The eraser that changed history or the future at that time, after the qualifying for the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix. Perhaps this is one of the most unknown stories in the Formula One. When you google on it you won’t find much about it for the simple fact it seems non existing outside the Netherlands. However, thanks to this eraser a Dutch Driver was able to appear on the grid for the Dutch Grand Prix only to retire in lap 21 due to a broken half shaft. Let me take you back to a time when sex was cleaner then the many tricks that happened. Like the trick Toine Hezemans and Bob van der Sluis did.
It’s the story about Boy Hayje’s first Formula One race. Boy Hayje who was born in Amsterdam the 3th of May 1949 started his racing career in the late 1960s. After several years racing around in inferior material, he decided to take a break and gain some money to buy a proper car. So he did by purchasing a Lotus 61M (Formula Ford 1600). It took a while before he would win the title in 1974 and his career would go sky rocketing. That year he would appear also at the start of the Rothmans F5000 race at Zandvoort with a McLaren M18. Qualifying 19th for the race he managed to finish as 12th.
For 1975, Boy was aiming on the European Formula 3 Championship, at that time the hotbed for new talent. Seeking for proper funding he contacted Toine Hezemans. Hezemans himself is a well-known touring and prototype-racing driver from the 1960s and 1970s. He won the Targa Florio in 1971 and Le Mans in 1973 in the TS category and in 1975 in the GTS category. If you speak with Toine the stories he tells are just amazing. He is one of a kind, similar to Helmut Marko a generation that we should cherish.
Anyway, at the time Hayje contacted Hezemans he was looking in expanding his career, racing himself and managing touringcars already, he was looking into running a team in some Formulae series. Instead of the European Formula 3 Championship Boy Hayje would make his debut in 1975 in the Shellsport 5000 European Championship with Hezemans Racing. The team had a March 731, which was an ex-James Hunt, prepared with some Ford Cosworth Capri engines. His first success was during the race at Zandvoort where he managed to finish fifth. The season would turn badly during the weekend at Thruxton. Hayje had a massive crash and somehow survived. The car however was badly damaged. Eventually the car was fixed though lacked speed.
The focus for next year was again on finding proper funding for his career. Again, it was Toine Hezemans, the person that would do the eraser trick later in the season, who would help Hayje. The aim was again the European Formula 3 Championship. Toine saw that his old rival and buddy Bob van der Sluis with his companion Anton Fagel were doing well in real-estate. Toine and Bob used to race eachother, indeed used. Bob was banned for a long period of time from the autosport after he just simply pushed Hezemans of the track during the final race of the 1971 Dutch Touring car Championship at Zandvoort. While Bob was banned he was told he would keep the title. The good old 1970s isn’t it.
Bob and Anton’s company F&S Properties was in the 1970s well known in and around Amsterdam where they purchased many (old) apartments and houses in the so-called “volksbuurten” only to sell them for a high profit. Eventually F&S Properties would file bankruptcy the 18th of February 1981.
They started to make good money in the mid-1970s. Therefore, Toine contacted Bob to talk business. The business was sponsoring Boy Hayje to continue his career in the Formula 3. Thanks to this deal, Boy would appear in a brand-new Ralt RT1 in the Formula 3. Where he showed his pure talent. During the second race of the season, also at Zandvoort, he got pole and eventually finished second. Doing well in the Formula 3 the plan arose to bring Boy on the grid for the Dutch Formula One race of 1976. This all happened far before the infamous moment Hezemans would use the eraser.
First contact was made with Tyrrell and McLaren. In those days it was not strange to bring in extra (older)cars to gain some extra money. Giving talent or privateers their entry in the Formula One. While the negotiations didn’t brought any results talks were happening with RAM and Shadow only to come with a plan B. Plan B was simple, and again it was Toine Hezemans who realised it. He and Roger Penske knew each other pretty good. Therefore, he contacted Roger as he had still a Penske C3 somewhere stashed. That same year the Penske PC3, appear for the first time on the track with John Watson behind the wheel.
After a couple of races, Roger Penske was not happy with the PC3 and started working the design of the PC4. That car would score 18 points in the races that last of the season! There was still a PC3, the “old” backup car for Watson. After the car was purchased F&S Properties was officially formed and became a Formula One team. A team that no one remembers, and did one of the cheekiest tricks in history with a simple eraser!
In favour of the Dutch Grand Prix, the team went on the Thursday prior the free practice to Zolder to test with the car. Boy was yet to get a feeling with the car. Getting a bit of a feeling disaster would struck. The gearbox exploded and the mechanics had to work around the clock to have the car ready for the free practice!
It’s the 28th of August when Boy Hayje takes place in his Penske C3 and drives out of the paddock only to re-appear on full speed on the straight to kick of his qualification. He kept on improving his times. However, it seemed that Hayje would stuck in qualifying on just a few tenths. For the race, there were 30 cars and only 27 places on the grid. It is the moment when the eraser would eventually appear in the picture.
To have Boy Hayje making his debut in the Formula One both Bob and Toine decided to pay a visit to the timekeeper and start having a conversation with him. While Bob is distracting the timekeeper Toine takes his eraser and changed some numbers on the timesheet without being noticed. When he is done, he puts the eraser back in his pocket and walks off. At the end of the session, Hayje would appear on pace 21 on the grid for tomorrow’s race! Hayje showed a decent pace during the race though had to retire in lap 72 due to a broken halfshaft. After the race, the Penske PC3 was probably sold afterwards to Damien Magee. Who intended to race the car in 1976 with the Hexagon Team.
After 1976, Boy Hayje with the help of F&S Properties was close to race a full season in 1977 in the Formula One with RAM. However, the good old John Macdonald didn’t care much and cam with promises that were no promises. Instead of racing, all the races in 1977 Hayje would only appear at six Grand Prix’s only managing to qualify for the South African and Belgium Grand Prix. The disaster became only bigger when F&S Properties made the decision to bring Michael Bleekemolen in for the 1977 Dutch Grand Prix as well. The team failed to prepare just one car, how would they prepare two cars? Eventually F&S Properties purchased the cars only a day before Macdonald was arrested by Interpol!
Eventually would Boy appear in the 1978 and 1979 in the European Formula Two Championship with some results. In 1978, he would finish third at Zandvoort during the British Formula One Championship with a Chevron B42. Eventually he would race a couple of years in the states before he retired. However, im pretty sure Hayje is not the only driver that was “helped” by an eraser in those days!
Trivia: Boy Hayje’s nickname in the European Formula 3 was “The Demon Dutchman” due to his results in his debut year.
