M Y F A V 0 R T E RAe E

DEREK DALY1982 MARLBORO BRITISH GRAND PRIX

BY JOHN B. HEIMANN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAT

YOU won't run out of fingers countingthe number of Grand Prix drivers

hailing from Ireland. The country simplydoesn't have in place a system [Q promoteracers as do countries like England, Italy orBrazil. That makes Derek Daly's ascensionto the Formula 1 World Championship allthe more impressive. In just a few shortyears, Daly overcame overwhelming oddsto go from racing demolition derby inBelfast, Ireland, to running with theChampionship-winning Williams F1 team.

Between the dirt tracks and metalcrunching of the derbies and Dalys goal oftaking pan in the exclusiveGrand Prix circuit.siood thousands of other hopefuls around theglobe and a serious lack of money. In Dalysquest to keep his racing career afloat, he puthis sales skills to the test and approached oneof the few resources at his disposal-an

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Irishman known to financially support localdrivers. "His name was Derek McMahon,"says Daly."I introduced myself and said, 'I'mtrying to head off to England and I need a bitof support and would you be interested inhelping me?' His exact words were, 'Heythere, young fellow,[ need you like [ need a f--ing six-inch hole in my head'." Daly spun onhISheels and left, but it wouldn't be the lasttime he'd encounter McMahon.

To get the money to race Formula Fordsin England, Daly spent six months inAustralia laboring in iron ore mines. The(5,000 he earned bought him a FormulaFord and an old school bus He raced theFormula Ford and traveled from event toevent in the bus. "My mom made somecurtains and my dad bought a mattress,"Daly says. "I had a tool box, a sleeping bagand a racing car and that was it.~

That year, he won 23 races and theFormula Ford Festival. "1 got a call out ofthe blue from Derek McMahon and heinvited me to the British Racing Drivers'Club annual in London," says Daly. "Hesaid he followed what I did and he'd beinterested in helping me to do Formula 3."

With McMahon's financial support, Dalywon the 1977 British Formula 3Championship. In 1978, he landed a ridein Fl and completed his crossing of thewidest moat in the sport.

The Dream CallDaly's first drive in Fl came with Ensign, ateam he describes as a mom and poporganization driven by passion that couldbarely pay the light bill, let alone the driver.Yet, Daly says it was a great environmentwithin which to start his F1 career.

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By the end of the following year, Dalysservices were picked up by Ken Tyrrell."Tyrrell was a major jump in stature,"asserts Daly. "Ken Tyrrell's factory was stillin Surrey, it was still a backyard team, butthey were operating at a much higherprofessional level." But by the time Dalyjoined Tyrrell, it was no longer thechampionship-caliber team of the late1960s/early '70s. "When 1 got there, theyhad ripped off the Lotus 79 design and Iknew they had lost their design direction."Despite this, Daly managed two 4th-placefinishes, his best results in Fl.

The 1981 season brought anotherchange of teams, this time to March. Dalysays March were completely out of theirdepth both technically and financially"March was run by a London car

dealer/organization funded by any used carsale they could do on the Thursday beforea Grand Prix weekend," he adds. The teamdidn't qualify for the first six races of tbeseason, and then suffered through a dismalsecond half of the year.

A shift at the beginning of 1982 to

Theodore, another team Daly describes ashaving shady funding sources, brought nobetter results.

"Then I got the dream call," he says.Carlos Reutemann had abruptly retiredmid-season and Williams team ownerFrank Williams tapped Daly as hisreplacement. "Now, I walk into a team atthe professional level that 1 had neverexperienced before." In Frank Williamsand designer Patrick Head, Daly wasworking for two of the most driven,successful people in Fl. Daly ratesteammate Keke Rosberg, who was boundfor the 1982 Drivers Championship, as thefastest driver with whom he'd ever beenpaired. "Fast, wild, flamboyant and missiondriven to extract every ounce of speed a carcould give," he says of Rosberg.

In only his second race with Williams(at Monaco), Daly scored points. Hefollowed that up with a string of five top-10 finishes, collecting points in three of thefive events, including a 5th at the BritishGrand Prix, the race he calls his favorite.

Home Field AdvantageThe 1982 running of the British GP washeld at Brands Hatch July 18, 1982."Brands Hatch is one of my favorite tracksin tbe world," Daly notes. "I just have anaffinity for Brands. It's spectacular and itwas very much my home Grand Prix."

During practice and qualifying, bothDaly and Rosberg suffered from understeerand knew they'd be in for lire issues duringthe race. Still, Daly managed a 10th-placestan while Rosberg took pole. Rosberg,however, would stan at the back due topre-race engine trouble. Daly, always fastoff the mark from a standing start, made agreat getaway and jumped to 7th at the endof lap 1 and 3rd place by lap 10.Meanwhile, Rosberg was making aSimilarly dramatic run up through the fieldbut, as anticipated, the understeer problemforced both to pit.

or the two Williams drivers, Rosbergwas burning up his tires at a much fasterclip. "Bythe time I stopped for a set of tires,Keke had already stopped twice and took

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his tires and my tires," exclaims Daly. 'Theydidn't have any tires ready and there was abig scramble to go get another set. 1sat stillfor way too long. If not for that, I probablycould have finished on the podium."

Daly dropped to l lth, but as the racewore on he'd work his way back upthrough the field to 5th. Daly was catching4th-place Patrick Tambay in the waninglaps, but his tires gave LIpagain and he'dfade into the clutches of Alain Prost whomhe'd have to fend off at the finish to holdonto 5th. "It was a great charge and I had agreat sense of satisfaction," says Daly. Headds that the race's proximity to Irelandmeant that many family and friends werein attendance, adding an emotionalelement. "To run as hard as I could run infrom of the people that I'd grown up withand to put a pretty good effort in and get apretty good result, 1would tick it off as oneof the ones 1 remember most."

The last race of the 1982 Fl season washeld at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and itwould turn out to be Daly's last in theseries. 'The season [with Williams] didn'trum out as well as I wanted," admits Daly."I got to Formula 1 so fast, I was ill-equipped when I got there. I didn't havethe technical understanding or disciplineto work on the car set-up. I. didn't have thepolitical skills, emotional skills or mentalskills to operate at that level. I enjoyed the

rise up through Formula 1 more than theyear at Williams." Personal problems werealso at play, so when Daly was offered aride in the final Indy Car race of that yearat Phoenix, he jumped at the opportunityLa make a career move. "I came to America[or a complete change of circumstancesand scenery," he confesses.

Daly raced in the Indy Car series untilan accident in 1984 temporarily sidelinedhim. That incident, however, opened thedoor to a long career in broadcasting. "1went to Elkhart Lake (for an Indy Carrace) and ESPN asked me if I'd come tothe booth and do a segment," he explains."A week later, 1 got a call from ESPN

Dilly's helmet design featured a singleforward-facing arrow on the top,

easy for fans to recognize.

asking me if I'd like to do color. I saidsure. I had absolutely no idea what I'd justagreed to. I didn't know what a coloranalyst was. I loved every minute travelingthe world and covering Formula 1 andIndy Cars."

Daly returned to Indy Car and wouldlater add sports car racing to his resume,including a win at the 12 Hours of Sebringin 1990, all the while continuing to dostints in the TVbooth.

Daly is entering his 24th year as abroadcaster. He also operates his business thatincludes motivational speaking engagementsand managing several up-and-coming drivers,including his son Conor. -~~