Category KlemColl News
His Best Race
It might seem unusual to suggest that a top level driver’s best race was when he finished second. Although it would be a matter of opinion of course, it is very possible that Richie Ginther’s best race was the May 14, 1961 Monaco Grand Prix. For Monaco that year Ferrari entered three of its new […]
Ascari’s Victory Smile
This is another wonderful Klemantaski photograph, catching the smiling expression of Alberto Ascari in his Ferrari 375/F1 as he overtakes the Alfa Romeo 159 of Juan Manuel Fangio on the entry to Porfido at the end of Monza’s back straight during the Italian Grand Prix on September 16, 1951. The Italian Grand Prix was always […]
Slippery When Wet
We have always loved this dramatic photograph of Ronnie Peterson in the Lotus 72 on a damp track during practice for the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport which took place on September 22, 1974. In 1974 the Lotus 72 was illustrative of that old racing saw, “Nothing is as old as last year’s race car,” which it […]
Piloti che gente…
This is perhaps Louis Klemantaski’s most famous image: Peter Collins on his way to victory during the Giro di Sicilia on April 8, 1956 in a 3.5 liter Ferrari 857S with Klemantaski as his navigator. The Giro, known as the Tour of Sicily in English, was a 671 mile open road circumnavigation of the island, often used […]
Getting Ready on the Grid
We are standing on the front row of the grid at the Nürburgring just before the start of the German Grand Prix on August 5, 1956. Closest to the camera is the Ferrari-Lancia of poleman Juan Manuel Fangio who is pulling on his gloves at the side of his car. The next two cars, also […]
A Mexican Pit Stop
The red car above is a Ferrari 250 Sport, the only one built. The “1-2-3” on the car is not a car number but sponsorship by a Mexican oil company. This Ferrari first appeared in the 1952 Mille Miglia, driven by Giovanni Bracco with Alfonso Rolfo as his passenger. The 250 Sport was a sort of factory hot […]
A Pause that Refreshes!
For many years both before and after World War II just a few weeks after the 24 Hours of Le Mans another 24 hour endurance race was held in Belgium on the long and fast Spa-Francorchamps public road circuit. However, even postwar the racing was still run in a relaxed prewar style, much less professional than it […]
The Kansas City Flash
This one year old Ferrari 375MM, painted white with two blue stripes, is really being drifted hard at Goodwood on September 25, 1954 (look at the rubber track being left by rear wheel if you doubt how hard the car is being driven). The thin and courageous driver was named Masten Gregory who was from Kansas City, Missouri. […]
A Classic Racing Image
This is one of the great classic Klemantaski photographs: Luigi Villoresi driving a Ferrari 375/F1 at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 16, 1951. The Italian Grand Prix, sometimes the final race of the season, was often the deciding event for 1950s F1 racing. In 1951 this race was a battle of titans with […]
John Surtees 1934 – 2017
John Surtees OBE, seven times world champion on motorcycles and F1 World Champion in 1964, passed away at the age of 83 on March 10th. Surtees was born in south London, his father being a motorcycle dealer there. That got the young Surtees right into bikes from the start. His early races were on Vincents […]
