Rain – Alboreto’s Ferrari And The Policeman – Monaco 1984
I’ve been soaked by a monsoon in South Korea, endured days of flooding rain in Northern California and drenched by Midwest thunderstorms but the deluge of Monaco 1984 was incomparable. The day began with a solid downpour and progressed to total inundation. Despite my rain gear I was swamped. My electronic Nikon F3’s were saturated and stopped working. I soldiered on with my old mechanical Nikon F and a hand held meter and when it gave up I guessed at exposures. Moving around the track to photograph from different vantage points was nearly impossible.
In retrospect taking this picture was probably not the best idea although at the time I didn’t realize the policeman was so clearly evident in the photograph. As I tried to move up the street he stopped me and in a barrage of French he asked what I was doing and insisted I leave the track. I never had much confidence in my French but under duress I found my Gallic tongue and explained I was a credentialed photographer hard at work. My American accent was obvious so he switched to English which was about as fluent as my French. He demanded my passes which because of the rain were underneath my poncho. It took some time to produce the documents and all the while I continued my efforts at French while he struggled in English. From the outside our attempts at communication probably seemed quite comic. Eventually détente was reached and I continued on my waterlogged journey.
Stefan Bellof – Monaco Grand Prix 1984
During the final stages of the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix Ayrton Senna was in second place rapidly catching the leader Alain Prost. But in third place and closing in on Senna was Stefan Bellof who was piloting the only non-turbo powered car in the field. Senna’s drive has become legendary but Bellof’s performance was fantastic. Because of torrential rains the race was controversially stopped before the final positions were decided on track. Bellof later lost his third place when the Tyrrell team was excluded from the 1984 Championship for a series of infringements of the FIA rules.
Ayrton Senna Crests Beau Rivage In A Toleman – Monaco 1984
Natural terrain road courses require spectators to travel to their distant locations. In 1929 Anthony Noghès had the idea to bring racing to the city and with the support of the Automobile Club de Monaco organized the first Grand Prix through the narrow twisting streets of the Principality. My first Monaco Grand Prix in 1984 turned out to be historically significant for several reasons. One event frequently discussed was the spectacular performance of a young Ayrton Senna, the reigning British Formula 3 Champion, in a Toleman F1 car. Senna’s drive established a Formula One career that would result in three World Championships.
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