Schell Shocked: 1958 Dutch Grand Prix

September 29, 2015 by Jeremy McMullen

All throughout his career Harry Schell would be recognized as a very consistent, and professional, racer. While he was known to be quick, he was not among the very best of his generation. But, there would be those moments when Schell drove like the best. The result was an American driver that had the potential to surprise. One of those moments would come in 1958.

Monza, 1956. The attrition for the Italian Grand Prix would be disconcerting. Though relatively new, the steep banking would be punishing to car and driver. The circuit should have favored the Vanwall. The cars had been showing a good turn of speed at places like Reims. However, over the bumpy Monza banking the Vanwalls were beginning to break one-by-one, except for one.

Harry Schell appeared to be gliding over the bumps. It was incredible. what was also incredible was the performance he was putting together. Known to have moments, on this day, Schell would be inspiring. Battling for the lead at times and consistently within the top five, Harry appeared to be driving an entirely different car compared to his Vandervell teammates.

Schell would be shocking, battling with Fangio and Moss throughout the early going. Halfway through the race, Schell ran in second place, not all that far behind Moss. It was a remarkable run that would come to an end when the transmission failed in the Vanwall. Like that day in September, 1956, Schell had more than enough potential to shock the motor racing fraternity.

Schell would pull a few surprises over the next year, but they would be few and far between. There would be the 4th place in the Argentine Grand Prix, and then there would be the 3rd at the Pescara race toward the end of the year. Those were his best results, but they weren't exactly shocking driving for the factory Maserati effort alongside Fangio, Jean Behra and others.

In 1958, however, just when the competitive options appeared few, Schell would manage to pull out some of his most shocking surprises, thereby confirming his racing talents.

Maserati would pull out of grad prix racing after the '57 season right when Fangio appeared ready to retire and Harry appeared to be getting stronger. There were very few options available heading into '58. There was one team that had the performance, but their sad state of unreliability made the BRM look more a liability than a possibility.

Not all seemed lost with Owen Racing and their BRM 25 chassis. Toward the end of the '57 season Schell would follow his fellow racer, and friend, Jean Behra to Owen Racing. This was not necessarily what Schell would have wanted, but it certainly was one of the few choices that gave Schell a chance at fine results.

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All did not appear lost when Schell arrived with Behra at Caen for the non-championship grand prix toward the end of the 1957 season. Suddenly, the P25 acted like an entirely different car. Behra would start the race from the front row of the grid and would go on to a demonstrative victory. Schell would not do near as good, but it was clear the car had a great deal of potential. It would be interesting to note though that it was Behra that believed he would unlock all the potential the BRM had, not Schell. This would end up causing '58 to be very interesting and shocking.

Following Caen, the P25 appeared to turn the corner. At the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, Jean Behra would start the first round of the championship from the front row of the grid. Schell, on the other hand, would not look so strong going into the race, but that would change as the race carried on.

Missteps by other drivers would hand Behra the lead and he would turn some impressive laps in the P25. Meanwhile, Schell would be steadily working his way forward from further down in the field. Both Behra and Schell seemed to be able to get the best out of the car. But then it would all begin to go wrong for Behra. Brake problems, the usual weakness of the car, would sideline Behra. Schell, on the other hand, seemed to have the touch getting his car to carry on up through the field.

In the end, and despite the struggles experienced by Behra, Schell would cruise home to a solid 5th place. This would be surprising, but it wouldn't necessarily be shocking. But just wait.

The second round of the 1958 Formula One World Championship would be the Dutch Grand Prix held at the fast 2.60 mile Zandvoort circuit situated, literally, within yards of the North Sea.

The Vanwalls would be flying around the circuit in practice and would end up locking out the front row of the grid with Stuart Lewis-Evans on pole. Once again, Behra would prove quick in practice, finding his way to 4th on the grid. Harry would be rather inconspicuous running well in practice, but not amongst the fastest. He would end up starting the 75 lap race a rather quiet 7th.

The day of the race, the 26th of May, would be very nice, but also, very windy. This raised concerns over the possibility of sand being blown all over the circuit blown in from the sand dunes that literally surrounded the circuit. The conditions demanded bravery, but punished arrogance.

Sneaking up in anticipation of the flag, Schell would first shock everyone by vaulting himself up into third place after throwing the BRM into the banked first turn. He would further shock everybody by staying in touch with Moss during the early part of the race. The BRM was known to be quick, but also, extremely fragile, especially during the early stages of races. And yet, there was Schell charging along while Behra improved, but could not match the pace.

Behra would be shocked as he carried along, but at nowhere near the pace of his friend and teammate. Challenged by Mike Hawthorn, Schell continued to hold onto second place when the BRM normally faltered and tripped over itself.

Moss leading was anything but a shock. Schell running away with second place certainly was. Behra would cllimb up to third place seemingly taking away from Harry's schievement. But, with nearly a minute in hand over his teammate, it was more than obvious Schell was getting something extra out of his car Behra was unable to replicate. It was truly unexpected performance by the man who had never achieved any better than third place. The crowd would notice, so too would Behra.

Harry would roll on to his best-ever result, a second place, behind race winner Stirling Moss. It would be an impressive result for the American. But, while a brilliant performance in the fragile BRM, it hardly appeared to be ground-breaking or shocking. And, on the outside, this would certainly appear true. However, internally, within Owen Racing, Schell's performance would be like a bomb going off.

Schell's career-best result in the Dutch Grand Prix should have been a moment of celebration with Owen Racing and among the friends, like Behra, and it was. However, the performance had also planted the seeds for future problems that hardly anyone within the team recognized as being present. The true shock was still to come.

