Post by David Lawson on Jun 19, 2012 3:32:42 GMT -5
A couple of friends and myself loaded up the Morris Minor with all our camping gear and set off on the Wednesday morning before the 1971 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The trip was only about 110 miles but the old Morris was nursed along the quieter back roads rather than using the motorway as the weather most untypically for England was very hot and sunny that summer.
Halfway through the journey we stopped at a roadside country pub to give the old car a rest and some oil and water and treated ourselves to a Ploughman’s Lunch, a couple of pints and a game of skittles, back in those days rural pubs still had traditional games for their customers.
We arrived at the farmer’s field opposite Silverstone’s main gate and set up camp before walking over to the track to see what was going on.
It was very casual in those pre-security concious days and we walked across the track at Woodcote corner into the pit road where we found some of the teams arriving in the transporters and setting up their paddock areas so we spent the rest of the afternoon watching this preparation before setting off to walk into Silverstone village for dinner at the pub.
For the next two days of practice we walked into the circuit early each morning before there was anyone on the gate so never had to pay admission, we also just walked into the paddock without paying - life was much simpler in those days wasn‘t it. It costs an arm and a leg and you get such restricted access these days. In those days there was a pit top roof viewing area where you could watch the action during the sessions. After the F1 practice sessions each day we walked round the track to watch the Formula 3 and saloon car support programme practice sessions.
For race day we had bought tickets in the Woodcote startline grandstand and watched Jackie Stewart chalk up another win on his way to the world championship title.
After four days we broke camp and set off home with lots of great memories and some pretty bad sunburn from the wonderful weather.
The Ferrari mechanics unload the cars and equipment.
Tyrrell unload the spare car which still had the original nose design rather than the full width bluff version.
Lotus work on their cars on the Wednesday evening, we watched them for over an hour or so. The high spot was when they fired up the Lotus 56B gas turbine car. I stood next to the car as a mechanic went through the start up procedure and the car was held on the brakes with the turbine screaming at sky high revs until he lifted off the brake and drove the car up and down one of the runways inside the circuit. A memory that has stayed with me these 40 odd years.
Chris Amon during practice - this was the view you got from the pit top roof area.
Beltoise's Matra is fired up in the paddock, what a beautiful engine note that car had and one of the reasons my hearing is a bit dodgy these days.
BRM's paddock - Jo Siffert is standing at the back of his car, sadly I would be at Brands Hatch a few months later when he was killed in a BRM.
The view from the pit roof of the Tyrrell team paddock area
Lotus paddock area.
Denny Hulme in the McLaren M19 with new unpainted rear wing and airbox parts for this race. Graham Hill bottom left hand corner waits for his engine to be changed in his Brabham.
Clay Reggazoni set pole position in his Ferrari 312B2
Jacky Ickx goes out to practice, Stewart watches proceedings from the rail while his car is prepared and Peter Gethin's McLaren speeds past on track.
Tim Schenken's Brabham BT33
Henri Pescarolo's Frank William's entered March 711
Graham Hill gets ready to practice his "Lobster Claw" Brabham BT34. Five minutes before I took this photo a friend of mine had gone into the Brabham transporter to find Hill for his autograph which he happily signed while standing there in his Nomex underwear...
I hope you like the old "Box Brownie" pictures.
David
The trip was only about 110 miles but the old Morris was nursed along the quieter back roads rather than using the motorway as the weather most untypically for England was very hot and sunny that summer.
Halfway through the journey we stopped at a roadside country pub to give the old car a rest and some oil and water and treated ourselves to a Ploughman’s Lunch, a couple of pints and a game of skittles, back in those days rural pubs still had traditional games for their customers.
We arrived at the farmer’s field opposite Silverstone’s main gate and set up camp before walking over to the track to see what was going on.
It was very casual in those pre-security concious days and we walked across the track at Woodcote corner into the pit road where we found some of the teams arriving in the transporters and setting up their paddock areas so we spent the rest of the afternoon watching this preparation before setting off to walk into Silverstone village for dinner at the pub.
For the next two days of practice we walked into the circuit early each morning before there was anyone on the gate so never had to pay admission, we also just walked into the paddock without paying - life was much simpler in those days wasn‘t it. It costs an arm and a leg and you get such restricted access these days. In those days there was a pit top roof viewing area where you could watch the action during the sessions. After the F1 practice sessions each day we walked round the track to watch the Formula 3 and saloon car support programme practice sessions.
For race day we had bought tickets in the Woodcote startline grandstand and watched Jackie Stewart chalk up another win on his way to the world championship title.
After four days we broke camp and set off home with lots of great memories and some pretty bad sunburn from the wonderful weather.
The Ferrari mechanics unload the cars and equipment.
Tyrrell unload the spare car which still had the original nose design rather than the full width bluff version.
Lotus work on their cars on the Wednesday evening, we watched them for over an hour or so. The high spot was when they fired up the Lotus 56B gas turbine car. I stood next to the car as a mechanic went through the start up procedure and the car was held on the brakes with the turbine screaming at sky high revs until he lifted off the brake and drove the car up and down one of the runways inside the circuit. A memory that has stayed with me these 40 odd years.
Chris Amon during practice - this was the view you got from the pit top roof area.
Beltoise's Matra is fired up in the paddock, what a beautiful engine note that car had and one of the reasons my hearing is a bit dodgy these days.
BRM's paddock - Jo Siffert is standing at the back of his car, sadly I would be at Brands Hatch a few months later when he was killed in a BRM.
The view from the pit roof of the Tyrrell team paddock area
Lotus paddock area.
Denny Hulme in the McLaren M19 with new unpainted rear wing and airbox parts for this race. Graham Hill bottom left hand corner waits for his engine to be changed in his Brabham.
Clay Reggazoni set pole position in his Ferrari 312B2
Jacky Ickx goes out to practice, Stewart watches proceedings from the rail while his car is prepared and Peter Gethin's McLaren speeds past on track.
Tim Schenken's Brabham BT33
Henri Pescarolo's Frank William's entered March 711
Graham Hill gets ready to practice his "Lobster Claw" Brabham BT34. Five minutes before I took this photo a friend of mine had gone into the Brabham transporter to find Hill for his autograph which he happily signed while standing there in his Nomex underwear...
I hope you like the old "Box Brownie" pictures.
David
