1967 BOAC 500 Sports Car Race Brands Hatch made using BOAC staff for U$5K budget

[@67daltonknox]

Takes me back. I was there in the crowd. On the way home, the throttle cable on my FIAT 500 broke. I used some fishing line from the carb, out through the louvres above the engine and in through the sunroof. Yanking on it was a bit inexact, but with only 18bhp it didn't matter much.

[@MegaCm123456]

A FIAT, huh? Was it a trip back to Italy?

[@mj6463]

That is awesome!

[@boballen9836]

Brilliant! 'Would love to have seen it on the road.

[@mikehipperson]

My 'sit up and beg' Ford Popular blew the head gasket on the way home from the race!

[@67daltonknox]

@@mikehipperson See the excitement we miss these days, driving around in Toyotas that never go wrong.

[@brianredman100]

I was in it! Brilliant Chevron B5 powered by 2 litre BRM V8. As usual, diff. broke and went about 100 yards! Brian Redman

[@peterlovett5841]

Brian, your racing record was brilliant and unlike so many from that era you are still with us. Thanks for the memories.

[@brianredman100]

Peter Lovett Thank you Peter!

[@leach1527]

Sadly I missed the BOAC 500 that year but I did see you win in the Chevron at Crystal Palace at the 1967 Spring Bank Holiday meeting. I recall you just pipped Mike de Udy's Lola 70GT at the finish after a real scrap.

[@martynjames4823]

@Richard Reddington Hi Richard, my name is Martyn James and I'm a Chaparral 'nut' and I'm recreating an accurate large scale 'model' of the 67 BOAC 500 and from the BOAC video you can see one of the entry booths showing the costs for adults and children which make it look like it was more expensive for children!! Also my programme from the time gives the impression that children had to be accompanied and then entered for free - but you gained entry without an adult - can you help me resolve this , please? Martyn

[@375GTB]

The first race of the season was the BEST race of the year. Best I ever saw in FLA 1964 -1973.... I was behind the flagman, jumping up and down As my beloved 330P4s came by 3 abreast.... Ferrari's REVENGE for 1965 and 1966 debacles Ugly P2s.... I was all of 17 years of age.... STILL a fan of Ferrari in endurance racing At age 72... Looking forward to Ferrari's RETURN to Le Mans in 2023.... Daytona 1973 was my LAST FLA race No Ferrari Protos.... few protos at all.... Sebring was ALL IMSA Junk Car Camel GT.... TRASH! My newspaper sank out of sight.... Thanks to the Arab oil embargo I was: Tech Editor at FLA Racing News Out of Miami.... We lasted 13 glorious months With STP/Andy G.'s help.... Sometimes our only advertiser Mr. 500 had to shut down his team Mario had to scrabble for sponsors My friend Tony a2z had to sell CARS! ( Miss Tony terribly....RIP! ) WE are lucky to survive TODAY! Virus, Trump, Biden.... Corvid 19.... Thank you Brian... God bless you! And all your compatriots... Unforgettable! Forza Ferrari!! 330P4 most beautiful of ALL... Last before the rolling doors stops came in And that fantastic 3 valve V-12 sound! Unique! J.C.

[@paulwoloschuk1]

Thanks for posting this. I was there! It was my first motor sport event. I was just 14 years old and had cycled to the circuit with a school pal. I had no real idea what the BOAC 500 was, but I had read about the race in a newspaper, and it seemed like a good idea to go. I have little recollection of the race, other than the immense noise as the field roared past me on the opening lap, oh and a white car won! 😎

[@mj6463]

It’s awesome to see comments from folks that where there, I’m 19 and so never got the chance, but man what a beautiful time, all those who were alive to witness it, be thankful, today these kinds of people and attitudes are only found in amateur racing. Modern cars are fast, but nothing compares to those cars with no aero, such amazing racing!

