Tony Gaze on ABC's Talking Heads

[emjaya]

Tony Gaze is on ABC1's Talking Heads, Monday 28/6 at 6.00pm est.

Tony Gaze is a fighter pilot and grand prix driver, whose life story reads like a 'Boys Own' adventure. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times, was the first Australian to fly jet aircraft operationally and after the war became Australia's Formula One driver.

Wiki page.

[racer69]

Thanks for the thread emjaya, looking forward to it, have put it on IQ ready to go


I see Wikipedia is as inaccurate as ever, he never raced Formula 1 in the World Championship.

[Tourer]

Nice pick up - thanks emjaya.

[Pro Racer]

will be tuning in for sure one of the greats of Australian motorsport.

[Chris - Melb]

1952 World Championship results featuring Tony Gaze:

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr018.html

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr020.html

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr021.html

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr023.html

[ensign14]

Not F1, of course.

[Chris - Melb]

The Hall of Fame on the formula1.com web site begins in 1950.

http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/

[ensign14]

Good for it.

Fact remains that the 1952 and 1953 World Championships for Drivers were fought out under Formula 2 rules.

[Chris - Melb]

This year's championship is being run under different rules compared to last year too.

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by Chris - Melb

This year's championship is being run under different rules compared to last year too.

Yeah - but they are still F1 rules this year and were F1 rules last year. in 52 & 53 it was F2 rules, not F1.

[gtcapri]

Looking forward to the program. His biography 'Almost Uknown' is a good read too if anyone's interested.

[racer69]

Originally Posted by Chris - Melb

This year's championship is being run under different rules compared to last year too.

The rules last year and this year are still regulations called "Formula 1". There was F1 rules and F2 rules at the time, and for the World Championship GPs it was decided to run the races for F2, as the F1 grids were weak.

There were still F1 races in during the 1952-1953 time period, its just none of the those races counted for the world championship.

Tony Gaze was our first world championship Grand Prix driver, but not our first F1 driver (unless he drove in some of the non-championship F1 races, i'm not sure on that one)

EDIT - pays to read all the posts, thanks Tourer

[Chris - Melb]

Well, most everyone else seems to be celebrating 60 years of Formula One Grand Prix this year, such as Goodwood, so you guys will have to wait another couple of years if you want to be technically correct; but won't you be lonely?
http://www.goodwood.co.uk/festival-o...ominghome.aspx

and who's going to be brave enough to break the news to Bernie Ecclestone that his website is 'incorrect'!

1953 FIA Formula One World Championship: http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1953/

[ensign14]

60 years of Formula One Grand Prix should have been celebrated a couple of years ago...there were F1 races in 1952 and 1953, just non-championship ones.

[inpitlane]

I'm really looking forward to this. If Tony Gaze was an American there'd have been half a dozen movies on his life.
It's one hell of a story. Also a good get for Talking Heads as Tony is not usually all that keen to talk about himself.
I've always wanted to interview him myself but I haven't had the opportunity.