Rikky von Opel
Born | Ensign, Brabham | 14 October 1947
---|---|
Entries | 14 (10 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1973 French Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1974 French Grand Prix |
Frederick "Rikky" von Opel (born October 14, 1947) is a former
Formula One career
1973
Opel's Formula One debut coincided with that of the team that provided him with his big break,
More promising signs appeared to be on the horizon at
The North American climax offered little better; he qualified 26th and last in Canada and was unclassified in the race, finishing 12 laps down, whilst in that year's United States Grand Prix he once again qualified dead last, 27th, and retired on the opening lap with his throttle jammed open. Opel's debut season produced no points, and he was unclassified in the Drivers' Championship.
1974
Ensign's car for the new season, the
He sat out the races in the Brazilian Grand Prix and South Africa until he took over the second Brabham seat from Richard Robarts, starting with the Spanish Grand Prix. Their BT44 was powered by the same Cosworth DFV V8 as the Ensign, but the chassis was far superior, so hopes were raised. However, Opel could not make the most of it and he struggled to match the performance of new teammate, Argentine Carlos Reutemann.
Retiring with an oil leak in Spain, after qualifying 24th, and again a fortnight later in Belgium with a blown engine, from which he started 22nd, were not the lift in performance Opel wished for. Monaco was worse still, where he was the only driver that failed to qualify. Brief respite was found in Sweden and the Netherlands with his first top-10 finishes, 9th on both occasions (after qualifying 20th and 23rd respectively).
The promise was short-lived though, as failure to qualify next time out in France was the final straw for Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone, and Opel was replaced by Carlos Pace. For the second year running he was unclassified in the Driver's Championship with no points. A little over a year after his debut, the career of Liechtenstein's only Formula One driver was over.
Personal life
He is the son of
After his stint in Formula One, von Opel retired to a Buddhist monastery in rural Thailand and became a monk. His exact whereabouts are unknown and his only contact with the outside world comes in the form of a post office box, the location of which is known by only a select few of his acquaintances.[3]
Results
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1973 | Team Ensign
|
N173
|
Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA 15 |
GBR 13 |
NED DNS |
GER | AUT Ret |
ITA Ret |
CAN NC |
USA Ret |
NC | 0 |
1974 | Team Ensign
|
N174
|
Cosworth V8 | ARG DNS |
BRA | RSA | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||
Motor Racing Developments | Brabham BT44 | ESP Ret |
BEL Ret |
MON DNQ |
SWE 9 |
NED 9 |
FRA DNQ |
GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA |
See also
References
- ^ Walker, Rob (May 1974). "It came right for Denny". Road & Track. Vol. 25, no. 9. CBS Consumer Publishing Division. p. 110.
- ^ "THE NICE, CRAZY ONE". Opel POST. 2 November 2020.
- ^ "70. Geburtstag des Liechtensteiners Rikky von Opel – Mönch und Rennfahrer" [Liechtensteiner Rikky von Opel's 70th birthday: monk and racing driver] (in German). Motorsport.com Switzerland. 20 October 2017.