Back in 2011, my book, Porsche at Le Mans: Sixty Years of Porsche Participation In The Greatest Motor Race, was published, and it quickly sold out. Porsche at Le Mans was short-listed as a finalist in the British Motorsports Book of the Year awards at a ceremony in London. So when I was asked by Motorbooks International (Quarto Knows) to update this to 'Porsche at Le Mans 70 … [Read more...]
Ferrari 512 S/M, the Porsche 917 challenger
Enzo Ferrari was probably quite annoyed with himself that he misjudged Porsche’s 917 entry into Group 4 racing (as it was in 1969), and so a plan was hastily put in place to remedy this. The result was an intoxicating recipe for one of the greatest showdowns in motor racing. History reveals that while this clash of the titans did not quite materialise as hoped for, the Ferrari … [Read more...]
Toyota Gazoo Racing – 2017 WEC Plans
So near…and yet so far, is the story of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s record at Le Mans. The world watched in stunned silence when in 2016 the #5 Toyota TS050 Hybrid rolled to a stop on the penultimate lap of the race. Having the title of the world’s toughest endurance race snatched from your grasp with the finish line in sight was the cruellest outcome for a team who had worked so … [Read more...]
Fiat 500
Remembered with fondness by those who were there when it was launched in 1957, the original Fiat 500 is today adored by most who see her. The little rear-engined two-door car could accommodate four people and is widely regarded as the first proper city car and was initially powered by a 479cc two-cylinder air-cooled engine. Launched as the Nuova 500, no less than … [Read more...]
Guild of Motoring Writers Annual Awards 2016
Every year, members of the Guild of Motoring Writers (GoMW) submit work to the Committee of this organisation, for consideration in the Annual Awards. The Guild was formed in 1944 and today boasts 400 members who specialise in all aspects of the media in the motor and motorsport industries, such as journalism, photography, video and broadcasting. The annual dinner and awards … [Read more...]
London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR) took place on the first Sunday of November commemorating the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896 which celebrated the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act. This Act raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4mph to 14mph and abolished the requirement for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on … [Read more...]
Looking back at Bahrain
I arrived in Bahrain for the last race of the season with two certainties in my mind, Audi were withdrawing from endurance racing and Mark Webber was retiring. Less certain was that Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb would become World Champions. Looking back at Bahrain, everything else was in the lap of the WEC. Arriving at the circuit for the second time, it still … [Read more...]
6h of Bahrain – Last round gentlemen
As the leaves and the temperatures start to fall at VMP Towers, thoughts go to the warmth of the Bahraini welcome which awaits the FIA WEC family as we gather in the desert to watch the 6h of Bahrain, 2016 season finale. So, without further ado, it's ‘last round gentlemen’ as windscreens get polished, tyres checked and mirrors adjusted for that last blast in the desert at the … [Read more...]
If the Audi withdrawal was a splash
If the Audi withdrawal was a splash…there’s a Tsunami coming Much has been written of the future of the six Audi WEC drivers after the announcement by Audi to withdraw from WEC at the end of the 2016 season, less so though about the fate of the army of dedicated technicians and support infrastructure. The decision by Audi to withdraw from the WEC has in effect … [Read more...]
Audi withdraws from WEC
In what has been billed as a realigning of its motorsport strategy, Audi will terminate its FIA WEC commitment, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the end of the 2016 season. Instead Audi is taking up a factory-backed commitment in the all-electric Formula E racing series. Chairman of the Board of Management, Rupert Stadler, announced to the Audi race department staff … [Read more...]
BMW returns to Le Mans
It was announced last week that BMW’s Board of Management has decided to ‘strategically realign’ its motorsport activities. The pillars on which their motorsport programme will rest, will include: DTM, the FIA WEC, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC), FIA Formula E, customer race programmes in GT3 and GT4 categories, and the Dakar Rally. That is quite a … [Read more...]
Unrest in the GTE-AM camp
As the 2016 WEC season enters its second half, there would appear to be some unrest in the GTE-AM camp. On the surface this restlessness may seem questionable, after all, the GTE-PRO class is healthy which should guarantee a good crop of cars in the GTE-AM class in 2017. This year’s Le Mans 24-Hour race saw the highest number of entrants in the PRO class we have seen for years, … [Read more...]
Virtual Motorpix’ Top 10 racers
Four weeks ago we enjoyed the 2016 Silverstone Classic and once again, there were in the order of 1000 race cars competing across a wide spectrum of classes and eras. We have attempted to select just ten racers from amongst this awesome field, and called them the ‘VMP Top 10 racers.’ These were selected for reasons that they reminded us of a golden era of motorsport, or for … [Read more...]
Why Photographic History Books?
I was contacted several months ago by a well-known author in America, and asked if I too felt that book publishers were favouring ‘photographic history books,’ as opposed to the more traditional narrative books. Although I had just completed my third consecutive photographic history book at the time, I confessed that I had not given much thought to this development as I just … [Read more...]
Silverstone Classic 2016
The Silverstone Classic is the biggest historic motor racing spectacle in the world! From 29-31 July, Silverstone in Northamptonshire will see more than 1000 race cars covering seventeen classes from across the decades descend on the circuit. The event celebrated its jubilee last year when more than 100,000 visitors spilled into the circuit over the weekend to enjoy the racing … [Read more...]