British GP 1977

This is the last of the motorsport - our trip to Silverstone for practice at the British Grand Prix in July 1977. Notable for a couple of things - the weird and wonderful 6-wheel Tyrell and also the debut of the Turbocharged Renault, the first turbo F1 car. For the afficionados: #1 James Hunt in a McLaren #3 Ronnie Petersen in a Tyrell #17 Alan Jones in a Shadow #11 Niki Lauda in a Ferrari#5 Mario Andretti in a Lotus #12 Carlos Reutemann in a Ferrari #24 Rupert Keegan in a Williams #4 Patrick Depailler in a Tyrell #15 Jean-Pierre Jabouille in a Renault  ...
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Monaco

In 1962, just for a change, my dad didn't go to Le Mans. Instead, Bill and he went to Monte Carlo for the Grand Prix. Did they fly? No. They made a proper petrolhead trip of it. First up, they drove to Germany (what in those days would have been West Germany, to be precise) for the Nurburgring 1000km. Then they drove down through the Alps to Monte Carlo, watched the Grand Prix, and then drove back up through France, via Arles, the Gorges du Tarn, Le Mans (OK, so he went there, but not for the 24 hour race this time) and then back to Calais. Not something you see every day - a racing car (Formula Junior - the precursor to Formula 3) parked at the side of the road, between a couple of oh-so-French vans. One of the most iconic Formula 1 cars - the Sharknose Ferrari 156, driven here by Phil Hill. Jack Brabham in a Lotus-Climax 24, in Casino...
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And we’re back…

What do you mean I last posted in March? It wasn't that long ago, surely? Oops... Now, where were we? Ah yes, 1961, and it's Le Mans time again - for the third and final time, my father and his friend Bill went to Le Mans for the 24 hour race. This, believe it or not, is the start of the race. The drivers have just run over from the bank in the foreground and are just getting into the cars. And yes, the spectators really are that close. The two cars are Aston Martins DB4 GT Zagatos. #4 is Roy Salvadori & Tony Maggs' car, while #5 is Jim Clark and Ron Flockhart. This is taken from directly above the pits - the Ferrari garage in this case. This is #10, a Ferrari 250, with Phil Hill getting in. Night view from above the pits, with Bill watching. The Salvadori/Maggs Aston Martin, in the process of retiring, 19 hours into the race. There is...
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Le Mans 1959

As promised, here are the pictures from Le Mans in 1959. Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (Phil Hill's car), photographed at "Pesage", which I think is scrutineering. A whole load of Ferraris (250's and a Dino), also at Scrutineering An Aston Martin DBR1 - the car that came second (just behind an identical car) The start - I still can't believe how close everyone is to the track, and not a safety fence in sight! Stirling Moss retiring from the race in the evening - another Aston Martin DBR1 ...
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