Aside from all the hilarity - would anyone care to speculate on the actual circumstances of this nearly unbelievable maneuver? Radiator cap just coming loose? Can you imagine what would have happened if it came off in his hand?
raymond mays at shelsey walsh driving [i think] "cordon rouge" a t23/13 brescia....if you knew how ettore held the rear wheels on a brescia you wouldn't be surprised....as to the original photo, the riding mechanic in a gp bug was a busy guy required to perform all sorts of unseemly tasks....in this case i'm sure it was cooling related and not serious enough to require stopping the car...[as there was no water temp guage the mechanic relied on a radiator cap mounted glass tube/mercury thermometer...if the cap rotated a bit the line of sight was interrupted and required adjustment.
While I do not doubt the accuracy of your responses, Dave, they are just not funny enough for this thread. Please try a little harder next time, will you?
Although the French made many early attempts to perfect the routine, it wasn't until 1952, when the Germans had the driver venture onto the hood with the vehicle in motion, that Ghost-riding the Whip became an accepted part of the Grand Prix scene.
"for chrissake anton,i told you to get the buttplug with the auto-hold flange!...now my wrist is getting sore holding the goddam thing in....you will pay dearly for this!"...[to himself, slowly,..."and you will love every minute of it!"] ----------- [better? am i reading too much phillip roth? ]
During the early years of gran prix the driver was required to carry spare tires, tools, and his pitcrew on the car in the most aerodynamic way possible. Rules have since been changed.
In the early days many drivers filled their tyres with helium to help with weight restrictions...however other problems arose!