Prior to Monaco, Behra had been leading the Owen Racing team to its best results in years. Jean was proving quick and was coming away with solid results in races like the BRDC International Trophy race. However, after his strong start in Monte Carlo came to an end and Schell raced to a points-paying 5th, things seemingly started to change, especially in the relationship between the two drivers.

Having grown up in Paris, Harry was perhaps more French than he was American. This certainly gave him and Behra a common bond. Whatever it was, Schell and Behra got along really well and were considered best of friends among within the Formula One paddock.

This relationship would suffer some strains after Schell's 2nd place at Zandvoort and then his 5th place at Spa. Things were starting to change within the team. Schell would prove quickest around the 8.77 mile Spa circuit in practice. Then, when Behra's BRM ran afoul of engine problems and Harry carried on to 5th place, a little voice in the back of Jean's head began telling him lies about his friend.

It would come to a breaking point in the most shocking way at Reims, the weekend of the 6th of July, 1958. Schell was running confidently and with great momentum. This would be evidenced by the fact he would pull out everything he had and turned the fastest lap in practice. This not only shocked, but stunned everyone around the rolling countryside. Jean would go out believing himself able to match, or beat, his friends time. When he was proven unable to do so he would not congratulate his friend. Instead, he would demand the use of his car, believing the team to have done something to give Harry an advantage.

Harry had the ability to shock people with his driving skills and it would be on full display among the Owen Racing team at Reims that first weekend in July. Sadly, the maneuver by his friend betrayed his confidence and it would seem to have an effect on him over the course of the weekend. Behra would be convinced the car was better than his old and would actually mix it up with Stirling Moss and some of the other front-runner during the early going. Schell, however, would trundle along without much in the way of inspiration. Fortunately, the race would come to an end after some 40 laps, for both of them.

Perhaps satisfied with making his point, Behra would allow the team to give Harry back his car for the British Grand Prix. It would be as though someone turned on Schell's switch and he would again be among the fastest in practice whilst Behra soldiered on with a slower lap time.

During the race, Behra would retire early after hitting a hare and developing a slow puncture in the tire. Schell, on the other hand, would continue to show this incredible turn in performance and would put his head down and get to work. In a car notorious for failing and giving up the fight, Schell would battle-on finishing 5th yet again.

Behra thoroughly believed he was the number one driver at Owen Racing and obviously was friendly with Schell as long as that remained clear. However, throughout the 1958 season Schell would prove most shocking and Jean wouldn't know how to deal with it. In the end, Schell's shocking performances, especially at the Dutch Grand Prix, would lead to Behra leaving the team to race for Ferrari. But, and perhaps even more unfortunate, Harry's impressive turn of performance would cause a rift between the two men that would never really heal from that time on.

Tragically, neither man would have the opportunity to make things right with each other. For, after a disillusioned start with Ferrari in 1959, Behra would be killed driving his own Porsche at the Avus circuit just outside of Berlin. One year later, it would be Schell's turn to give up his life. Rounding Abbey Curve at Silverstone at around 100mph, his Cooper would leave the track and would end up somersaulting through the air before crashing into a brick wall that would end up collapsing. Schell would die from the wounds suffered in the crash. The demonstrative and fun-loving Schell was dead.

Schell's death after a decade in Formula One left many unable to really define his career. Having earned some strong results, it was obvious he was a man of talent, clearly drawing from his well-known blood lines. However, he was not considered among the very best. So, how does one define Harry Schell the driver? Very simply, Harry had the opportunity to leave people shell-shocked, and, that's all that needs to be said.

Sources:
'Drivers: Harry Schell', (http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-schhar.html). GrandPrix.com. http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-schhar.html. Retrieved 15 June, 2015.

'Drivers: Harry Schell', (http://www.500race.org/Men/Schell.htm). The 500 Owners Association. http://www.500race.org/Men/Schell.htm. Retrieved 15 June, 2015.

Edwards, Robert. 'The Unforgettable Harry Schell', (http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1998/88/unforgettable-harry-schell). MotorSport. http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1998/88/unforgettable-harry-schell. Retrieved 15 June, 2015.

Diepraam, Mattijs & Muelas, Felix. 'The Fighting Man', (http://8w.forix.com/behra.html). 8W: The Stories Behind Motor Racing Fact and Fiction. http://8w.forix.com/behra.html. Retrieved 15 June, 2015.

'Season: 1958', (http://www.statsf1.com/en/1958.aspx). StatsF1. http://www.statsf1.com/en/1958.aspx. Retrieved 15 June, 2015.

'Non-World Championship Grand Prix: 1958', (http://www.statsf1.com/en/1958-hc.aspx). StatsF1. http://www.statsf1.com/en/1958-hc.aspx. Retrieved 15 June, 2015.

Salmon, Dick. 'BRM: A Mechanic's Tale', (https://books.google.com/books?id=61KT85wL6RgC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=Jean+Behra+and+Harry+Schell&source=bl&ots=5V6A7VvK7W&sig=Lz0hDn5Uac6FFyyRNuCOg4SXfY4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEQQ6AEwCGoVChMItP2i64uTxgIVx5yACh36cgDz#v=onepage&q=Jean%20Behra%20and%20Harry%20Schell&f=false). Google Books: BRM; A Mechanic's Tale. https://books.google.com/books?id=61KT85wL6RgC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=Jean+Behra+and+Harry+Schell&source=bl&ots=5V6A7VvK7W&sig=Lz0hDn5Uac6FFyyRNuCOg4SXfY4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEQQ6AEwCGoVChMItP2i64uTxgIVx5yACh36cgDz#v=onepage&q=Jean%20Behra%20and%20Harry%20Schell&f=false. Retrieved 15 June, 2015.