Formula 1
TeamsGould's Garage: 1957 Formula One Season By Jeremy McMullen
Gould had made the decision following the 1954 season to throw himself into his Formula One aspirations and would end up moving to Italy to be closer to the Maserati factory in Modena. In spite of being closer to the Maserati factory Gould would not have the financial resources to continually purchase the latest evolution of the 250F chassis. Instead, Horace would use his enthusiasm to negotiate the use of parts from the parts bin within the Maserati factory. So while he would not have the latest of everything, he would have a car composed of many of the latest elements.
This would all come good in 1956 when Gould would earn a 5th place result in the Monaco Grand Prix and then a points-paying 5th place finish in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July of that year. This would be an absolutely delightful result for the British privateer and would certainly be encouragement that his devotion was being rewarded.
Without question, Gould would be energized by the result in the British Grand Prix and by the number of top results earned in other non-championship races. This would lead him to believe there were even more bright days ahead. And so, Gould would look forward to 1957 with a fair bit of excitement. Of course, he looked forward to everyday with a certain amount of excitement.
The results would come after he had determined to sell the Maserati he had purchased from Prince Bira to Bruce Halford. However, having sacrificed his Maserati 250F he would gain the use of a newer evolution and this would eventually lead to the results he had desired to achieve in Formula One.
The success achieved by Gould over the course of the '56 season would enable him to look to other continents to take part in races. Though a privateer entry, Gould's success would enable him to live his dream of being a full-time racer.
Therefore, Gould would leave Europe and would make his way to New Zealand in order to take part in non-championship and Formula Libre races all around the country. With the exception of a 3rd place earned at Invercargill the trip would not be very fruitful and Gould would return to Europe to prepare for the start of the grand prix season.
As with the previous few seasons, the first round of the Formula One World Championship would take part early in the season across the Atlantic in Argentina. At the same time of the first round of the World Championship Gould would be wrapping things up in New Zealand and would be about to head back to Europe. This meant he missed the first round and would come back to Europe looking forward to the first Formula One races of the season, which would be non-championship events held all throughout England and the European mainland.
One of those early non-championship grand prix races would be the 17th Grand Prix de Pau and it would be held on the 22nd of April. A timed race around the tight 1.71 mile circuit, the Pau grand prix would not only be a great warm-up for the Monaco Grand Prix in a little less than a month, but, it was a historically important race in its own right.
Right around the turn of the 20th century, Pau would serve as host to the very first grand prix. The Circuit du Sud-Ouest would be a race that would cover hundreds of miles of French countryside and would an incredible test for those early automobiles.
Situated on the northern edge of the Pyrenees Mountains and with the Gave de Pau running right by, the small city of Paul would be as good a location for a grand prix as anywhere else. One thing is certain: it would be difficult to find a more picturesque location to hold a grand prix.
By the 1930s, the Pau Grand Prix would shift and would take place along the tight and twisty city streets and the comparisons with Monaco were hard to ignore. Full of elevation change and blind entries to corners, Pau was by no means a forgiving track and demanded absolute concentration every single moment of a race.
Gould never had the opportunity to take part in the race in 1956. The Le Mans tragedy in 1955 would lead to the event being cancelled. However, Gould would be present along with defending winner Jean Behra.
Behra's presence meant difficulty for Gould and everyone else. In 1955, he managed to overcome Ascari in a Lancia to claim his second victory in a row, and, against mostly privateer entries for 1957 it seemed as if another victory was entirely possible. This notion would be strongly supported over the course of practice as Behra would post the fastest lap time with a time of 1:35.7. This time would be more than 2 seconds faster than Harry Schell in another Maserati 250F. Masten Gregory would gain the final front row starting spot. He would be three and a half seconds slower than Behra.
Having little experience around the streets of Pau, Gould would struggle in practice. Having no room for error, it would be very difficult for a driver with little experience to be quick around the circuit. This would show in Gould's lap times. His best effort, a lap of 1:46.1, would lead to him having to start from the 12th position, which was the middle of the fifth row.
Preparing for the start of the 3-hour race, 14 cars would take to the grid while spectators took to the cliffy-heights wanting of a good vantage point. The engines would come up to a roar and the flag would drop to start the race. Immediately, Behra and Schell would be away from the grid looking strong powering through the right-hand hairpin first turn.
While Behra and Schell would be settling in to their fast paces, there would be others that would find the tenseness of battling in a race and the close guardrails a bit more challenging than they had ever imagined. Francesco Godia-Sales would make it just 4 laps before he would suffer a crash as a result of a lapse in concentration. Bruce Halford would make it just 10 laps before the wear and tear of getting around Pau would claim Gould's old Maserati.
Meanwhile, Gould would be carrying out without any kind of mechanical problem. However, not all would be well with the Bristolian. Having little experience, Gould would be quite slow around the circuit, at least compared to the likes of Behra and Schell. Just about every 8 trips around the 1.71 mile circuit Gould would find himself being paid a visit by the leaders. This made for a rather stressful race as he would have to try to keep his focus, but also, keep an eye behind him. This would not help him to go much faster.
Behra, on the other hand, would be quite comfortable around the Pau circuit and would have absolutely no problems with going faster. Posting the fastest lap of the race with a time just two-tenths of a second slower than his own qualifying effort, Jean would quickly draw away from Schell. The lead was firmly within his grasp. He just needed to avoid making any mistakes over the course of the remainder of the race and it was likely he would earn his third-straight victory.
There wasn't another that could challenge Behra. Back in 1954, Behra and Maurice Trintignant had battled all the way to the finish. In 1957, however, Trintignant would be in a shared drive and would be out of the running after just 30 laps. Therefore, Behra was all alone cruising along at nearly 63mph average speed around the tight city streets. Gould could only dream of such a pace. Instead, he would have more than one opportunity to offer his appreciation of Behra's performance.
Heading into the final moments, Jean would be all by himself. Crossing the line 13 seconds after the 3-hour time limit, Behra would take the victory by a margin of more than 2 laps over Schell. Ivor Bueb would complete the podium but he would be a lap further behind.
Gould would have considered it a victory to have only been 2 or 3 laps behind. Instead, Gould would end up crossing the line 8th and last. Finishing nearly 24 miles, or more than 14 laps, behind Gould would end up non-classified in the results and would continue to have a frustrating early part of the 1957 season.
Returning to Italy following the Pau Grand Prix, Gould would set about scrounging around in the Maserati factory. Making repairs, adjustments and revisions to his 2514 chassis, Gould would be hastily preparing his Maserati for the next race of the season. The preparations would have to take place quickly as Horace would have just a few days before he would have to depart to Naples in order to take part in the 10th Gran Premio di Napoli set to take place on the 28th.
One year earlier, the Lancia-Ferraris imploded and allowed Robert Manzon to come through to take a surprise victory in the much elderly Gordini T16. Finishing 2nd in that race would be Gould in his Maserati. It had been a wonderful surprise all the way around and Gould would be praying there would be a repeat of the same one year later.
Taking place on the rocky heights of Posillipo, the Gran Premio di Napoli would be similar to both the Monaco and Pau Grand Prix. Though longer and boasting of a start/finish straight of decent length, the Posillipo circuit would be quite similar to the other two in that it featured impressive elevation changes and very tight portions of track. Surrounded by steep cliffs in some portions of the circuit, a mistake had the potential of being a very costly mistake.
In spite of the nature of the circuit, Posillipo would certainly be another picturesque location to host a grand prix. Sitting atop the cliffs, the area provides beautiful panoramic views of the Tyrrhenian Sea and Mount Vesuvius. Also boasting sea-front properties with gorgeous architecture and character it would be little wonder why the area would be one of the more exclusive residential areas of Naples.
Not being as tight and twisty as Monaco and Pau, Gould would feel a bit more at home around the circuit. This would show up in obvious ways during practice. Entered in the race under the team name of H.H. Gould, Horace would take to the circuit for practice.
Faced with the presence of three factory Ferraris and a number of other privateers, Gould would be impressive in practice posting a fastest lap time of 2:12.6. This time would prove to be too slow to earn Horace the pole or a spot on the front row, but, it nearly would.
