Alan Jones: I was paid to pull a sickie for '85 South African GP
Australian Formula 1 legend Alan Jones has revealed in a new 🐬autobiography that he was paid to feign illness and miss the controversial 1985 South African Grand Prix in order to avoid sparking outrage with a team backer.
The 1985 race at Kyalami was held in the height of aparth𝓰eid in South Africa during P. W. 💝Botha’s state of emergency, prompting teams such as Renault and Ligier to withdraw in boycott.
Jones raced for the Haas-Lola team that was par💯tly bankrolled by Beatrice Foods, a large American company that could not be seen to condone apartheid.
Australian Formula 1 legend Alan Jones has r🐬evealed in a new autobiography that he was paid to feign illness and miss the controversial 1985 South African Grand Prix in order to avoid sparking outrage with a team backer.
The 1985 race at Kyalami was held in the height of apartheid in South Africa during P. W. Botha’s state of emergency, 🔯prompting teams such as Renault and Ligier to withdraw in boycott.
Jones raced for the Haas-Lola team that was partly bankrolled by Beatrice Fo𒁃od💃s, a large American company that could not be seen to condone apartheid.
, Jones reveals the plan that was formulated with F1 ringmaster Bernie E♚cclestone in order to🦄 avoid sparking controversy.
“During the Friday I was summoned to see Bernie Ecclestone in his penthouse. Not sure what I had done t𓆏his time, I fronted up,” Jones wrote.
“As I went in the door Bernie said, ‘How do you feel?’ Standard gr🌸eeting, although he had a look in h💫is eye, I gave him a standard reply, ‘Pretty good, thanks.’
“‘What do you think your chances are of wi⭕nning the race tomorrow?’ ༺he asked.
“Again, I felt no need to be subtle: ‘Bernie, I think you know the answer to that question. If I start now, probably 🔯pretty good.’
“‘Well, I’ve got a bit of an ♒idea. If you pull up sick and can’t run again this weekend, we’ll give you first-place prize money. Go home and visit ✤Australia.’
“Beatrice car raced in South Africa he was going to get all of the black workers - thousands of them - at Beatrice around the US to go on strike. Beatrice couldn’t be seen to be backing doඣwn to an individual like him, but if they didn’t back down there was⛎ a chance of the strike.
“So Bernie came up with an idea. ‘If the driver falls crook and can’t drive, then the Beatrice car doesn’t race. It’s a force majeure. Jesse Jackson can’t get on his soapbox and say, ‘I forced that company to withdraw,’ and he also couldn’t ca൩ll a strike because the car didn’🧔t race.’
“The idea was💖 that I would wait until Saturday morning when everyone went to the circuit. I would quietly check out, and jump on a plane to Harare to get home (because Qantas wouldn’t❀ fly to South Africa).
“And so, o🐭n the Saturday morning I was gone. I just 🉐didn’t turn up. They had the car out ready to go, when they were told, ‘AJ’s been struck down by a virus and we are not racing.’
“I made a miraculous recovery for the Australiꦆan Grand Prix, which was just as well.”
