Jack Brabham

This is a photograph that I took at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in September 1956.

It’s Jack Brabham who drove a works Cooper T41 in this Formula 2 race. He finished in 14th place in the race which was won by his team mate Roy Salvadori. He’s holding the hand of his first son, Geoff Brabham.

1955 Austin Healey 100S

This is a photograph that I took in the paddock at the British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in April 1956.

It's the 1955 Austin Healey 100S of John Dalton, a version of the Austin Healey 100 intended primarily for racing which gained the 'S' suffix after one of the cars won its class in the 1954 Sebring 12 Hour race. It has a tuned version of the Austin Healey 4-cylinder inline 2,660cc engine and only 50 examples of this car were produced, the majority of which were the same two-tone white and dark blue as John Dalton's car. The cars raced in three heats based on the engine size and there was a final in which the cars were handicapped according to the engine size. John Dalton failed to qualify from his heat and the race was won by Stirling Moss in a 1½ litre Cooper T39 Bobtail - the twisty Oulton Park circuit favouring the smaller engined cars.

1955 Austin Healey 100S

This is a photograph that I took in the paddock at the British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in April 1956.

It's the 1955 Austin Healey 100S of John Dalton, a version of the Austin Healey 100 intended primarily for racing which gained the 'S' suffix after one of the cars won its class in the 1954 Sebring 12 Hour race. It has a tuned version of the Austin Healey 4-cylinder inline 2,660cc engine and only 50 examples of this car were produced, the majority of which were the same two-tone white and dark blue as John Dalton's car. The cars raced in three heats based on the engine size and there was a final in which the cars were handicapped according to the engine size. John Dalton failed to qualify from his heat and the race was won by Stirling Moss in a 1½ litre Cooper T39 Bobtail - the twisty Oulton Park circuit favouring the smaller engined cars.

Ecurie Ecosse

I took this photograph in the paddock at Oulton Park at the British Empire Trophy Race meeting in April 1956.

The Ecurie Ecosse team had entered two Jaguar D-Types in the race to be driven by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson and here are some of the team at the side of one of the D-Types. On the left is Ron Flockhart in conversation with the founder of the team, David Murray, and next to David Murray is chief mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson. The British Empire Trophy Race was run as three preliminary heats (up to 1.5 litres, 1.6 to 2.7 litres and over 2.7 litres) and a final for the qualifying cars run as a handicap race. This proved very advantageous for the smaller capacity cars which finished in the first six places (Stirling Moss winning in a Cooper T39 Bobtail) with Ron Flockhart finishing in seventh place and Ninian Sanderson in ninth place. Three months later Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson won the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in one of these Ecurie Ecosse cars.

1955 Aston Martin DB3S

I took this photograph in the paddock at the British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in April 1956.

It's the 1955 Aston Martin DB3S of Berwyn Baxter, chassis DB3S/101, and has the 6-cylinder inline 2,992cc Lagonda engine.

1956 Cooper T41

I took this photograph in the paddock at Oulton Park at the Gold Cup meeting in September 1956 which was run under the 1½ litre Formula 2 regulations which were to take effect in the 1957 season.

Several Formula 2 races took place in 1956 which, as in this Gold Cup meeting, included 1½ litre sports cars such as the Lotus Eleven because not many Formula 2 cars had been built at this stage. The photograph shows Jack Brabham being given a push start in his Cooper T41 which had a 1,460cc Coventry Climax engine.

Ivor Bueb

I took this photograph at the Daily Herald International Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in August 1956.

It's Ivor Bueb who drove an Ecurie Demi-Litre 1,098cc Cooper T39 Climax in the race. He started his racing career in 1953 with a 500cc Cooper Formula 3 car and graduated into sports car racing where he succeeded in winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race twice, both times in a Jaguar D-Type - in a works car with Mike Hawthorn in 1955 and sharing an Ecurie Ecosse car with Ron Flockhart in 1957. He participated in six Grand Prix races but scored no Championship points, and sadly died in a crash at a Formula 2 race at Clermont-Ferrand in 1959 when driving a BRP Cooper Borgward.