Mike Hawthorn would take one of the Lancia-Ferraris and would post a lap time of 2:08.0 and would capture the pole. Peter Collins would prove to be just hundredths of a second slower and would earn 2nd place on the front row. The final spot on the front row would go to the other Ferrari driver, Luigi Musso. Musso's best time would be about three and a half seconds faster than Gould but Horace's time would be good enough to earn 4th place on the starting grid and this would put him right behind Hawthorn and Collins heading into the start of the race.
Heading into the 60 lap race, Gould would have a difficult task ahead of him with three Ferraris starting from the front row. And, as the flag waved to start the race, it would be the three Ferraris in front leading the way while Gould would be fighting for position from his second row starting spot.
Right from the very beginning, as the field wound its way through the quick left-right complex that began the lap, it would be clear the Ferrari drivers were in a strong position. Collins would be right there with Hawthorn while Musso would also look strong in the new Dino 156. Winding around the Via Tito Lucrezio Caro with its steep drop-off down to the sea below, Gould would also look strong and would be the leading contender amongst the privateer entries.
Coming around Via Alessandro Manzoni and through the 90 degree right-hander that led to the start/finish line it would be the Ferraris leading the way with Collins looking the stronger of the three. Gould would be right up there as well but would be losing some ground to the trio ahead of him.
It wouldn't take too long before the race began to claim its victims. By the one-third mark there would be three cars out of the race. Unfortunately, unlike the year before, one of them would be Ferraris. Instead, the trio of factory Ferraris would only look stronger as the race wore on. Gould, however, would also look strong and would be the fastest of the rest. Certainly looking stronger than what he had around Pau, he would be in a strong position if something should happen to either of the Ferraris.
Hawthorn would be flying posting the fastest lap of the race with a time a little more than 2 seconds faster than his own effort in practice. Still, as the race wore on, it would be Collins in the lead and pulling away from the rest of his teammates and the field. Averaging a little more than 70mph over the course of the race, Collins would gradually pull away from Hawthorn. What was interesting is that Hawthorn's early pace would come to naught as the race wore on. This meant Musso would be able to keep pace in the 156 with its smaller engine.
Heading around on the final lap of the race, Collins would disappear down and along the edge of the cliff before Hawthorn and Musso even made their turn onto the start/finish straight. Up the road about a half a mile or so would be Gould. Having been lapped, Horace continued to run strongly and still maintained his place as the best of the race. He just had to come around and complete one last lap.
In two hours, 10 minutes and 31 seconds Collins would cross the finish line to take a well-earned victory. Pole-sitter Hawthorn and Musso would come along about 30 seconds later. The battle between the two of them would be intense and would go right down to when the two cars crossed the line. And, at the line, it would be Hawthorn taking 2nd from Musso by just three-tenths of a second.
A little more than 40 seconds later, Gould would power his way out of the last turn and across the line to finish a strong 4th place one lap behind Collins. While the Italian crowd would be overcome by the sight of the three Ferrari drivers on the podium it would be a special day for Gould as well. Following his poor performance in Pau that ended up with him not even listed in the official results, a strong 4th place behind three dominant Ferraris was certainly no small victory for the man dependant upon good results for his racing career continuing.
After Naples, Gould would have three weeks before his next race. This would be an important break for the Bristolian as he would need his Maserati in top shape. The reason for this was simple. The crown jewel of the Formula One calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix, was coming up on the 19th of May. It would not only be an opportunity to show his abilities amongst the Formula One royalty, but it would also be important to start out his World Championship effort on a good foot.
The first couple of months of 1957 would see Gould criss-cross southern Europe. In spite of this traveling back and forth to different locations, Gould could not have travelled to more similar circuits. Pulling into Monaco, Gould would be arriving at another street circuit. However, this particular street circuit would be even more important than historic Pau.
By the late 19th century, Monaco would be a major banking center and world famous as a tourist destination. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and hemmed in by the slopes of Mont Agel, it would take very time before the magic of Monaco captured the attentions and imaginations of people the world over.
Just prior to the return of Formula One World Championship to the streets of the Principality Prince Rainier would marry American actress Grace Kelly. This widely covered event would seem to lend itself perfectly to what would become one of the dominant performances in Formula One history as Stirling Moss would rule the streets leading every single lap of the '56 edition of the race and taking just his second World Championship victory. At the same time Moss would be busy meeting and receiving the congratulations of the royal family, Gould would be sitting, enjoying a hard-fought 8th place finish. What if he could improve upon that? What if he could do what he had just done in Naples? Certainly, these were thoughts that had to have passed through his head at some point.
Measuring 1.95 miles in length, Monaco would be much more like Pau than Naples. Filled with tight hairpin turns and very short straights, Gould would need some help from attrition if he was to overcome the might of Scuderia Ferrari, Officine Alfieri Maserati and the numerous other smaller teams. There would be one thing Gould would have going for him however. Unlike Pau, Gould had experience around Monaco and this certainly would be helpful.
Once again entered under the team name of H.H. Gould, Horace would take to the circuit and would have his first opportunity to compare himself to the rest of the competition. When it was all said and done, Gould would not be far off the pace of the front-runners. Unfortunately, around the Monaco circuit, it would be far enough.
Fangio would take his Maserati 250F and would be the class of the field in practice taking pole with a time of 1:42.7. Peter Collins would find himself starting 2nd being just a little more than a half second slower than Fangio. Defending winner, Stirling Moss, would complete the front row with his Vanwall.
Gould's fastest lap time in practice would be 1:48.7. This would be just 6 seconds slower than Fangio, which would be a good time for a privateer. However, just those 6 seconds would result in Gould starting the 105 lap race from fifth row in the 12th position.
Race day would be beautiful with blue skies and warm temperatures greeting spectators and drivers alike. This would be a welcome change from the heavy rains that drenched the area overnight. It promised to be a wonderful day for a race. Everyone hoped the racing would be just as wonderful. The cars would be wheeled out to their grid positions and the drivers would soon take their places behind the wheel. The engines would come to life and 105 laps awaited.
The flag would wave and the race would get underway with Moss jumping into the lead with Fangio right there with him on the inside. It looked very reminiscent to the year before as the two men headed into the Gazometre hairpin. Gould would get away well trying to hold onto his position into the tight first turn hairpin.
Unlike the year before, Fangio would not give up the position on the inside and he and Moss would be side-by-side heading toward Sainte Devote. Heading up the hill, however, Moss would be in the lead with Fangio right behind. Heading through Tabac toward the line for the first time around it would be Moss in the lead by about a second over Fangio. Collins would be in 3rd place while Gould would really work hard over the course of the first lap and would end up jumping up to 9th place by the end of the first lap.
The 4th lap of the race would be dramatic and would change the complexion of the race entirely. Moss would be in the lead throughout the majority of the lap but would crash coming out of the tunnel. Debris would scatter everywhere and Collins would end up crashing out of the race as well. Mike Hawthorn had to use the back-up car as a result of Collins crashing his car during practice. The debris and the resulting actions of Collins would lead Hawthorn to veer off and crash as well. Just like that, a Vanwall and two Ferraris would be out of the running. Fangio would be in the lead. The unfortunate happenings with Moss, Collins and Hawthorn would certainly benefit Gould and he would be up to 6th place by the 5th lap of the race.
Fangio was well in control of the race with Brooks running in 2nd place ahead of Wolfgang von Trips, who had made his way all the way up from 9th on the grid. Things were looking really good for Gould early on in the race. The unfortunate accident early on had helped gift him with 6th place in the running order. If he could keep his head and keep the car pointing straight and out of trouble he had the opportunity he was looking for to finish the Monaco Grand Prix in the points.
However, Gould could not keep his head and a lapse of concentration on the 11th lap of the race would lead to Gould crashing out and throwing away his 6th place in the running order. The potential for championship points had truly gone out the window and Horace would be forced to watch the race from the side of the track just like the rest of the spectators.
