The story of the ambulance drive from the Silverstone crash was typical Purley. Between several heart stoppages he was arguing with crew chief Mike Earl, which the doctor told Earl to do to keep David engaged. Also in the ambulance was a very cute nurse who David started to hit on getting info on where she worked and getting together later, if he lived of course! Legend.
Great video! I met and spent several evenings with David Purley in 1973 when my Dad booked a Page and Moy trip to the Monaco GP. David and his new wife Jane were in our group at the Hotel Metropole and he sat at our table every evening. No one in our group knew he was making his GP debut , he never mentioned it. David ordered wine, in French for our table each evening. After qualifying I had discovered he was a racer I was all over him as at 14 I was planning my own racing career. He asked me lots of questions about my plans and seemed genuinely interested in me. I thought we were friends, what a classy, charming man. Later after the GP at the Nice airport, my Dad and I helped him "smuggle" some leather goods back to England. I went on to race formula cars for over 30 years with David as my roll model of how to act.
I was also a fan of David Purley, I remembering watching David driving often at Oulton Park in his dark blue LEC car. I think he completed in formula Atlantic and formula Libra, in those days, usually at the front or near it. I thought at the time that he was very fast and consistent. RIP.
Does your gbox have, "rubber doughnuts" on drive shaft? If so then there is a driver technique for getting the car off the line , are you aware of that?
I'm laughing only because I did the exact same thing in my Royale RP24 many years ago, going for a downshift from 4th to 3rd somehow I bumped the ignition switch off, put the clutch in and coasted to pit lane. I stopped in pit lane and climbed out, sure something broke only to find the damn switch was off! By the time I climbed back in,m got my belts on and was ready to go it was too late as the session was ending. My practice time would have put me first, instead I started 12th! Glad you found it before entering pit lane.
@@David-vz5hg The club have a suggested list and I talk to Mark at Shaw’s Motorsport who guides me. I had the wrong 1st gear in and I only realised after the second race.
Hello Richard, and Welcome to France 😊 Thank you for sharing club racing experiences with us. It looks very enjoyable and is very interesting for us too 😁
Fantastic video. I just bought a 1968 Alexis Mk14 today and I’m binge watching every video I can on vintage formula fords. I can’t wait to get out on the track with all of you!!
I remember his crash at Silverstone. My friend now looks after the Lec cpr1. He has the front of the tub, an awful piece of memorabilia. Mike Pilbeam lives locally. Thanks for your video.
David Purley was one of my heroes. i remember that day at Silverstone and his huge accident. if i remember, it was caused by fire extinguisher powder setting like cement in the throttle slides of his DFV.
Bloody clever. Im sure you know the angles of the car on the ramps and so on but maybe a winch to onto the rear end to wind the car back in instead of relying on a small chock would mean you are clear of the car when loading? Especially when you are on your own. I work and load up on my own, I'm the last person on the planet for over doing the health and safety thing but stuff happens, cars roll and so on.
Watching you re-rivet the floor brought back many memories of doing the same on my Van Dieman RF86 (twice no less) and on a customers Reynard 88FC (the F2000 version here in the States). The Reynard customer hit a curb just wrong and ripped the entire floor off the car from footbox to fuel cell. Fortunately his car had a secondary thin steel floor that hung from the top of the lower frame rails and held the pedal assembly and his feet. He also used the original fiberglass seat which sat on the upper frame rails. Thus he was completely uninjured. The car, minus the floor came back on the wrecker with the battery hanging from its cables and the fire system hanging from the tubing. The cell stayed in place. I'm not joking when I tell you we found a piece of aluminum the right size, cut it to shape, borrowed a second drill and hand riveter and got after it. Luckily I had brought a box of 1000 aircraft rivets for some unknown reason...and we made that afternoons grid! Easily the craziest trackside repair I have ever done. Have a great time at Croft!
Thanks for sharing, I’m flying back from the US right now! I saw someone lose half their floor one, the noise was terrifying. I’ve used stainless steel rivets so I hope they will be durable enough.
