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Mexican scrapbook – 1963

Thanks to David Friedman Collection and The Henry Ford (www.henryford.org) I am delighted to be able to publish an additional collection of images from the historic 1963 Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City. Many of these are being shown for the first time; and, collectively, I think they paint an almost ethereal picture of that country’s first World Championship Grand Prix: there was the ever-present army. There was the daunting Peraltada corner, which in 1962 had taken the life of Ricardo Rodriguez. There was Pedro, Ricardo’s elder brother, having his second F1 race in a third works Lotus 25-Climax. There was the rain on Saturday. And, on Sunday, after the arduous, two-hour, nine-minute race, there were the laughs in victory circle. Jim Clark, the new World Champion, had won his sixth Grand Prix of the season. I’m delighted, in addition, to show here a little-seen Solana family 35mm film shot over the weekend of the 1963 Mexican GP. Moises Solana, who had practised but not raced a Bowmaker Cooper in Mexico in 1962, had no worries about racing the following year with Number 13 on his Centro Sud BRM. Here we see it being loaded onto the Solana trailer behind a Chrysler Valiant and then in action at the circuit. This film includes lots of rare images from the weekend, including shots of Jim and the Lotus 25s, so I’d also like to say a very big thankyou to Cesar Galindo and the Solana family for the sights and the memories.

Captions, from top: wide-angle view of the banked hairpin; Saturday scene in the rain, looking away from the Peraltada towards the modern pit/garage complex; Tony Maggs and Richie Ginther within the Peraltada, showing new, two-tier outer Armco and half-tyres on the inside; the army stand guard over the Team Lotus entries prior to first practice; Team Lotus drivers Pedro Rodriguez, Jim Clark and Trevor Taylor prepare for that first practice session; Jim and Colin Chapman confer with the now-retired Stirling Moss while a dusky Mexican fan feigns disinterest; another view of the drivers’ briefing shown in the recent race report post (“Jim Clark in Mexico: 66 per cent at 7,000ft”):  a flash convertible serves as a useful dias as, from foreground, anti-clockwise, Chris Amon, Trevor Taylor (in natty shirt), Giancarlo Baghetti, Tony Maggs (in ski jumper), Hap Sharp, Masten Gregory, Jim Hall, Pedro, Count Godin de Beaufort (in jacket and tie), Jim, Moises Solana, Dan Gurney, Jo Siffert, Jo Bonnier, Graham Hill, Rob Walker, Richie Ginther and Bruce McLaren listen in; Cedric Selzer and Jim Endruweit push Jim’s 25 onto the starting grid whilst BRM’s Chief Mechanic, Cyril Atkins, sits comfortably on the right front Dunlop of Graham Hill’s car;  Michael Tee (left), father of LAT’s Stephen Tee, shares a pre-drivers’ parade joke with (from left), Jim, John Surtees, Godin de Beaufort and Colin Chapman; a lovely, low-line shot of Jim in the 25, pushing hard through the esses. Jim Hall is in the background with his BRP Lotus 24; Jim has his arms fully-crossed in the hairpin; Colin and Jim Endruweit are the first to congratulate Jim as he drives in towards the victory arena; Cedric Selzer (left) joins in the fun as the first three line-up with the race queen; and here are the first three – Jim, Jack Brabham and Richie – posing for the photographers; Colin’s gesture says it all  Images: http://www.thehenryford.org