Racing through Europe
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Journalists once scrambled to scoop manufacturers. Lately, the tables have been turned, says Mike Cotton. Ask any senior figure in the motor industry, and he'll tell you that the spring…
Racing through Europe
Memories spanning three decades spring to life in the pages of a new book celebrating the work of the late photographer Brian Joscelyne. From the glitter of Monaco via Swiss hillclimbs to a dusty Oulton Park, his atmospheric pictures invoke the spirit of more carefree days
Lead image:
Targa Florio
May 1966
The Targa in a nutshell, as the Alpine A110 of Jean-Pierre Hanrioud and Jean-François Piot slams through one of the many villages scattered around the 45-mile route, in which locals cheered the cars – or cannibalised them in moments if they stopped with mechanical problems
A lavish new book from Palawan Press, Racing Through Europe, draws on the archive of Brian Joscelyne and reveals many treasures. Sadly, just as the first copies were being printed news came of Brian’s death, but the book serves as a fitting memorial. Brian’s fine work was often seen in publications, particularly those on Aston Martin, his special love. What was remarkable was the sheer quantity of images and the geographical breadth of their coverage. An indefatigable enthusiast, Brian immersed himself in many ways: historic racer with his own DB3S and later the factory-owned DBR1; team owner/driver with Dorset Racing Associates, amateur privateers travelling all over Europe with 2-litre Chevrons and Lolas; knowledgeable writer and Aston Martin club stalwart, all while running the family firm.
But it is in the racing photographs that Brian’s talent rings out. Beautifully composed images capturing not just the cars and the people around them, but the locations – the hills of the Nürburgring, the buildings of Vila Real, the fields and farms of Sicily. From 1957 into the 1970s Brian travelled to significant races all over Europe with his Leica camera, working mostly in colour, and it was not just Monza and Monaco which drew him – Pau, Prescott and Wiscombe Park receive the same thoughtful attention. Here we present a selection of these photos.
Racing through Europe
The Motorsport Photography of Brian Joscelyne
by David Tremayne
Published by Palawan Press
From £400
Nürburgring
August 1963
The Targa in a nutshell, as the Alpine A110 of Jean-Pierre Hanrioud and Jean-François Piot slams through one of the many villages scattered around the 45-mile route, in which locals cheered the cars – or cannibalised them in moments if they stopped with mechanical problems.
Oulton Park
June 1961
Sandy Murray’s ERA is prepared in the paddock for the Seaman Memorial Trophy Race by Vern Skirrow, who also shared the driving duties on occasion. This is chassis R1A, the original car to emerge from the company founded in 1933 by Raymond Mays, Humphrey Cook and designer Peter Berthon.
Rouen
July 1962
High jinks in Clères as Rivers Fletcher intercedes to smooth over an ‘incident’ between a Chevrolet Corvette and a Georges-Richard. Graham Hill gesticulates with support from Jo Bonnier while wives Betty and Marianne look on.
Vila Real
July 1971
The 4.3-mile Vila Real track in Portugal generated excitement and trepidation in equal measures in drivers and was not for the faint of heart. During the international sports car race, Mike Coombe’s Lola T70 starts another lap with Ed Negus alongside in his Martin BM8. Negus would finish fifth.
Le Mans
June 1958
Brian Joscelyne snapped many moments of great camaraderie. Here the works Aston Martin drivers fool around near the team’s headquarters at the Hotel de France in La Chartre. Jack Brabham, Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori are the horses, Stuart Lewis-Evans is the pusher, while Maurice Trintignant keeps the sun off passenger Stirling Moss’ head.
Pau
April 1969
Mike Beuttler gives rivals Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud a kerb-crashing headache during an F3 race as he spins his Brabham BT28 exiting
the tight La Gare right-hander in the scenic Pyrenées town. The 1.7-mile street circuit has hosted most single-seater categories up to grands prix
Monaco
May 1960
The support race for the Monaco GP, at this point for Formula Junior, was always heavily oversubscribed as drivers saw it as a chance to show their talents to F1 team managers. In the foreground, the Stanguellinis of Henri Grandsire (140) and Juan Manuel Fangio’s protégé Juan Manuel Bordeu (58)
Montjuïc
October 1971
Set on a mountain in the outskirts of Barcelona, Montjuïc Park offered very different scenery, but Derek Bell and Gijs van Lennep in their 917 have no time to appreciate the architectural beauty. This non-championship race was the penultimate outing for the monstrous 5-litre sports cars.
Le Mans
June 1962
One of the works Simca-Abarths gets a tankful of essence during practice. Le Mans has always been hugely important to trade suppliers who can benefit just as much as car manufacturers from the publicity surrounding the world’s most famous endurance sports car race
Sierre – Crans-Montana
August 1964
Ludovico Scarfiotti hurls his Ecurie Filipinetti Ferrari 250LM towards victory in the Grosser Bergpreis der Schweiz. This challenging seven-mile hillclimb, a round of the European championship, involved a series of climbing and plunging hairpins between two Swiss towns, with a stunning mountain backdrop
Reims
July 1962
In the non-championship Grand Prix de Reims, Graham Hill’s BRM P57 leads Jack Brabham’s unloved Lotus 24. Despite his feelings for the car the Australian led for four laps and was for a while part of the four-man group battling for the lead before Bruce McLaren made a break in his Cooper T60 to win by eight seconds
Spa-Francorchamps
June 1962
Rob Walker stands thoughtfully next to his Lotus 24, now ready for Maurice Trintignant in place of Stirling Moss, still in a coma in hospital following his Goodwood crash. But not for nothing was his occupation listed in his passport as ‘gentleman’ and as in everything Walker conducted himself with resolute decorum
Le Mans
July 1961
Dramatic and aerodynamic lines for this OSCA Sport 750 – somewhat spoiled by the mandatory deep windscreen the regulations demanded. Scrutineering officials are checking whether the car clears the minimum ride-height block.
Crystal Palace
May 1970
Small-bore cars were often the most potent weapons round the tight confines of Crystal Palace’s narrow tree- and sleeper-lined track, London’s only circuit. In the fifth round of the RAC Sports Car Championship, Jeremy Richardson’s Daren (20) is on pole with Roger Nathan’s Astra (3) and Brian Martin’s Martin BM7 (7) for company.
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