Well I can just about remember attending my first motorsport event at Brands Hatch in about 1963. All I can recall is seeing Jim Clarke racing a Lotus Cortina!
From there I attended the BGP at Silverstone in 1977 & have been going there for many years now. I remember meeting & talking with Roland Ratzenberger in his BMW garage in the BTCC in about 1988 - I have some pictures I took at the time.
In the 1980's I was introduced to Peter Hall & Andy Rouse by a friend, so I then keenly followed their ICS Sierra successes over the next few years. I have subsequently bumped into Pete Hall at le Mans, in 2008 when he was supporting his son Stuart who was driving for the Creation team. In 1988 I met Guy Edwards who helped save Niki Lauda from his blazing car in the 1976 German GP.
When the Touring car races used to follow the Grand Prix at Silverstone, one year I was helping the ICS team on the pit wall holding out the timing board - great fun & experience. I got to meet Tim Harvey, Ian Flux, Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey, Mike Smith, Tiff Needell, Will Hoy, Tom Walkinshaw, Gerry Marshall, Vic Lee, Phil Dowsett & Martin Carroll.
I went to watch the Goodyear tyre testing at Silverstone in the 90's, & met several F1 drivers such as Derek Warwick, David Coulthard & Damon Hill, Jonathan Palmer & Nigel Mansell, in 1993. I also met Martin Donnelly with Eddie Jordan in the Silverstone cafe, & subsequently helped Martin with his Vauxhall Lotus team when Jason Plato was a young driver & I remember Eugene O'Brien also driving for Martin. when I helped them at Donington one time. Remember also meeting Jacques Villeneuve at tyre testing & Johnny Dumphries, Perry McCarthy (the original 'Stig')
Went to the Belgian GP in 1995 - Stayed at the same hotel as did the Sauber F1 team & Rubens Barricello.
I followed the BTCC for many years at Silverstone, and in 1997 as a Cub Scout Commissioner in Bedford, I took about 50 Cub Scouts & Leaders to a camp at Silverstone, when we were guests of Vauxhall Sport, when John Cleland & Derek Warwick were driving the Vectras. I have a great picture of our group in the pits with the drivers who signed the photo.
1997 was my first trip to the 24h du Mans, and I have gone every year since then. I know Oliver Gavin because he was a local boy from Bedfordshire, & have followed his career with interest. I have many drivers over those years at le Mans: Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Tom Kristensen, Martin Brundle, Alan McNish, David Brabham (met brother Gary at a Turvey village fete one year) etc. Great fun times I have spent camping with the Scouts & Guides de France during the le Mans weekend, to whom I have supplied special baseball caps for 15years which have been sponsored by 'Autosport'.
2001 - 2006 I worked for Events Management security for the BGP at Silverstone where I met so many drivers & team personnel in the Media Centre, including Niki Lauder, Gerhart Berger, Stirling Moss, Murray Walker (he kindly gave me an ITV F1 Sport cap), Eric Sykes, Kelvin Burt, Peter Hain MP, Bernie Ecclestone,
I worked at the Moto GP at Donington also in 2005, when I met Valentino Rossi & many other riders. My collection of baseball caps increased dramatically that weekend. I now have 570 different caps, having just bought a signed Niki Lauda Ferrari cap on E-bay.
2014 saw me become a 'Race Maker' at Silverstone for the F1 BGP & Moto-GP, which was good fun as a volunteer. Next year I hope to help at 5 race meetings during the year. Camping in my caravan is quite handy, as the drinks stay cool in my fridge.
Kevin Cantwell
Memory added on December 20, 2014
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