Firsts and Lasts in Motorsports

[Stan Reid]

Harry Schell wangled an entry for the Monaco GP, but set no practice time. His Cooper-Jap starting from the back thus was the first Cooper to start a F1 WC race, as well as the first rear engined entry, even though the car was definitely not a F1 car. All for naught as he failed to complete a lap being involved in a 9 car pile up on lap 1. Because he had no practice time, it is difficult to assess his lap times, but he would have been quite a bit off the pace.

Although it was the first rear engine to race, I believe the first rear engined car to enter and practice for a World Championship Race (the 1950 Indianapolis 500) was the Rounds Rocket, a Lesovsky-Diedt Offenhauser. Indy practice began on May 1 of 1950 (almost 3 weeks before Monaco FP1) and the car was driven by both Sam Hanks and Bill Vukovich. Neither of the two future winners could get the car up to qualifying speed. The Rounds Rocket was a 4.5 liter normally aspirated racer so it was fully Formula 1 legal. I believe Al Miller also practiced one of the old Gulf-Millers in early May and it failed to qualify as well.

RoundsRocket.jpg Click to enlarge
Rounds Rocket

A beautiful machine ahead of its time, I'd say.