12/08/2004
NEWS STORY
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Ryan Briscoe is set to make his F1 debut tomorrow in Budapest, where his grandfather raced 78 years ago.
Frank Lehner was a co-driver, or riding mechanic as they were known in those days, in a Daimler-Benz in the 1926 Budapest Grand Prix at the Nepliget, a venue said to have been somewhat similar to Melbourne's Albert Park, home to the Australian GP that is the opener to each F1 season.
Lehner's grandson, Ryan, from Drummoyne in Sydney, will take to the Hungaroring circuit in the third of Toyota's F1 cars for the first day's free practice sessions.
The broadsheet newspaper Nepszabadsag, meaning Freedom of the Nation, has featured Briscoe prominently already - as the sport's new boy, but especially because of his grandfather's association with Budapest.
Lehner was Austrian. He was born in Iglau in the era of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy. The place is now called Jihlava and is part of the Czech Republic. Briscoe's family have photos of Lehner co-driving the Daimler-Benz in Budapest in 1926. The driver is unknown but is thought to have been a prince.
Lehner also helped prepare cars for French teams in the famous Le Mans 24-hour sports car race in the 1920s. He died before Briscoe was born.
"I'm sure my family got the racing bug in the blood from when he was racing," said Briscoe. "My father (Geoff) used to drive rally cars (as has an uncle, Doug, who is also a familiar face at speedway racing in Sydney), while I'm on the doorstep of my big dream, becoming an F1 driver."
The picture is from the Briscoe family album.