47 replies to this topic

[LittleChris]

Over various threads, people have recounted what sparked their interest in motor racing, but I thought it would be nice to try and consolidate some of these memories:

From my point of view it would be having been taken to Silverstone in, I guess, 1968 for what could've been practice for the International Trophy. We stood at Woodcote behind a grass bank and my abiding memory was of the Gold Leaf Loti. My Dad told me that Jim Clark was driving one of them, but I don't think that could've been true since he was supposedly restricted from coming to Britain for tax reasons.

Anyone else remember what sparked their interest ?

[Redliner]

I was relativly fortunate in terms of motor sport moments from my childhood. My father served as a mechanic for many F1 teams from the late 60's through to the early 80's. My first ever motorsport event was the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix when I was only a few days old. I just wish I could remember those closing laps!

As for my earliest memory it has to be seeing Mauricio Gugelmin's massive roll at the start of the French Grand Prix, we witnessed it from only a few feet away, incredible. Incidentally it was the first race my father had attended since quitting the Sport half way through the 1983 season and for my little sister Alison it was a baptism of fire! "Daddy is the man in the orange helmet killed?" She asked while scoffing her ice cream.

[Buford]

My first race was at age 11 days at the International Amphitheater in Chicago. Indoor AAA midget races in January 1948. But my parents rolled me up in a blanket and stuffed me under the seats with the discarded popcorn boxes so I couldn't see anything. I don't have an earliest recollection because my earliest races were all before memory starts and when memory does start, we were at races every weekend.

One of my earliest recollections was about 1952 or 1953. They were going to have a "New Car" stock car race, meaning showroom cars right out of the dealer. We got a new Hudson Hornet. Beautiful red with big white 22 number painted on the side. It was so new it needed to be broken in so my mother put me in the seat and my infant brother between us, and drove it over to the Mississippi River, about a 4 hour drive each way and it was the first time I ever crossed a big bridge and saw a river. I was scared. They put big pieces of paper over the numbers.

So came the big season ending race weekend and the hillbillies my dad had running the car got into a family fight. One faction owned the engine and one owned the car. We were the sponsors so we didn't actually own anything. Well our driver was in the losing faction of the family fight and we got to the track and found out our pretty good hillbilly driver (when he wasn't drunk) had been replaced with some other hillbilly in "our car". So my dad came back from the pits having demanded the company name be removed from the car but it wasn't and it was a big hassle. The cars came out on the track and were lining up and stopping on the main straight for the introductions.

At that point my mother grabbed me by the hand and charged down the steps, my little legs missing about half of them, being suspended in space and drug along. She started going up to the fence and yelling at the drivers in their cars that were lined up. She was waving a $100 bill (big money in those days) and yelling "$100 to wreck the 22 car." I remember she went up to a young Tom Bigelow (years later an Indy 500 driver) waving the money. He looked at her like she was from the moon and said, "Isn't the 22 car your car?" "She yelled back, "Not anymore, $100 to wreck it."

So anyway the big 100 lapper went off and nobody wrecked the car but the driver sucked and finished way back. So afterward off we went to the pits. This is where my recollection is a bit fuzzy but some woman smacked a guy up side the head with her purse and a big riot broke out. I'm pretty sure it was my mom who started it. Anyway, there were about 100 people, men and women alike all fighting and scuffling and I was about knee high to all of them and couldn't help but notice nobody was taking care of me and it seemed kind of dangerous with all these adults fighting all around me. So I decided to bail and ran a zig zag course through the fighting adults and bodies rolling around on the ground until I reached the perimeter of the riot. So I stood there in amazement for awhile watching this and more and more people were pouring down from the stands and joining in and now there were 200 or 300 people fighting all over the place.

So at that point I saw a kid about my age who had also been abandoned standing over to the side so I went over there and sucker punched him and he started crying. I was about 5 years old and was already a racer!