The race seemed over before that point anyway. Fangio would be in the lead with Brooks following along in 2nd place. Brooks would be doing a magnificent job in maintaining the gap but it seemed obvious Fangio was not pushing anywhere near as hard as he could have. Instead, all of the racing was going on behind the top three as Jack Brabham was impressive behind the wheel of the 2.0-liter Cooper-Climax. He would make his way up to 4th place and would have to fight it out with more than one individual longing for the position. Brabham would have to fight other drivers. The other drivers would have to fight attrition; both attrition and Brabham would seemingly win.
Heading into the final 20 laps it would still be Fangio leading the way with Brooks running in 2nd place. Von Trips would be in 3rd place and Brabham would be delighting the crowd holding onto 4th place. Having lost out early on and suffering the frustration of having his own car crashed by his fellow compatriot, Hawthorn would jump into von Trips' car for the remainder of the race. This would soon become a futile exercise as the tall Hawthorn would find the shorter cockpit much too uncomfortable. It wouldn't matter much anyway as an engine problem would force Hawthorn out of the race with just 9 laps remaining. This gave Brabham 3rd place and a potential podium.
But, while attrition seemed to be working hand in hand with Brabham over the course of the long race, it would switch allegiances and would serve only its own desires. After an incredible performance, Brabham's Cooper would run into some mechanical issues that would cost the Australian a lot of time. This would lead to Brabham slipping all the way down to 6th place in the running order. The podium had been snatched out of his hands.
And so the race would run out. After posting the fastest lap of the race and averaging nearly 65mph over the course of the 105 laps, Fangio would pass over the line to collect his second victory of the season. Tony Brooks would be impressive in his Vanwall. Though he would not be able to challenge Fangio over the course of the race he would still manage to keep the Argentinean honest finishing just 25 seconds behind. Masten Gregory would take advantage of the struggles of others and would come up from his 10th place starting spot to finish the race in 3rd place. But, unlike Brooks, Gregory would not be able to keep up with Fangio's pace and would end up more than 2 laps down.
The very early part of the long race had been going incredibly well for Gould. Starting 12th, he had cut that down to 6th within the first few laps. If only he could have kept his head and been perfect over the course of the race. He may not have merely scored points but could have been standing on the podium. Oh, what might have been.
While Gould had been experiencing a less than pleasing first-half of the season in Formula One, Gould's sportscar experience would go rather well. Only taking part in one event, the Nurburgring 1000 Kilometers, Horace Gould would co-drive with none other than Francisco Godia-Sales, Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio to come away with a 5th place overall result. This came at the end of May.
After the bitter disappointment that was the Monaco Grand Prix Gould would have plenty of time to prepare for his next race. Gould's personality was such that even after a bitterly disappointing experience on the track he could almost immediately look ahead to the next opportunity. Unfortunately, as a result of disputes over money and a political situation in the Middle East, Gould would have to wait nearly two months for his next race. Money concerns would lead to the cancellation of the Belgian and Dutch Grand Prix while the Suez Crisis would cause the date of the BRDC International Trophy to be moved from its usual date in May.
As a result of all that was happening, Gould would have to wait until July before he would take part in another grand prix. In fact, it wouldn't be until the 7th of July before the French Grand Prix arose on the calendar. But, unlike the previous few seasons, Reims would not be the destination.
It had been since the Formula 2 days of the World Championship since the French Grand Prix had been held at Rouen-les-Essarts circuit. But, in 1957, the World Championship would return.
Rouen-les-Essarts had been recognized as one of the finest circuits in all of Europe when it opened in 1950. In spite of the fact the circuit was comprised on public roads, the pits and paddock would be modern and the nature of the circuit would be such that there would be some absolutely fantastic viewing areas around the 4.05 mile circuit. No part of the circuit would be as famous, recognizable and desirable for view as the Nouveau Monde hairpin with its cobblestoned turn.
Featuring some steep elevation changes, blind corners and some truly iconic corners, Rouen-les-Essarts certainly had all the ingredients necessary for a truly special road course. Therefore, when the Formula One World Championship made its return to the circuit it was certainly a welcome alternative to Reims.
Having had plenty of time to repair his Maserati, Gould would make the trip to Rouen and would find a rather small entry list for French Grand Prix. The entry list would also be missing a couple of its bigger drivers. Stirling Moss would not make the trip as a result of a sinus problem. Tony Brooks would also not be present as he was still recovering from his injuries suffered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans just a couple of weeks earlier. Still, the field would be almost entirely comprised of major factory efforts. In fact, Gould would end up being the only privateer entry in the entire field.
Practice would see more of the same. The fastest around the circuit would be Fangio with a time of 2:21.5. Jean Behra would make it two Maserati on the front row when he captured 2nd. Luigi Musso would show great form in practice and would end up capturing the last front row spot with a lap time just a little more than a second slower than Fangio.
Being a privateer, Gould would have a hard time achieving the same kind of lap times as the factory efforts. Still, his best lap of 2:35.0 meant he would not start last, although he would start from the sixth, and final, row of the grid. Starting 14th, Gould would manage to beat Mike MacDowell.
The day of the race would be beautifully sunny but the temperatures would be quite hot. In spite of this, the crowds would assemble all around the circuit, especially the heights overlooking the Nouveau Monde hairpin. Some 77 laps awaited the cars and drivers when the engines came to life and everything was ready on the grid. The flag would wave and the race would start.
Immediately, Behra would leap from the grid and would be in the lead in the run down through the descending right-left complex leading to Nouveau Monde. Musso would be in 2nd place looking to challenge while Fangio sat comfortably in 3rd place. Gould would get away from the line well and would be fighting hard to hold his position.
At the completion of the first lap it would be Musso in the lead with Behra under fire from Fangio. Musso had managed to push his way by Behra and this would cause the Frenchman to lose his focus for a moment. As a result, Fangio would be all over his rear-end just ready to take away 2nd. And then, right there behind Fangio would be Peter Collins. Gould would lose out his position to MacDowell over the course of the first lap. However, trouble with Brabham's Cooper meant Gould would complete the first lap still in 14th place.
Behra was a marked man and Fangio would get by him over the course of the 2nd lap. Then the Frenchman came under attack from Collins while Fangio set his sights on Musso for the lead. Ron Flockhart would suffer an accident when he went off the circuit at high speed. He would be unhurt but the car would be practically destroyed as a result. This would help move Gould up a spot. Jack Brabham would return to the race after early problems and would promptly crash his Cooper as well. This could have ensured Gould's forward movement in the running. But, the rear axle on Gould's car would decide to fail after 4 laps leaving Gould unable to continue; another early retirement.
Fangio would go into the lead and would begin to draw away from Musso. Meanwhile, Collins would make his way by Behra for 3rd place. Then, on the 15th lap, Collins would begin to do battle with his teammate for 2nd.
After Gould departed the race with rear axle failure there would be a space of nearly 20 laps before another car would suffer a mechanical or driver failure. But then, from the 23rd to the 25th lap, there would be a retirement each successive lap. Maurice Trintignant and Herbert MacKay-Fraser would both lose engines. Roy Salvadori would end up suffering from valve trouble. Then, on the 30th lap, which wasn't even the halfway mark of the race, Stuart Lewis-Evans and Carlos Menditeguy would both retire with engine-related problems.
Meanwhile, Mike Hawthorn began threatening Behra for 4th place. This would have brought three Scuderia Ferraris together in the running order. Still, it would take all three working together like a pack of wolves to even come close to having a chance to chase down the Argentinean who continued to draw away with each and every lap.
Prior to the 30th lap, Musso would retake 2nd place and would do everything in his power to try and track down Fangio. With 12 laps remaining in the race, Musso would show he still hadn't given up when he posted what was to be the fastest lap of the race with a lap time three-tenths faster than his own effort in practice. By this time, Hawthorn had taken over 4th place. This gave Ferrari a lock on 2nd, 3rd and 4th. However, it would prove to be not enough against the Maserati of Fangio. Hawthorn would already be a lap down and Collins would be flying around the circuit fighting with everything he had just to stay on the lead lap. The only one of the three that had a chance would be Musso and, despite the fastest lap time, Fangio continued to hold onto a sizable margin.
