RRDC Evening with Jim Hall - Introduction by Sam Posey / Interview with Bobby Rahal

At the 2012 Long Beach Grand Prix, The Road Racing Drivers Club paid tribute to Jim Hall
1963 Monaco footage courtesy of Steve Earle.

[@jamesburke1978]

In 1965 a buddy and I skipped school to go see the Chaparral do testing before the race. The Chaparral was the only car there. I was a big Car and Driver reader and knew of the “Mystery “ transmission. There were no restrictions for any spectators and there were less than 20 people there. My buddy and I climbed up in the tower in the paddock area to see better and found Hap Sharp there observing. I remember commenting to Hap Sharp as the Chaparral accelerated out of the hairpin “I didn’t hear it shift”! He just looked at me and smiled and said “You didn’t Huh?” I went to the 1965 Sebring race and was absolutely in heaven watching the race on a home built 16 ft tower with an umbrella on top! What memory! I also fell in love with the Cobra Daytona Coupe at race!

[@ErnieAlgorriernietheattorney]

Jim Hall deserves so much more recognition. A man of infinite wisdom and courage, true embodiment of the American engineering and entrepreneurial spirit. What a conversation. And a fanatic interview by Bobby Rahal. Great work here.

[@brabham74]

When I was a kid in the 1960's, Jim Hall was one of my heroes. He still is.

[@ericeverson5956]

Great intro by Posey, fabulous interview by Rahal, great interview by Jim Hall. Just great stuff!!!!

[@guitarsword1]

The Jim Hall race cars mesmerized me. This is a true American racing legend .

[@anynamewilldo808]

What a class act Jim Hall is. He made sure he recognized all the people that he raced with over the years, and shows gratitude for the life he's lived. Thanks Mr. Rahal for doing such a great job and capturing an important part of racing history.

[@guts067]

Wow, I could listen to that man for hours. Thank you, that was a privilege.

[@lorendsalazar]

After all these years, I still admire Jim Hall as the best car racer and designer of our times. Pure art of racing in design.

[@michaellorenson2997]

Jim Hall is the man.

[@caribman10]

Hall had so much he could talk about and is so self-effacing he didn't mention his most significant feat: he is the ONLY Indy Car owner ever to have won all three major 500 mile races in the same season, a/k/a The Triple Crown. Lord be praised, the only year I was able to see Indy, Pocono and Ontario (1978) , Al Unser Sr. won all three. And that was with the same chassis each time, a Lola. He also beat the Lola "factory" team in the same year in Indy cars. No other team andor driver ever won three 500 mile races in the same season again. Quite a man.

[@steventhornton6646]

I grew up less than 5 miles from Laguna Seca in the 60's and I always loved watching his Chaparrals, always went to the races at Laguna.....

[@tfman54]

I was a college student attending the Vanderbilt Cup race at Bridgehampton Race circuit in May of 1965. I was fortunate to have a circuit pass which allowed access to every area....the result being able to shoot 8 mm film of Jim Hall, Hap Sharp and Rodger Penske in the paddock and on pit lane. I have posted this film at TFMAN 54. I spoke to Mr Hall and questioned the tarp over the rear of his Chapparral 2 in the pits, he said " we are trying something different this weekend and kind of want it to ourselves". This was followed boy a smile....a very nice guy easy to speak to. This was a great interview thanks for posting.

[@jamminjoy]

One of my racing heros!! Looking and sounding great! I happened to witness the wreck at the Las Vegas Stardust Can-Am in '68 that essentially ended his driving career. An innovative genius! Intro captures his enigmatic appeal.

[@SFolkes97]

This is a joy to watch. Mr. Hall was such a hero to many a young boy in the 60's - especially if you were from the Southwest. But in all those years we never would have guessed ... he speaks!!! And he's funny! Nice when your childhood heroes turn out to be even cooler than you thought.

[@Terlinguanna]

This is wonderful; thank you do much! When I was in journalism school at the University of Texas in the late 60s, I flew to Midland to interview Jim Hall for a feature writing class. He was a wonderful gentleman, showed me several of the shops and allowed me to take photos everywhere. He even reviewed my draft article for technical correctness. I still have that draft, complete with his comments all over it it. This video brings back a lot of great memories.

