Practice was perfect

Sir,

Paul Fearnley’s article on the Lotus 72 brought back many memories for me, the greatest of which was watching Ronnie Peterson take pole position for the 1973 British Grand Prix.

Unlike Paul, however, I watched the whole of this practice session from the Woodcote stands and the sight of Ronnie at ten-tenths, holding the Lotus on opposite lock for what seemed like an eternity, was not only one of the most amazing pieces of car control that I have witnessed, it was truly awe-inspiring to behold. When he first started to get it sideways, my initial thought was that he had made a mistake and was fortunate to catch the slide and regain control; but when he proceeded to do it on every lap at 150 mph — that was something else.

But unlike that other car/driver/corner combination — 250F Maserati/Fangio/right-hand sweeper down the hill at Rouen-les-Essarts — that has been immortalised in that famous photograph (are there any others apart from just that one?) I have never seen a photo of Ronnie Peterson at Woodcote during that practice session. Can anyone oblige?

I have often told my son about it and I would love to see a photo.

I am, yours etc, Graham Haines, Melbourne, Australia