You were there

This is the latest chapter in our series for photographs taken by you. This month we take a look at Trenton Speedway, The Tasman Cup, Silverstone, Mallory Park and a Bo’Ness hillclimb.

It is not often that we are sent photos of the Indycar scene of the early 1960s so when these shots from Trenton Speedway in 1961 dropped on our desks we pounced on them

Charles J Bough’s candid portraits of the drivers, plus the action shots from the stands, emphasise just how informal racing was back then. “These were taken when one could visit the pits, take pictures and talk to the drivers,” says Mr. Bough. The race cars were available for inspection and to my way of thinking it was a heck’uva a better time.”

But as he also recognises, there was a downside to this era: Dempsey Wilson, Bobby Marshman, Ronnie Duman, Don Branson and Al Keller were all killed in midget,sprint and indycars.

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As Jay Cassells admits, it was not hard for New Zealanders to be interested in racing during the late 1960s. The orange McLarens of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, plus Chris Amon’s exploits as a Ferrari driver, fired his enthusiasm — and he kept abreast of it all through Motor Sport: “I looked forward to the next edition with a zeal possibly only exceeded by interest in the next Beatles single.”

Then for two NZ summers he relished the chance to watch his racing heroes in the flesh, thanks to the Tasman Cup — and he used his initiative to get a closer look. “I had some Motor Racing Photographer business cards printed by the school printing press, borrowed a white lab coat and attached appropriately coloured arms bands, affecting all the while, the attitude of an official. Of course, no-one in any serious position fell for this at the teams, but they were kind enough to put up with the theatre.”

These photos are from 1969 when Amon clinched the seven-race series with home wins at Pukekohe and Levin, then two victories in Australia at Lakeside and Sandown Park.

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Gavin T N Ross has enjoyed motor racing photography since his school days and he has accumulated over 5000 images. Fortunately he made a small selection of shots to send to Motor Sport…

The first (right) is of Giuseppe Farina in a Maserati 4CLT passing the old pits at Silverstone during the 1949 International Trophy. “It captures the immediate post-war atmosphere at Silverstone” says Mr. Ross. “Note how exposed the pits are, both from the point of view of safety from passing cars and the weather. Farina was always considered to have very a stylish stance at the wheel and this can be seen here.

The second photo (below) jumps forward in time to the Mallory Park paddock during the 1964 Whitsun Bank Holiday meeting. Three Midland Racing Partnership Lola Formula Two cars, for Richard Attwood, Tony Maggs and Bill Bradley, are given their pre-race checks. It was on this day that Jochen Rindt burst upon the scene, and he can be spotted here in the background (wearing an open necked shirt).

The third shot (below right) is from a Bo’Ness hillclimb in 1965. Tommy Clapham — a former contributor to You Were There… himself — is captured hard at work in his Lotus 22

We need your photos

Do you have photographs from races or rallies gone by tucked away in a drawer at home? If the answer is yes and you feel you have some interesting anecdotes to go with them we’d love to hear from you (see postal address on page 4). We suggest that where possible you keep hold of the negatives and send prints to us — and we of course undertake to look after your treasured items and return them safely after use. Get rummaging