Club Arnage

British racing legend Gerry Marshall died yesterday, at the age of 63. Marshall was testing at Silverstone, when he pulled over, feeling unwell.

This is very sad news indeed. RIP Gerry Marshall and the Big Bertha.

Rest in Peace Gerry Marshall.

Larger than life character who was racing until the very end. Joins Roger Clark, Tony Pond and many other favorites from the last couple of decades.

Always been a fan of Gerry.  He seemed to have the Right Attitude to life.

Sh*t, only just heard this news. Our circuits will be duller places without him. One of few genuine legends in his own lifetime.

R.I.P.

Good god!!! Only found out on this thread...........

Only a few months ago he was interviewed in Motorsport.  A real racer, over 600 wines I belive, and a true fan of the sport too. I never realised how many times I had seen him race untill that interview!

Saddly missed

RIP

Gerry who's that now?

RIP Gerry, a real racer!  

I'm at Silverstone running the BRDC raceday on Sunday which I imagine Gerry was testing for.  What a fitting time and place to go and he didn't even damage the car.  I'm sure he's on that racetrack in the sky giving them hell.

can't talk about this.



Goodbye Gerry, race on.

I was planning on VSCC on Sat a touch of BRDC on Sun, wont be the same without him, strange.

I never heard of this guy. What made him so iconic?

I'm very sad about this, what a great bloke he was. Watched him race countless times, made special journeys when I knew he was driving a particular car. His enthusiasm, car control, and appreciation of the machinery, fellow competitors and us the spectators was a joy. The current crop of tin top drivers [some, not all] would do well to ignore the  TV camera's and read 'Only Here For The Beer' You cant keep on about the past and I know it's all different now but Gerry made it fun.

I'll have a few in your memory Gerry on reguar occasions. Bloody hell could you drive!

DA

care of http://www.answers.com/topic/gerry-marshall (http://www.answers.com/topic/gerry-marshall)

"Gerry Marshall
Gerry Marshall (b. November 16, 1941) is a British saloon car racing driver, considered by many to be one of the best drivers of all time, according to a recent magazine poll. His professional driving career spans four decades, in 2000 chalking up his 600th win in a race at Snetterton, Norfolk in an Aston Martin DB4. His first win was in 1964, driving a Mini.

However, he is probably best remembered for his flamboyant and crowd-pleasing style during the 1970s driving for Dealer Team Vauxhall in the racing Firenzas "Old Nail" and "Baby Bertha", and also the ill-fated V8 Holden-Repco Ventora, "Big Bertha". He also won the 1971 Escort Mexico championship, driving for the same team as the equally respected rally driver Roger Clarke. Marshall's style has been described as "sideways, on-the-edge cornering style that was to distinguish his driving in any car, large or small, front or rear drive.” This outward appearance belied an extraordinary cool-headed ability and intelligence behind the wheel. His biography, published in 1978, is titled Only Here For The Beer."

Old Nail

(http://www.rise12.freeserve.co.uk/dsg/images/nail1.jpg)

Big Bertha

(http://www.kolumbus.fi/makkesgarage/protos/car33-3.jpg)

You'd appreciate his style and ties with Vauxhall, Visited GM HQ once and tried the prototypes such was his appeal.

Try PistonHeads for a resume...

He's a great loss trust me.

DA

some more info here http://www.gerrymarshall.co.uk/ (http://www.gerrymarshall.co.uk/)

As I was born and bred in Luton, and my father worked for Vauxhall for 35+ years, I was brought up reading Dealer Team Vauxhall info and news and remember seeing Gerry power sliding Big Bertha.  An impressive sight indeed.

In the Feb issue of Motor Sport they devote a large portion of the magazine to the history of touring car racing, including rating the best tin-top pilots. Gerry was placed right there in the midst of such touring car legends as Peter Brock, Steve Soper, Roberto Ravaglia, Frank Gardner and Klaus Ludwig.  The passing of a racing driver is always a sad occasion but all the more so when it invloves someone as beloved among the fans and his colleagues as Gerry.  RIP
Fax

Another legend lost to us.

I remember bits from his interviews being published in various magazines over the years. He posed such great questions such as
" Is a man who leaves a burning car backwards an arsenist"

When asked in one interview as to what was the fastest car he had ever driven, his reply was:
" A hire car"
Who remembers the TV series Battle of the sexes many years back when they pitted him against Davina Galitser (not sure of the spelling). They had them both doing several laps in saloon cars. Gerry spent the first three quarters of the race up the exhaust of Davina's car with the idiot commentator spouting such things as "try as he might he can't find a way past" and Davina's got the better of him" etc etc. Gerry then got bored of this, drove staight past Davinas and pulled out several car lenghts in about a lap to easily win!

As always he was entertaining us1
RIP.