US Grands Prix 1980-82: You were there
Long Beach wasn’t the most scenic circuit, but racers race hard regardless. Michael Harris attended US GPs in 1980, ’81 and ’82 and was able to capture some candid images of the drivers
It’s 1980 and Chapman poses with his drivers, but smiles vanished when Mario Andretti and Elio de Angelis were out by lap 12
In 1980 René Arnoux and his turbocharged Renault were leading the title sprint, but a puncture relegated him to ninth place and damaged his championship hopes
It’s 1981 and Didier Pironi looks pleased to be ready for his first race in a Ferrari, but the car would let him down as his fuel feed failed after a healthy battle for fourth place
Pits-eye view of Elio de Angelis wiggling into his Lotus 91 for the 1982 race under team manager Peter Warr’s watchful gaze
Unlike the previous year, Ferrari had a poor 1980 at Long Beach: a discontented Gilles Villeneuve only finished 10th
In the doorway of the team motorhome Jochen Mass feels the heat, with his Arrows racesuit rolled down
Roberto Guerrero’s hair was worthy of note in the 1982 event, but not his performance: the Colombian’s Ensign-Ford qualified midfield but spun off on lap 27
Mario Andretti faces his fans in 1981, ahead of his first race for Alfa Romeo. He would thrill the home crowd with a hard-won fourth place
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