This old lady, I don’t know much ’bout them fancy cars, but I heard folks talkin’ ’bout that F1 1963 BRP BRM thing. Sounds like a whole lot of hubbub ’bout some race car, back in ’63. They say it was a big deal, this car, s’posed to be somethin’ special.
The Newfangled Car
Now, them car fellas, they always tryin’ to make somethin’ new, somethin’ faster. This here BRM P61, they called it. They said it was all new, made different than them other cars. Like puttin’ a new dress on an old hen, I reckon. They tried to make it all in one piece, like them Lotus cars, you see. That there Lotus, she won in ’62, so everyone’s tryin’ to copy that.
But this BRM, it weren’t quite the same. They had to bolt some parts together. Still, they thought it was the bee’s knees. All them fancy words, monocoque, this and that. I don’t know ’bout all that, just know they were mighty proud of it.
Race Day Troubles
They took that car to a big race, the French Grand Prix, they called it. That Graham Hill fella, he was s’posed to drive it. But somethin’ went wrong right at the start. The car, she wouldn’t go. Like my old mule, Bessie, sometimes she just don’t wanna move. They had to give it a push to get it goin’. Well, that weren’t allowed, so they gave him a penalty.
- Sixty seconds, they took from him.
- That’s a long time in a race, like waitin’ for water to boil.
- Poor Graham, he weren’t too happy, I reckon.
They only used that car in a couple of races. Didn’t work out too good, I guess. They went back to usin’ their old car, the P57, they called it. That one, she was more reliable, like an old pair of shoes. You know they gonna get you where you need to go.
That 1963 Season
That year, 1963, that was a big year for racin’. They had races all over the place. That Jim Clark fella, he won a lot of ’em. He was drivin’ that Lotus car, the one everyone was tryin’ to copy. He won the whole darn championship. And Lotus, they won somethin’ called the Constructors’ Championship. I don’t know what that is, but it sounds important. That’s like winnin’ best pie at the county fair, but for cars.
- Jim Clark, he won the big prize.
- Lotus, they won somethin’ too.
- Them BRM fellas, they kept tryin’.
Them BRM boys, they used their old car that year, mostly. But at that Spa place, they tried out a new gearbox. Six speeds, they said. My old truck only got three, and that’s plenty for me! They was always tinkerin’, them fellas. They had that V8 engine, that’s what made them cars go fast, like a chicken with its tail feathers on fire!
Them Points and Standings
They keep track of all them races, you know. They got points and standings. Like keepin’ score at a game of checkers. That Jim Hall fella, he drove for a team called British Racing Partnership, or BRP for short. He drove a BRM car, too. They all had their own cars, with their own names. It’s a lot to keep track of, I tell ya.
They got all sorts of ways to look at them F1 standings. They got driver standings, and team standings. It’s all a bit much for this old lady. But they sure do love their racin’. And that 1963 season, that was a big one. They even got somethin’ called the official F1 app now. Back in my day, we didn’t have none of that.
That Big Race in Belgium
They had that big race in Belgium, the Belgian Grand Prix, they called it. They keep track of all that stuff, too. The start grid, the post-race standings. It’s like they writin’ a whole book ’bout every race. That Jim Clark, he won that one, too. He was a fast one, that fella. And he got 25 points for winning. That is a lot of points. Like winnin’ all the marbles in a game.
Well, that’s all I know ’bout that F1 1963 BRP BRM business. It’s a lot of fuss over some cars goin’ around in circles. But them fellas, they sure do love it. And that’s somethin’, I reckon. Just like me and my quiltin’, it’s somethin’ to keep your hands busy and your mind occupied. Those were exciting times for racing, especially for the British Racing Motors team.
