Formula One Champion Graham Hill Remembered
1974 was special for several reasons, I was leaving school and about to go to College. In April I had the rare chance to see some of the great formula one drivers of the day at Silverstone in a meeting organised by the British Racing Drivers Club called the 1974 BRDC International Trophy and run alongside another formula called 5000. It represented a sort of Who’s who of Formula one racing. I went with my uncle and cousin who were both involved with cars and motor sport. I also took along my faithful camera I had been taking pictures with since childhood, Kodak Vecta 127. It resembled a plastic money box without the slot. It had a small peep hole in the corner called a view finder, no, joking aside I loved it as it was so light and simple. It used a paper film that you wound on carefully trying not to expose to any light on a sunny day and only took 8 pictures, although I seem to remember a 12 frame version along the way. The pictures were processed using a textured plastic coated paper which was quite new at the time, all the rage as holiday snaps were getting really popular with so many people going off on holiday to Pontins and Butlins. Flying off on package holidays abroad was just round the corner. The prints were also cheap to have processed and of dubious quality.
I remember the day out as it was sunny and not too windy as Silverstone usually is. We spent some time in the paddock and caught site of several famous drivers. It was a relaxed atmosphere allowing people to get close to the stars and their cars, then just as we got to the end of the pit straight inside Copse corner where a crowd had gathered, that famous, unmistakable helmet of Graham Hill appeared. I instantly crouched down to get my one picture, it was so special as Graham Hill was that larger than life character, charismatic, more like a film star than a racing driver and now nearing the end of his career. I took another picture of the team working on the cars in the paddock which I have just about salvaged. It has retained some of that bleached out discoloured look and almost impossible to lose that plastic textured finish the original print had but I think it shows a view on the day.
I have changed the picture of Graham Hill from colour to sepia as I have lost some sharpness in the copy of the aged print. It’s a shame I didn’t keep the negatives !
Car: Lola T370 V8 Cosworth
Team: Team Embassy
You may like to see a short film about one of our greatest racing drivers in action on You Tube
