Grands Prix
Observe the Sons of Ulster: Paris-Madrid 1903
County Down, Ireland: September 1916 Responding to deft touch, the Sopwith Strutter prescribes a shallow arc from Carnalea. Barely above the telegraph wires. No conscious check of bearing – instinctively the pilot dips a wing, and there… K and the children are at the homestead. Waves, and kisses blown. Banking right over Helen’s Bay. Swinging […]
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Ici Repose Jean Behra
Follow tramline 1 in Nice towards its northern extremity – until it is just you and some shoppers heading to Saint-Sylvestre. Hop off at Gorbella – walk past Lidl & Monoprix. Take a left, up the hill – to Mont Claire Virenque – and there opposite the lycée you will find Cimetière Saint Barthélémy… and […]
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Bill Mason’s Finest – Racing Mercedes
How lucky we are that film-maker Bill Mason shared our passion, and used his talent & time to leave a legacy for future generations. From the outset, that first Shell film of the 1949 British Grand Prix, Bill’s work attracted & inspired followers of motor racing. Increasingly, as the decades have passed, the films have […]
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The Road to Ballyshannon – Gordon Bennett
It’s not so much raining as there’s more humidity than the sky can bear. It pattered down most of the night. Now it hangs in the air – spritzes as you walk. I quietly leave the rooms, grab a cap from the car, and walk to the town square. Past the Gordon Bennett memorial plaque, […]
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40 Years of Daydreams
This Sunday, Ferrari will line-up a pair of turbocharged, ground-effect Grand Prix cars on the Imola grid for their two, young hot-shoes. And I will smile, perhaps raise a glass. Think about what motorsport has given me, and those no longer with us. The day after the 2022 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Monday 25 April, will […]
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The Best, or Nothing – A New Grand Prix Formula for 2022
Director Sailer, who was in great form at the Mercedes dinner, made a most amusing speech concerning his early motor-racing career, and ended up by saying, “Some people think that motor-racing is no longer interesting, because Mercedes-Benz always win – we cannot help this, as we have been winning races for forty years, and do […]
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The Buck Stopped Here – Original BRM Body Jig Found After 70 Years
I’m sure anyone who reads ‘Racing Daydreams’ will be aware that ‘British Racing Motors’ are producing new V16 BRM Grand Prix cars. Quite the thing they are too… perhaps more effective as glorious nostalgia than they were as Formula One cars. All the same, it’s a hell of a project that has just received a […]
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Video: ‘The Niki Lauda Story’
“Everyone knew Niki Lauda, even my parents, and he was a gateway. A charismatic, clear-thinking, plain-speaking hero whose backstory meant I was immediately hooked. Hooked by motorsport and history.“ I’m always surprised & delighted by the videos that the ‘Race Day Replay’ channel discovers, and makes available. This is one such video – close to […]
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Gerhard – Brave, Heart
Do you know Gary Critcher? Interesting, friendly, talented chap. Perhaps you know his Lotus 72 documentary, or his excellent ‘Shutter & Speed’ photo books? Gary lives in Kenya these days, and is doing a splendid job of dressing-up his new garage and office with memorabilia that he has gathered over his years in & around […]
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Monaco 1933 – Icons and the Silver Screen
How fortunate we are to have YouTube. Luckier still to have enthusiasts uploading footage, new & old, for our entertainment… and education. In that spirit, enjoy this Movietone newsreel of the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix – presented by the excellent ‘Raceday Replay’ channel. Fantastic, isn’t it? The lack of commentary letting us really hear the […]
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