No Photo Pass - Watkins Glen - 1971

My first-time shooting on the guardrail at the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen with a 35 mm camera, which ended fairly quickly. I was tossed out of the pits a number of times that weekend also. I had been there for the 1969 and 1970 Formula One races with my Kodak Instamatic. Managed to get some nice images while dodging pit police that weekend and one of them was used in the book published in 2011, "Formula One at Watkins Glen - 20 Years Of The United States Grand Prix, 1961-1980," by Michael Argetsinger.

Carlos Reutemann - Martini Racing Team Lotus - Watkins Glen - 1979

After seeing this paint scheme earlier in 1979 at a race on TV, this is close to the image I saw in my mind that I wanted to try to capture. The next step was getting it to come together on pit road, in the middle of the frantic activity that takes place during a practice session.

Mario Andretti - Lotus 79 - F-1 World Champion - Watkins Glen - 1978

A race car that looks like it was conceived by artists. Those artists were Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge, Martin Ogilvie, Tony Rudd and Peter Wright of Team Lotus. Nicknamed "Black Beauty" for its graceful design, sleek profile and its black and gold livery through sponsorship by John Player Special cigarettes, the car was instantly competitive. Colin Chapman’s innovative Lotus 79 with ‘ground effects’ technology carried Mario Andretti to the 1978 Formula One World Driver’s Championship.

Jean-Pierre Jabouille - Equipe Renault Elf - Watkins Glen- 1978

Jean-Pierre Jabouille in the turbocharged Elf Renault on the pit straight in the 1978 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Jabouille had his best race of the year, finishing fourth. Jabouille was one of the last of a breed of Formula One drivers who were also engineers. He was signed by Renault to develop their new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine in 1977, which was a first for Formula One. The points won with his fourth place at Watkins Glen in 1978 were the first World Championship points earned by the Renault team. In 1979 Jabouille would score the team's first victory at the French Grand Prix, which was also the first win for a turbocharged car in Formula One. This photo appeared in the book "Formula One at Watkins Glen - 20 Years Of The United States Grand Prix, 1961-1980," by Michael Argetsinger.

Emerson Fittipaldi - Copersucar - Watkins Glen - 1978

Like at tropical bird in the Brazilian Rainforest, Emerson Fittapaldi sweeps his Copersucar Fittipaldi F5A Ford through the ninety-degree turn at the end of the pit straight in the 1978 United States Grand Prix. He would finish 5th in this race, at the track where in 1970 he scored the first of his fourteen Formula One career wins. Watkins Glen is also where he clinched his second Formula One World Driver's Championship in 1974.

Gilles Villeneuve - Rainy Friday - Scuderia Ferrari - Watkins Glen - 1979

Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari on pit road at the 1979 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen on Friday. That first day on the track would almost be a complete washout with heavy rain. Only eighteen of the thirty-six Formula One cars would eventually head out and most only completed a couple of laps. When Villeneuve appeared, he put together a series of laps and set a time of 2:01.437. By the end of the session, he was ten seconds faster than the rest of the field with his teammate Jody Scheckter his closest challenger. Schecter had clinched the 1979 Formla One World Championship at Monza two races before Watkins Glen. Villeneuve's hard laps on the track would prove helpful Sunday when the race, which he would win, was run mostly in the rain.

James Hunt - Marlboro Team McLaren - Watkins Glen - 1977

James Hunt in his Marlboro McLaren M26/2 on Friday at the 1977 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen entering the first turn at the end of the pit straight. The first day of practice and qualifying would be a cool, windy but clear day. Hunt was fastest from the start and would set a time that secured the pole when rain came in for Saturday's sessions. Rain would also be an issue for the race on Sunday and Hunt led forty-five of the races fifty-nine laps to win by a margin 2.026 seconds over Mario Andretti. I always liked to try to get a nice image of drivers, when as the defending World Champion, carried the # 1 on their car.