Averaging nearly 100mph, Fangio would need just three hours and nearly 8 minutes to complete the 77 lap race distance and claim his third-straight victory. Musso would put up a valiant fight but would still come across the line around 50 seconds behind. Peter Collins would manage to hold onto the lead lap. Still, when he came across to finish in 3rd place he would end up being 2 minutes and 6 seconds behind.
It had been a controlled and demonstrative victory for Fangio. For Gould, it had been another early exit. It would have been a tough fight all the way to the finish, but at least a race finish would have been another small victory. Instead, Gould would be left needing to repair his Maserati quickly as another Formula One grand prix loomed just a week away.
Although Rouen had come to be host of the French Grand Prix for 1957, Reims would not be without a Formula One race. Formerly known as the Grand Prix de la Marne, Reims would be set to play host to the 23rd Grand Prix de Reims on the 14th of July.
Separated by just a couple of hours of driving, the non-championship Grand Prix de Reims would be the next stop for many teams and drivers. Gould would work fast to repair the rear axle failure on his Maserati and he too would be just another of those that would make the short jaunt over the countryside outside Reims.
Situated amongst the rolling countryside and between the villages of Thillois, Gueux and Muizon, the Reims circuit would not actually pass in any way through a part of Reims. In the post-war years the circuit would actually change and would abandon the portion of circuit that did actually go into the heart of the village of Gueux. The resulting circuit would be a triangular-shaped circuit that was about nothing but speed. In fact, as the organizers changed the layout of the circuit they would actually cut down trees and even level older homes in order to create a much faster circuit layout.
The Reims circuit had provided many moments of purely exciting racing, but perhaps none of them rank as high as the 1953 French Grand Prix when Mike Hawthorn, Juan Manuel Fangio and a host of others ran nose-to-tail for a majority of the race. It would end up being an epic battle between Hawthorn and Fangio that would thorough amaze and astonish onlookers. In 1957 circumstances would see to it that Hawthorn and Fangio would be driving for the same teams they had been back in '53. The question was whether or not this meant a repeat of that performance.
Gould had not been racing in the World Championship at the time of the epic duel between Fangio and Hawthorn. However, he would certainly be open to being able to race like that throughout the whole of an event. In fact, after two-straight disappointing World Championship races, Gould would have certainly liked to have actually raced throughout the whole of an event. It had been a while.
A shadow had been cast over the weekend as the American Herbert MacKay-Fraser would lose his life in a Formula 2 race over the course of the weekend. At such a circuit as Reims, with the kind of speeds that were possible and necessary to earn a good result there always lurks the reality of death. This why Gould's presence in the paddock would be so welcome.
In practice for the 61 lap event Fangio would look absolutely unbeatable as he would take pole-position with a lap of 2:23.3. He had been on an absolute roll at the start of the 1957 season and it looked as if it would continue that weekend as well. Stuart Lewis-Evans would do his best to challenge Fangio's place on the grid but would come up short by just two-tenths of a second. Jean Behra would complete the front row in another factory Maserati.
Although bits and pieces of Gould's Maserati had come straight from the factory his own 250F was now a couple of years old and lacked the latest evolutions. As a result, Gould would end up on the fifth row of the grid in the 12th position.
As the cars headed to their grid places the crowd would begin to rise with anticipation. The field would flash by at the start of the 61 lap race. All of the usual players would be at the front of the field jockeying for position through the fast right-hand bend at the end of the straight. Gould would get away well and would be in a strong position right from the very beginning. Of course, he would need a little bit of help to move further up the running order.
Peter Collins would help when he retired on the 3rd lap of the race with engine failure. Up at the front it would be Fangio, Musso, Behra and others all looking quite strong. The fastest of these front-runners would end up being Behra who would turn in a fastest lap time with an average speed in excess of 125mph.
Unfortunately, there would not be a repeat performance from 1953 for on the 27th lap of the race Hawthorn would end up falling out of contention with engine failure. Fangio, on the other hand, would remain right up there and looking strong.
Gould would be very impressive. On this day he would prove he didn't need much help from those ahead of him on the circuit. This would be good as he would only get help from the retirements of Hawthorn and Collins. Still, in spite of the few retirements of competitors ahead of him on the circuit, Gould would manage to work his way up well inside the top ten and would be even challenging for a top five position heading into the late moments of the race.
Amazingly, Gould would get some help forward in the running order by the least likely contributor. All throughout their year driving together at Mercedes-Benz, Stirling Moss had always felt comfortable following along right behind Fangio for he knew the Argentinean just didn't make mistakes. However, on the 14th of July, he would. In one moment, Fangio would crash his Maserati and would be out of the running for victory. The crash would also allow Gould to move up one more spot in the running order.
In spite of Behra's fastest lap time, Luigi Musso would prove to be the fastest driver over the course of the race. Consistently running faster than 123mph, Musso would charge his way to a splendid victory. The clock would continue clicking-off the seconds waiting for the 2nd place driver. Finally, after nearly 27 seconds, Behra would come through in 2nd place. A minute and 16 seconds would pass before Stuart Lewis-Evans came across the line to complete the podium.
Gould desperately needed a good result after the bitterly disappointing Monaco and French Grand Prix. And, on this day, he would get it. Propelled one spot forward by Fangio's unfortunate accident, Gould would come across the line 3 laps down but in a wonderful 6th place.
It had been a good performance by Gould. Pushing hard over the course of the race, Horace had managed to keep his head and took care of his car and ended up slowing down the downward trend he had been experiencing over the course of the last couple of races. Hopefully building some momentum, Gould would almost immediately begin to look toward the next race on the calendar.
Having momentum heading into the next race on the season would be very important for Gould for it was his home grand prix. Heading back to Aintree for the British Grand Prix, Gould looked to have a better experience around the 3.0 mile Aintree circuit than what he had back in 1955. In that race, Gould would not even make it a third of the distance and would end up retiring with brake failure.
The '57 edition would end up far worse. After scoring his first World Championship points in the 1956 British Grand Prix, Gould would find himself out of the '57 British Grand Prix as a result of an injury suffered during practice. He had posted a lap time that would have firmly put him into the field but the injury would make participating nearly impossible. And so, Gould would miss out on his home grand prix. Once again, he had to put the present behind him and look forward to his next race.
After having been a couple of weeks in a row in the lowland region of northern France before traveling across the Channel to England, Gould would find himself crossing back over the English Channel to Normandy coastal city of Caen. It would be there, on the 28th of July that the 5th Grand Prix de Caen would be held.
One year earlier, Gould had been the first of a number of drivers to suffer in changing conditions. Caught out by the changing conditions, Gould would crash out of the race throwing out the window a likely good result. And so, he would return in an effort to exact his revenge and get some valuable momentum before he headed east.
Located just inland from the shores of the English Channel in the Calvados department of the Basse-Normandie region of France, Caen's historical importance is actually quite long and extends well beyond being a major tactical goal during the Normandy Invasion in World War II. Extending much earlier than the 14th century, Caen had been the focus on invasion from its very earliest of days.
Situated literally just blocks to the south of the city's center is La Prairie. A recreational spot, complete with a hippodrome, the flat park abuts the Orne River. While not having any park roads that cut through the area, La Prairie is surrounded on all sides by public streets and some truly picturesque boulevards. It would be these streets and boulevards that would comprise the 2.18 mile Caen Circuit.
Being so close on the calendar to the German Grand Prix, the Grand Prix de Caen would have a relatively small entry list. With the exception of the Owen Racing team with their BRM 25s and the Cooper Car Company, the field would be almost entirely made up of privateer entries.
Unfortunately, there would be two very quick drivers behind the wheel of the two BRMs. Jean Behra would be driving one while Harry Schell would be driving the other. Behra would prove fastest in practice posting a time of 1:21.1. Tony Brooks would be driving a Cooper-Climax and would end up 2.5 seconds slower than Behra but would still end up on the two-wide front row.