[Hans Etzrodt]

I saw my first race 1951 at the Nürburgring when Ascari defeated Fangio. My late father brought us teenage boys in a 1947 black VW and we watched as Paul Pietsch spun his Alfetta through the air out of the Nordkurve. On lap 12, while trying to out-brake Gigi Villoresi at the end of the back straight, Pietsch headed with too much speed into the Nordkurve and the Alfetta spun backwards across the small grass strip over the embankment down to the little road some six meters below. The people in the nearby main grandstand screamed as the Alfa disappeared over the embankment, not knowing what happened and fearing the worst. I thought he was dead but he survived after only minor bloodletting. Pietsch was lucky. During his brief flight he had remained in the car and upon touchdown had bitten his lip and banged his legs against the dashboard. He eventually appeared from behind the embankment and bushes walking slowly back to the pits with some Alfa people to the applause of the crowd.

After the race was over, I jumped over the fence in front of the main grandstand and ran towards the scene, not knowing what to expect. I remember that I beat my older brother in that 100 yard or so dash to the site of the accident and seeing the Afa resting near the tiny road with the front and tail pushed in, just minor damage. Back at the finish amongst the hundreds of people not much could be seen of the cars, Ascari’s Ferrari had been covered up with a large tarpaulin or was it Fangio's Alfetta, I forgot. The incredible engine roar, the excitement, the sweet smell of burned ether and castor oil had proved irresistible. I was addicted ever since, admittedly only as a spectator. It became very exciting for me later when Mercedes started to go grand prix racing in 1954. Pictures of Moss and Fangio adorned my wall. Fangio was like a god to me; still is. He was so far above everybody else. Moss came closest.

[Pikachu Racing]

In the mid-80's, I was either 5 or 6 years old watching TV stubbling on auto racing, maybe it was NASCAR, on ESPN and I was hooked. I didn't know any names of the drivers and teams for two years I'm watching. I just the cars speeding fast on a track. Indy 500 is the first name I knew when I start remembering the drivers, teams, and tracks. Daytona was the next. I was these two tracks I knew until I expanded more and more through the years. So each race shown on TV I thought it was either Indy or Daytona. The first drivers name I knew were the late Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliot, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Jr., and Emerson Fittipaldi. Chevy and Ford happens to be the first car I knew. My knowledge of racing has changed dramatically over the years.

[Ray Bell]

That's a threadkiller post, Buford!

I started going to Westmead Speedway in 1961, Tom Stranger's new stock car was something that impressed me... all checkerplate mudguards (fenders) surrounding this 34 Ford Coupe... I also recall one day Fred Otten and Tom had a blue, Tom in his hotrod (Buick Century straight 8) revving it over and over again in anger at Otten in the pits... stub exhausts roaring over everything...

But in Road Racing, Warwick Farm was my first, and the first race was a fairly dull sedan race won by a pale green Mini driven by Tony Hill... the main race of the day saw light rain, Frank Matich showing mastery in the 1500 Elfin to make Chris Amon's life hell in the 2.5 Cooper. But the battle in front was a good one too, and David McKay was making Bib Stillwell work hard until he lost it at Polo Corner and mowed down a hessian toilet. Lex Davison had hoped to do well, but he stopped with some problem or other, only to find out it wasn't a problem at all...

Anyway, at the end of the day the old Tote building that formed the front of the paddock area had its dull brown wall being scribbled on by all manner of folk using up surplus pit-board chalk...

'Davo's in the pits and David's in the S...." is one message I can recall.

As I caught the train home, I had no idea where this would lead, but I knew I would be back next time...

[Buford]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
That's a threadkiller post, Buford!

I don't know if that is good or bad. I once wrote a series of articles for Speednet titled

"When Your Role Models Are All Crazy, What Chance Have You Got?"

It started off with the riot story and then went on to tell how my parents were going to get out of racing after the riot and how they met up with the great driver in the off season who talked them into staying in the sport. Teaming up with him went on for another 15 years and resulted in factory backing from three different manufacturers. It all started with the riot. My parents decided either to get out, or get serious. So they got serious.

[racer69]

My first memory is the 1987 Bathurst 1000, when i was 4.

