Theodore TR1 chassis #2 - 1978
Coppa Intereuropa, Monza 2008 - Theodore TR1 chassis #2 - 1978
Theodore TR1 was a Formula One car designed by Ron Tauranac on behalf of Hong Kong business man Mr.Teddy Yip, to take part in the 1978 World Formula 1 Championship for Theodore Racing team who had as Sid Taylor's sports director and as technical director Len Bailey. At that time it was named the "Asian Ralt" but although the car had been entirely designed by Tauranac and had some resemblance to the Ralt of the period, particularly in the area around the cockpit, it was in effect a Theodore because the designer sold also the designs to Teddy Yip.
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La Theodore TR1 è stata una vettura di formula 1 progettata da Ron Tauranac per conto dell’imprenditore di Hong Kong Teddy Yip per partecipare al Campionato mondiale di Formula 1 del 1978 per team Theodore Racing che aveva come direttore sportivo Sid Taylor e come direttore tecnico Len Bailey.
All’epoca fu nominata come la “Ralt asiatica” ma sebbene la vettura fosse stata completamente disegnata da Tauranac e avesse qualche somiglianza con le Ralt del periodo, in particolare nella carenatura dell’abitacolo, rimase a tutti gli effetti una Theodore in quanto il progettista vendette in esclusiva i disegni a Teddy Yip. |
Coppa Intereuropa, Monza 2010 - Theodore TR1 chassis #2 - 1978
The car had a light appearance and narrow front and rear tracks, the aluminium monocoque was quite wide with the water radiators on the sides of the engine and the oil radiator on the nose cone, as a tradition in the works of Ron Tauranac. The suspensions were very conventional both front and rear and the car fitted the traditional Ford Cosworth DFV and the usual 6-speed Hewland gearbox. The aerodynamic aspect was already overcome as there was no device for exploiting the ground effect.
Two cars were built, the TR1-1 and TR1-2 were distinguished by the shape of the nose cone. The TR1-1 had a small air intake and the oil radiator was hidden by an air conveyor, while on the TR1-2 the air intake was very wide and the radiator in sight. |
La vettura aveva un aspetto leggero e carreggiate strette, la monoscocca in alluminio era piuttosto larga, con i radiatori dell’acqua posizionati ai lati del motore e il radiatore dell’olio sul musetto, come tradizione nelle realizzazioni di Ron Tauranac. Le sospensioni erano molto convezionali sia davanti che dietro e la vettura montava il tradizionale Ford Cosworth DFV e il consueto cambio Hewland a 6 marce. L’aspetto aerodinamico anch’esso era già superato non avendo nessun dispositivo per lo sfruttamento dell’effetto suolo.
Furono costruite due vetture, la TR1-1 e la TR1-2 che si distinguevano per la forma del muso. La TR1-1 aveva una presa d’aria piccola e il radiatore dell’olio era nascosto da un convogliatore, mentre sulla TR1-2 la presa d’aria era molto ampia e il radiatore in vista. |
Coppa Intereuropa, Monza 2010 - Theodore TR1 chassis #2 - 1978
The first driver to take Theodore TR1 chassis #1 to the track was Derek Daly, the fresh winner of the Formula 3 British Championship, who turned to Goodwood with good chronometric response considering that both, the driver and the car were debutants and that the track conditions, in winter, were not ideals. The Theodore TR1 chassis #2 was driven by Keke Rosberg, who managed to qualify with the 23rd time at the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami but was forced to stop at lap14 due to a fuel leak in the cockpit. Rosberg himself (who destroyed the TR1-1 in an accident at the Sunset corner during the tests the week before the Grand Prix at Kyalami) got a lucky win with TR1-2 at Silverstone at the International Trophy on March 19, 1978 , under a torrential rain.
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Il primo pilota a portare in pista la Theodore TR1 chassis #1 fu Derek Daly, fresco vincitore del campionato inglese di Formula 3, che girò a Goodwood su tempi ritenuti buoni considerando che sia pilota che vettura erano debuttanti e che le condizioni della pista, invernali, non erano ideali. La Theodore TR1 chassis #2 fu pilotata da Keke Rosberg, che riuscì a qualificarsi con il 23° tempo al Gran Premio del Sud Africa a Kyalami ma fu costretto a fermarsi al 14° giro a causa di una perdita di carburante nell’abitacolo. Lo stesso Rosberg (che distrusse la TR1-1 uscendo di pista alla curva Sunset, durante i test la settimana prima del Gran Premio a Kyalami), ottenne una fortunosa vittoria con la TR1-2 a Silverstone nell’International Trophy, il 19 Marzo 1978, sotto una pioggia torrenziale.
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Photo gallery: Coppa Intereuropa, Monza 2008, 2009, 2010
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