Nom de Plume! notifiable dieases and other hide behind the curtains crap!

[Trevor Sheffield]

I think this is one of the most meaningless threads ever on TRS!

Old farts are a load of hot air. LOL

[David McKinney]

I'm sure it was...

At least this forum seems to have avoided what some others allow - ie, noms de plume of real people (Jim Clark, Keke Rosberg etc)

[driftwood]

Many Italians used non de plums to go racing
some to avoid family riot of them racing against parents wishes ( as jackie stewart did with A N Other at his first few races)
some presume to deter kidnapping (rife in the 60s/70s) no one knew who they were
we had an Austrian racer Fritz Glatz race for years as Pierre Chavuet and Fredrico Carecca
both surnames meant "bald" as he was but he was another banned by mummy from going motor racing

I however am not worth much so no one will kidnap me possibly pay someone to take me away for a few more hours
and my mummy has banned me from coming round to visit

[Shoreboy57]

The non de plumed racing driver - there should be some great tales.

Baroness Hélène van Zuylen van Nijevelt van de Haar entered the 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris Trail using the pseudonym Snail and became the first woman to compete in an international motor race.

Another reason was surely ease of use - for team management, announcers, programme typesetters etc. For example:

B Bira = Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanuband
JJ Lehto = Jyrki Järvilehto (Imagine Murray Walker getting his tongue around that name)
Johnny Dumfries = John Colum Crichton-Stewart (7th Marquess of Bute)
Alfonzo de Portago = Don Alfonso Cabeza de Vacade y Leighton

Did Umberto Ledfotti really race at Bathurst 12-hour? Surely taking the piss

Of course had Norman Barry racing as Frank Bryan in the Mustang around '67. Were there any others on the local scene? Some may have preferred to be anonymous in hindsight

[Grant Ellwood]

Scandinavian rally driver in the 70s - Bengt Axel.

[David McKinney]

Johnny Dumfries = John Colum Crichton-Stewart (7th Marquess of Bute)

Crichton-Stuart, please! In his racing days he was Earl of Dumfries. He didn't inherit the Marquis of Bute title until the 1990s

Alfonzo de Portago = Don Alfonso Cabeza de Vacade y Leighton

Or more correctly Don Alfonso Antonio Vicente Blas Ángel Francisco Borgia Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton Carvajal y Are, Conde de Mejorada, seventh Marquis de Portago

[Shoreboy57]

[QUOTE=David McKinney;36461]Crichton-Stuart, please!

Bloody spellchecker - thanks for correction David. Now taking a lie down after trying to memorise de Portago's full name.

[John B]

French driver, Jean-Marie Brousselet, raced a Jaguar D-Type at Le Mans several times under the racing nom de plume "Mary" ... I wonder if he was also a lumberjack and, "...cut down trees, skipped and jumped, and hung around in bars."

[stubuchanan]

The non de plumed racing driver - there should be some great tales.

Of course had Norman Barry racing as Frank Bryan in the Mustang around '67. Were there any others on the local scene? Some may have preferred to be anonymous in hindsight

With due respect, Norman Frank Bryan Barry was not using a fictional name, just not all of his real name.

[ERC]

There was a guy I used to compete against in the annual Silverstone Sprints Winter Series, called "Wally Pratt". Lovely guy (I think he might have passed away fairly recently) - but that was his real name.

[GeebeeNZ]

Ray wasn't he the guy who appeared in the Duckhams Ads with his racing Fiat Abarth.

There was a guy I used to compete against in the annual Silverstone Sprints Winter Series, called "Wally Pratt". Lovely guy (I think he might have passed away fairly recently) - but that was his real name.

[ERC]

More than likely. He certainly ran a Fiat Abarth.

[jamie]

He He guys what A giggle look what I have been missing out on wile I was away overseas RUSS you were ALWAYS A!!!
HO HO Merry X Mass and A happy New Year Jamie A

[driftwood]

yes Wally Pratt was his real name and he was an old guy when he sprinted his Fiat Abarth 1000 tt in the 70s and 80s
i do recall seeing his name in Autosport obituary

Times have changed and he would never have dreamt his names would be used to chastise and ridicule people
Its the same as making the statement you are happy and gay
40 years ago it was a reasonable expression to describe your joy

I like the non de plumes for forums those who don't tough