1955 Lotus Mk IX

This was one of the competitors at the British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in April 1956.

It's the 1955 Lotus Mk IX of Six Mile Stable and was driven by Tom Barnard. About 30 of these cars that were built between 1954 and 1955 and several different engines could be provided - 1½ litre MG and Connaught engines and 2 litre Bristol engines were used, but the one most commonly fitted, as in this car, was the 1,098cc Coventry Climax engine. At this British Empire Trophy meeting there were three heats for cars of different engine sizes with a final run on a handicap basis. Tom Barnard failed to qualify for the final, which was won by Stirling Moss in a 1½ litre Cooper T39 Mk II Climax.

1953 Jaguar C-Type

I photographed this car in the paddock at a Lancashire and Cheshire Car Club meeting at Oulton Park in October 1956.

It's the 1953 Jaguar C-Type of Max Trimble, chassis XKC046, with a 6-cylinder inline 3,441cc engine. The car was campaigned by Ecurie Ecosse in 1953 before it went to Berwyn Baxter the following season and Max Trimble acquired the car in 1956.

Umberto Maglioli

My brother took this photograph during practice day for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1956.

It's the Italian racing driver Umberto Maglioli who drove a Maserati 250F for the Scuderia Guastalla, qualifying in 24th place on the grid and retiring on the 21st lap of the race with a broken gearbox. Umberto Maglioli had a brief career in Grand Prix racing, competing in only ten races between 1953 and 1957, his best results being third place finishes in the 1954 Italian Grand Prix and the 1955 Argentinian Grand Prix. Both those occasions were shared drives in a Ferrari 625, with José Froilán Gonzales in 1954 and Giuseppe Farina and Maurice Trintignant in 1955 - this Argentinian race being the one where the midsummer heat was so intense that the only finishers to complete the race single-handed were Juan Fangio and Roberto Mieres. Umberto Maglioli had a longer career in the World Sportscar Championship, winning the Targa Florio three times, in 1953 in a solo drive in a Lancia D20, 1956 in a Porsche 550 with Huschke von Hanstein, and 1968 with Vic Elford in a Porsche 907. In 1954 he won the 1000km of Buenos Aires with Giuseppe Farina in a Ferrrari 375 MM and the Carrera Panamericana in a solo drive in a Ferrari 375 Plus. Ferrari won the 6-race World Sportscar Championship that year, also winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race and the RAC Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod.

1956 Jaguar D-Type

This car was one of a number of Jaguars on display in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's a Jaguar D-Type and I've seen photographs describing it as a 1954 car, although the DVLA say that YSU 740 is a yellow 1956 Jaguar, and the yellow racing colour of Belgium seems to imply that it was at one time campaigned by one of the 1950s Belgian racing teams. After much searching I've found that it is chassis XKD573 and was originally loaned to the Equipe Nationale Belge to compete in the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hour race, having been uprated to full works Jaguar D-Type specifications, including quick change front brake calipers and a wide angle cylinder head. The car was driven by Jacques Swaters and Freddie Rousselle at Le Mans and finished in fourth place, the race being won by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson in an Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type. After the race the car went back to the Jaguar factory where standard cylinder head and front brake calipers were fitted and the car was then sold to Equipe Nationale Belge. The Belgian team kept the car until the end of the 1957 racing season, and the only record I can find of it racing after then is when it was driven by a Francis Francis in the 1963 Japanese Sports  Car Grand Prix.

Three weeks after its fourth place in the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hour race, in August 1956, it was driven by Freddie Rousselle in the Daily Express International Trophy Race at Oulton Park where I took this photograph in the Paddock.

The car is apparently now in the Franschhoek Motor Museum in South Africa.

Ecurie Ecosse 1956

I took these photographs at the British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in April 1956.

This is a 1956 'shortnose' Jaguar D-Type, chassis XKD561, one of two cars entered in the race by Ecurie Ecosse and has the 6-cylinder inline 3,441cc engine.

