MOTORSPORT TRIVIA - Q36 & 37

[Graham]

Q36. Who won the 1981 Formula Ford Festival, and whose car was he driving?

Q37. Why did Niki Lauda retrospectively gain fifth place in the 1974 British GP?

[TimD]

Lauda was running third, I believe, with a couple of laps to go, when a tyre started to let go. Time for a mad dash Ferrari pitstop, which was duly done, and he left the pit lane like a rocket.

Or at least he would have done, if it wasn't for the fact that the pitlane exit was blocked with several dozen officials, a number of corporate guests of the RAC, one or two pitlane marshals all spectating, none of them anticipating a car exiting the pitlane at this late stage of the race.

Oh, and some were even using a Ford Cortina course car as a grandstand, so even if people had moved out of the way, the car would still not have been able to get by.

As a result, Lauda, trapped in the pitlane was classified a lap down - and ninth.

Naturally, it went to arbitration, and six months after the event, it was decided he had a realistic chance of being on the lead lap, and so was awarded fifth. Two points.

Do I get a biscuit?

[jarama]

Q36. I'm not sure, but I think the winner was Ayrton Senna (Van Diemen RF81)

[Graham]

You both get a biscuit, but Jarama, I'm afraid, you get one of the broken and half chewed ones from the bottom of the tin

You're right about the car, but it was Tommy Byrne who won using Ayrton's dominant RF81.