B. T. looking back on the Danish Formula 1-drivers, and today is Tom Belsø.
Tom Belsø founded his career in a Volvo Amazon on the Roskilde Ring, moved as the first briton to go abroad to live out racerdrømmen and in 1973 the chance in Formula 1.
The copenhagen auto mechanic had secured the Marlboro as a personal sponsor. As cigaretproducenten at the same time was a sponsor of Frank Williams’ small Formula 1 team, who was running for the Swedish Grand Prix 1973, was Belsø with short notice downloaded to the Anderstorp race track.
He had experience from the other Formula classes, but had never driven a Formula 1. Nevertheless, he was quick enough to qualify, but Frank Williams did not, dane was ready for a whole race.
instead, It was agreed that the Belsø would make its debut in the UNITED states Grand Prix late in the season, but when he reached forward to the Watkins Glen race track, had Williams rented the car out to the Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx.
“I was cheated by the smugglers, and Marlboro-the people were furious,” told Belsø later about the unsuccessful trip across the Atlantic.
In 1974, got Belsø of Marlboros using a ‘shared car’ in the Williams team. He and the dutchman Gijs van Lennep would each run half of the season’s races, and the dane came the first time to start in the South african Grand Prix in march.
Tom Belsøs and Denmark’s Formula 1 debut lasted only a few seconds. From his position in the back row could Belsø not get the Williams car in gear, and he went forth almost at the startstregen.
“I have Frank Williams suspected of sabotaging my car. I think he got tightened my clutch before the start. In any case, was it so tight, that it was burned, when the start went,” told Belsø.
For the economically depressed Williams team it was a good solution: You had fulfilled the agreement with Marlboro, but Belsø sled not on the team’s car, engine and tyres.
Belsø qualified for the Spanish Grand Prix, but ran a good race in Sweden, where he came in goal as number eight. At that time, there was only awarded points to the first six, but still it was an absolute approved performance.
Then came the british grandprix, where the Williams team again inhibited Belsø. He was not the right tyres, which was necessary in order to qualify for the race, and the first Formula 1 career ended with a gigantic altercation in the pits with team head Frank Williams.