Gould's best effort in practice would be a time of 1:29.8. This time would be nearly 9 seconds slower than Behra and would lead to Horace starting from the fourth row of the grid in the 7th spot. But, while this starting spot would be further down in the order than what Gould may have liked the race would be 86 laps and would provide enough time for him to improve upon his position.
Over the course of the '56 and '57 season the BRM had proven itself to be fast when it got up to full-song. This would prove to be the case right from the moment the race got underway. Behra would be strong right at the start and this would delight the French spectators that assembled around the circuit to watch the race.
Behra's main competition would come in the form of Brooks and his teammate Schell. Schell had won the year before and certainly couldn't be counted out of the equation. Brooks would be able to be counted out of the conversation for victory when his clutch gave out after 29 laps. Harry Schell remained in the race, but not for very much longer.
Gould would start the race from 7th place and would look to be in no hurry when the race started. Unable to make any kind of headway against his competitors, Horace would be left looking to attrition to help him out. Brooks' early retirement would help. Then, when Schell retired after his engine blew up on the 59th lap, Gould would up even further.
Nobody could handle Behra as he would go on to post a fastest lap time nearly a half a second faster than his best in practice. Nobody could catch Behra and Gould could do nothing with those ahead of him. It seemed as though the entire field was stuck right where they were.
With everyone stuck, the race became a matter of drivers just keeping it on the road and avoiding all mechanical maladies. Behra would have absolutely none in his quest to take victory. Storming to victory with an average speed in excess of 92mph, Behra would take an easy victory defeating Roy Salvadori in a Cooper-Climax by nearly 2 laps. Bruce Halford would look quite good in his Maserati. Finishing in 3rd place, Halford looked stronger in Gould's old Maserati than what Gould did in his newer one. Finishing the race more than 6 laps behind Behra, Gould would really have a bittersweet Grand Prix de Caen. Yes, he would finish in 5th place and this would certainly provide some more desperately needed prize money, but the performance would be hardly worth it as he would prove to be many, many miles behind. Nonetheless, the irrepressible Gould would find the silver-lining and would pack everything up and head off to West Germany.
The previous couple of weeks had not quite gone as Gould would have liked. Still, a good result in the grand prix at Caen would provide a little bit of hope and momentum heading into the next round of the World Championship. Teams and their drivers made their way to the Eifel Mountains of West Germany for it would be there in the tiny village of Nurburg that would be held the 6th round of the Formula One World Championship, the German Grand Prix.
One year earlier, the area around Nurburg would be awash in rain. This made conditions difficult in practice. However, raceday would be absolutely beautiful and some wonderful racing would be seen. Gould would get to witness the events from the pits as he would be an earlier retiree. However, he would step back into the fray as he tried his best to help Bruce Halford come through to a top five finish after spinning and breaking off his exhaust. Gould would run to his retired car and would take the exhaust off of it and would attach it to Halford's car. All of this effort would be to no avail as Halford would end up disqualified as a result of outside assistance.
Arriving at the 14 mile circuit one year later, drivers would find the conditions quite a bit different. Not only would there be no rain but the surface of the track had also been resurfaced. This lent to some truly incredible lap times as the increased grip enabled drivers to push harder than they had in the past.
Pushing hard around the Nurburgring was certainly a risky affair for even the most seasoned driver. Only a very few would even earn the title of Ringmeister. Even more would come to absolutely hate, or fear, the epic circuit with its more than 170 corners and a thousand feet of elevation changes.
A total of 29 cars would be entered for the race. Some of those on the entry list would be Formula 2 cars as the organizers would run the Formula 2 event concurrent with the round of the World Championship. Entered once again under H.H. Gould, Horace would find himself amongst a sea of privateers and factory efforts.
Heading out onto the track for practice, Gould would quickly find out just how fast the resurfaced track really was. In wet conditions the year before, Gould would post a best lap of 11:32.2. One year later, and with dry conditions and a resurfaced circuit, Gould would be down to 10:20.8. Amazingly, this lap time would be nearly a minute slower than the fastest lap posted by Fangio. Setting a lap time of 9:25.6, Fangio took pole. Mike Hawthorn would claim 2nd place after posting a time of 9:28.4. The 3rd and 4th spots on the front row would end up going to Jean Behra and Peter Collins respectively.
In spite of the length of the circuit, lap times amongst the competitors would be relatively close. There would be just 20 seconds between the first nine drivers. This meant Gould would start well down the order. Starting 19th overall and positioned on the 6th row of the grid, Gould would definitely have to make a great start to keep from being backed up around the Nurburgring. He would also have to rely on attrition to help his chances of a good result.
The day of the race, the 4th of August, would be another beautiful day. And, as the incredible crowd began to take its place all around the circuit, the conditions seemed to promise a real storm of a race.
The cars would take their place on the grid and the drivers would begin to take their places behind the wheel. The grandstands would be filled to capacity and filled with excitement. The engines would start and would come up to a deafening roar as 24 cars prepared for the start of the 22 lap, 311 mile, race. And, as the flag waved to get the race underway the drivers knew they had about three and a half hours of racing ahead of them.
Powering down the straight toward the first couple of corners it would be Hawthorn leading the way with Collins and Fangio right behind. Gould would also get off the line alright and would be doing his best to move up in the very early going.
Over the course of the first lap it would be Hawthorn and Collins still leading with Fangio holding onto 3rd ahead of Behra. Gould would be holding on through the ups and downs and would look to be on course to move up a position. As the cars completed the first epic lap of the race it would still be Hawthorn and Collins leading the way. Fangio would seem to take a little bit of time to get into the groove but he was now beginning to close up on Collins. Gould would follow the long train of cars across the line completing the first lap in 18th place. He had managed to move up one spot over the first lap. If he could keep that up he would be challenging for the lead heading into the final couple of laps.
Gould's forward progress would be seriously hampered when a problem would arise with his Maserati on just the second lap of the race. Suddenly, the wheel would break loose on Gould's car and he would be forced to come into the pits and retire the car. His race was over after just about 28 of the 311 miles.
Hawthorn and Collins would continue to hold onto the top spots over the first couple of laps, but, heading onto the 3rd lap of the race Fangio would get position on Collins and would end up getting by Hawthorn just a moment later. Fangio was in the lead and absolutely flying.
Fangio had already smashed his year old lap record as a result of the resurfaced track. Being in the lead during the race, Fangio began to draw away from the two Ferrari drivers. It would become apparent that Fangio and Maserati had rolled the dice by starting his car with only half filled tanks. This made the car lighter and faster but it would require a fuel stop, something the two Ferrari drivers would not have to do.
Fangio would continue to push. The pace would be truly frantic as each of the early laps would be quite fast. This would cause even more attrition as five cars would be out of the race by the halfway mark. Three of those out would be Formula 2 Cooper-Climaxes. The pace was really beginning to take its toll, but it was only just beginning.
Fangio had to push hard to enable him to be within sight of the lead after he made his pitstop. He continued to reset the lap record with each passing lap. After 11 laps, it would be time. The Argentinean would come into the pits and would leap out of the car while his team went to work quickly refueling the car and changing the tires. The crew would work furiously but a mistake would be made on the right rear tire and this would cost Fangio even more time. Already having 30 seconds in hand over Collins and Hawthorn, Fangio would rejoin the track now down 45 seconds to the Ferrari duo. Just one half of the race remained and it would prove to be one of the most remarkable performances in grand prix history.
Fangio knew that to win the race would require him to go flat out for the remainder of the race. This meant fast lap after fast lap. And, while the brakes and the tires of the Ferrari drivers were certainly beginning to fade, their fuel loads were also coming down making them faster as well. Therefore, Fangio would have to do qualifying laps from here on out.
And that is just what he would do. With every passing lap Fangio would reset the lap record around the Nordschleife. From the very first moment that he saw the Nurburgring Fangio had said that he enjoyed every mile of the circuit and it was showing this day as he would take huge chunks of time out of Collins', and then Hawthorn's, lead.
Everyone could tell that Fangio was gaining time. Each passing lap would show that Fangio was gaining ground. Then, with just three laps remaining, Fangio would be right up behind the two Ferraris. Coming down the long backstraight toward the start/finish line, Fangio would use the slipstream to pull himself even closer.