[Schummy]

My first "concious" race was 1969 GP in Montjuich (TV), I was 11 years old. I see Stewart win a attrition race with an early show from both Lotus (Hill-Rindt) until they crashed in the infamous Montjuich's kink

Then I developped a "chicken's syndrome" with Stewart and I was fan of him until his retirement

From 1970 I bought weekly racing car magazines as in those years we didn't have proper TV coverage, neither Internet, you know

In fact, I always was a "car freak", I got late at school because I liked looking cars circulating in the street. Somehow, I was attracted by suspension, I was always simulating suspension with every thing I had in my hands, with despairs of my parents

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Buford
I don't know if that is good or bad......

Good and bad...

Your stories are just great, and make good reading.... today I sent the Clark/Beatles and Ray Harroun posts you did to someone with very limited knowledge or interest... they reckon you tell a really good tale and keep the interest up all the way.

That's the good. The bad is that it might daunt others, make them think nobody would read theirs...

Fortunately this time it didn't, as evidenced by the fact that two more posted while I was getting around to doing mine. I was distracted several times reading yours, took me a while... in fact, that's when I sent the others away too.

[Buford]

Oh I see. So you are saying some people did not grow up in a family that raced and knew many of the greats of the era? Funny, when I was a kid I actually thought everybody's families raced cars. It was completely beyond my compehension why people wouldn't be doing that.

It's kind of like I have seen Hollywood stars say their kids are not impressed seeing them on TV or in the movies because they think it is normal and everybody is on TV or in movies. So it was like that with me. It was all madness, but it seemed normal to me because I thought that was what everybody did.

[Ray Bell]

You leave an opening for the one that got away...

Some time around the same era as your Hudson story, I was with my family enjoying watermelon in Parramatta Park. We lived in Merrylands, not too far away, and there were signs up around the place indicating that there was to be racing there the following weekend.

My interest was naturally aroused. Isn't everyone's? I asked my father if we could come back the next weekend... in fact, I probably badgered him and possibly other siblings did as well. Inside the old Prefect must have been a pretty tormenting place to be on our trip home that afternoon.

But dad was not to be persuaded. He had his reasons for saying 'no' and I had to wait another decade. It was different when we were down around Wollongong one Sunday afternoon, though. This was in the late fifties and stock car (what do you call them? Jalopies? anyway, the crash and trash lot...) had been getting a lot of newspaper coverage. We drove up the main road somewhere near Mt Kiera and the Speedway was running there... as you could see it from the road we did stop for a little while, but hessian over most of the fences prevented us getting a good view.

Forevermore in our family, those promoters were known as the cheapskates....

[Buford]

In the early 50's the stock car races were on live TV every Friday and Saturday nights in Chicago. The midget races used to draw 100,000 spectators at Soldier Field. It was a big deal then. That's part of the reason I thought everybody raced cars and everybody was interested. It was show biz and my family played a lead role at the time. We often raced Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons and sometimes also Sunday evenings, at several different tracks.

[maxie]

my first racing memory is gilles villeneuve's crash at zolder in 82. i was 6 at the time and the local tv station replayed it again and again. it haunted me ...

[twymanj]

My first memory was watching my Dad race at Brands Hatch, I watched with my mother at Paddock Hill.....But the first race of real importance I remember was Donington 1993, when I was only 7 years old. I remember it being Easter Sunday, and standing with my cousin on the sign at the esses, we both were eating chocloate rabbits! I can remember seeing Ayrton Senna, but for some reason Michael Andretti's off was more exciting! Not a bad choice for a 1st Grand Prix!

[Buford]

It is interesting to see the comments of the young guys who saw their first races in the 1980s and 1990s. It was already old hat and essentially ruined for me by that point. Nowhere near as cool as it had been before. I was long past the hero worship stage by that point. But there is always a young lad along the fence seeing it for the first time, and getting the bug.

[Frank de Jong]

Well Buford, I started in the 70's, so that's at least something.
I've always been interested in cars (my father recollects that I could identify cars by their hub-caps when I was about 3 or 4) - but motor racing became an interest at 15, in 1974. The earliest motor racing memory on TV is a pass of Peterson in a Lotus at Monaco - I thought it was unfair at theat time. Probably 1973 or 1974.
My first motor race was most probably the Easter races at Zandvoort 1974; walking through the sand to Panorama corner; and seeing my first touring car race, among others; Han Akersloot in his ex-factory NMB Capri; Huub Vermeulen in the Marlboro BMW CSL; Cees Siewertsen in his Wally's Jeans Carrera RSR.
That explains a few things, perhaps.