This is Ron Flockhart who drove the car in the photograph above. The race was run in the form of three heats, for cars up to 1500cc, 1501cc to 2700cc, and over 2700cc. There was then a final race over 25 laps run on a handicap basis with the smallest capacity cars getting a 40 second start, the next group 25 seconds, and those with the largest engines on scratch. Ron Flockhart finished in seventh place in the D-Type, the first finisher in the over 2700cc class, with the six cars in front of him all being from the up to 1500cc class. Stirling Moss won the race in a Cooper T39.

This is Ninian Sanderson who drove the other Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type in the race and finished in ninth place in the final. 

Three months later. in July of 1956, the Le Mans 24 hour race was won by an Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type driven by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson.

Jean Behra

This is a photograph taken by my brother during practice day at the British Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone in July 1956.

It's French racing driver Jean Behra beside the Maserati 250F that he drove in the race. Officine Alfieri Maserati entered four cars for the race to be driven by Stirling Moss, Jean Behra, Cesare Perdisa and Paco Godia, and there were also seven privately entered Maserati 250Fs. Stirling Moss retired from the race but Jean Behra finished in third place behind the Lancia-Ferraris of Juan Fangio and Peter Collins. The other two works cars and two of the privately entered Maserati 250Fs finished in the first eight in the race, the fourth place finisher being Jack Fairman in a Connaught B-Type. Jean Behra ended the season in fourth place in the World Drivers' Championship behind Juan Fangio, Stirling Moss and Peter Collins.

On 10 July 2016 I showed a photograph that I had taken of Jean Behra at Aintree in 1958.

Archie Scott Brown

A couple of weeks ago I showed a photograph of Archie Scott Brown in a Lister Maserati that my brother had taken at the British Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone in 1956. Here's a photograph of Archie Scott Brown that I took in the Paddock at the British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in April 1956.

To me the British Empire Trophy and Archie Scott Brown are synonymous. The first race meeting I ever attended was the 1955 British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park which was won by Archie Scott Brown in a Lister Bristol. At the following year's meeting, where the above photograph was taken, he drove the unsuccessful Lister Maserati and failed to finish the race. In 1957 Archie drove the first of the Lister Jaguars, winning the race again, and in 1958 he took his Lister Jaguar to third place behind the Aston Martin DBR2s of Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks. Sadly, this was to be the last time I saw him race at Oulton Park as he lost his life in a race at Spa-Francorchamps the following month.

Lister Maserati

This is another of those Kodak Brownie 127 photographs that my brother took of one of the cars that competed in the sports car race at the British Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone in July 1956.

It's the 1956 Lister Maserati being driven here in the paddock on practice day by Archie Scott Brown. Archie Scott Brown, although severely physically handicapped, had achieved much success in the 1954 season with a Lister MG which continued in the 1955 season when a Bristol engine was fitted in place of the MG unit. For the 1956 season a new car was designed using one of the 2 litre Maserati engines that had been designed for the A6GCS. This engine proved to be unreliable leading to a mixture of good and bad results, and at Silverstone the car failed to finish the race.

For the 1957 season Brian Lister designed a car round the Jaguar engine that had powered the Le Mans winning D-Types and in that season Archie Scott Brown won 12 of the 14 races he entered. In 1958 he looked set to repeat this success, but was unfortunately killed when driving the Lister Jaguar in an accident in a sports car race at Spa-Francorchamps in May of that year.

Stirling Moss

My brother took this photograph in the paddock at Silverstone during practice for the British Grand Prix in July 1956.

It's Stirling Moss, who drove a works Maserati 250F in the Grand Prix, qualifying in pole position for the race, but stopping with gearbox problems on the 94th lap of the 101 lap race. He was credited with eighth place in the final standings.

On 22 September 2016 I showed a photograph of Stirling Moss in the paddock sitting in the cockpit of the Maserati 300S that he drove to win the supporting sports car race at this meeting.

Hermano da Silva Ramos

My brother took this photograph in the paddock on practice day for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1956.

