British Grand Prix

New Albums

British Grand Prix week is here prompting a look back to 2005.  It’s my one and only (so far) foray into the world of the other Formula One.  I should say live at a race circuit as it’s regular TV viewing. And while the website is not a platform for the British Grand Prix or circuit racing, there’s no reason to exclude the event.  It’s my website and they are my photographs and belong as memories on stockcarGOLD.

Foster’s British Grand Prix

As a surprise treat my wife arranged for us to have an escorted weekend at Silverstone on 9 & 10 July 2005.  Staying at a hotel on the outskirts of Oxford we were coached in and out of Silverstone.  Our commitment was to be in the dining room around 5:00 for breakfast.  The main memory is the time sat around waiting for something to happen.  I used to think standing on the terraces at Coventry Stadium while they regraded the shale between race was tedious.  A British Grand Prix at Silverstone is something else.  At least it was summer with above average temperatures.  There’s plenty of food and drink outlets to provide hydration and nourishment. Then a shed load of stalls with F1 related merchandise to tantalise and tempt you to empty your wallets.

16 years later recollections are somewhat limited.  The impressions left on me are simply;

• Juan Pablo Montoya won in a McLaren-Mercedes after 60 laps.
• The sound of the engines traction control.
• The atmosphere.
• Qualifying was a one lap dash.  At most there’d be 3 cars on track at any one time, out lap, sprint lap and in lap.  Michael Schumacher followed Jenson Button so we had cheers followed by jeers in quick succession as the the home boy passed the stands with German adversary a little way behind.

Jordan GP

Just across the road from the home of the British Grand Prix was the Jordan factory.    In 1999 I attended a Club Jordan event to look round the workshops, get up close to some of the cars and a rallying call from the boss EJ to the gathered masses.  An enjoyable if tiring day was had but a nightmare from a photography point of view.  There were just too many there to be able to get an unobstructive view.  This is why there’s only a handful of images.