Growing old racefully

Emerson Fittipaldi knows that with all the titanium bracing he has in his spine, he shouldn’t be racing a car. He admits that when he tested the Grand Prix Masters single-seater for the first time late last year, every time he saw a barrier he was reminded of his Michigan accident. But there he is, driving hard in the GPM series, even though his next crash could possibly be his last. Proof, we think, that he’s lost little of the determination that sped him through the lower formulae to F1 and two world championships. Our interview with Emerson, focusing on his rise to F1 and his winning years, starts on page 34.

This issue’s profile looks at BRM’s P153 (page 65), we have lunch with ‘Whizzo’ Williams (p56), race a 1922 Bentley at the Silverstone Classic (p76), and take a D-type for a road test (p48).

We also have an in-depth look at the incredible story of American board track racing (p78). From around 1915 to 1930 it had a short but hugely popular existence. Made from pine boards laid on edge, the circuits were highly dangerous and, with banking of up to 50 degrees, cars had to race at more than 110mph just to stay on the track. And those cars were quick: the fastest-ever board-track lap – 147.229mph, recorded in 1927 – was not beaten at Indianapolis until 1960…

Richard Robinson, Editor