Mario Andretti - John Player Team Lotus - Watkins Glen - 1977

Mario Andretti ponders the needs of his Lotus 78 Formula One car at the 1977 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen on the first day of practice. Andretti and Team Lotus had great results for the year when he didn't crash or have engine problems, coming into Watkins Glen he had five poles and four wins.  For Andretti, this race was even more important because there was the prospect of a "home" driver winning at Watkins Glen for the first time. He also and wanted to achieve an unofficial “double” by adding it to his earlier triumph that season at the United States Grand Prix West Long Beach. He came close, starting fourth he finished second to James Hunt by 2.026 seconds in a race run mostly in the rain. In January of 1995, as a public relations representative for Slim Jim and driver David Green, we were participating in an autograph session at a big motorsports show in Philadelphia. David was seated next to Mario. I had brought a nice matted print of this image hoping to have Mario sign it. When the session was over I pulled it out for him to sign and handed him a black Sharpie. He said, "This one needs to be signed with a gold pen." When I told him I didn't have one, he said "I do," then took one out of his pocket and proceeded to put a beautiful signature in a perfect place across the black car at the bottom of the photo.

Danny Ongais - Formula Magazine First Place Winning Photo - Interscope Racing - Watkins Glen - 1977

Danny Ongais during the rainy practice on Saturday of the 1977 United States Grand Prix weekend. This would be the first of four Formula One Grand Prix races Ongais would run. Two in 1977 and two in 1978. His best finish was seventh at the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix. At Watkins Glen Ongais had a brand-new Penske PC4 built to identical specifications to the cars used by John Watson at the end of 1976. Entered by Ted Field’s Interscope Racing, the team received guidance from former Penske F1 team manager Heinz Hofer and were equipped with a pair of ex-Parnelli Cosworth DFVs with which to tackle the two North American events.  This photo won first place in the Professional Color category of the photo contest held by Formula Magazine and was published in their February 1979 issue.  Ongais died on Feb. 26, 2022, of congestive heart complications in Anaheim Hills, California. He was 79.

Emerson Fittipaldi - Marlboro Team McLaren - Watkins Glen - 1975

Emerson Fittapaldi in his Marlboro Team McLaren in the pits at the 1975 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. He would start and finish second behind Niki Lauda, who led all 59 laps of the race. I used this photo many times in sponsor presentations over the years to illustrate the power of how a logo in the right location could be effective exposure.

Clay Regazzoni - Scuderia Ferrari 312T - Watkins Glen - 1975

Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980, winning five Grands Prix. In 1974 he had finished second in the World Drivers' Championship, his career best, just three points behind Emerson Fittipaldi. Following an accident at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West he was left paralyzed from the waist down, ending his career in Formula One. Regazzoni did not stop racing, he competed in the Paris-Dakar rally and Sebring 12 hours using a hand-controlled car during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was known as a hard charging racer; Jody Scheckter stated that if "he'd been wearing a cowboy hat he'd have been the one in the black hat." I always thought of him like Major League Baseball pitcher "Sal the Barber" Maglie. Regazzoni died in a car accident in Italy on December 15, 2006.

Niki Lauda - Ferrari 312T2 - Last Race for Ferrari - Watkins Glen - 1977

Niki Lauda at the 1977 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in what was to be his last race for Ferrari.   A fourth-place finish in the race would clinch the 1977 World Driver's Championship for Lauda which would be his second, as he had also been the World Champion in 1975. Since Lauda and Ferrari team management had been at odds for much of the year, with his second World Championship in hand Lauda left the team and did not run the races in Canada and Japan.

Scheckter Chicane - Caution - Watkins Glen - 1975

For the 1975 United States Grand Prix the Watkins Glen circuit had been modified by the addition of the "Scheckter Chicane" at the approach to the uphill Esses. After François Cevert's fatal crash there two years earlier, the corner was deemed to be too fast. It was named after future World Champion Jody Scheckter who had suggested it. Many thought it ill-considered and badly designed.  It was to be responsible for a number of incidents during the weekend, in which at least three cars were damaged, including Vittorio Brambilla's March in practice and Brett Lunger's Hesketh during the race. It was eliminated in 1985. Here a corner worker becomes a human caution flag after Lunger had launched his Hesketh over it at lap 46.

