Watkins Glen Moment of Zen

For a brief, fleeting moment, I felt as if I had stepped back in time.

Elf Scan 10: François Cevert

Cevert was famous for his natural driving ability and dashing movie star looks.  Here, his famous blue eyes bear a look of simultaneous intensity and eerie blankness as he mentally steels himself for his next track outing in the Matra sports prototype which he shared with none other than Jack Brabham at the 1970 Daytona 24 Hours. Born to a prominent Parisian Jewish family (his full name was Albert François Cevert Goldenberg), Cevert initially pursued motor racing secretly against his family's wishes. In 1969 as he achieved success in Formula 2, he reconciled with his family, and from there joined the Matra team. It wasn't long before he rose to F1, driving for Tyrrell as Jackie Stewart's number 2 driver and protégé.  A tremendously talented driver, he was never able to fully mature, as he was tragically killed at age 29 during the practice for the 1973 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Ironically, Cevert had achieved his first and only F1 victory at that very same track in the 1971 US Grand Prix.

Wednesday Morning Moment of Zen

Taken at the Bugatti Historic Grand Prix, Watkins Glen 2007

Bugattis in the Rain

Since it's winter, I thought I would go back in time to a wet and wonderful weekend when I saw the American Bugatti Club members race their wonderful cars on the rain-soaked Watkins Glen course.  The rain was so heavy that day that most of the vintage racers stayed off the track.  But not the ABC members, who braved it out on their skinny tires to the delight of the few spectators who bothered to show up!  I took these photos at the long sweeping turn 6.