[@codeandroad3020]

Thanks for posting this. It was the first race which I attended. Having followed Can-Am racing l I had gone to see the Chaparral 2F and was not disappointed. Most of the top drivers of the day were there except for Jim Clark who was racing elsewhere. So many great cars especially the P4s which were stunning. The Mirage made the normal GT40 look tall in comparison. The Sid Taylor T70 was later raced by a colleague. The pits remind me of the old Reims circuit which I visited a few years back.

[@ianwilsonautograph]

Me too :)

[@donr2176]

@@ianwilsonautograph I was at that meeting also- as a young man! Gave my programme [ and my 1966 Le Mans one also] to a local car collection owner!..

[@robertshiret1497]

I was there that day with my twin brother and Dad. That Chaparral was something we talked about many years later. What memories!

[@petewhite1034]

I was there too. The Howmet gas turbine car broke down. The Chaparral 2F was and is my favourite

[@chamteleboy]

Have just found a piece of newspaper in a wall whilst renovating an apartment in Chamonix France. It mentions this race and that Eddie Merckx won the Paris Roubaix. Thank you for uploading.

[@mikejohnson5900]

That was very cool. I wish I could time travel and go back and see some of those historic races!

[@ralphmillais5237]

Thanks for posting this Gem of a film! And the fact that you drove a Cobra in period on the road is just about as cool as it gets. Cheers!

[@mrchestwell]

Robert Baird here here! Thank you Hugh - fantastic that you raced in this race - what memories

[@AlfieBucks]

Message for Mr Hugh Dibley- you came third in my very first International Motor Race. Behind Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren - so not a bad result! Daily Express Trophy, Silverstone May 14th 1966. I have loved big sports cars ever since. Thank you sir!

[@derekantill3721]

I was there that day. Long distance sports car racing, I have seen many races, I love it.

[@malcolmlane-ley2044]

What a great historical document of its time, not only the cars, the clothes, but the filming technique and soundtrack. Top level race drivers are so different today, I remember as a boy of about 10 meeting Jack Brabham hobbling around on crutches with a leg in plaster at Silverstone, imagine Lewis Hamilton even getting near the fans today!

[@mj6463]

Yeah it’s awesome how much more of “gentleman drivers” they where then, they have much more of the mentality of a celebrity and athlete now, which I think is unfortunate.

[@admiralcraddock464]

@@mj6463 I think it`s all down to the money involved and sponsorship. Sponsors don`t want characters these days who might do something to taint the highly polished image thye`ve spent a fortune manufacturing. A wrong word said to a intrusive spectator or a hand in the wrong place could result in allegations of sexism, racism etc which could send a sponsor`s profile plumeting. Just look what`s happened to several premier league footballers who have fallen into honey traps..

[@pitrow66]

Thanks Hugh for posting this Gem. Always nice to hear from those that were there. Had a visit with Jim H. for a few hours in 2018. Only victory for the 2H was at this race.

[@violentshemp7776]

that's the 2f on the track. the 2h was the horrid looking can am entry for '69

[@pitrow66]

My mistake. I certainly know the difference.

[@markholroyde9412]

'Kin Hell this is awesome seeing this and reading the comments below, great bit of History, cheers.

[@alanrushbrook2336]

O that so takes me back. I attended a lot of race meetings at that time with my late father Robbie Rushbrook of Lola Cars. I remember Hugh's ambulance transporter parked outside Lola's in Bromley. Thanks for the memories.

[@jodavies8952]

Golden years, that line up of stunning race cars which today is just no match,the people who took part in an unrepeatable racing era, their skill and expertise hard earned, no computers or gimmicks, when teams won with judgment and experience, a fabulous film.

[@alanbooker]

I still have the program. One of those blurred blobs hanging over the fence at 6.58 is me, lol.

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

I've been a blurred blob too! though not at this race. Street corner by a cub scout parade scene on Martha's Vineyard in Jaws.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Haha I was a fellow 14 yo blob at Clearways.

[@davea8346]

@@philiptownsend4026 I thought that was you!

[@mikejohnson5900]

Did you see the accident there?