Jackie Stewart - On The Cusp Of Retirement - Watkins Glen - 1973

On Friday morning of October 5th before the first practice for the 1973 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Jackie Stewart was all smiles. A very few people, that included his team owner, top Ford executives and a priest, knew that this was to be the final race of his career. He hadn't told his wife Helen or teammate Francois Cevert. Here he even appears to be telegraphing his next career move, from driving into the broadcasting world. He had clinched this third World Driver's Championship just weeks earlier. This race was to be his hundredth and final start, he had won twenty-seven F1 world championship races, the most in the sports history at that time. In his autobiography he said, "Looking back, maybe everything was too good to be true." The next day in the morning practice session his teammate Francois Cevert would be die in a crash in the very car Stewart sits on in this photograph. That afternoon with the announcement of the death of Cevert and the French National Anthem having been played over the track's PA system, Stewart's team withdrew from the race in respect for their fallen teammate. With the realization that his driving career was now over Stewart then informed Helen that he was no longer a racing driver. "Now," she said, "we can grow old together."

Niki Lauda - Uncertain Future - STP March Racing Team - Watkins Glen - 1972

A young Niki Lauda in his March 721G at the 1972 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen facing an uncertain future. He had run one Formula One race the previous year making his debut at the Austrian Grand Prix, a race I had attended. For 1972 he had taken out a loan to finance this ride with March. This was his final race for that team under that contract and his prospects were looking bleak to continue in Formula One. In this race he would start nineteenth and finish twenty fifth. He had three top ten finishes for the year to showcase his talent for a future F-1 seat. We know now what he did next to keep his career going, and it put him among the greats in Formula One history.

Francois Cevert - Elf Team Tyrrell - Wins First Grand Prix - Watkins Glen - 1971

This is Francois Cevert in 1971 at Watkins Glen on the weekend he would win his only Formula One Grand Prix race, and at the track where he would lose his life two years later. Cevert, described by his mentor and teammate Jackie Stewart, "was the epitome of an ambitious, talented and well-mannered young sportsman. He had an amazing presence, with his big blue eyes, upright posture and incredible physique. He had considerable talents as a concert pianist, but his great passion was motor racing. This photo appeared in the book "Formula One at Watkins Glen - 20 Years Of The United States Grand Prix, 1961-1980," by Michael Argetsinger.

Graham Hill - Two Months Before Fatal Plane Crash - Watkins Glen - 1975

Graham Hill at the 1975 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in October. Hill was one of the world's most accomplished racing drivers. He was Formula One world champion in 1962 and 1968 and had won the Monaco Grand Prix five times. He also won the most famous race in the United States, the Indianapolis 500, as well as the 24-Hours of Le Mans. Hill began the year behind the wheel of his Embassy Lola's, but after starts in the first two races of1975 and then two DNQ's he stepped out of the car for protege Tony Brise to take over in his place. Watkins Glen would be the final race for the Embassy Racing with Graham Hill Team and Brise. On the evening of 29 November 1975, Hill was piloting his small plane from France to London. He was returning from a test at Circuit Paul Ricard where the team was preparing a new car for the 1976 F-1 season. His passengers included driver Brise and four others on his team. Shortly before 10 pm attempting to land in a thick fog the plane hit trees and everyone on board was killed. Graham Hill stands as a Formula One Legend and an icon in the motorsport community, and in addition to that, he has one of the best moustaches in racing history.

James Hunt - Team McLaren - Wins Race From Pole - Watkins Glen -1977

James Hunt taking measure of the competition or the ladies, at the 1977 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Hunt would win the pole and the race leading 45 of the 59 laps. The race was run in the rain, and it was Hunt's second win in a row at Watkins Glen.

