Unthinkable

Dear Friend,

After spending some time walking around the facilitiy at Cadwell Park and taking the photos you saw in my last post, there was a clear and definitive break in my day. The second and most interesting part of my day began while I sat at the Cadwell Park circuit cafe, which I am sure has a prestigious and glamorous sounding Formula 1 name, I simply cannot bring it to mind at this moment.

While I was enjoying the bagel I brought from home and the tea I purchased as to unburden myself from the guilt of using Dr. Palmers facilities, a gentleman sat down next to me as the tables began to fill up. For the first part of our meals we didn't bother one another as we focused on the job of eating, but as he finished up I asked his involvement with the days race. Those few words were the key to an incredible afternoon which the likes of which should only take place in the movies. 'My name is Peter, I own a Formula Junior racecar, however I am not contesting todays event.'

As it turns out Peter was there to enjoy the social scene and comradarie which is prevalent at vintage motor car races. The cut throat, win at all costs attitude which I am accustomed to at the race track simply was not there and Peter was keen to walk me through the paddock, introduce me to anyone who would stop to talk, and explain to me the different makes and models of the category in which he participates, Formula Junior.

To give you the shortened readers digest version, Formula Junior was established in the 50's by the Italians in order to breed and promote young Italian racing drivers. The single-seater, front engine cars were built with cost effeciency in mind. In the begining the Formula was in fact right. However as the popularity grew the British manufactures such as Lotus, Cooper, and Brabham got involved and that would be the undoing as the cars evolved from cheap simple machines into the F2 chassis of their day. The main improvement during this time was the switch from front engine to rear engine cars creating a major disparity in performance and obsoleting the earlier front engine models.

Meeting with Peter was truly a bit of luck and having learning about the race class was a delight and I am very grateful for him for so warmly welcoming me into the paddock and showing me around.

Things were as I had expected them, incredible vintage cars, sociable atmosphere, and drivers who came from every walk of life howeve were brought together through motorsport.

This was all to change however as Peter and I made our way to the assembly grid before the start of the Formula Junior race. Some lucky connections allowed us into the commentators box where we were delighted to a fantastic view of the Cadwell Park circuit and live entertainment from the course announcer.

As the cars filed onto the track I expected to see a race start, proceeded by twenty laps or so of parading around, concluded with a chequered flag. In American vintage car racing this would have been the case, however as I was to soon find out, in British vintage car racing the edict is very different: 'these cars were built to race, so we are going to race them.'

The first unexpected moment took place before the race had even started. As the twenty-two car grid filed into position, smoke began billowing out of one of the cars engine compartment. As the last cars pulled into position the smoke got thicker and it was apparent there was a problem. On schedule the red lights went out and the cars took off, the smoking powerplant had gone lame and it popped and sputtered off the line. From the sixth position he was in last place by the first corner. The rest of the cars got away, spinning tyres searching for grip in a scene from the motion picture Grand Prix.

As I mentioned before I did not expect much wheel-to-wheel action, however once the race got under way battles erupted around the course. Three laps into the race a car went off coming through the woods section. although I could not see, I am told he did four barrel roles before his car came to rest in a tyre barrier. The race carried on and one of the competitors in disbelief came barreling into the pits, dismissing himself from the race to voice his opinion the event should be stopped.

As the race carried on an all out brawl was developing at the front of the field. With three cars battling for the lead a new car took the point almost every lap. By the eigth lap they were already into lapped traffic and on more than one occasion the leaders were willing to take four tyres off the course to gain an advantage. At one point I was completely astounded. Kee in mind Cadwell Park is a very narrow course and I thought there would be no more than enough room for two cars side-by-side at any point. To my disbelief the lead group would go three wide through a corner. Well two of them would atleast as the third driver drove through the grass on the infield and somehow managed to emerge in the lead.

By this point in the race, I was in complete disbelief as these irreplaceable machines viciously reinacted what appeared to be a round from the 1962 world championship. On the tenth lap tragedy struck. As a driver crested the 'mountain' his car careened out of control, sliding off the track, coming to rest beached and pointed directly at the spectator area. For an unknown reason the throttle had stuck on the car and smoke billowed away from the tyres as they tried unsuccesfully to unbeach themselves. Within moments, even before the smoke had cleared the emergency crew had reacted and was on the scene to pull the emergency kill switch and evaluate the situation. Later it was revealed the driver had suffered a heart attack causing him to loose control of the car. Immediately the crew went to work on him, but as it turns out there efforts were in vain. The driver passed away during the trip to the hospital.

The race meeting was called to an end and there was a surreal air in the paddock after the race. Moments before the race in the assembly grid the drivers and crew were talking about a post race party. At that moment there was a complete vacuum of emotion aside from atonishment and disbelief.

Driving a racecar is one of the most incredible feelings in the world, however danger is always present on the race course. It is very sad when tragedy strikes like this and it reminds me of a famous quote.

'Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.'

In his passing one can be relieved to know he was going one hundred miles per hour doing what he truly loved.

In the end what had started as a great day at the track, getting to know many interesting people, ended in the worst way possible. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the departed.

With respect

Michael Johnson