[merged] Track related problems : I need your help

PNB wrote:Very detailed and nice story. Eager to ses how it will merge in Wookey`s

Cristian Luis wrote:Christian Luis (19th August 1943) is an English racing driver born in Algeciras, Spain, to an English mother and a Spanish father, with the later made prisoner in April 1943 because of his services to the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civir War. After being arrested, he was converted into a slave, obligated to work incessantly in order of construct along with other captives Abadía Benedictina de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos (a monument started by the dictator Francisco Franco Bahamonde in 1940 and finished 18 years later) until their extenuation and posterior execution in 1945. During that time, Christian and his mother went to Gibraltar. The little kid would never know about the fate of his missed father until 1960.

In 1946, a year after the end of the World War II, Christian - with two years old - and his mother catched a flight to Kent, where his maternal grandparents lived. He was thus raised by his grandparents and mother in Swanley, United Kingdom, where he grew up and adquired the British nationality.

At that time in Kent, a racing circuit was in reconstruction status: the Brands Hatch Stadium. During the World War II, it was used as a military vehicle park, and it was subject to many bombing raids. In consequence, it needed much work before it could become a professional racing circuit. A year later, Christian Luis went with his grandfather to watch a Motorcycle event (and the first one in Brands Hatch Stadium to be broadcasted by the BBC), and the little kid recorded by heart the place, astonished.

In 1949, a new reconstruction for serve better experiences on road circuit was announced by Joe Francis (managing director of Brands Hatch Stadium Ltd.) with approval of the RAC, in order to meet four-wheel racing events on a more appropiate and cost-effective manner. In three occasions, Christian visited the circuit with his family, and the little boy helped genuinely with the changes by carrying bricks, brochures and paint pots. He also planted along with his family some flowers next to the track. These details gained the sympathy of Ken Gregory, a worker of the RAC at the time, and a close contact of Joe Francis, who invited the family to attend the circuit on 16th April 1950 for an opening meeting of Formula 3.


Credits: 500race.org

Another meeting in June 1950 resulted with five races, all of them won by Stirling Moss, a name which Christian would remember from this day, because of the driver's thriumps and being linked also to Ken Gregory. The August Bank Holiday meeting saw for the first time, involvement of the national press with the Daily Telegraph sponsoring the main event of the day. During 1950 and 1952, Christian developed the vocation of being involved in motor-racing.

Christian attended Downsview Community Primary School during his childhood, getting his graduation at the age of 11. After that, he became a student of the Charles Dickens School until 1961, specializing in Maths and Engineering principles. In his personal life, he procured his passion being fan of Stirling Moss and the Mercedes W196, considering the German single-seater as the "perfect machine". Living in Kent, inclined Christian to be a regular spectator of Brands Hatch motor-racing contests. With Ken Gregory as Secretary of the Brands Hatch Stadium since 1951, Christian had the opportunity to meet between 1956 and 1960 personalities like Stirling Moss (his childhood idol), Jack Neill, Graham Hill, Dean Delamont, John Surtees, Bob Anderson and Eric Broadley.


Credits: 500race.org

The darkest point of his life arrived in 1960, a year in which his grandmother was struck by a car and killed. On her deathbed, she confessed to Christian the horrible way his father died. Albeit not surprised, her last words caused him intense wrath feeling against the Franquism Spain, swearing himself not to represent in any way to Spain until the regime were destroyed there. His posterior depression caused by grandmother's death almost costed him his graduation without repeating.

After a forgettable 1960 and a tumultous 1961, Christian joined GrandsKent Business as a neophyte mechanic for a brief period of time - three months - in September 1961, just after passing his driving test. This is because of Eric Broadley's offer to work as a full-time mechanic and test driver on Bowmaker-Yeoman Racing Team, managed by Reg Parnell. During 1961, Eric Broadley considered to make debut his newest chassis in Formula One the next year, with John Surtees and Roy Salvadori as drivers.

