Personal pictures from Spa 92 and Silverstone 88

Some people may have noticed this stranger posting in a few threads on this board and over in ‘Other Racing’. I may not be a Ferrari owner, but I’ve been a long time lurker here who has spent a lot of time reading over in the various older model forums. I really like the racing forums here on Ferrarichat as, even allowing for an obvious bias, there is a tremendous depth of knowledge and passion for the sport here. Therefore, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve started commenting from time to time.

To give back I thought I’d share some personal pics I took back at Silverstone in 1988 and Spa in 1992. Before that, let me explain who I am and why. I’m an ex-Pat Brit who moved to the US in 1994 for six months, but I ended up staying, getting married and have been a US Citizen since 08. I grew up with a passion for Motorsport and F1. My father briefly worked for Bruce McLaren in the very early days at the old Feltham workshop before they even moved to Colnbrook. I am and always will be first and foremost a McLaren fan. Back in the 80’s when in collage I used to attend the British GP qualifying, as it was cheaper and less crowded than race day. I’d then go home and watch the race narrated by the excitable Murray Walker and the dry late great James Hunt. Also back in the 80’s access was far better than now. So in a minute I’ll post some pics from the classic Mp4/4 Senna/Prost 88 season at Silverstone.

Once out of collage I worked for a smaller Engineering company IAD (International Automotive Design) based in Worthing West Sussex just a few miles from Ricardo Engineers who more people will be familiar with. Google ‘google IAD 'Alien', Yamaha OXY99 (code name Madonna) and the first running NA Miata prototype’ for some of the things they used to do. In 1988 I worked in the test lab there where we had a (relatively) early 4 post ‘shaker’ rig. We did some damper feedback testing for the Tyrrell team, so they lent a friend and myself a couple of pit passes for the weekend. They were the kind of passes where officious looking security people stood in your way as you obviously weren’t' meant to be there, but one flash of the pass and they apologized deeply and held the gate open for you wondering which millionaire’s scruffy kid I must have been.

While back in the UK at my mother’s house over the July 4th holiday I was rooting through some old boxes and came across a couple of old photo albums with pics from Spa and Silverstone. Buried somewhere are at least three rolls of film and negatives from each event, plus hundreds more from LeMans, many F3000 races, BTCC and junior formula events, but I just bought back these and scanned them so the quality may not be the greatest. Some pics I’ll post aren’t even perfectly in focus, but they are still interesting subject matter (at least to me) and digital just didn’t exist back then so you couldn’t snap a thousand pics and sort through them later.
Anyway, onto a few pics from Spa 1992.

 

First one. I don't think I need to introduce this chap. A few moments before this was taken I was even closer to him. I had my program in one hand and a pen in the other handing it too him for an autograph. As he was reaching for the pen and program a hand grabbed my shoulder and literally pulled me back and threw me on the ground as half a dozen professional reports and camera men surrounded him. I then dusted myself off and took a couple of snaps. At the time I was mad and disappointed, but with reflection I really like this pic. It's not a classically composed pic, but a true snap shot of the moment.
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Now my real hero of all time. The Professor. Lists of drivers are always contentious, but to me his is the greatest driver of the post wings and slicks era. Head an shoulders above Senna, Schumacher, Alonso, LCH, Vettle etc. He was the ultimate on and off track and unlike others was a cleaner racer too.
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A real racer who's passion for the prancing horse cost him a ride at Williams in a championship winning car that year. But boy oh bot what a racer. His amazing move re-passing Senna for the lead of the 1990 US Grand Prix in a Tyrrell is one of my favorite moves of all time. It's such a shame that he never had the success he deserved.
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Err, Our Nige' !

OK, OK I never got a shot of him for real. This is here as being a young Brit at the time it was a given that I was a Mansell supporter. Especially after having come so close so often 1992 was a great year. No he never had the skill of Prost, Senna or even Piquet, but he made up for it with depleted uranium attachments and sheer self-belief in himself. Also for this site the last diver to have been hired by 'il Commendatore'. To me there is something great about this picture in that even his caricature’s ego require an umbrella!
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Future two time WDC and the only real threat to Schumacher in the late 90's. Mika Hakkinen looking very young
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Thierry Boutsen in the twilight of his career now at a failing Ligier
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Opps, missed one. Here's another of Senna
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As I said, I know I shot off at least 3 or 4 rolls of film, there were very few on track car pics in the album I came across. Here's an odd one. Eric van de Poele in a completely un-sponsored Fondmetal-Ford. Strange it was all black as Fondmetal were (are?) an Italian wheel manufacturer and I would have through it would be covered in Fondmetal logo's.

Back then I lived and breathed F1 and loved all the back marker teams trying to pre-qualify. Fondmetal took over another perennial back marker team Oselle but only lasted a couple of years before folding. Wiki tells me that Van de Poele qualified 15th and finished 10th which back then was out of the points (Points then were 10-6-4-3-2-1 1st to 6th) which was an excellent effort for the team, especially when you remember there were 30 cars vying for 26 positions on the grid.
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Pretty sure this is 'Red 5' or 'Our Nige'
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Inside (yes, litteraly inside!) the McLaren pit during the race. That's Gerhard Bergers car who retired with trans issues.
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Not sure if this is Schumachers or Brundles car in the garage, must have been earlier in the weekend.
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Emanuele Naspetti leaving a pit stop during the race in a March Ilmor.

Remember when March burst back on to the scene after an absence of 5 years with the stunningly beutiful and wonderfully liveried Leyton House cars in 1987? They ran as 'Leyton house March' 87, 88 and 89 before morphing into simply 'Leyton House' for 90 and 91 until Leyton house owner Akira Akagi was indicted for financial fraud by Fuji bank. March took over the team again for 92 but the early giant beating success was in the past and they faded into oblivion by the end of 92.
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Another driver in the twilight of his career. Andrea de Cesaris Tyrrell during and leaving a pit stop mid race, he went on to finish out of the points in 8th
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In and around the Tyrrell pit. Olivier Grouillard's car and helmet waiting for action.
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Did you know it can rain on one part of Spa and be Sunny on another part!!! I saw that many times. Here's a few in the pit lane. The early days of Footwork Arrows before their middling success of the mid 90's
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So this should make the locals happy. Here I am in the garage of a certain team from Modena. Think about this, I wasn't just in the McLaren pit during the race, but I took this inside the Ferrari Garage at some point over the weekend. Damn I was spoiled.
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My then hero's car. While not as statistically as dominant as the famous 1988 MP4/4 McLaren the FW14B was possibly the ultimate F1 car of the era.
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The boys from Woking, always perfectly turned out as you'd expect from Ron Dennis.
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Almost the opposite of Mclaren, a failing Lotus. Let's just leaving bits lying around out in the pit lane!
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