Jackie Stewart - Elf Team Tyrrell - Wins Race From Pole - Watkins Glen - 1972

Jackie Stewart during practice for the 1972 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. He would win the pole and the race leading all of the laps. I took a nice, matted print of this photo with me to the 1977 Daytona 500 as I knew he would be there working for the ABC network covering the race. When I was able to locate him during the week to get it signed, he was very positive about the image. When I went back to Daytona for the 1978 500, I took a print of this photo with me to give to him. Again, I got a positive reaction. A few weeks later I received a letter from him from his home in Switzerland thanking me and saying, "I like the photograph very much."

John Surtees - Formula One and Motorcycle World Champion - Watkins Glen - 1971

John Surtees was a World Champion in both motorcycle Grand Prix and in Formula One.  In 1960, when he was 26, Surtees switched from motorcycles to racing cars full-time, making his Formula 1 debut for Team Lotus. He made an immediate impact with a second-place finish in only his second F1 race and a pole position at his third, the 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix. He moved to Ferrari in 1963 and won the Drivers’ World Championship for the Italian team in 1964.  In his era going from driver to constructor was in vogue, Brabham and McLaren had done it with great success. Surtees also gave it a try, but he ran his cars for nine years and went 118 races without a win. Though driving for Team Surtees under his tutelage did prove to be a steppingstone to future Formula One wins for a number of drivers that included Carlos Pace, John Watson, Alan Jones, Vittorio Brambilla and Jochen Mass.

Denny Hulme - The Bear - Team McLaren - Watkins Glen - 1971

Denny Hulme at the 1971 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Hulme was nicknamed 'The Bear', because of his "gruff nature" and "rugged features." The New Zealand driver won the 1967 Formula One World Drivers' Championship for the Brabham team. He won eight Formula One races from 1967 to 1973 and 22 CanAm races over the years, taking the CanAm title with McLaren in 1968 and 1970. Hulme died in 1992 at age of 56 of a heart attack, while driving a BMW M3 during the Bathurst 1000 km touring car race in Australia. In the 1970's McLaren had a sponsorship with Reynolds Metals from here in Richmond. They developed a special alloy for Can Am engine blocks and Reynolds Aluminum produced a sleeveless aluminum block that enabled larger pistons due to the lack of cast-iron liners and could be built to 7.6-litre capacity. This relationship brought Hulme to Richmond for PR and engine development purposes in those years. A friend worked at the Richmond airport at that time, and he said one day a man walked up to his counter and thinking he was making a joke he said, "You look just like Denny Hulme." To which the man replied, "I am."

Ronnie Peterson - Elf Team Tyrrell - Tyrrell P34 - Six Wheel Car - Watkins Glen -1977

Ronnie Peterson in the six-wheel Tyrrell heading on to the track in1977. This would be his last Formula One race at Watkins Glen as he would die in a crash at the Italian Grand Prix the next year before the circuit would return in 1978. Peterson would only drive for Team Tyrrell one year. He would move to Lotus for 1978 and would be teammate to Mario Andretti who would win the World Driver's Championship that year. Peterson would finish second to Andretti with enough points accumulated before his fatal first-lap accident at Monza. Known by the nickname "Super Swede", he was a two-time runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. He had ten career Formula One Grand Prix victories and won fourteen poles.

Rain Racing - Alan Jones - Gilles Villeneuve - Watkins Glen - 1979

Alan Jones started the 1979 United States Grand Prix from the pole in the rain with Gilles Villeneuve third on the grid. The pole sitter in his Williams might have thought he had a clean run to the first corner, but Villeneuve got a demon start to drive past Jones into the first turn. The early stages would see Villeneuve streak ahead of the field but as the rain eased off around lap ten Jones began to inch back towards Villeneuve. Villeneuve, burning through his Michelin wets at a rapid rate was having to seek out more wet tarmac than Jones trying to save his tires. This allowed Jones to take the lead on lap 33 using a lapped car as a pick to dive inside the Ferrari. Villeneuve took that as a sign to stop for slicks, coming in at the end of lap 34. Two laps later Jones came in and the Williams crew didn't get one of the wheels on tight enough so that it came off of the car in the boot section of the track. This handed Villeneuve a commanding lead, which he would keep to the end winning by 48.787 seconds over Rene Arnoux.