Go Racing! – when a passion fuels you
I have often wondered how to define the act of being an artist and the art of being a commercial practitioner, and does this actually apply to a photographer who, essentially takes a story and features it through the medium of books and and magazine articles. Well these days, in order to get published one often has to come up with the ideas, (probably this has always been the norm, only I have been too busy to notice). But since completing my two books, my interests have diverted into my passions: that of motor racing and somehow, I have amalgamated the photographic side of shooting motor racing events and endurance races, to start to write about them and now, think about getting my race licence. I have engulfed myself with all that is motorsport, right from the beginning of fourteen years ago, when Country Life magazine sent me to Goodwood Revival and my love of theatre conversed beautifully with my love of classic cars.
I owe Country Life magazine rather a lot, they sent me to all sorts of crazy places: The Hunting Parson, Trail Hounding, Private Theatres (wow that was a great gig, going to Chatsworth House, to photograph the renovated theatre and hunt for the missing Chandelier and watch the Bolshoi on stage whilst the bats came out from the wings and then proceed to watch the ‘Bat Lady’ from Old Hardwick Hall come in to the auditorium and collect the protected species and place them in her bosoms and swiftly walk out with them kept warm in her care, back to Old Hardwick Hall, yes that was a super gig). Then off to Craig Y Nos Castle, the home of Adelina Patti, the Opera singer, who, only sung the first verse of her operas mainly to 1. Save her vocal chords and secondly knowing that her friends would be most displeased to hear any second verse, so she promptly wound up her Victorian auditorium floor to be level with the stage and commence the dance. Where else did they send me? Oh yes to see a house detective. He looked at the structure of the building to investigate if it was Elizabethan, Nouveau Gothic or simply a faux palladium structure. Yes he was indeed quite fun.
However, they sent me to the box of delights that is Goodwood Revival and there I begin my love story. Today, almost fourteen years later, I am still with the flame, still desperate to make my story and enthralled to be invited to weekend events organised by equally passionate people.
Today my GO RACING pack arrives and in it contains a number of things to learn. The Flags they said always stump people. Not sure why? They are simple are they not, certainly if you watch the Formula one every other weekend and then go to the races oneself: yellow and red – oil on track. White a slow moving vehicle imminent, Black with your number in a circle – come in to the pits with mechanical fault.. blue static – faster vehicle coming up blue wave – allow over taking imminently …. the flags seem quite the norm, I would like to simply get my medical done and have a spit of tutorial then get the licence sorted.
But what car and what races would I like to join up to? What sort of era will I be wanting to race within and do I have any cars that will keep me happy? I suppose i really need to know what sort of cars do I have at my disposal? Well i think I ought to start from there really!
I have an MG Midget and a Fiat Spider and a Fiat 500. For starters. Well that’s pretty good, although none of them are racing cars they are simply cars at my disposal. No I think I must direct the racing strategy somewhat. Perhaps the 911 Porsche challenge with a Porsche 924, I hear that series is relatively cheap and maintaining the car is not too tricky. I will sleep on that one I think and come back to you with a definitive answer.
Meanwhile I need to find a sponsor, a compadre who will support my endeavours whilst I advertise their company with my continuous use of my blogs and twittering. Yes,
“Female driver looking for friendly sponsor, apply within”.
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