Bernard de Dryver was entered in the 1977 Belgian GP by "British Formula 1 Racing' but failed to qualify. Some years ago I found this photo his car on the internet…


(copyright unknown)

No problems so far, but browsing the www.f1picstop.com archive recently I came across this photo, also from Zolder..


(copyright www.f1picstop.com)

My assumption is that the first photo is from Friday practice (wet) and the car is still running the livery used by Brian Henton at Jarama. The second photo is from Saturday practice (dry).

Can anyone confirm my assumptions (I have never seen a photo of the Henton car at Jarama), and also shed some light on the change of livery/sponsorship?

Thanks
Rob

P.S. The www.f1picstop.com seems to have been down for the past two days so the link will fail at the moment.

Hi Rob

Without any specific knowledge and no research, I would say your assumption is correct. Just by looking at the nature of the [latter] decals, you can see changes would have been needed.

The mirrors on the later pic are a different colour too, which says to me that it was a simple case of fitting a different cockpit section and nose cone, suitably adorned for the Saturday.

The other possibility is that the second picture was taken much more recently, when de Dryver raced an F1 March in a few historic events (though my recollection of the recent occasons is that that car was in 'Peterson' blue and yellow)

David
There are a number of other photos on F1Picstop from Zolder in 1977, all taken from the same location, so I think that the de Dryver photo is definitely 'in period'.

I am hoping that Pedro917 will drop into this thread, as he posted quite a few photos from 1977 Zolder on the 'Paddock' thread and may remember this change...

Rob

Here I am!
I've found a Saturday practice picture of De Dryver's March 761/7 :



I wasn't there on Friday and can't recall having seen the car in the first picture livery.
I know De Dryver was sponsored by Bang & Olufsen and he'd found some more sponsors to get the money for this Belgian GP entry. Your assumption is very likely the right one.

From an interview with De Dryver :

He'd met Brian Henton in Pau at the end of May. Henton, short of money, asked De Dryver if he was interested in hiring his March for the Belgian GP. He asked 250.000 Belgian Francs for the practice sessions and in case he could qualify the car, 400.000 BEF (= 10.000 Euros).
De Dryver found 5 sponsors who were willing to help and during Friday's practice in the wet, he was 26th out of 33 and qualified. Saturday however, he encountered clutch and braking problems and so didn't manage to put the car on the grid.

Thanks Luc, your photo at least pins the second pic down to the Saturday practice session.
Thanks also for the additional info/interview... good to know we can depend on TNFers ;)

Now.. if we could only find a pic of Henton at Jarama....
Rob

Completely beside the point, but..............

That exact first photo was used on a top trump card game I bought as a kid! I'll scan it in.

1977_Jarama_Henton_

Alnica

Now, that's what they call "Teamwork"

I'm pretty sure Henton used that livery throughout 1977. This is supposed to be Henton at the Oesterreichring, but it looks like Zandvoort to me.



He also used this livery in the 1977 ROC.

Paul
Brian used a few liveries in 1977, that is why I wanted confirmation of Jarama (the race BEFORE Zolder)


Britain


Austria

Thanks for your pic which is from the Race of Champions I think, and not Zandvoort.
It is taken at what is now 'Graham Hill Bend'.
Rob

Might it be taken at Surtees, Rob?

Yeh OK ... maybe a little flat for 'Graham Hill Bend'. I did get the circuit though
(Henton was in the Boro/Ensign at Zandvoort so it could not be there ;) )

Sorry, that was another one of my wild guesses...

So, now I have two images of Henton at the '77 ROC...(The other one being in my copy of Motorsport Magazine, April 1977, which you've all probably got anyway ;)).

Ah, sweet memories... Still my favourite set of top trump cards!

My parents moved house in December. I rescued my old cards then. They were lying in a box on top of my book shelf. Posting this picture took me on an hour long trip down memory lane. I have 6 pure F1 card games and 3 sportscar games. (And trains and locomotives. And street cars. And ferries. And boats). Wonder if they are worth anything?