Using the slipstream to his advantage, Fangio would set what would end up standing as the fastest lap of the race with a time of 9:17.4. This was a little more than 8 seconds faster than his own effort in practice. This would pull Fangio right up behind the Ferrari drivers and they knew he was right there for Hawthorn would make a mistake going into turn one and would leave the door open to Fangio, who was already preparing to pass Collins by that point in time.
He had done it. In one of the most impressive drives in Formula One history Fangio would overcome 45 seconds to take over the lead of the race. Heading around onto the final lap of the race, Hawthorn would still be fighting with everything he had but he would not be able to keep pace with Fangio. Collins, on the other hand, would recognize the race was over and would back off over the final couple of laps.
Waving crowds would greet Fangio at every corner as he headed around on the final lap of the race. Keeping the car firmly under control, he would power his way around the circuit and would flash across the finish line to take yet another victory. But this victory would be very special. Not only had Fangio overcome the 45 second deficit following the botched pitstop but the victory would ensure the Argentinean would retain the crown of World Champion. It would be his fifth and final World Championship; a truly remarkable achievement.
Hawthorn would finish the race in 2nd place finish just about three and a half seconds behind Fangio. Trouble with the clutch and suffering from smashed goggles, Peter Collins would back off and would finish nearly 36 seconds behind in 3rd place.
It had been a truly historic German Grand Prix; one that was sure to gown down in the lore of Formula One's greatest moments. Horace Gould was there, but not really. The season was becoming more and more difficult for the man from Bristol. He desperately needed a strong result.
Although the Belgian and Dutch Grand Prix were popular venues that would not be a part of the 1957 season there would be a new location that would help fill the World Championship calendar. A mixture of the old and new, the Pescara Grand Prix would provide Formula One something besides a golden era feeling. Measuring 15.9 miles to the lap, Pescara would become the longest circuit ever to be a part of the Formula One World Championship when the cars streamed along the city's roads at the start of the 7th round of the World Championship on the 18th of August.
Situated right along the eastern coast of Italy overlooking the Adriatic, Pescara is the capital city of the Provence of Pescara. Located just about sea level, the coast of Pescara is nothing but a seemingly endless beach extending for many miles north and south. To the west however, the flat coastal region becomes quite mountainous with roads traversing some seriously-steep mountain faces. It would be these twisty, winding roads that would combine with the flat, straight streets of Pescara to create the Pescara grand prix circuit.
Given the nature of the circuit and the arduous test that it was following the arduous test of the Nurburgring, the entry list for the Pescara Grand Prix would not be anywhere near as long as what it had been for the German Grand Prix. Practice would show it really didn't matter who showed up as long as Fangio was present. Posting a lap time of 9:44.6, Fangio would capture the pole by 10 seconds over Stirling Moss and his Vanwall. The Vanwall would go really fast along the long, fast streets but the mountainous section of the circuit would see Moss with a real handful. Luigi Musso would look comfortable in the Ferrari 801 but still be more than a few seconds slower than Moss. However, Musso would capture the final starting spot on the front row.
Gould would not look that bad but he just could not do any better than about a minute off of Fangio's best. As a result, Horace would find himself starting the 18 lap race all the way down on the fifth row of the grid in the 11th spot overall.
The sun beat down on the circuit as the cars were lined up on the tight street that comprised the start/finish straight. As the flag waved to start the race it would be Musso that would get off the line the best. He would lead the way on the long run down the street to a series of chicanes before one of the very long straights pushing the cars up to their maximum.
The season had been filled with a lot of heartbreak for Gould. He had shown a lot of promise in races only to have good results taken away from him through mechanical maladies or through mistakes of his own. Often times throughout the season his race had come to an end even before it had a chance to get started. This had happened in the German Grand Prix just two weeks before. But now, as he streamed away from his grid position, the strangest and most disappointing moment in his season, and probably his career, was about to unfold as he would actually hit a mechanic who was slow to get off the grid before the flag had dropped to start the race. The damage to Gould's Maserati would be such that he could not continue, plus, he was obviously concerned about the health of the mechanic he had just hit. And so, after just a matter of feet, his Pescara Grand Prix would come to an end.
Moss would use the straight-line speed of the Vanwall to get himself up to 2nd place by the time the field reached the treacherous mountain roads for the first time. Each lap was an incredible gauntlet that challenged both man and machine. Tony Brooks would find his engine was unequal to the task and he would retire without having completed a single lap.
In all, the field would lose three cars over the course of just the first lap. This did not bode well for the field given that 17 more laps awaited. Again, using the straights to his advantage, Moss would be right up on Musso and would actually take over the lead on the 2nd lap of the race. Moss had driven superbly to that point staying close enough to Musso with the ill-handling Vanwall so that he would be able to use the straights to his advantage once he got back to the coast.
Moss' tactics would work to perfection and he would be in the lead. However, Musso would stay close harassing Moss as best he could. Fangio remained in 3rd place looking totally content to let the race come to him.
The race was going entirely to Moss. Musso would give chase but would suddenly disappear on the 10th lap as a result of engine failure. However, Fangio would also disappear. Nobody seemed to know what happened to the World Champion until he did finally appear with a broken wheel. It was painfully obvious—he had spun in Musso's oil and had lost a lot of time while recovering. He would lose even more time while he had the wheel repaired. Fangio would be in 2nd place by this point in time but would be so far back that Moss could take it easy and just ensure that he made it all the way to the finish.
Moss would do just that coming into the pits with just a couple of laps left to enjoy a drink and have the oil topped off before setting off again. Averaging around 95mph and completing the race distance in just under 3 hours time, Moss would cruise to an easy victory enjoying a margin of three minutes and nearly 14 seconds over Fangio finishing in 2nd place. While Moss' performance would be certainly something special, perhaps the best performance of the day would have to go to the driver finishing in 3rd place. Despite the fact he started the race from 5th place on the grid, Harry Schell would fall all the way down to 9th place and would end up fighting his way all the way back to finish the race in 3rd place nearly 7 minutes behind Moss.
Gould's season had finally hit its lowest point. Striking the mechanic at the start would have caused many to give up racing. However, the irrepressible Gould would still manage to find the silver lining figuring the season could only get better from then on. And so, he would leave Pescara and would look to the final round of the World Championship coming up on the 8th of September.
The month of August could not have been a worse month for Horace Gould. Not only would he experience two races in a row in which he wouldn't even make it to a second lap but the striking of a mechanic at the start of the Pescara Grand Prix would be the furthest thing from a 'racing incident'. Gould's larger-than-life personality could overcome a lot, but the season had to be weighing down on him by this point. Always able to look on the bright side of things, at least Horace was entering a new month and that meant the Italian Grand Prix was right around the corner.
Constructed in the Royal Villa Monza Park just to the north of the city, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza would certainly be the royal residence of Italian motor racing. Built in the 1920s, the circuit would be incredibly fast. Rebuilding the banked oval portion of the circuit, the Italian Grand Prix had made use of the integrated oval and road circuit for the previous couple of years. However, for the 1957 running of the race the banked oval would again be abandoned and the 3.91 mile road course would be all that would be used. Still, even without the oval, this meant for some incredible average speeds.
Being the home for Italian motor racing, the Italian fans would be out in droves awaiting the start of the race. So as not to disappoint their fans, the Italian factory efforts would be present in force. The factory Maserati team would come with five cars. Scuderia Ferrari would bring four. In total, there would be just three non-Italian makes of car out of the 19 that would be entered in the race. A total of 12 entries would be Maserati 250Fs; one of which would be Gould.
In spite of the fact the Vandervell team provided the only non-Italian marques in the field the superior straight-line speed of the Vanwalls provided them with a distinct advantage. It seemed as if the car had been expressly designed for the circuit as all three would prove to be fastest over the course of practice. Stuart Lewis-Evans would end up on pole when, in the heat, he would post a lap time of 1:42.2. Stirling Moss would give Vandervell two cars on the front row with a lap time just half a second slower than Lewis-Evans. Amazingly, Tony Brooks would make sure that Vanwalls took the first three positions on the front row when he was just two-tenths of a second slower than Moss. Only the great Fangio could get close to the pace of the Vanwalls, and so, he would complete the front row in 4th place.
