1 reply to this topic

[HandyNZL]

I guess by now, most will have read my sidebar comment status thing about the passing of Bill Stone.  Many, though, will be going Bill who?  This is not my eulogy, but someone elses, but explains pretty much who Bill was.

Bill Stone, a key figure in the histories of racing car constructors March and Reynard, died earlier this week at the age of 72.

Born Arthur George Stone on June 10, 1939 in Ngaruawahia on his  parent's farm in New Zealand, he learned to drive tractors at an early  age. At 18 he was driving big diggers and earthmovers, later helping to  build the airport in Fiji.

His earnings were channelled into sprints and hillclimbs in New  Zealand with a Jaguar XK120 and a 500cc Cooper Mk9-Norton, later  converted to JAP 1100cc power. By 1964 he had graduated to an ex-Denny  Hulme Cooper T52 in Formula Junior, which he entered into the 1965 and  1966 New Zealand Grands Prix, competing against the likes of Graham Hill  and Jackie Stewart.

The following year Bill finished eighth in a Brabham BT6 in the same  race against Stewart and Jim Clark, and outlasted Hulme and Jack  Brabham. He used the same car in the 1968 Tasman Series, finishing 10th  at Pukekohe and sixth at Levin.

Upon moving to the UK, Bill bought a crashed Brabham BT21 from Frank  Williams, which he and his friend Jimmy Stone rebuilt and raced in  Europe. In 1969 he bought a McLaren M4A but ran out of funds. However, a  call from the car's designer, Robin Herd, changed his career.

Herd asked Bill to build the first March racing car - the 693. Stone  became the first employee of March Engineering Ltd and had an input into  the design of the first March Formula Ford car.

He was soon promoted to production manager at March and was  instrumental in the manufacture and assembly of the entire range,  including F3, F2 and F1 machines.

In 1971, a chance meeting with young engineering student Adrian  Reynard - on a visit to the March factory - led to the establishing of  Sabre Automotive. Bill left March and founded Sabre in a small workshop  equipped only with a set of welding bottles and a pillar drill. Reynard  became his partner (although still at college and apprenticed to British  Leyland) and the company established itself as a sub-contractor to  March, Chevron, Mallock and other racing car companies.

Little did he realise as he delivered wishbones and axles to Mallock,  that the young female greeting him was one Susanne Mallock, who would  later become his second wife.

While Reynard finished his education and designed and built his own  Formula Ford, Bill grew Sabre into a profitable business. He was able to  pass on his wisdom, expertise and business savvy to Reynard and they  became great friends. When Reynard managed to sell replicas in 1975,  Sabre set about manufacturing kits of parts. By the end of 1976, 12  Reynard car kits had been made and sold but Bill decided to move to New  Zealand with his first wife Maura. Sabre's name was changed to Reynard  Racing Cars to reflect the main product line and Adrian took over the  company, replicating the philosophies of his mentor, to grow it into the  largest racing car constructor in the world by the 1990s.

Bill bought a 60-acre farm in New Zealand, raising angora goats and  running a vehicle recycling yard, as well as working for a trailer  manufacturer. But his appetite for motorsport became aroused again and  he moved back to England, setting up another fabrication business; Bill  Stone Engineering, which became a sub-contractor to Mallock.

He was then recruited as team manager for Andy Rouse's Ford touring  car programme. He stayed until the end of 1995, when he was persuaded by  Reynard to head the Chrysler North American Touring Car Programme for  his company. This was an ambitious develop/design/build project, which  won first time out and subsequently won the NATC title.

In 1997 Reynard became the partner of BAT in establishing the BAR F1  Team. Bill was again the first employee of the company and was  instrumental in setting up temporary premises and recruiting the staff,  many of whom remain today under the auspices of the Mercedes team in  Brackley. Bill organised the design office and R&D department while  the main factory was being built.

In 2001 Bill was head-hunted by Minardi F1 team boss Paul Stoddart  before moving back to New Zealand with Susanne in the middle if the last  decade.

Still he wasn't entirely finished with motorsport. He acquired a  Speedway car and a Mallock Mk6B, which were both meticulously prepared  and raced with great spirit and enthusiasm. He even managed to win what  was his final race, a wet Formula Ford encounter at Hampton Downs in  February 2011.

His legacy is not just that he saw the best in everyone and gave  freely of his wisdom and advice, but also that he carried an aura of  quiet confidence and purpose and was able to selflessly inspire those  who met him to greater achievement.

He died peacefully in his sleep at home in Pukekohe on April 10, 2012, with Susanne at his side.

[Massa]

Thanks for sharing that, Craig.