Excellent photo (printed from the original 35mm negative) of the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, five times F1 world champion, at speed in the BRM V16 Mk1 at Dundrod near Belfast, Northern Ireland, taking part in the Ulster Trophy Formula One and Formula Two race in 1952.
This was a fateful day for the great Argentine driver, having struggled manfully with the difficult and viciously powerful V16 BRM, drove across Europe overnight to take part in a race at Monza the following day.
He crashed during that race (some say a rare lapse of concentration caused by his fatigue) and broke his neck. This put him out of racing for the rest of 1952 and left him with a restricted movement in his neck thereafter. However he recovered with no loss of his amazing talent and went on to win the Grand Prix world title 4 more times (he had already won for Alfa Romeo in 1951).
Team mate at this meeting was Stirling Moss who hated the BRM, which he only raced on this single occasion, claiming it was the worst car he ever drove!
This shot shows Fangio at the famous Hairpin bend and in the background the a couple of unprotected onlookers can be seen stood on the side of this stretch of the normal public roads which formed part of the great Dundrod circuit where the RAC TT race was run from 1950 untill 1955.
10x7 inch (254x178mm)