Despite having a repaired Maserati and looking forward to turning around a truly terrible season, Gould would struggle compared to the rest of the competitors. Gould's best time of 1:53.7 would end up more than 11 seconds slower than Lewis-Evans' own time and would lead to Horace starting dead-last on the fifth row of the grid.
The day of the race would be just as hot as the days leading up to it. The three green Vanwalls would take their places on the front row while the sea of red would fill in behind. The crowd would arrive and certainly had to be shocked by the sight before them on the straight. But still, the crowd would eagerly wait, looking forward to a great day of racing.
Engines roaring, the flag would drop and the 87 lap race would get underway to a great crescendo of noise and plumes of exhaust. Streaming away it would be Moss that would streak into the lead with his two Vanwall teammates not far behind. Gould would actually get away well from the grid as well and would be a few places up on his last place starting spot before heading around Curva Grande for the first time.
At the conclusion of the first lap it would be Moss leading the way with Behra running an impressive 2nd in front of Lewis-Evans and Brooks. Fangio would have a poor start and would end up in 7th place by the end of the first lap. Another that would have a great start would be Gould. He would manage to make it through the first lap just fine and would actually be in 14th at the end of the first lap, not a bad start after having been 18th on the grid.
Up at the front the racing would be absolutely torrid with some five drivers all having a turn at the lead of the race through the first 20 laps. It would be absolutely spectacular. Unfortunately for Gould, the spectacular start would be greatly subdued as he would end up being passed and would eventually fall back down to 16th through the first third of the race. What he really needed was the help of attrition, and, it would come.
After a truly mesmerizing battle up at the front between Moss, Behra, Lewis-Evans, Brooks and Fangio, attrition would come and play a part in the proceedings. The first to be hit would be Brooks. He would have to come into the pits in order to have his throttle adjusted. This would drop him well down in the order. Lewis-Evans' race would come to an end on the 50th lap as a result of a cracked cylinder head. Harry Schell had already retired along with Jo Bonnier and Bruce Halford. This meant Gould would be up to 11th place by the 50th lap having certainly survived the first couple of laps of the race.
Moss held onto the lead and looked every bit as dominant as he had the year before. However, he had looked as dominant the year before and nearly threw the victory away when he ran out of fuel. Luigi Piotti, his hero, was no longer in the race having retired much earlier. And so, Moss needed to take care to ensure that he would make it all the way to the end.
Heading into the final 20 laps of the race, Moss would still be in the lead and would have a very large margin in hand over Fangio. Gould would also still be in the running. It was as if the month of August hadn't happened and he soldiered on in the best way he knew how. This wasn't easy, however, as his pace would be such that he would find himself well behind of the leaders. Just about every 10th lap he would have Moss come around to put him another lap behind. But at this point in the season, and following the month he had just experienced, just remaining in the race was more than a victory.
Ten laps from the end, Moss would stop to have new tires fitted to the car and to have everything else checked. Like Pescara, he enjoyed a sizable margin and had the luxury of such a stop. The crew would work hard and would get him back into the race without incident. He would hold onto the lead and just needed to hold on to the finish. Gould would now be up to 10th place despite his sedate pace. All was looking well. He just needed to hold on for another few laps.
In spite of the earlier battle, Moss would appear the class of the field as he would roll over the line to collect the win. The winning margin Moss would enjoy over Fangio would be no less than 41 seconds. It had been a remarkable performance and demonstrated the sheer speed of the Vanwall in the most resolute way. Wolfgang von Trips would ride the wave of attrition and would end up coming home in 3rd place more than 2 laps behind.
And, Horace Gould would do it. After experiencing what was likely the worst month of his racing career and not finishing a World Championship grand prix all season long, Gould would make it across the finish line. Although he would finish more than 9 laps behind in 10th place, he would still come through to finish. He had desperately needed what would have been a win in his mind and a top ten result in the Italian Grand Prix certainly had to be just that—a win.
The result in the Italian Grand Prix was something of a breath of fresh air for Gould; he could finally take a deep breath and relax just a little bit. Considering the way the season had gone, it had been a good end to the World Championship for Horace. Having gained some momentum and confidence from the result, he would travel across Europe to the English Channel. Crossing over to England, Gould would continue on until he had reached the village of Silverstone and the former Royal Air Force bomber base that bears the same name. For it would there, at Silverstone, that the rescheduled BRDC International Trophy race would be held on the 14th of September.
It was something of a blessing the International Trophy race was held just six days after the Italian Grand Prix. The wave of momentum Gould had achieved in Monza would have little chance of waning before the non-championship event. And, sure enough, Gould would take advantage of the confidence.
The International Trophy race had been the first to make sole use of the 2.9 mile perimeter road that would become so iconic for Silverstone. Held for the first time in 1949, the International Trophy race would be one of the more popular non-championship grand prix, especially during the early 1950s. This was undoubtedly due to the fact the British Grand Prix would take place on the same circuit. And, given that the British Grand Prix was held after the non-championship event it provided teams the opportunity to get some important track time. In 1957, the situation would be quite different. The British Grand Prix was held at Aintree that year. Also, the Suez Crisis led to the date of the race being moved to September. However, in spite of the differences, the 1957 edition of the race would see the return of the past. Over the previous few years the make-up of the race had included practice and a race. In 1957, however, heat races and a final would reappear.
Consisting of two 15 lap heat races and a 35 lap final, the International Trophy race would still draw an impressive list of entries, though the vast majority of them would be Formula 2 cars. Gould would be listed in the first heat along with other Formula One entries such as Jean Behra and Masten Gregory.
Amazingly, Tony Brooks would prove the fastest in practice in a Formula 2 Cooper-Climax. His pole-winning time of 1:43.0 would be a second and a half faster than Behra's time in a BRM 25. Ron Flockhart would be in 3rd place on the front row while Gregory would complete the front row with his Maserati. Gould would not look like he had all that much confidence. Posting a lap of 1:53.6, Gould would start on the fifth, and final, row in the 15th position.
Although he started well down in the field, Gould would make up for it at the start and would be well up, getting by many Formula 2 cars to run inside the top 5. Tony Brooks would fall out of the race without having completed a single lap, while Behra carried on in the lead and was absolutely unstoppable.
Posting the fastest lap of the heat, Behra would be in a league all his own as he would cruise to an easy victory completing the 15 laps in just under 26 minutes. Ron Flockhart would finish in 2nd place in the second BRM 25 albeit 44 seconds behind Behra. Third in the heat would go to Gregory. Gould would overcome his poor starting position to end the heat in a strong position. Although he would finish nearly a lap behind Behra he would still come through to finish in 4th place. Even this was a good result considering how his season had gone.
The second heat race would see Harry Schell in another BRM 25 have mostly Formula 2 cars in which he would have to deal. Jo Bonnier and Ivor Bueb would be the only other Formula One chassis in the second heat with Schell and only Bueb would prove capable of starting from the front row. Schell would be on pole while Keith Hall and George Wicken would start in 2nd and 4th.
Schell knew he had the pace necessary to take the victory. Getting away well from the grid Schell would be in the lead. Knowing he just had to keep the car on the track and he would likely come away with a heat win Schell would not push as hard as he knew he could.
Taking it easy throughout the 15 lap heat race Schell would cruise to an easy victory. Crossing the line in just under 27 minutes, Schell would average 97mph en route to his win. Jack Brabham would impress in the Cooper-Climax finishing in 2nd place just about 7 seconds behind Schell. Jo Bonnier would bring his Maserati 250F across the line in 3rd place just 3 seconds adrift of Brabham.
Each heat race having concluded, it was time to set the grid for the 35 lap final. As with in the past, finishing times in each respective heat race would determine the starting positions on the grid. This meant Behra would start from pole having posted the fastest finishing time in his first heat race. Ron Flockhart would start in 2nd while Masten Gregory would be in the 3rd spot. The final spot on the front row would end up going to Schell whose 2nd heat finishing time would be fast enough to gain him the final spot on the front row.