[pancho]

My dad started taking me to Mallory Park in about 1965, when I was three.

My earliest recollections, perhaps unsurprisingly, all involve accidents to which I was a close witness.

In about 1970, Ronnie Peterson buried his F2 March in the bank at the lake esses literally at my feet. I remember an eerie moment of silence, followed by the acrid smell of burned rubber. Within a few seconds, the blue-helmeted Ronnie scrambled from the car and up the bank to safety past my right shoulder. If only I'd known then what he was to become!.

A year or so later, My father and I were nearly killed by a Formula Libre car (Chris Featherstone, I think), which launched itself upside down towards us on the entry to the hairpin. In those days only a wooden-stake fence separated us from the track, and I had been standing on the the fence with my feet wedged between the posts. On seeing the car fly towards us, dad wrenched me from the fence and fell with me down the spectator bank in a desparate attempt to escape. We were showered with debris and I was hit by a small piece of perspex, which we kept as a souvenier. otherwise unhurt, we returned to our position at the fence, to be faced with the prone figure of the driver just visible underneath the upturned car. I clearly remember the marshall asking the spectators if anyone had a penknife (to cut the belts and release the driver). after some time, the driver was dragged clear, and recieved treatment on the spot.

All this happened inches from my eyes, and I think it was at this moment that I first asked myself the question: what motivates these men to take such risks in pursuit of their dreams?

The question has since been answered many times, but it was enough to spark a deep fascination for the sport.

[cabianca]

My first racing memories were right after World War II. The midget craze was full on and many American cities ran them seven nights a week at various tracks. We were living in Cleveland or Pittsburg and used to visit my mother's parents in Denver. The midgets ran there on two tracks, each of which was part of an amusement park, Elich's Gardens and Lakeside and we attended whenever they ran and we were in Denver. The dominant driver was a dude named Lloyd Axel (Axle?). He won even when they had reverse starts (fastest qualifiers at the back). Kept an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Very heady stuff for a 7 or 8 year old. By the time I entered my teens, I had become a road race snob. I was amazed when Fangio came to Indy in the mid-1950s, his "rookie" instructor was...Lloyd Axel.

[Buford]

I don't remember a Lloyd Axel racing at Indy. Anybody know about this guy?

[David McKinney]

And was he any relation to the famous Bengt Axel?

[MattFoster]

My first live motor racing experience was at Calder Raceway here in Melbourne in 1971, I was 5 years old and my family went to see Giacomo Agostini race on one of his AV Agustas.

It was such a thrill I was hooked, I used to watch the races on TV as long as I could remember but the live experience was what made me a racing junkie.

[cabianca]

Didn't say Alel (Axle) raced at Indy. Said he was Fangio's rookie coach. Obviously, at that time, a AAA official.

[Don Capps]

first racing memory is watching -- and hearing! -- stock cars at Lakewood Speedway in Atlana during the Summer of 1949 when I was 2 1/2 years old. I remember this because we lived near the track (Dad was stationed at Fort McPherson then) and I wanted to go to the races. Dad and several friends were pretty much regulars at the track.

I remember being fascinated and loved it -- racing cars became basically my only toys outside my other interest, airplanes. In 1952, the combination of a Firestone advertisement on winning Indy and having a friend of Dad's who actually had a racecar -- a NASCAR modified, a 30-something Ford -- let me hang out and watch him work on it.... I was completely hooked and addicted. Then we went to Europe and I discovered Grand Prix/ Grosser Preis/ Gran Premio machines.....

[oldtimer]

My first racing memory is of a visit to Goodwood in 1948 or '49. The enduring memory is of De Graffenreid, Reg Parnell and Bira in 4CLT Maseratis. We were spectating at Madgewick, where de Graffenreid was doing a lot of wheel winding, Parnell was all crouch, and arms and elbows whilst wheel winding, and Bira was all smoothness and gentle corrections. Since I had read of Bira in my father's books, his style confirmed me as a fan.