In 1962, Christian occupied his predictable role as a mechanic apprentice in the team, meeting again with some old friends and acquittances he knew at his late 50's, and nurturing a lot from his work experience. But the next year, things became more difficult. With Bowmaker's withdrawal, Parnell continued to run the cars as a privateer entrant, without measures of success. A total of three privateers and six drivers continued to use the Mk 4 chassis during 1963. Christian was invited to be the test driver for Reg Parnell due to his knowledge about the car. At the end of the year, all private teams resigned to use the Mk 4 again. Since then, the Mk 4 Formula One chassis turned out to be history for the books.


Credits: lolaheritage.co.uk

While Christian was searching for a new job at the beginning of 1964, he received a new job offer from Eric Broadley: work in Formula 2 for him for two years, as a mechanic and test driver. At the 1964 Formula One British Grand Prix (held in Brands Hatch for the first time), Christian had the opportunity to drive around the circuit a BRM Type 15 before the race, thanks to Joe Francis, Ken Gregory and the Formula One 1962 World Champion Graham Hill. The relationship between Eric and Christian was like father and son, and a Formula 2 seat was offered to Christian for 1966.

While Christian was competing in Formula 2 with positive results, in Formula One, the 1966 season was the first of the "3 litre formula", which saw maximum engine capacity doubled from the previous season. British constructors were forced to look elsewhere after Climax's withdrawal from racing. Meanwhile, an American called Ken Wallis was developing the STP-Paxton Turbocar for 1966 Indianapolis 500. The car was built around an aluminum box-shaped backbone. The driver was seated on the right side of the backbone, while the Pratt & Whitney Canada ST6B-62 turbine engine, was mounted on the left side of the backbone. Wallis offered the plan to Carroll Shelby, Dan Gurney, and Andy Granatelli. The three approved the concept. But later, the aluminum frame of the car was badly warped during heat treating in mid 1966, eliminating any possibility of the car racing in the 1966 Indianapolis 500.

Informed about the flop, Eric considered the idea of purchasing a STP-Paxton chassis and adapt all its innovation into Formula One class field with John Surtees as a driver. However, there was no guarantee of competing in 1967, and John Surtees finally decanted for Honda Racing days after his win with Cooper at the 1966 Mexican Grand Prix, the final round of the season hosted in November.

For 1967, Christian was elected as the first official driver of the brand-new STP Lola Team. But nevertheless, the chassis was not done yet. After months of development until mid June, several tests were done at Brands Hatch and Snetterton. Christian concluded that the car, with its long wheelbase, reliable (albeit laggy) engine, nervousness of the machine and relatively light chassis, would be more at home on high speed tracks than on tight circuits, where the handling problems are more notorious. In conclusion, most of the drawbacks of the vehicle could be counter-balanced by Christian Luis' knowledge about car setups.


Credits: autodrome-cannes.com

With STP as the official Lola and Christian Luis' main sponsor, he's prepared for compete on the 1967 Gold Cup (Oulton Park Circuit) as a test race, racing for UK and under the name of Christian Lewis.

Luigi 70 wrote:

[i]1967 STP-Paxton Turbocar
The STP-Paxton Turbocar was a racing car, designed by Ken Wallis as the STP entry in the Indianapolis 500.

Wookey wrote:Dear friends, and especially trackbuilders.

In the course of my Wookey Story I need a better AIW for Marseille_all circuit. The is my dream track, and Jalnervion did a fantastic job on it. However If it is perfectly driveable alone, the aiw does send most of the ai cars in accident, so I cant finish a race with opponents.

So I ask you if someone could fix it? I can change my story to go on any other track, but... as Jalnervion did the track I wanted at this point of my novel, that would be a shame, would not be?

That woud be very kind.

Cristian Luis wrote:

Wookey wrote:Dear friends, and especially trackbuilders.

In the course of my Wookey Story I need a better AIW for Marseille_all circuit. The is my dream track, and Jalnervion did a fantastic job on it. However If it is perfectly driveable alone, the aiw does send most of the ai cars in accident, so I cant finish a race with opponents.

So I ask you if someone could fix it? I can change my story to go on any other track, but... as Jalnervion did the track I wanted at this point of my novel, that would be a shame, would not be?

That woud be very kind.

Send me the circuit right now. I will check..

P.D.: In your stories, I want to be British, not francoist Spanish, please.