Damon Hill's first F1 drive

**Adam43** · 20 Mar 2002, 13:53 (Ref:240132)

Yesterday on the ten-tenths "On This Day In History" section it said that Damon Hill drove a Williams for the first time on the 19th March 1991.

Was this the first contemporary F1 car he had driven?

Also had he (or has he since) driven any old F1 cars?

**Adam43** · 20 Mar 2002, 13:54 (Ref:240133)

He's driven for Williams, Brabham, Arrows and Jordan.

Ray Bell · 20 Mar 2002, 14:11 (Ref:240141)

Brabham came first, IIRC...

**Adam43** · 20 Mar 2002, 14:56 (Ref:240169)

Yes he did race a Brabham before a Williams. Did he test a Brabham before he started testing for Williams?

He was the first across the line after Mansell won his championship in Hungary I think (albeit 4 laps down!). His first race was at Silverstone (I think) and he finished there too.

He had failed to qualify a few times before that too.

Bodysnatcher · 20 Mar 2002, 15:12 (Ref:240178)

Quote:

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Brabham came first, IIRC...

I'm sure he was Willy's test driver first.
Brabham was certainly his first F1 race, took the car over from the wonderful Giovanna Amato IIRC. This was at the 92 Britsh Grand prix, the first one I marshalled.
I had the pleasure of steering it back to the pits on the end of a tow rope in company with Mansell's Williams.
(Damon had to stop at Club behind the whoreds of Mansell maniacs)

**ghinzani** · 20 Mar 2002, 15:18 (Ref:240185)

he also tried a Hill GH1 or GH2 at Silverstone, I remember seeing the pictures somewhere!

David McKinney · 20 Mar 2002, 15:46 (Ref:240206)

...and an ex-Hill (Sr) BRM at Donington around 1991 or 1992

marcus · 20 Mar 2002, 16:20 (Ref:240240)

yes Damon hill tested for Williams before he drove for Brabham , he was the main williams tester in 91 and 92 and during 92 got the call up to brabham to replace giovanna Amatti , in time for round 4 at spain , he never qualified until britian and he gain qualified in hungary and then the team went broke.

marcus · 20 Mar 2002, 16:21 (Ref:240242)

and the the heck is IIRC ??????

Bodysnatcher · 20 Mar 2002, 16:24 (Ref:240245)

IIRC = if I recall/remember correctly

marcus · 20 Mar 2002, 16:27 (Ref:240251)

tah very muchly , and of course now i realize that all the stuff i typed had been already said above ..lol

David Tremayne · 20 Mar 2002, 21:40 (Ref:240491)

Damon drove a Hill GH2 (the car the late Tony brise should have raced). This would have been circa 1987. I remember him saying it didn't have any grip!
Also he drove a Benetton at Ricard. I seem to recall it was in 1987 or maybe 1989.

David Tremayne

Ray Bell · 21 Mar 2002, 03:49 (Ref:240558)

Being so far from the scene, I wouldn't have a clue about testing... my post related to racing, and I was sure Damon raced the Brabham first... my recollection relating to him driving for the team his father drove against.

Did he really complain of lack of grip on the older car?

Whinging pom!

Vitesse · 21 Mar 2002, 11:18 (Ref:240760)

Ray - bear in mind that the GH2 was still only in the first stages of testing when Graham and Tony were killed flying back from France. Four other members of the team, including the designer Andy Smallman also died in that crash and the car was never run again AFAIK - it was set aside and the team was disbanded. Within a few months the GH2 was a prized exhibit at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, where I think it still normally resides. So, chances are there is little or no contemporary data about the car's set-up available. And a lot of mid-70s F1 cars were - well - a little skittish.

And of course Graham not only drove against the Brabham team, but for them as a well, scoring his last F1 win in the 1971 International Trophy and giving the "lobster claw" BT 34 its only victory. He was also in the semi-works Rondel Racing F2 team in 1971, winning at Thruxton, and the following year ran his own F2 Brabham with Jaegermeister sponsorship. Admittedly this was all after Sir Jack severed his connection with the team, but I think we can consider that edition of Brabham slightly more "authentic" than in the Bernie era and beyond.