[@MagnumTheGamer]

Legend.

[@IanKayCey]

Ohh, how I wish I can go back to this era.

[@gothicpagan.666]

Funny how the sight of a bunch of long forgotten cars and drivers can spark so many happy memories for those lucky enough to see them at the time.

[@lestorhaslam]

Thank you for this clip, I was there as a young teenager.

[@4.2Tony]

So was I.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Me too as 14yo at Clearways. I remember being impressed by the Lotus 47 pace, keeping up with the much more powerful cars. Been a motor sport enthusiast ever since occupying every position in amateur career from lowly driver to Clerk of Course. Retired now.

[@WillFastCar]

The shots of the Cobra driving through London remind me of Patrick McGoohan in his Lotus 7in Danger Man. Superb - and I was there...

[@tjm3900]

Not Danger man, it was The Prisoner .

[@WillFastCar]

@@tjm3900 Yes, you're right!

[@robair67]

@@tjm3900 (post resignation...)

[@frankfiocco8004]

A generation of legendary cars and drivers. Damn dangerous days.

[@admiralcraddock464]

Absolutely, track and cars are, thankfully, so much safer now but weren`t the old tracks such as Crystal Palace so much better for the spectaors who could sit right next to the track, unlike todays ones where they are kept way back from the tarmac behind high fences.

[@richardbuchanan5497]

Hey! That me! I'm the blob at 15:22 at USGP West 1982.

[@steven-vn9ui]

What a time to be alive that must have been!

[@philiptownsend4026]

They were. I was a little young to remember the 60s but the 80s were the best time in my life, looking back doing well at work and successful Mini racer.

[@richardbuchanan5497]

It was a wonderful time to be alive. Young people can read about it, watch videos, etc. But it had a feel. Sadly, you just had to be there. Oh what a time to be alive!

[@terrystevens9934]

It was my first BOAC 500, loved the Chaparral and glad it won…..Great bit of film…….remember it well for crashing into the back of an E-Type Jag on my push bike while cycling home 8 miles away…..happy days!!

[@polcommwatcher]

My armchair1960s motor-racing interest is primarily F1, but this is totally cool. Iconic cars/drivers. I get the audience appeal of these chassis over open-wheel--they're more "relatable" vehicles, to a degree. Excellent racing footage; good view of BH. This is the event Jim Clark wanted to enter a year later....

[@mj6463]

Mid 60s sports car endurance racing was amazing, I think you will really like it. 60s f1 was brilliant too. 👍 there is a series by the channel “gplaps” of brilliant videos covering history of old cars and also racing them in a simulator you’d probably like.

[@chasermalloy7406]

And Clark actually died in Germany whIle that 1968 BOAC race was running. His death was announced over the PA and the whole Place went into shock.

[@sergioleone3583]

Great stuff, a treasure to see.

[@Ralph2]

Wow I had forgotten all about this series and I was a spectator at Brands! Pretty sure I had a poster on my bedroom wall similar to the one at 4:28, but I think it was called the BOAC 1000 (kilometers). Good times, great memories, thank you.

[@hannuheporauta2782]

no. it was called boac 500 - although it should have been called boac 6 hours.

[@hannuheporauta2782]

the teams had been fooled by that false name and short before the start, they had to redo their fel caculations !

[@boballen9836]

Many thanks for solving something I've been puzzling over for a long time. Photographs of the grid show a McLaren M1A at the back and I couldn't figure out what it was doing there, not being eligible for the race as it was a Group 7 car, i.e. neither Group 4 nor Group 6. Now I realise it was a camera car, though I assume it pulled off very early as I don't see it in any further shots.

[@williewaset]

Great Chaparral win.

[@TheFreddenmark]

Its great ! Many ungsters think the world began yesterday. The cars from that period especially the Ferraries endet up as model on the Scalextric race track. What you also can see is the drivers are pushing the car to the limit and a bit beyond. Thanks for sharing.