No green pads ? as for the floor, you could install slades those will protect it and will only be needed to be swapped out.. It can even be hardwood rail . Oil Motul 3000 ?
I just use the Mintex pads that are pretty inexpensive and have good feel. It’s a light car and stops pretty well. I think the grounding is a unique Brands Hatch problem that most of us have.
Good video. I've brought a lifting gantry for lift my new formula ford up. Let me know if you want to borrow it. It's helpful to have the car in the air inside the workshop sometimes. Good luck at croft, it's one of my favorite tracks, just long way to go.
Thanks, I’ll definitely keep that in mind and I may take you up on the offer. It’s so much easier working on the car at waist level. I like Croft too, I think the drive is easier than Cadwell, that’s too many roundabouts.
A great video. Very informative and a heroic driver. I have viewed some of his former cars at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca. Thanks for posting. Sad ending in an aircraft. RIP David P. You are not forgotten. Cheers from Texas.
@@toooldandtooslow thanks, and yes I know as I do race FF's and have the same challenges to deal with the car, the camera's and all the rest that comes in between as a one man team....
Excellent driving skills. You are improving and I’m sure you’ll be on the podium soon. Great video and yes it’s a good analytical tool post race. Thanks for taking the time to post. Cheers from Texas.
I didn't know you brought it. I walked past in many times in the past and it's nice to see it back to life again. BTW - There's a great welder in that boat yard who's fixed many of my Formula ford parts over the years. Happy Sailing. I would offer to sail with you, but I know nothing about sailing,.
Thanks for the heads up, of course I should have taken my exhaust to the yard....I ended up paying way too much. I'm having the stainless exhaust modified and fitted by Morris Customs in Emsworth. I'll share the results.
I would but the muffler weighs 5lbs and would pull the exhaust off. I’m having a stainless steel exhaust modified and hopefully that will be working in a feed weeks.
@@toooldandtooslow , I've been taking my welder to the track for the past 20 years. I have made emergency repairs to many broken exhausts - but only ones with supports for the muffler. I removed the support for my muffler over 20 years ago, and it has never cracked. I suspect that it has something to do with dampening out engine vibrations.
@toooldandtooslow still a dream of mine. I tried pre-74 FF then and teamed up with the Hampshiers of Eldon fame when they returned with their Formula Renault and FF2000. I think Danny Stazl may be linked to Elden as I see his name on their posts/ friends. Keep doing a great job. It's been great seeing your improvement. I was never a front runner or had a big budget ☹️ Did the GP circuit once and someone I used to race with and chat in the paddock had an off.
Well done. Solid little boats those. Did wonder how you would get her off the trailer! Must say you did well with the tender + outboard. Beware of towing though, if the wind pipes up, they can easily get blown upside down. Try towing backwards and tying tight to the transom with two lines. Also watch out for that rubbish plastic mushroom vent, if not screwed down, first rope to catch under it will rip it off. …I know all too well. I see you have a Tillerpilot, very useful. Just take care to ensure she is balanced, ie sails herself for a minute or two, before engaging. I like to have the anchor stowed at the stern, when singlehanded it makes a much better emergency brake! Drop off the back, the momentum sets the anchor well, then transfer rode to the bow. You do have had to have first dropped the main, the jib rolled in a bit, fully as you stop.
@@toooldandtooslow practice reefing the mainsail when the weather is nice, get your solo routine while sailing worked out. Heaving to with the jib partly furled and aback and the helm lashed to leeward is a great technique to stop the boat and the a reef in. Buy a personal locator beacon if you are singlehanding and wear it whenever on deck. Great last resort in the situation where you are in the water watching the boat sail away!
Races scars, flies planes, sails boats. You are basically James Bond at this point Richard! I'm, all in for sailing adventures, it is my favorite thing to watch on RU-vid, a nice mental break after building racing cars in my shop all day.
And I thought sailing was supposed to be expensive! Seems way cheaper than running a racing car 😂 Looking forward to the continuing adventures onboard Hooley.
