is for sale....only 650,000 English Pounds.
Vic_Elford Favorite car was the 917. which one? all of them. also the Chaparral 2J sucker car
mikez A real steal and probably a good dialy driver. Wonder what kinda wax would be best????
Vic_Elford never drove a 512 but I drove a Ferrari Daytona a couple of times. great car. yes I saw the 911R for sale...good luck
So.Cal.914 Group buy?
URY914 How did you get a NASCAR ride? It was for Daytona correct?
ClayPerrine I see that you are going to be at Goodwood. Are you driving there?
Vic_Elford After I won the 24 hours at daytone I had seen the 500 on film and asked Bill France if I could do it. No problem he said and found me a pretty good car for 1969 then for 1971 as well. I finished 10th and 11th I think
Vic_Elford Yes I'm going to goodwood. can;t tell you what I'll be driving yet
Rleog Will you be at the Porsche Reunion at Daytona this fall (Rennfest?)
ClayPerrine It's enought to know that you will be driving. I will definitely watch it on speed channel! Thanks!
Vic_Elford Yes to rennfest. at least 2 of my 917s will be ther. the Martini car # 21 from Le Mans and the Jaegermeister 917/30 that I drove onc ein Europe. plus som others as well.
So.Cal.914 Vic, how was it that you got your start in auto racing?
Vic_Elford Right at the bottom. I had no money, just started as a navigator in UK little rallies. read my latest book and you will find all the details!
So.Cal.914 Thanks
Rleog Once sorted, how much faster than the McLarens was the 2J?
URY914 Your 917 was on the front row at LeMans in '71. Did you run that qualifing lap or your teammate? And did you start the race?
davep I can't magine it would be so easy to start today without any money.
Vic_Elford In a straight line about the same around corners about 7-8% faster and much better on braking too because of the downforce which still worked at SLOW speed
Vic_Elford It wasn't easy then either
ClayPerrine Didn't they outlaw the 2J after the first year?
iamchappy What do you think separates the best from the best, car or driver.
Vic_Elford The 2J was outlawed after strong lobbying by McLaren If not we would have really clened up the following year after a winter of testing and development
ClayPerrine What was the justificaton McLaren used to get it outlawed?
Vic_Elford Moveing aerodynamic parts. ie the fans. but it was very technical. they weren't really eaerodynamic they were aerostatic because they workd all the time, niot just when the car was moving1
Rleog %%%% shame. And in a supposedly unlimited racing class. I wonder if McLaren tried to outlaw the 917/30?
Vic_Elford I don't think so...but they weren't very happy about it either!
Twystd1 LOL
iamchappy Funny how all didnt follow suit and put fans in there cars.
Rleog Did you ever team with Brian Redman in major competition?
ClayPerrine What were the various different types of racing that you have run?

[SirAndy]

Part #2:

