Year: 2021

Keeping One Eye on the Past

A nation that keeps one eye on the past is wise. A nation that keeps two eyes on the past is blind Unknown So reads the wisdom on the wall of The Garrick Bar – a Belfast institution. It has seen a lot of laughter & tears from the corner of Chichester Street and Montgomery […]

Grands Prix Sports Car Racing

The Second is The First, and Fourth Shall be The Greatest

22nd May 1921 – one hundred years ago. A 28 year-old man is about to take the start for his first real motor race. Last year he retired his 600cc Della Ferrera motorcycle from the Circuito Internazionale di Cremona. In March he won the Coppa Verona regularity trial, bimbling along at average of 39.709 kph […]

Grands Prix Northern Ireland Sports Car Racing

C’était un Déluge

We’re lucky to have a lot of motorsport heritage in Northern Ireland. We don’t make enough of a fuss about it. To that end – to make a start – here’s a look at Dundrod. Epic, terrifying, bloody quick Dundrod. Scene of many motorcycle battles, but also the Ulster Trophy for Formula One & Formula […]

Featured Myths & Curios Sports Car Racing

The Priest’s Bed

This is a note I made, on the train And the boy said, “Speak to me of Achille.”. The old man shifted in the bed. Something had nipped him. “What does it matter? It’s over.”. The exclamation stealing his breath, he continued at a whisper. “It is finished. Soon we’ll be dust. Like Campari, like […]

Featured Grands Prix Sports Car Racing

120 Years of Caracciola: 1926 Grosser Preis von Deutschland (Part II)

“No!” Porsche tosses the spark plug back towards the car. He catches the next “hot chestnut” in his handkerchief. Raises the magnifying glass to it. “No!” Rudi fumbles to remove the eighth plug – as the Mercédès creaks & cools – as cars stream past the pits – as the rain continues to fall. Was […]

Grands Prix Sports Car Racing

120 Years of Caracciola: 1926 Grosser Preis von Deutschland (Part I)

One hundred & twenty years ago, on the 17th February 1901, a Mercédès car first entered a motor race – at Pau, France. 18 days prior – in Remagen, Germany – was born the man most synonymous with the racing Mercedes-Benz. One of the truly great drivers of the 20th century. Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola. […]

Grands Prix

F1 @ 40

2021 sees the 40th anniversary of the ‘FIA Formula One World Championship’. To explain, here’s something I put together for the 2020 “70th Anniversary Grand Prix”. So it’s time for the “70th Anniversary Grand Prix”… but 70 years of what? Not Formula One, not the F1 World Championship… It’s 70 years since the thing that […]