I came upon the phrase ‘the mechanic’s gallon’ a while ago. Teams in the 60’s were trying to save weight and make the car as light as possible, inc. putting as much fuel in the car at the start of the race so that it lasted JUST to the end. This generally worked but a few times ran out of fuel with a few laps to go. So unbeknownst to Colin Chapman, the mechanics when fuelling the car would add an extra gallon, just to make sure it was enough, hence the ‘mechanic’s gallon’!
https://mechanicsgallon.blogspot.com/
Peter Burns, part 1 of 2, recorded 23rd January 2023
Download part 1 of the audio here
Our guest this time is Peter Burns, who, although not on the front line in the pitlane, still wracked up 35 years in motorsport. After being involved with the organisation of the inaugural Dubai Grand Prix in 1983, he then worked for McLaren in Formula One, being in at the very start of hospitality provided by the teams for their sponsors. In this role he got to know very well people like Alan Prist, Ayrton Senna, David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen.
Having been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2017, Peter is now working with Parkinson's charities, in 2021 he was part of a team who swam the Solent to the Isle Of Wight, raising £47,000. This year they will again swim, this time around the Isle Of Wight! For more information and if you'd care to donate, please visit their website at www.positivelyparkinsons.co.uk
The Grand Prix Trust is a charity formed over 30 years ago by Jackie Stewart to help former F1 employees when times are hard. Both Peter and I are involved with them. Please visit their website at www.grandprixtrust.com
You can also watch it on Gary's YouTube channel.