[@twillis449]

Hugh Dibley was lucky to be alive at this time. I was at the first Can-Am race at St Jovite in 1966. Due to the primitive (non-existent?) aerodynamics of the time, Dibley's car (Lola T70) got airborne as it went over the infamous 'hump' on the St Jovite back straight and landed upside-down in the bushes on the hill to the left of the straight. How he ever walked away from that I have no idea. There's an interview with John Surtees here on KZbin where Surtees explains how to properly handle 'the hump' in a Lola T70 - tap the brakes just before cresting so that the nose dips down as you go over the crest - a trick he had remembered from his motorcycling days.

[@mj6463]

It’s so cool to me top level drivers used to race bikes too, so many of the old greats came from motorcycle racing, you never hear about it today.

[@hugejohnson5011]

@@mj6463 Mike Hailwood!

[@tonylockhart1963]

Wow 🤩 What a treat this video is. Thank you so much for sharing with the world.

[@crusherbmx]

I remember reading about these cars, and this race in 80's and 90's in Road and Track magazine, usually written by Phil Hill, great driver, great writer.

[@craigyirush3492]

Oh for a time machine! It was the great Phil Hill’s last race and last win.

[@MJY5drives]

Love the wing on that chaparral

[@stewjade]

Marvelous film from a great era that I remember so well but Hugh Dibley, be dammed if I can remember him. Just now I have read his history in "Motorsport" Jan 2018. Wonderful story of great but little know racer. A great read. Many thanks for posting this film.

[@petebeatminister]

Even if the picture quality is terrible, its amazing to see all the driver and car legends of the 60s.

[@Requiredfields2]

7:55 Leaving pit row through a crowd of onlookers - no problem.

[@chuckselvage3157]

Sir Jack🇦🇺and old mate jumps in a Cobra and cruises off.Too cool.

[@davefesse-bouc8756]

7mn57s ...what an impressive start from Chris Amon (Ferrari P4) !!!!

[@afenijmeijer9027]

How simple life was then. The pit lane was part of the race track then. No speed limits. And lots of hangers on there among the cars and crews during the race. That was the only race the gorgeous Chapparal 2F won.

[@mj6463]

Very much a similar atmosphere to some amateur racing today, the high profile stuff has lost the best parts of its culture in favor of just being corporate unfortunately, but local racing generally has a really healthy culture behind it.

[@46shamsham]

やっぱりチャパラル2Fカッコいいですね。昔、タミヤからミニレーサーやチビコロレーサーで商品化されていましたね。

[@lisabrabham1662]

Great video that I had not seen before.

[@PeterKKraus]

A BOAC 747 was the first airplane I was aware of being on. 1971. JFK to Heathrow. My first auto race attended, 1970 Trans Am at Lime Rock.

[@peterjbodden]

Memories are made of (things like) this!

[@lesterbeedell9725]

And a VC10 !

[@zebop917]

Marvellous! I’m going to be trying this in Grand Prix Legends pretty soon.

[@Michael_Lorenson]

Excellent, thanks

[@TheStevemcqueen68]

thanks for posting this great film

[@mariapires7170]

What a beautiful Cobra in London´s streets

[@blxtothis]

Not quite sure why anyone would drive straight from the Airport, to London around Parliament Square to get to Brands Hatch. Must have been 1966 Sat Nav! Oh joy though, those were the days when Sports Cars really we’re worth watching and listening to. Lovely and innocuous to see the tiddly Europa and Elan up against those behemoths!

[@stpfs9281]

A big thank you!

[@saleemwaheed9956]

A classic sports car wet dream!!

[@trevorparker8686]

Cracking film ! cheers

[@violentshemp7776]

thx for the video mr. dibley!

[@blxtothis]

Blimey I went to Wandsworth School for boys with a Hugh Dibley in the 60s!

[@IamScoHo]

Vintage racing here in the PNW is mostly American muscle, which is still cool but I loved it 20-30 years ago when the Californians would bring up their exotics such as those in this race. The sounds and those sleek designs...

