I recently came across this photo in my files.I am pretty certain that it shows the assembly/scrutineering area in the paddock at Brands Hatch circuit in the UK and I took it in 1964 or 1965 or maybe 1966.It was a club race meeting and what looks like an interesting collection of cars is assembling for a race.At the front is the Ferrari 250GT and there is a Lotus 11 and a Healey Silverstone and a car which is probably an early Cobra.It could have been a scratch race or a handicap race which were very popular in those days.
It was obviously a warm or even hot summer's day as sleeves are rolled up and some men have even removed their ties.Very casual for the 1960s.
I googled YN4 and was able to find out much more than I expected.The owner of YN4, the very English sounding Maurice Bingham-Baring, was a very keen Ferrari enthusiast who over the years owned a number of Ferraris one of which,a 250GT Lusso,is by coincidence currently being offered for sale by a UK dealer.It seems that he transferred his cherished number onto each new Ferrari and he insisted that all his Ferraris were red .One time he came to collect a new Ferrari and found that it was not red and the dealer repainted it at no cost to him.He must have been a very good customer.
I can't be certain that Maurice B-B is in the driver's seat in this photo but as he was apparently such an enthusiast it seems very likely.He is wearing a race harness but otherwise the car looks standard-although I am not so sure that the racing fuel filler cap is standard equipment.I am sure that he would have driven the car to the track -raced it- and then driven it home again.I cannot even remember the meeting yet alone the race but it must have been interesting to see the Ferrari mixing it with the other cars.Happy days.
The photo was taken on an Olympus half frame camera and the film was processed by me -in not very sterile conditions going by the number of dust spots on the negative.
hello
ReplyDeleteI am Maurice Baring's younger daughter Shirley.
Actually the Bingham is a middle name.
Certainly my father raced at Brands Hatch and he always drove there and back but more often he raced at Goodwood. I would stand in the pits on practice day aged 8 with a blackboard, chalk and stopwatch to show his times!
I think it is him in your photo.
Shirley
My father owned that SWB during the 80’s/early 90’s. On late-start mornings, he’d take me to school in it and I remember being dragged to countless track days and FOC events.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely loved it, but unfortunately priorities change and it was sold to put me through the rest of my education.