You were there...

The filming of Grand Prix, Falcons and Cortinas, memories from Zandvoort, F1 action from Boreham…

When he moved house recently, Guy Raines rediscovered not only a collection of photos and slides from 33 visits to the British Grand Prix, but — a real curio this — his shots from filming of the seminal Grand Prix movie at Brands Hatch the day after the 1966 race. “I attended all the British Grands Prix between 1959 and 1992” says Guy, “apart from the first one at Brands in 1964.” Then, aged 19, and with only an Austin A35 van for transport and no motorways, Kent seemed a long way for a Yorkshire farmer. Perhaps that’s why he extended his stay for the ’66 race; it certainly was worth it.

He continues: “These photos bring back so many memories of times past — the thrill of the races, the access to the paddock, pits and the drivers. Nowadays I go to the Goodwood Revival and the Formula Ford Festival, which are so much more fun than the grand prix.”

***

It was Nigel Roebuck’s reminiscences of Zandvoort in ‘Legends’ that prompted Dutchman Dirkjan de Widt to his attic to sift around for the shots he took at Dutch Grand Prix meetings in the 1970’s. “Still I hear the dull bang when Wilson Fittipaldi hit the rail in front of our noses; after we came up from ducking away from the impact he was shortly followed by Carlos Reutemann when his Brabham failed him,” says Dirkjan. “Heroes of Zandvoort: Jackie Stewart driving so smoothly it seemed to be slow: Ronnie Peterson exiting Tarzan Corner to find the track not wide enough and crossing the kerbs. True memories of a great track.” Post-qualifying Ferrari team debriefs were held in the open air in the mid-70s, as the pic featuring Clay Regazzoni, Niki Lauda, Luca di Montezemolo and chief mechanic Ermanno Cuoghi shows. Dirkjan also remembers the “rock-and-roll Hesketh team,” but we have to take issue with him when he recalls “the arguably not-beautiful triangular shape of the Brabhams, first all-white, later in Martini colours”!

***

Tommy Clapham was at the Boreham airfield circuit in August 1952 to help out Arthur Stevens, who had entered a Lea-Francis in a support race. But the main event was a non-championship race for Formula One and Formula two cars started by no less than 35 drivers. A shot here shows four of the five cars that were on the front row sprinting away, though Tommy reckons race winner “Villoresi’s Ferrari has already departed.”

Of the rest, Chico Landi’s Ferrari (29) took second place, with Louis Rosier’s Ferrari (furthest from the camera) fifth and the BRM of Ken Wharton (26) a retirement. Tommy tells us: “This race was notable for heavy rain during part of the race when Mike Hawthorn, wearing a plastic mac which flapped around him, led in his Cooper-Bristol until the track dried, and Froilán González (car 25 in the picture) spun his BRM into the spectator car park.”