A nose for motor sport

I loved the Brabham cover shot for the December edition of your great magazine. It reminded me that, like all collections and passions in life, they have to start somewhere.

My love for motor sport started life when an up-and-coming Formula Ford driver by the name of Alexander Lubov came over from Australia to try and hit the big time in the UK. My father was a photographer and was commissioned to do some PR shots for him and we went to Silverstone to watch a race. I must have been about 10 at the time and still have a copy of the programme; flicking through it some years later it was great to see some of the other star names who were competing at the time, such as Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell.

While Lubov had to return to Australia, one of his possessions didn’t make the trip: a Brabham BT49 nose that somehow ended up with my father. I still have it (previous page). Since that point I have lived and breathed motor sport, initially through the voice of Murray Walker, then the pages of the specialist weeklies and finally as a spectator up and down the UK. Now I reside in Australia I try and get my fix of motor sport when I can, but I do rather miss the cut and thrust of a good, live BTCC race.

I have amassed quite a collection of motor sport books and memorabilia over the years, but the BT49 nose will most certainly be kept. I wonder what happened to Alexander Lubov?

Grahame Adams, Brisbane, Australia