Smith, Carroll

[RADICALsolution]

Carroll Smith

Carroll Smith (1932-2003)was very a successful professional race car driver, engineer, and author. Carroll succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2003 at his home in Northern California, leaving his daughter Dana, his son Christopher, and fiancée Ginger.


[Carroll's former wife, Jane, died on October 15, 1994 after a fall from a balcony in their home while she was gardening. Carroll himself notes: "She went doing what she liked best, enjoying the ocean view and gardening...secure in the love of her family and friend and in the respect of her co-workers and students."]


Carroll Smith has raced just about everything; accumulating numerous wins in every type of automobile racing - just about everywhere.


Carroll began driving using his parents’ tractor on their farm. He learned smoothness, key to driving racing cars, by driving show-horse transporters through the Northeast.

Born and raised in the northeast United States, Carroll Smith began racing MG’s while attending the University of Rochester. Entering SCCA events in Pensacola, Florida at the time; he was enlisted in the US Navy. Carroll’s early exploits included numerous wins as a driver (a fortuitous event that would serve him well in his future – a fortuitous event. An event that would lead him, Carroll Shelby and Ford, to supremacy at Le Mans: as team manager for Carroll Shelby.)

His success in America saw Carroll move to Europe to follow his dream of full-time racing. There he befriended John Cooper. Skill, sensitivity, and friends like John Cooper helped Carroll enjoy great successes in Europe. Driving a Formula Junior Cooper, Carroll won his first race. Unfortunately driving for John Cooper (he drove a Cooper Monaco for a short time) and winning a handful of races, however he barely made a living and with his wife Jane and their newborn daughter Dana to support, it became clear that he would never be a Formula One world champion. He returned to the United States and began working with Carroll Shelby at the Ford Motor Company on the GT40 program; their job was simple: win at Le Mans! While their job was simple, it definitely wasn’t easy. With Ford’s blessing they worked on building a new car – the radical GT40. The car that Ford had conceived was similar to a Lola GT, being low and mid-engined. The Lola was designed and built by Eric Broadley in Slough, England and first displayed in January of 1963 at the London Racing Car Show. [Broadley was running low on funds and consequently more than eager to join with Ford.]


Borrowed from the Lola GT was the monocoque centre-section and aerodynamic design. It was longer, wider, and stronger with a rigid steel section. In the mid-section lay an all-aluminium 4.2-liter V-8 engine. The gearbox was a 4-speed Colotti unit; the suspension: double-wishbone. The 11.5-inch disc brakes on all four wheels provided excellent stopping power. [In April 1964, the GT40 was displayed to the public at the New York Auto Show.]


After winning Le Mans with the GT40 cars from 1966 to 1969 – inclusive, Ford, “Shell” says, “Understandably”, lost interest in the GT40 program. Smith was rented by “Shell” to work with Tony Adamowicz, to work on his F5000 car in 1969. Smith led the team to the championship that year.

After that victory, he began working on 'Prepare to Win', first published in 1975.In 1978 Smith got an Australian work permit and moved his family to Australia to try out touring cars; however Jane didn’t like Oz so they retuned to America. That same year “Tune to Win” was published. In the early 1980’s Carroll worked in off-road racing for Cal Wells. “I learned a lot”, Smith said. He won a lot too! He never stopped working. Prior to the end of his life Carroll Smith consulted for the Ferrari Formula One team and had many clients in vintage automobile racing.Carroll was always an avid fan of S.A.E. (Society of Automotive Engineers). He remained active until pancreatic cancer claimed his life. He died a peaceful death in 2003. Crowing about the barn he raised with his fiancée Ginger is how his racing friends will remember him.

His books were well received by drivers and mechanics alike because of their affable, direct, and clear writing style. After writing a series of books about different aspects of car preparation, each with "... to Win" in the title, he wrote Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners, and Plumbing Handbook about the fasteners and plumbing parts often used in cars. [This book was often referred to as "Screw to Win".]

Carroll's books are highly-regarded among amateur race drivers. He is representative of the club racing spirit: learning a craft and bringing together several disciplines in order to participate in a dangerous, and often, misunderstood sport.


Bibliography


Ø Tune to Win, 1978. ISBN 0-87938-071-3.
Ø Drive to Win, 1996. ISBN 0-9651600-0-9.
Ø Prepare to Win, 1975. ISBN 0-9651600-3-3.
Ø Engineer to Win, 1985. ISBN 0-87938-186-8. Ø Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners, and Plumbing Handbook, 1990. ISBN 0-87938-406-9.
Ø Carroll Smith's Engineer in Your Pocket, 1998. ISBN 0-9651600-1-7.

[Suddenlee]

Carroll was a friend of mine. We worked together as judges of the FSAE competition on three continents for several years. We shared a similar sense of humour and got along so well together.
At FSAE Australasia in December 2002 it was obvious that Carroll wasn't well. Then just before the US FSAE event in 2003, he contacted me to ask if I could take up his accommodation booking in Pontiac as he wasn't well enough to attend. '****'! I thought, 'Carroll really is sick'!, as he would never have missed FSAE as long as he could travel.
Then, on the Friday of the competition, came the devastating news that CS had slipped away! We wept. We then decided that we would not yet tell the students as Carrol would not have wanted to disrupt the competition.
The students circulated a HUGE 'get well' card for signatures and postulated how CS would be there for sure for the Design Finals. Meanwhile his friends wept with the knowledge we were keeipng secret for the time being.
At the Awards Banquet, Dr Bob Woods broke the news to 1500 assembled admirers and friends and the response was a literal shocked silence. To a man, we stood, head bowed, and remembered our friend and mentor. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Even now, as I inspect or judge a Formula Student or FSAE car, I can hear CS discussing it.
One of my fondest posessions is a jacket he gave me at his last FSAE event as he couldn't pack it to take home.
He loved a particular brand of coffee, only available in Australia, so I used send him a regular supply. It's not my favourite coffee, but it's what I drink, as every cup reminds me of a past mate.
I miss the garrulous old bugger!
I would like to post a picture of him at that last 2003 FSAEA event, but I dont know how!
Regards
Pat Clarke

[John Turner]

Pat, I've sent you a PM.

[Suddenlee]

Thank you John,
I have sent a pic for posting.
To correct something in my last post.
Carroll's last FSAE competition was FSAE-A in 2002, not 2003.
Cheers
Pat

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by Suddenlee

This is Carrol, looking unwell, and myself at FSAE Australasia in December 2002. Carroll is wearing the black and red jacket he later gave to me.

[Leighton Irwin]

I first met Carroll when he was running Jon Woodner in FA and I was crewing for Bruce Jensen.
Carroll had written a series of articles for Sports Car Graphic that was the basis for his book 'Prepare to Win'. The articles were already the race mechanics bible and more than one shop had copies of the series on file (and well thumbed).
In the articles Carroll had a rather convoluted way of getting the brake bias in the ball park.
We were shooting the breeze at Edmonton and I told him my method which was far simpler (on formula car or a sports racer). It was my method that appeared in the book.
I learned far far far more from his books than that one little idea.
His books were my constant references and I still have them although it has been years since I worked on race cars.
He did more for improving race car preparation than has ever been acknowledged. In those days hardly anyone except on the major teams was a trained mechanic and we all learned as we went along. It still applies in most racing below top pro.