URY914 Enough about cars with fans, lets talk about Porsches! Why didn't you drive 935s? I'm sure you must have been asked to drive by different owners.
Vic_Elford Just twice...we were together in a 908 at Daytona in 1969 and again in a 917 at Brands Hatch in 1971
Vic_Elford No 935s I had already stopped and really wasn'y very interested
Rleog Many times I've read about how punishing Sebring is. Do you have any strong memories of that track?
URY914 I have read that the '71 Sebring race which you won was a real fight. You had problems in that race too and came back to catch and beat the Alfas. What do you recal of that race?
Vic_Elford I din't really think it was that bad. surface is not good but no real proble. just a bit tough on the car
Interesting. You must have been a lot tougher than the current generation of drivers.
Vic_Elford No real problem I had a minor collision with a slow car early on which needed a bit of tape on the nose but Gerard and I came back and took the lead about halfway through
zoic In 68 when you jumped into a Formula One car in France, how did the F1 cars compare to the 907(and later other prototypes)? Mainly how they were to drive around a circuit, or were they similar at that time.
Vic_Elford I think we were a lot tougher for one thing, in those days we were only ALLOWED TO HAVE 2 drivers per car for long distance racing
Rleog You must have quite a laugh as you look at the current state of team driving.
URY914 At Daytona in '71 you had a tire blow on the banking and you went spinning off. That must have been a major pucker moment!
Vic_Elford That car, the cooper F1 was a pig but otherwise F1 was quite similar to sports cars. Sports cars were probably a bit easier to drive
Vic_Elford Daytona was a moment but richard Petty had told us at rookie driver briefing when I came for the 500 if anything goes wrog on the banking, just turn left and put your foot on the barke. I did and all was OK
So.Cal.914 You stopped your car and pulled a fellow driver out of his wreck, Did you two stay in touch?
Vic_Elford No. I don't even remeber who it was
Rleog What was Jacky Ickx like as a competitor?
ClayPerrine How accurate are the depictions of the driver interactions in the movie Le Mans? Does it tell an accurate story?
Vic_Elford Honest and good especially in the wet.
Vic_Elford A little bit hollywoodised. we don't really hate eachothrs guts like that.
ClayPerrine Did you like the movie after seeing it in it's entirity?
Rleog Was there a particular track or event that you hated participating in?
URY914 Tell us something we don't already know about the 917.
So.Cal.914 There's wins and then there's win's. What was your most satisfying win?
Vic_Elford I quite liked the movie. Can't think of any track I really didn't like. Can't think of anything you don't already know about the 917. It was just a great car Best win..Targa Florio after losing so much time and Monte Carlo rally 1968 as well
Rleog Thank you. (exit)
So.Cal.914 Satisfying because you made up the time? Had someone you wanted to beat?
URY914 What do you think of owners of 906's, 908's, 917's etc that restore them better than new. Are you to look at these car or race them?
Vic_Elford Monte Carlo because I should have won the year before but got caught with the wrong tire on the last stage when it snowed unexpectedly
Twystd1 What was it like driving the Chapparal in 2005?
zoic Quite late in Europe now, so Thank you for your time Vic!
wild_6 A lot of us have started racing later in life. What would you recommend we do to learn a little more - we are usually both driver and
Vic_Elford Actully just a couple of days ago I drove the SAME 910 thaT i DROVE TO 3RD AT THE rING IN 1967. iT BELONGS TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS PASSIONATE COLLECTOR BUT DRIVES THEM ALL HARD TOO. iT HAD BEEN DAMEGED IN TRANSPORT AND HE ASKED ME TO DRIVE IT TO MAKE SURE IT WAS ok AFTER REPAIRS. iT WAS A JOY TO
So.Cal.914 Monte Carlo looks like a pretty crazy race at times on the TV. Did you find that you had to drive more defensivly
zoic, Vic lives in sunny south Florida.
zoic I live in europe, and its 4.30am...
Vic_Elford No Monte Carlo is flat out on the special stages. only attack, no defense
Vic_Elford hey ZOIC with 7 hours difference you must live in eastern europe?
So.Cal.914 Only attack, Thanks Vic
iamchappy Vic, your quite a gentleman joining us on our forum and answering our questions, I am going to purchase your book tonight. I find your life and racing experiance to be fastenating..thank you!
Vic_Elford Thanks. You can find out more on my web site if you wish www.VicElford.com
URY914 Why did you stop racing?
Vic_Elford I need to feed my cat and clean up the BBQ. We had Grilled Octopus and Shrikp with French fries and stuffed tomatoes tonight if anyone is interested.
race914 Hi Vic, How many days a year are you on the road speaking to Porsche (et al.) car clubs? Do you enjoy sharing your experiences to amatuers?
zoic Yes, Finland to be exact. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
ClayPerrine Folks.. it sounds like Mr. Elford needs to go. So we need to wind this up. I want to thank Mr Elford for coming, and ask him to drop in anytime.
Dave_Darling Yes, thanks very much! It was wonderful to have a look into the racing world like this! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Vic_Elford How many days? I don't count. Quite a lot and I enjoy it. Only went to Finland once to do a series of match races with my old competitor, friend and teammate Pauli Toivonen. Great place, especially the sauna and jumping in a feezing lake afterwards!
URY914 Thank you Vic, I'll see you at Daytona.
race914 Thanks Vic! See you at Daytona!
Vic_Elford Thanks to everyone. I have enjoyed this little chat. Sorry it took a couple of minutes to find out how it workd. I'll be happy to come back some time.
zoic Hehe, great to hear you have visited here. Thank you for your answers (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
So.Cal.914 I'll take the octopus. Take care and Thanks mush Sir.
Perry Thank you for your time!
JohnC914 Thank you!
zoic Hope to see you some time in the future.
jt9146 Thanks for stopping by!
racerx hope to meet you one day. thanks for the chat!
iamchappy (Quote) I'll be Happy to Come back sometime. Here that, quick someone send him a tee shirt.......
Stevo (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)
So.Cal.914 Well that was fun...Thanks to all involved
Stevo bye bye and thanks!
ClayPerrine Mr. Elford, if you are ever in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, look me up. I will be happy to give you the keys to my 914/6 and turn you loose on the road or track of your choosing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
speedracer914 thanks!
ClayPerrine Thanks for coming.
HallmarkMotorsports Thank you Sir!
Rob_R. Very informative. I hope we can do this again soon. Thanks to everyone involved for getting this off the ground!
Vic_Elford Au revoir everyone. see you again soon I hope
davep Thanks again.
ClayPerrine Ok everyone. Closing time.. you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
So.Cal.914 Last call?
URY914 Somebody get the lights....

[VaccaRabite]

Turns out I did not miss as much of it as I thought I did. Thankls for posting that up. I think I am going to go buy his book.
Zach

[sixnotfour]

The Speed Merchants by Toad Hall Productions, has a good interview of Vic during the 1972 Manufacture championship were he drove an Alfa T33.

[Martin Baker]

...

[sixnotfour]

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[jt914-6]

Vic Elford will be the guest speaker at the PCA Palooza Nov. 12-14 2010 @ Eureka Springs, Ar. Link for the event is: http://www.pca-palooza.com/

[SirAndy]

Vic Elford will be the guest speaker at the PCA Palooza Nov. 12-14 2010 @ Eureka Springs, Ar. Link for the event is: http://www.pca-palooza.com/

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)

[liumingzhu]

The Speed Merchants by Toad Hall Productions, has a good interview of Vic during the 1972 Manufacture championship were he drove an Alfa T33.

[23e Heure]

I was fortunate enough to meet Vic in 2006. We were both in Sicily, for the Targa Florio Centenary event.
He was very generous with his time, and I got a good few hours chatting with him over the long weekend.
Just so many awesome stories. Although by the time you get to Vic's age, you can be forgiven if some of the stories keep getting repeated (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Here are a couple of vids I shot and cut when I was in Sicily in 2006.

Vic at the Targa Centenary

Targa Florio in 4'15"

Apologies for poor quality video... this was 2006, when youtube was low bitrate, and long before we all had HD video cameras in our smartfones!