You were there...

When David Baxter took these pictures, attending each race was a trek: he lived in Edinburgh and had no car. Getting to Brands Hatch by public transport was an expedition. His enthusiasm was fired way back in 1953: “My first meeting was at Charterhall where I saw Ken Wharton win in the BRM. I also remember seeing the British GP on television in 1954, with Raymond Baxter doing the commentary. The great thing in the old days was that you could see big names at small meetings: John Surtees in his Lola, F2 races at the Crystal Palace… And the grand prix drivers did other races too, like the Goodwood 9 Hours.

“Now I live in France I only go to the Pau and Angoulème historic meetings – haven’t been to a grand prix since Monaco in ‘83.”

Mr Baxter still has the Canon camera which took these shots, though lately he has switched to digital. “But it’s not the same – I liked waiting two days to see the results!”