It's the Franco-Brazilian driver Hermano da Silva Ramos, popularly known as Nano, who drove in a total of seven World Championship races for Gordini over the 1955 and 1956 seasons. In the 1956 British Grand Prix he drove the new 2,498cc straight-8 Gordini Type 32, having previously competed in the 2½ litre straight-6 Gordini Type 16. He failed to finish the race, retiring after 71 of the 101 laps, and in the seven Grand Prix races in which he drove his best finish was a 5th place in the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix. Nano didn't drive in any more World Championship races after 1956 but continued racing till 1960, competing in minor F1 races and with GT and sports cars, competing in the Le Mans 2 Hour race on 4 occasion - but never managing to finish the race.

Luigi Villoresi

This is another of the Kodak Brownie 127 photographs taken by my brother at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1956.

It's the Italian racing driver Luigi Villoresi photographed in the paddock on practice day. Luigi Villoresi started his racing career in 1931 and after driving an Alfa Romeo for Scuderia Ferrari in 1937 he joined the Maserati racing team the following season. When racing recommenced after the Second World War he rejoined the Maserati team and remained with them until 1949 when he signed for Scuderia Ferrari, driving for them in F1 World Championship and sportscar races from 1950 to 1953, his team mate Alberto Ascari winning the World Championship title in 1952 and 1953. In 1954 both he and Ascari joined the Lancia team to drive the new Lancia D50, but Villoresi was loaned to Maserati for the first part of the 1954 season until the new car was ready. During the 1955 season Lancia's financial problems were gradually mounting, and the death of Ascari in an accident at Monza precipitated the team's withdrawal from racing, handing over the assets of Scuderia Lancia to Ferrari at the end of the season. Luigi Villoresi went back to racing Maseratis, first with Scuderia Centro Sud then in Luigi Piotti's 250F, and his final F1 race was for the Maserati works team at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix. He didn't win any major Grand Prix races, but was successful in several minor Grands Prix and sportscar races, but his major success was in winning the 1951 Mille Miglia race with Piero Cassani for Scuderia Ferrari in a Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta Vignale. Luigi Villoresi drove Luigi Piotti's Maserati 250F in the 1956 British Grand Prix, qualifying in nineteenth place on the grid but finishing the race in sixth place.

Peter Collins

This is another of the photographs taken by my brother at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1956.

It's the late Peter Collins, photographed in the paddock during the Friday practice day. Peter Collins drove one of the four Lancia Ferrari D50s in the race, the others being driven by Juan Fangio, Eugenio Castellotti and Alfonso de Portago. He qualified in fourth position on the grid, but had to retire his car on lap 64 of the 101 lap race, taking over Alfonso de Portago's car to finish in second place behind his team mate Juan Fangio.

Maurice Trintignant (and Stirling Moss)

This is another of my brother's Kodak Brownie 127 photographs from practice day at the 1956 British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1956.

It's the French driver Maurice Trintignant who drove a Vanwall in the race, and Stirling Moss who drove one of the eleven Maserati 250F's. Neither finished the race, Trintignant retiring with fuel line problems and Moss with transmission failure. Maurice Trintignant had a lengthy career in racing, from 1938 to 1965, his best seasons in the World Drivers' Championship being 1954 and 1955 when he finished in fourth position, and he won the Monaco Grand Prix on two occasions. In 1955 he drove an outdated Ferrari 625 to victory after the Mercedes-Benz W196 cars of Juan Fangio and Stirling Moss had suffered mechanical problems and Alberto Ascari had crashed his Lancia D50 into the harbour. In 1958 he won in Rob Walker's 2-litre rear-engined Cooper Climax, beating the Ferrari 246 Dinos of Luigi Musso and Peter Collins into second and third places. Only six cars finished the race. Maurice Trintignant also drove in the World Sportscar Championship for many years, competing regularly in the Le Mans 24 Hour race for Ferrari and Aston Martin amongst others, and winning it in a Ferrari 375 Plus with Froilán González in 1954.