[king_crud]

My first memory I have of being at a race when i was 7, my dad took me to the last round of the Australian Touring Car championship in 1984 at Oran Park (My local and still favorite track to go to). I can't remember the name of the winning driver, but it was a one off for this guy, and he was driving a very nice looking green Mazda RX7 sponsored by the State Bank.

My first strong memory was of the Bathurst 1000 of the same year. I still remember like yesterday Steve Masterton (my fave driver of the time, what happened to him?)and Allan Moffatt bumping down to the first corner, and the huge accident back in the field that blocked the track. If i recall the TWR Rovers were right in the thick of it. Peter Brock went on to win in the very famous and beautiful day-glo red Marlboro Holden Commodore.

My first real F1 memory was Nige's tire blow out, Adelaide 86, although i must have watched the previous year because i remember alreay being a big Keke Rosberg fan, even though i don't recall watching the 85 race. Alas I had to wait until 93 to see the cars for myself

[LittleChris]

Please keep 'em coming

[Mike Argetsinger]

My first race memory is from 1948 - it was the inaugural Watkins Glen Grand Prix - the first post-war road race in the United States. On the cool-off lap my father - Cameron Argetsinger (who had originated and organized the race, as well as competed in it!) - stopped on the circuit at Big Bend where his family was watching. I was lifted in to the car (a red MG-TC) along with my older brother J.C and sister Louise. We rode with him in to the village to join the post-race excitement. I have had many wonderful experiences in motor racing in the years since but I don't think anything touches that moment.

[rdrcr]

My first racing memory was when I was about seven or eight. (1964) My dad took me to the Canfield Speedway on a Summer's night. I was absolutely fascinated with the loud roar of the stock cars, '57 Chevys and the like, with "Ernie" painted above the driver's door. The dirt was flying and the smell of burnt fuel was in the air. Mixed with the typical fairground smells and the sweet air from an Ohio Summer evening - It was like perfume in my nose. I'll never forget it. In fact my obsession was so strong to go every Saturday night, that they (my parents) used to not let me go as a form of punishment. (which happened often enough being 8) It would kill me to be stuck home and be tortured... because way in the distance, I could hear the cars take the start.

My first real on track experience came at Skip Barber's school at the Moroso Raceway in FL. Because it was a school, there really wasn't that unbridled feeling that comes with taking your own stuff down off the truck, that happened at Willow Springs.

[Gerr]

Cabianca: Lloyd Axel was the chief mechanic for George Walther's No.77 "Dayton Steel Fdry. Special" that Fangio attempted to qualify at Indy in 1958. There is a very good article about the attempt (with a couple of pix of Axel) in the June '92 issue of "Sports Car International' by Tim Considine. I can send you a copy if you cannot find it in your locale.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by king_crud
My first memory I have of being at a race when i was 7, my dad took me to the last round of the Australian Touring Car championship in 1984 at Oran Park (My local and still favorite track to go to). I can't remember the name of the winning driver, but it was a one off for this guy, and he was driving a very nice looking green Mazda RX7 sponsored by the State Bank....

Sorry to hear about your favourite track choice...

That was Bob Morris..... Barry Jones involvement seems to come creeping to mind over this.

[Buford]

Originally posted by Gerr
Cabianca: Lloyd Axel was the chief mechanic for George Walther's No.77 "Dayton Steel Fdry. Special" that Fangio attempted to qualify at Indy in 1958. There is a very good article about the attempt (with a couple of pix of Axel) in the June '92 issue of "Sports Car International' by Tim Considine. I can send you a copy if you cannot find it in your locale.

Aha! The Lloyd Axel mystery is solved!

[lustigson]

My first racing memory is of only about twelve years ago. I was a fan of Ferrari road cars and I remember seeing a Ferrari bearing number 1 on tv. I later found out it must have been Alain Prost during the 1990 season. I only started watching regularly -- every fortnight, that is -- in 1992.

