Formula 1 returns to Singapore in 11 days, so now seems as good a time as any to look back at one of the sport’s great forgotten street circuits: Long Beach.
After a successful Formula 5000 race in 1975, the Californian city held its first Grand Prix in 1976. The venue became a firm favourite – especially after 1977 when Mario Andretti scored the first home win for an American driver – but increasing financial pressures meant that Formula 1 last visited in 1983, being replaced by CART and IndyCar races that continue to this day.
This video of Patrick Depailler is from 1978, a year in which he was particularly on form. In the new Tyrrell 008 he vied for the championship lead in the early stages of the season until being plagued with reliability issues down the stretch. Depailler was reportedly not a fan of the Long Beach circuit, but that didn’t stop him from throwing the car around the place in his usual wild style.
Dear God! That looked pretty dangerous!
Brilliant, reminds me why I used to enjoy F1.
RIP Patrick – they don’t make ‘em like you any more!
No “pass the guy in front” buttons.
I love Lap of the Gods.
There’s this other Depailler mind-bender that’s worth a watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnAB6Wsg8wE
Brilliant, even if I have seen it before. I particularly noticed how stretches of the walls have no restraining wire above them. Big opposite lock moment out of the downhill corner after the pits, and plenty more wheel whirling around the track.
I do so wish there was some footage like this of Gilles at Monaco or Long Beach in the T4 but I don’t think there is unfortunately.
F1 doesn’t go there any more because of greed. And not from the Long Beach side of the table. Great shame.
PD much missed too.
Terrific and hairy stuff. Love the sound of the old Cossie.
Great stuff!
He was always a favorite of mine, both for his driving and his, how do you say in his country, joie de vivre, ahh?
He lived full on in all ways, like none of those guys now except maybe Kimi do.
Wish that sharp short downhill drop was still part of the course layout.
They had two great races in the USA this one and Watkins Glen. Why did they have to mess around with it!
Please bring back those rules, that “formula,” and let’s watch real racing again.
wonderful!
gosh i miss the sound of that Cosworth – and the V12′s – ah well- then again I miss a real street circuit with – even more gosh’s real overtaking, I do regret we are no longer at Long Beach I would have loved to have seen the GP there! and talking of missing and having just read the Prof’s comments I do miss pouvre Patrick, another needless death – Patrick was one cool dude and yes his fondness for dangerous pursuits were well known but to die so needlessly – just seems yet another tragic waste
Wow!
I have seen that before, but i could watch it all day.
Whilst i can appreciate the skill required with the immense speeds modern F1 cars travel at, this is just so raw. Its up to the driver to feel the engine and brakes, and change gears.
Perhaps I could amend my comment about ‘big opposite lock moment’ out of the corner after the pits, to ‘nicely controlled, deliberate slide’ because as I recall from watching Long Beach races of the past, everyone was on opposite lock there!
I get the impression that due to suspension design and construction these days on F1 cars, the amount of steering lock available to drivers is much less than it used to be. Is this correct? There have been a number of incidents with cars getting sideways which don’t appear to be recoverable because not enough correction can be applied, and I thought Mark Webber’s sideways moment at the exit of the Ascari chicane at Monza was a good illustration of this.
It was Colin Chapman, I think, who said of Ronnie Peterson that he couldn’t spin as long as he had steering lock. There was no such thing as irretrievably sideways.
A great time to watch GP cars go around, and reminder of why I’ve a day job.
Thank you, great stuff. A real F1 racer. No fear; raced as if there was no tomorrow. Like lots of them did in those days. And look at all those lovely cars! Ha, I am getting old……
Driving 500bhp sardine tins around concrete walls with no tyre walls with one hand mostly, that’s why I grew to love F1.