**Adam43** · 21 Mar 2002, 11:31 (Ref:240764)

Quote:

Originally posted by David Tremayne

Also he drove a Benetton at Ricard. I seem to recall it was in 1987 or maybe 1989

Cheers
So this could be the earliest comtempory drive?
If it was 1987 that be a turbo car? Cool!

Dr. Austin · 24 Mar 2002, 17:01 (Ref:242932)

This came off my "motor racing Retro" F-1 CD. If you want pictures of everything, Franco has them and it is embarressingly inexpensive for such a valuable service.

http://uk.geocities.com/motorracingretro/daily.htm

Ray Bell · 24 Mar 2002, 22:50 (Ref:243196)

Quote:

Originally posted by Vitesse
Ray - bear in mind that the GH2 was still only in the first stages of testing when Graham and Tony were killed flying back from France. Four other members of the team, including the designer Andy Smallman also died in that crash and the car was never run again AFAIK - it was set aside and the team was disbanded. Within a few months the GH2 was a prized exhibit at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, where I think it still normally resides. So, chances are there is little or no contemporary data about the car's set-up available. And a lot of mid-70s F1 cars were - well - a little skittish.

And of course Graham not only drove against the Brabham team, but for them as a well, scoring his last F1 win in the 1971 International Trophy and giving the "lobster claw" BT 34 its only victory. He was also in the semi-works Rondel Racing F2 team in 1971, winning at Thruxton, and the following year ran his own F2 Brabham with Jaegermeister sponsorship. Admittedly this was all after Sir Jack severed his connection with the team, but I think we can consider that edition of Brabham slightly more "authentic" than in the Bernie era and beyond.

I was at Phillip Island racing my Clubman the day that the news came through of Graham and Tony dying... and naturally I considered that I knew both of them. I had a lot of close conversations with Tony, and had got to chat to Graham on a number of occasions during the Tasman era.

My 'whinging' comment was meant tongue in cheek.. and to be honest, I'd forgotten that Graham drove for Ron, though it was everpresent in my mind that he drove Brabhams, especially this one...

It was also a factor that I recognised Damon, after running all manner of more modern gear, was saying this about a car of a much earlier era...

**Peter Mallett** · 25 Mar 2002, 12:41 (Ref:243585)

There was a bit of showmanship at Silverstone in '92. Hill was running at the back and had been lapped a few times (can't recall how many) but we all felt that Nige didn't need to pass him again but did so just so that Hill (his test driver) would get a few cheers on the back of Nigel's win as he followed the Williams across the line. It was (as had been the norm for some years) an emotional moment.

It also set the tone for the Prost/Hill era. Although there was a lot of support for Alain the Silverstone crowd was almost as supportive of Hill as they had been for Mansell. When, in '93, Hill retired heading into Luffield one, there was uproar. I recall the rumours about an engine destruct button being used by Patrick Head to stop Hill who was leading at the time.

Dr. Austin · 25 Mar 2002, 14:37 (Ref:243655)

We always joked about the "Damon button." After Maylasia, I woud guess Ferrari has a "Rubens " button.

Ray Bell · 25 Mar 2002, 20:51 (Ref:243916)

I thought the button was supposed to rest with the Renault people? Then when he blew a tyre in Germany there had to be a rethink?

Dr. Austin · 25 Mar 2002, 21:11 (Ref:243936)

The tire button was with the goodyear people. They stuck it to Damon once, but what they did to Mansell was outrageous.

David Tremayne · 26 Mar 2002, 20:13 (Ref:244648)

Doesn't Renault have the 'Jenson' button?

Sorry...

David Tremayne

**Peter Mallett** · 26 Mar 2002, 20:17 (Ref:244653)

Kindly leave the dias!!!!

Ray Bell · 26 Mar 2002, 21:06 (Ref:244688)

Sure hope this doesn't get too far off topic...

Maisie · 26 Mar 2002, 22:10 (Ref:244740)

Thought we'd more or less thrashed this one out, so I don't see why the topic shouldn't be left to grow as it wants.

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