I visited my first Grand Prix in Belgium 1995. It was the one were Hill started 8th and Schumacher 16th. Both Ferraris were on the first row and we saw the field coming onto the Kemmel straight -- right after Eau Rouge -- four wide. Incredible!

[redfiveoz]

Rowley Park ( formerly in Adelaide's inner wetsern suburb's) - unbelievable noise ! ( circa 1973). Seeing Wayne Gardner leaving "squiggles" out of every corner during the Swann Series ( aboard CB1100R ) - 1985. Kevin Magee running out of road at AIR aboard 'Guzzi during endurance race - remounting and continuing at unabated pace with both wheels covered in mud. When F1 came totown, Keke wringing seven types of Jehovah out of the Williams - wheelspinning out of every corner ( that we could see ), jinking 1 metre sideways on every upchange and leaving skidmarks that would put a full on alchy to shame. Oh, and Our Nige ;)

[Maldwyn]

My interest was sparked by reading a few of my Dad's MotorSport (current) & Autosport (1950's) magazines, then listening on the radio as James Hunt captured the title in Japan in 1976. I was hooked from then on
The first motor race I attended was the BRDC International Trophy meeting at Silverstone in 1978. I remember getting very wet but loving every minute although I wasn't to impressed as three world champions spun in front of us at Abbey Corner while an unknown (to me anyway) won the race

[king_crud]

Originally posted by Ray Bell


Sorry to hear about your favourite track choice...

That was Bob Morris..... Barry Jones involvement seems to come creeping to mind over this.

I love Oran Park to watch races, you can see the whole track. I haven't been for a few years as i detest the V8s, I used to watch the 2 litres and even saw a Nascar race there, on a saturday night. Steven Richards tyre shred and he was driving around on the steel belt, the sparks lit up as he sped down the main straight in the dark.

Originally posted by redfiveoz
Rowley Park ( formerly in Adelaide's inner wetsern suburb's) - unbelievable noise ! ( circa 1973). Seeing Wayne Gardner leaving "squiggles" out of every corner during the Swann Series ( aboard CB1100R ) - 1985. Kevin Magee running out of road at AIR aboard 'Guzzi during endurance race - remounting and continuing at unabated pace with both wheels covered in mud.

My uncle used to go to the bikes every easter at Bathurst, and apparently one year he was camped up on the mountain, having a beer or three during the evening with his mates, when they spot Kevin Magee who decides to come over for a chat. Well they're chatting away and Kevin says to my uncle "how would you like a ride around the track", and of course my uncle said yes. By this time it was dark and my Kevin and my uncle had had quite a few beers, but off they went. Kevin didn't slow down one bit and he took my uncle around for three laps. Although it seems very dangerous when you think about it, my uncle loved very minute.

[ensign14]

I remember watching the Monaco GP in 1977, when I was 4 years old and totally obsessed with cars (plus ca change?). Interest rekindled - and has not died since - by Wattie at Silverstone'81.

First race seen in person was an F3 race at Silverstone in 1986ish...the winner of the first support race (F Ford) was poor Roland Ratzenberger.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by king_crud
I love Oran Park to watch races, you can see the whole track....

How I detest this reasoning! Sorry, king_crud, but I cannot agree.

I learned this at Longford, to have the cars out of sight for a time heightens the excitment of watching a race.

Also, this dangerous little place has killed far too many.

And how can you get excited about a Front Wheel Drive formula?

[MPea3]

Originally posted by Don Capps
first racing memory is watching -- and hearing! -- stock cars at Lakewood Speedway in Atlana during the Summer of 1949 when I was 2 1/2 years old. I remember this because we lived near the track (Dad was stationed at Fort McPherson then) and I wanted to go to the races. Dad and several friends were pretty much regulars at the track.

i loved lakewood, and although i never saw cars race there, the mile track was a great place for the AMA race, or at least until the last one where the riot broke out. i think that day may have been the fastest i ever ran. don, did you ever see the champ cars run there or just the stockers?