[@ElNinoDeOro1925]

This is my favorite racing class before the group c the ferraris 250 lm and 330 p4 and also the Fords.

[@maliwilliams7262]

THNX!!

[@frankrowland]

He took a tortuous route to get from Heathrow to Brands Hatch!

[@HughPKD]

With good views on the way!

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

Yay Hugh Dibley!

[@marka7831]

just superb

[@jockellis]

How old are you? I took a photo of your turbine car at Sebring that may be the sharpest image I ever got. The car was SO quiet!

[@fifie1]

Magic time...

[@carreras7524]

amazing

[@andynixon2820]

He drives to and from work in a 427 cobra . Flies jets and races in his spare time . I'd like to have his life .

[@AmericasChoice]

not a 427

[@paladin0654]

So the guy jumps into a Cobra?

[@rahkinrah1963]

"Right hand" Cobra?

[@seamusblack5876]

Groovy baby

[@nico-cb4sf]

Gravy Boobie

[@snoopyshultz]

the things i'd do for a 1:1 upload of this

[@shoominati23]

Amon, McLaren, Brabham, Hulme - you couldn't ask for (or get for that matter) better in that day and age

[@225supersix1977]

Chaparral two speed trans they are: fast and more fast . . is it

[@derin111]

Funny route he took through London to get to Brands….😅

[@CNDUK-q8r]

Back when Britain was the greatest country in the World and London our beloved capital.... 😔

[@lynngrantz7642]

FIRELLI

[@antoninopirrone2541]

❤️💕💕💕

[@philipbarrett3151]

Pit lane limiters - who needs 'em?

[@barryporteous4904]

Beginning of the clip: Not Patrick McGoohan driving then?

[@375GTB]

FERRARI WSCC! Again! J.C.

[@chunkybuster7203]

How the fuck did a MGB get on the grid?

[@tylercochran5158]

Was found out he was greasing someone’s asshole earlier that week, and race day he had to take it up the ass from quite a few race directors.

[@tanaami-pn9lq]

この天気でも、イギリス人はオープンカーに乗るんだ・・シャパラルが登場した時は、実験車かと思った。そのままレースに出場した。

[@lynngrantz7642]

1967

[@kdcobra64]

Chaparral Wins

[@shawnstangeland3011]

Sad that the original quality could not be preserved...now just a blurry relic

[@julianlockwood3040]

Racing was better then - but the video quality .. well not so much :)

[@KB4QAA]

Video quality is typical for the era. Who cares?

[@seamusblack5876]

Automatic in a race car only in the 60s

[@aminechaib9793]

SCARNET X EVER

[@derin111]

I’m glad that ‘wing’ thing was banned or never caught on. Imagine something pressing down on the wheels and giving more grip. That’s just pure cheating!

[@rahkinrah1963]

How long has F1 had DRS? All would have caught on making the playing field equal. "Active suspension". why not?

[@shimshonbendan8730]

Truly, this is one of the most ignorant comments I have ever read in my entire life. Get a life pal.

[@Toby_the_Glen]

So who knew? He drove from the airport into the centre of London ? Passed houses of parliament, St Paul's cathedral, Barnaby street and Tower Bridge to get to brands hatch in kent? Yikes, this must have been filmed by the tourist board to appeal to americans?

[@blxtothis]

“Lolas and a Chaparral on the first row of the grid”, “Lotus and Chevron” “Ferrari beating Porsche to win the World Championship” all beautiful words and something sadly missing from today’s soulless equivalent of hybrid sameness. And the general scruffiness, seemingly amateur, lack of finesse and a more relaxed approach to health and safety all add to a world unrecognisable to us now

[@aminechaib9793]

Autobuses

[@scubatrucker6806]

What a ridiculous Wing setup

[@petnatcar]

I love the old cars but the mindless camera work and moronic editing ruin the clip. It's to bad there are so many idiot directors and editors with no sense of imagination on how to capture the action.

[@lynngrantz7642]

1988 camelsa mu 5956 af pasajeros 20050309