Gould's finishing time in the first heat race would be 27 minutes and 31 seconds. In spite of his rather sedate pace during the heat race the overall pace in the first heat race would actually play to Gould's advantage. As a result of the high average speed in his first heat race Gould would find himself starting the final from the second row of the grid in the 7th starting spot.
While Gould would find himself in one of the best starting positions he had experienced all season long, it would be Owen Racing that would be the most excited heading into the race. All three of their BRM 25s had shown well and were starting from the front row of the grid.
The start of the race would see the three BRMs all shoot up to the head of the field. Bonnier would make a good start and would be challenging but would have the three BRMs in which to contend. Gould would also get away well and would have Masten Gregory to duel with throughout the race.
Behra had shown his superior pace during the first heat race when he won going away from his Owen Racing teammate Ron Flockhart. It would be no different in the final as Behra would be very quick around the 2.9 mile circuit. Posting the fastest lap time of 1:43.0, Behra would be not as quick as what he had proven he was capable but it was certainly fast enough to leave everyone else behind.
Gould would be running high up in the order as well, a welcome change following how the season had gone for the most part. Still, even his pace would not be enough to keep him from being lapped by Behra before the end of the race. But again, after the season Gould had been experiencing, going a lap down to Behra would matter only a very little and it wouldn't matter all that much at all if he finished.
Schell had shown a controlled pace in the second heat race, but during the final he would do his best to pick it up. Aware of Behra's sheer dominance, Schell would put his move on Flockhart to take over 2nd place. Flockhart would then be left to battle Bonnier to ensure a BRM sweep of the podium, if they all could make it to the end.
Only Formula 2 cars would prove to be incapable of handling the pace and the distance. Behra would show just how far the BRM 25 had really come as he would fly to an easy victory crossing the line in one hour, one minute and 30 seconds. This would end up being a minute and a half ahead of Schell finishing in the 2nd spot. The battle left on the track would be for the final spot on the podium. Going right down to the end, it would be Flockhart that would appear around Woodcote first to cross the line a second ahead of Bonnier. BRMs had achieved the sweep.
Horace Gould would achieve one of his best performances of the season. Holding off Bruce Halford and unable to catch and pace Gregory, Gould would end up finishing the race a little more than a lap down in the 6th position.
September had proven to be the polar opposite of Gould's month of August. Enjoying two-straight race finishes, top ten finishes at that, Gould's life-loving persona was back in full-swing. It would be hard not to forget the kind of season he had experienced but he undoubtedly would do his best. The month of September had been good to him. Perhaps providence would be with him for just one more race.
The 1957 season would have a good ending for Gould. Having moved near the Maserati factory in Modena in an effort to concentrate on his racing career, it would be welcome news that the final race of the season would be the 5th Gran Premio di Modena. This non-championship event would take place on the 22nd of September and provided Gould the opportunity to end the season in his adopted home on a high point.
Modena's place in Italian automotive lore certainly cannot be overstated. Once the home to Ferrari, and also the headquarters for Maserati, Modena would have a certain mystique about it that few could rival. Situated on the south side of the Po Valley, Modena would be filled with history dating back to well before the rise of the Roman Empire. However, its modern history would be dominated by the presence of two legendary automakers.
Of course Ferrari and Maserati would need an adequate place to test their new cars, and, the local aerodrome situated just to the west of the city's center would prove to be the perfect spot in which to do this. Using the runway and the perimeter road a 1.47 mile circuit would be fashioned. It would be this same aerodrome circuit that would host the 5th Gran Premio di Modena.
The race would consist of two heat races, each covering a total of 40 laps. The final results would be scored in the aggregate. This meant each driver took part in each of the two 40 lap heat races instead of just one heat and then a final.
It would not be an easy task for Gould as Scuderia Ferrari would bring a couple of their new 156 Dinos. Then there would be the factory Maseratis from just blocks down the road. They too posed a threat. But Gould had the opportunity to end his terrible season with three-straight race finishes, top ten finishes at that. Therefore, he would have ample motivation heading into the event.
The starting grid for the first heat would have Luigi Musso starting from pole. Harry Schell would be in 2nd place with a Maserati while Jean Behra would complete the front row in 3rd with another Maserati. Gould would have a rather impressive starting position. Positioned on the third row in the 6th position, Gould would have good placement if he could manage a good start.
At the start it would be Musso and Behra that would get away the best. These two would be at the head and flying. Schell would slot in behind in 3rd while Collins would be right up the backside of Schell. Gould would actually get away poorly and would come under attack during the early going.
Behra and Musso would be attacking each other and the circuit. They would be flying around the circuit at an average speed of greater than 80 mph. It would be an impressive duel between these two. Meanwhile, Gould would be losing ground to the others. Flockhart and Bonnier would make better starts and would be ahead of Gould leaving just Bruce Halford behind him in the running order. But, at least he made it through the first couple of laps and remained in the race throughout.
It would be impressive watching Musso and Behra. Behra would maintain the advantage but Musso would push hard. The Italian would post what would end up being the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:02.2. Not to be outdone, Behra would match the time and would keep Musso at bay.
Over the course of the race Behra would wear down Musso and manage to pull away with the lead. At the end of the 40 laps it would be Behra taking the victory by 20 seconds over Musso. Harry Schell would have a quiet last half of the race having pulled away from Collins. He would finish 37 seconds behind Musso in 3rd. Horace Gould would make it to the finish of the first heat as well. And, although he would end up being lapped one more time just before Behra crossed the line to take the checkered flag, he would still finish the race in 8th place. Unfortunately, being a little more than 3 laps behind was certain not to help his aggregate time.
The grid positions for the start of the second heat race would be flopped. Therefore, instead of Behra starting from pole it would be Schell on pole and Behra starting 3rd. Therefore, even though Gould would finish the first heat in 8th place he would actually line up for the second, and last, heat in the 6th position. For Gould, it would like a second chance as this is where he had lined up for the first heat.
Unfortunately, as the flag dropped to start the second heat it would be more of the same. Behra and Musso would be out front. However, the battle would be on. Musso would find himself closely followed by Schell and Collins, who would have mere tenths between them throughout the whole of the race. Gould would push hard at the beginning of the race as well. However, it would become apparent that he could not come anywhere near the kind of pace necessary to stay with the front-runners. Therefore, as the race wore on he would look to the end and the hopes of at least ending the season with a positive result.
Gould would find help. Both of the BRMs would fail to make it to the 30th lap of the race allowing Gould to move up a couple of spots in the order. This meant Gould could really look toward the end of the race taking care of his equipment.
Behra would post the fastest lap of the second heat and would begin to draw away from Musso once again. Musso would be somewhat distracted by the challenge coming from behind. Both Schell and Collins would be within a couple of seconds of Musso and this would cause the Italian to have to take his focus off of Behra somewhat.
Behra was the class of the field. Powering his way to victory, he would have nearly 20 seconds in hand over Musso by the finish. The times from the first to the second heat would be just a second off. This would be remarkable consistency from both drivers. Schell and Collins would both pick up their pace in the 2nd heat. Schell would manage to hold off Collins by no more than three-tenths of a second, but both would only be about 2.5 seconds behind Musso. Gould would improve finishing just a little more than 2 laps behind in the 6th position.
When the times were compiled it was obvious Behra was the winner having 40 seconds in hand over Musso. Schell would finish in 3rd place. And, with the help of the retirements of Bonnier and Flockhart, Gould would finish his season with a 6th place result, albeit some 5 laps behind the winner.
It had been a very welcome month of September. While it was more than obvious the factory teams were well and truly leaving privateers behind, the three-straight top ten results for Gould after the disastrous month of August would feel like a reprieve from the Governor, the executioner's hand had been stayed.
It was unclear just how long Gould would remain competitive. The 1957 season had shown moments of promise, albeit with quite a bit of help. But, there were also many moments of great struggle. It was obvious Gould's Maserati needed updates to even give him a chance. So there were questions surrounding just how long he could keep it going. Maserati would provide the answer the following season.