BRM: A Mechanic's Tale

Dick Salmon

2007-ж. май · Veloce Publishing Ltd

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British Racing Motors (generally known as BRM) was a British Formula 1 motor racing team often described as Britain's Ferrari as it built its own cars. Founded in 1945, the team raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grand Prix and winning 17.This is the BRM story told by a man who was both a devoted fan and a loyal member of the British Racing Motors team. Seen purely from a mechanic's point of view this account of BRM is generally complimentary, but at times is critical of personnel and procedures. Dick Salmon was involved in the repeated failures and humiliations of the 1950s, through the gradual progress of winning minor races to the excitement of Jo Bonnier winning the first World Championship Grand Prix in Holland in 1959. BRM's glory culminated in the ultimate honor in 1962, when in East London, South Africa, Graham Hill drove a BRM to victory to win both the Driver's World Championship and in doing so brought the Constructor's Championship to the BRM team, thereby making a considerable contribution to international motor racing history. Probably for the first time, criticism is levelled at both Louis Stanley and the introduction of the H16 engine as contributory factors to the ultimate failure of British Racing Motors: Louis Stanley for his freeloading extravagance, and the rather foolish decision by BRM's management to build such a complicated and bulky power unit.

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Richard Salmon was born in the small village of Irnham, in Lincolnshire, where his parents kept the Post Office and village store. After attending the village school and Grantham Boys Central School, he served an apprenticeship in a local garage. He was conscripted into the Royal Engineers in 1944, serving in South Iraq, and was demobilized in 1947. He later applied successfully for a vacancy at British Racing Motors, where he worked in the racing team for 17 years. After being made redundant in 1967, he took a job at Lotus cars for three years. Another redundancy was followed by a job at Perkins diesel engines, and then, due to his wife's illness, he went to work at the local factory of Fiat-Allis. This factory was eventually closed down by Fiat, coinciding with closure of BRM, and Richard was then recruited to rebuild BRM cars for sale by Christies at Earls Court in 1981. He subsequently went into partnership restoring historic cars until his retirement.