also, did you ever see the midgets race at the track on fair st near lakewood? i have no idea exactly where the track was, and have never been able to find anyone who was there and could tell m it is also possible that the "fair street" where the midget track was was a different fair street than the one which now runs from lakewood to stewart avenue.

also (again), old maps show a oval race track on clairmont where the VA hospital now sits... any rememberance of that?

of course the site of hartsfield international airport in atlanta was originally supposed to be a 2.5 mile track, which was never finished. as late as into the mid 70's when they built another runway, you could still see one remaining banked corner flying in or out.

my own first memory was of F1 reports in road and track and stories in the newspaper of the indy 500. while my dad took me to see a nascar race at the atlanta track, i was too little to enjoy it, and i think i spent most of the day at the concession stand to avoid the noise. my 1st race i went to that i can really remember is the 1st canam race at road atlanta.

my oler son raced quarter midgets, starting to practice at 4 and beginning the week after his 5th birthday, and claims that he doesn't remember not racing. he's now 17 and off to college next year, and just yesterday told me that he never realized how lucky he was to be able to do that.... like beford, i think he thought it was something everybody did.

[xjohnnyjaguarx]

zolder 1977 the bergisher lowe is must have been 6 still remember the likes of stommelen , wollek,winkelhock,surer and cheever and more battlin it out it was the most awesome machinery ever i still love those gr 5 beasts i still remember seein bob wollek walkin around in the pits bc it was the fave driver of my dad at the time!!!

[redfiveoz]

Hey crud meister !
Nice quote of Rik : Neil, Neil orange peel, when will I see you again

[Viss1]

My Dad brought me to a few SCCA races at Bridgehampton in the mid-'70s. Lots of cool sports cars from the '60s were still in regular use.

[fines]

Originally posted by xjohnnyjaguarx
zolder 1977 the bergisher lowe is must have been 6 still remember the likes of stommelen , wollek,winkelhock,surer and cheever and more battlin it out it was the most awesome machinery ever i still love those gr 5 beasts i still remember seein bob wollek walkin around in the pits bc it was the fave driver of my dad at the time!!!

Wasn't that the race where Eddie Cheever totalled his BMW in practice for his first outing for the (in)famous BMW Junior squad?

[xjohnnyjaguarx]

hey i think it could be but that i dont remember . as my memory serves my correctly i saw the drm series two times that
year ,both at zolder. i still have pics of one of the meetings or both that my dad took but i cant make out which meeting was what

[Barry Boor]

My Dad decided that he would give me a broad spectrum of sports to watch in order to see what grabbed me.

He took me horse racing, to an athletics meeting as well as the regular visits to watch soccer, but then on Easter Monday 1957 the family travelled by train down to Goodwood.

I was 7 years old and once I had seen Vanwalls, Connaughts etc etc, my future was assured. I never went to watch horses or humans racing again, but I have been to watch motor racing once or twice since.......

[Carlos Jalife]

1963 (5 year old) the Mexican GP watching it in the TV and Jim Clark winning in a green car, while the mexicans retired. Instant fan of Jimmy, knew I had to be a driver.
Or if live, 1967, practice for mexican GP, dad took me, big shot in sports knows everyone so we go to the pits and see real Jim Clark in green car. Almost as if I had seen a God, didn't even dare to speak, just watched in silent admiration of the man, how he entered the car, lift the face mask to cover the nose and left.
In a few more hours the 34th anniversary of his death will be here, and it will be a Sunday again. I still hate Hockenheim, I still take out his picture and pray for him a little bit.....

[Bjorn]

Formula Offroad race in Akureyri when I was 10 I think... Maybe it was a couple of years later.

[Catalina Park]

My first racing memory is from the meetings at the Catalina Park circuit at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains 65 miles west of Sydney.



The track was in the valley behind my parents house and we could see most of the track from the back window of the house.
I don't know which was the first meeting (or year) that I can remember because the track was just there, so whenever the cars were there we were watching them!
The track opened in 1961 and held race meetings till 1970 although there were sprints and rallycross and things up till 2000. I was born in 1963 and have been hooked ever since, from the moment I was born there have been race cars in my backyard!

Michael.