I enjoyed your article about the lifestyles of James Hunt and Barry Sheene [The boys are back in town, May]. So different from the ‘total dedication’ and media savvy of today’s stars who, with few exceptions, won’t risk incurring disfavour with their employers and sponsors through incautious or unapproved choices of words and actions.
When, in the early 1980s, I bought our house in Fulham, I found race numbers stuck to the garage wall. They were smaller than those used for cars, so I assumed they were numbers used in bike racing.
Investigation revealed that the house had belonged to one Piers Weld-Forester, an aristocratic playboy who had been a sometime boyfriend of Princess Anne. He had married in 1973 and, tragically, his wife had died the following year in an air crash. How this affected Weld-Forester can only be imagined, but ‘wild’ might best describe his subsequent lifestyle. He had participated, with moderate success, in endurance racing before turning his attention to motorcycle racing, which is how he came to know and become friendly with Barry Sheene.
Weld-Forester invited Sheene to stay at his house during part of the recovery from his dreadful 1975 Daytona accident, and Sheene’s ‘recuperation’ was aided, or at least made infinitely more pleasurable, by the attentions of the plethora of ladies who attended the frequent, somewhat dissolute parties Weld-Forester put on. I’d like to think that this hospitality went some way towards preparing Sheene for his successful 1976 season. With a bit of luck English Heritage will one day install one of their blue plaques: an inscription along the lines of ‘Barry Sheene, champion motor cyclist, caroused here’ would seem appropriate.
Happy days, although sadly Weld-Forester died in 1977 in a racing accident at Brands Hatch.
Tony Gomis, Fulham, London
Just a short note regarding the Hunt & Sheene article in the May edition. I just wanted to say a genuine thank you. I’ve certainly read more technically interesting pieces and probably read more historically detailed articles. However in terms of capturing my memories of such a great period in racing history – it was simply the very best!
I was a ’skool boy’ in 1976 busy falling in love with motor sport. I was there at Brands (actually fell asleep in an F3 Brabham – long story) that year, and it began a life-long love of, and involvement in, the sport. You guys totally nailed it. I’ve always understood how seminal the Jenks/Moss article was, however for my own age group, this ran it close. I’ve been floating around on the memories of that year since reading it. Superb.
Richard Booton, Dorchester
At Ferrari’s launch of its F1 car, there were two numbers on the bodywork, as our reader spotted
Ferrari
On pages 68 and 69 of the April issue [New power generation] the Ferrari pictured clearly shows the rear of the car with No44 (Lewis Hamilton) and the nose shows No16 (Charles Leclerc). Two different numbers. Do these drivers know their cars appear to be ‘cut and shut’? Can somebody please explain?
The images from the launch event are of show cars; teams regularly place both driver numbers on these. No nefarious under-the-railway-arch activity going on! – Ed
Over the years, Motor Sport wrote positively of the various models of Bristol cars it subjected to road tests, and I thought the enclosed copy of Advice of Despatch note, pictured right, might be of interest being that for the Type 403 saloon purchased in July 1953 by The Teesdale Publishing Co Ltd for Mr Tee.
In early 2025 the Bristol Owners Heritage Trust (BOHT) acquired about a tonne of documents, drawings, brochures, manuals and ephemera from the liquidators of the owners of the last iteration of Bristol Cars that are now being sorted and catalogued to create the archive of the records of The Car Division of The Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd and its successors. It is appropriate that this archive will be housed at Aerospace Bristol in Filton close to where the majority of Bristol cars were assembled.
Those interested in the activities of the BOHT can view the trust’s website at bristolownersht.com.
I am getting more and more annoyed at being told, after 65 years, that I do not understand motor sport. Watching F1 on TV this year I have seen lots of overtaking. Isn’t that what everyone has been calling for? But this is apparently the wrong sort of overtaking. I’m wondering whether it’s Mr Verstappen and Jeremy Snook [Letters, May]who don’t understand motor sport?
Things are different this year. So get used to it.
Rod Hunt, Seaton, Devon
Mario Andretti won his sole Indy 500 in 1969 driving this Brawner Hawk – now a museum piece
IMS
Thank you for your feature on the 1969 Indianapolis 500 [Super Mario: Indy ’69, May]. Those were the best times. Different chassis and engines, and all that lovely chrome! Driven by real heroes who carried the scars of their profession.
Last year, I was visiting the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, where I discovered Mario’s STP Brawner Hawk on display. A high-water mark of American race engineering before the trickle of British designs became a flood. A replica is at the IMS Museum but it seems the Smithsonian is the original.
A Bristol for the Motor Sport proprietor, Mr Tee; we write about the 403 in Rumblings, June 1953 issue
Thanks also for your Parting Shot of the previous edition [April] showing Jacky Ickx in the old tunnel of Monaco in 1972. It was replaced by the new tunnel the following year. There was no two-hour limit then so it took Jean-Pierre Beltoise 2hr 27min to complete the 80 laps in the rain. That was a long time for me to stand in the tribune at Ste-Devote getting thoroughly soaked.
The flag was dropped early, which caught out the front row, allowing Beltoise to get by.
Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes
Leading the world championship aged 19, Kimi Antonelli has proved he has the pace to win the title — and this could be his best shot. Plus: how GPs could be shortened over safety fears, and why Max Verstappen is serious in threatening to quit
By
Motor Sport
On the prior Friday, I was walking the principality when I came across DSJ talking to someone. I asked for his autograph (not knowing that I would find him staying in the same small hotel as me!). Being DSJ he brought me into the conversation and we discussed why no one had taken up the 1.5- litre supercharged route to F1. The other person was Max Mosley – I wonder what became of him?
That is the joy of your magazine. I open it and the memories come flooding out. Keep up the good work.