[@shawntristen7881]

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[@emeryryan2415]

@Shawn Tristen instablaster ;)

[@shawntristen7881]

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[@shawntristen7881]

@Emery Ryan It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thanks so much you saved my ass !

[@emeryryan2415]

@Shawn Tristen You are welcome :D

[@rickknoop1]

Absolutely without doubt one the best evenings of my life....

[@andersport]

You are absolutely right. Can Am racing,led by Hall, were innivative in aerodynamics. Jim Hall was the pioneer of aerodynamics way before F!.

[@markbuiltme]

As a kid in the 60's Jim Hall was my car idol and he was from Texas so it was pretty amazing to see his cars.

[@TheOldcardave]

I got a chance to talk to Jim Hall at Riverside Raceway in 1965 while he was tire testing for Firestone prior to the LA Times Grand Prix, we had a great conversation about the Chevy engines he was using at that time. I took many pictures of him, the Chaparral, and the Firestone tire guys.

[@ulysse21]

Many innovative technical solutions introduced in F1 were in fact invented by Jim Hall and introduced in CanAm

[@Buelligan88]

I've known about this guy since I became aware of the Chaparral in the 60s, but this is the first time I've ever seen an interview of him or heard his voice.

[@penguinhallwenham]

Knoop -- Every one of us who attended would have to agree. The Long Beach RRDC banquet has become the highlight of the motor sports social calendar. Mullen

[@deanwilliams9332]

The Roadrunner is one tuff bird

[@Hypo327]

In 1967 I was lucky enough to get one of the Chaparral 327 back-up engines from Chevrolet and dropped in into my 210 series '55 Chevy, Muncie close ratio 4-speed, Anson bell housing, largest clutch I could get, high rise alum. manifold with series D AFB 4-bbl carb, and there wasn't a 427 vette around that I couldn't beat. Had a St. cop pull me over once just to see what kind of "big block" I was running. It was a little monster! I put 456 third member, but had to go to 411's to get traction.

[@Dave-White]

Awesome video - a great man and his cars.

[@stevecosgrove2841]

in 1968 I was a 19 year old kid. November 11 1968 was a Sunday. I was standing at turn 1 when the number 11 Lola came thru the turn and stopped because of a suspension failure. The next car thru was Jim in his Chaparral. He hit the back of the Lola then went 20 feet in the air, landing upside down. I have since talked to Mr. Hall several times at Road America. The first time in 1980 I went up to him and introduced myself as a spectator at turn 1 at Stardust. I told him I was at the race the day of his accident. With his typical dry humor said " I wish I wasn't" and then laughed. He is very cordial and polite and brilliant when it came to engineering cars. He is a great guy, loved talking to him. Very willing to talk to the fans...unlike so many drivers today.

[@Classof67]

steve cosgrove Steve, Jim hit Lothar Motschenbacher's McLaren Mk 6B. It was not a Lola. This happened as you said at the Stardust 1968 Can Am race. www.pinterest.com/pin/529173024937547744/

[@ronkendall9452]

As a young racer in New Zealand & Australia in the mid 60's through the early 70's Jim Hall was my idol. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the RRDC evening with Jim Hall at the Long Beach Grand Prix & finally getting to meet my idol & have a few words with him. Bobby you did a good Letterman & it was a pleasure meeting you also. Thanks to Allen Berg, Allen Berg Racing Schools for allowing me to be his guest at the dinner. A great night

[@zerofecks819]

Legend.

[@CrazyPetez]

Loved it. Finally get to know a little about Jim.

[@richard8654able]

I remember as a boy building a 1/32 scale model of one of his cars.it was a simple model with no engine and plastic wheels but I was inspired by it and racing.

[@jimhamilton3544]

That was probably this best race car & driver manufacturer interview I have ever seen . You need another follow up continuation there is a lot more historical stories to be recorded .

[@jimdittemore620]

Great stuff.

[@joevald3]

Jim Hall the real deal....................

[@RoaroftheTiger]

A Gentleman, with a curious mind … a Hero.

[@beagle7622]

The Chaparals were always unique, they seemed from memory to be a little unreliable beside the Mclaren in Can Am. I remember seeing the high winged car on the cover of Road & Track, I was a kid but thought the photo was a joke.Then the fan car which I think was banned quickly.A great innovator being in Australia I never saw him or his cars unfortunately.Smart Guy!!!!

[@SAVikingSA]

Also, at the time, Can-Am was the fastest racing series outside of drag racing. Today, top level road course racing is the domain of Europe, but from the mid 1960's until the early 1970's the most powerful, highest accelerating, hardest braking and cornering cars in the world lived in North America. Sadly, this era is virtually unknown to my generation (I'm 33) and younger. Jim Hall and Smokey Yunick revolutionized road racing, and were heavy influences on people like Colin Chapman.

[@mboiko]

I wonder what he thinks of the C8 Corvette...given his history.

[@55Reever]

One of the greatest innovators in racing history.

[@DanStiel]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@caribman10]

I was at Bridgehampton in '66 when the 2E was unveiled,or actually uncovered. Hard for younger people to get but it was on a flat trailer with wood sides and was covered with a canvas tarp, except for this thing sticking out. Really. When the crew removed the tarp, those of us standing there just looked. Strangest looking car.....looked kind of like a guppy....had what turned out to be a wing...a wing....sticking out of the rear bodywork. How the heck does that work, we all thought. Well, as it turned out, never as good as it should from '66 on.Phil Hill himself said that if Chaparral had used a damn Hewland they'd have been champions, just like had Jim decided to use a normal size car battery maybe the car would start after pit stops...but all that's shoulda/woulda/coulda for a brilliant guy like Hall.

[@jongallant6054]

I didn't care for Jim Hall's race cars when I first found out he was using Chevy power. I am a loyalist. So I was a Ford guy all the way. So as a teenager I saw Hall's Chevy powered cars as the enemy. But now that I am 50 years older. And have heard Jim speak and explain about his approach to engineering race cars as a innovator. I have to say he was a very nice guy who just didn't spend much time talking things as much as he worked to create new ideas. You gotta respect a guy who applied himself to his craft. Successful or not. He played the game he loved. And Jim's story just proves that racing cars on any level was more important than making huge money. Coming from oil rich Texas to race cars when you really don't have too. And winning races because you love the sport that much. I consider Jim Hall as a great asset to automobile racing. Glad he is part of the American racing history.

[@deanwilliams9332]

The Roadrunner is one tuff bird

[@dp4racing]

My Hero, an amazing man!

[@seansmith2850]

Great use of a pick-up engine

[@Hypo327]

Jim Hall was my hero, being out of his generation!

[@jockellis]

A few years ago I got up the nerve to call Jim at the race shop. I called because his middle name is my last name and my grandmother told me of a James Ellis moving to Texas from Georgia in the 1840s. Apparently no relation, but we had a good time talking.

[@darrellsomers5427]

The Texas roadrunner

[@PeterMayer]

Just as innovative as Colin Chapman.

[@alvis3300]

My hero of my youth ✌

[@N-Scale]

Love the video. He has been my Super Hero since I was in grade school. Always a forward thinker. Mike Fifer

[@jjhpor]

The 2E was also driven by Hap Sharp. I don't remember Phil Hill driving it in the CanAm. Hill drove the following version in Europe

[@BAP007]

Sam Posey comments that the Chapparal Indy car (designed by John Barnard and built in the UK by BS Fabrications) was a direct descendant of the Chaparral sports cars. In fact they were entirely unrelated.

[@donstevenson2660]

I would say the 2C was the most beautiful of the lot, even though it's luck changed when morphed into the 2E.

[@Hypo327]

It ran low 130's in low 10's, running 10" slicks on 8" police interceptor wheels.

[@JC-gw3yo]

Another amazing American.. Imagine how much more success Mr Hall would have had with Ford....

[@andrewhunter180]

To me he sits at the tabe with Smokey Yunick, Carl Shelby, Colin Chapman, Bruce McLean

[@Buelligan88]

I could have listened until he got tired to talking.

[@PeterMayer]

Is that Sam Posey?