Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell was F1 World Champion in 1992 and switching to the Cart Indy Car World Series in 1993 won the Championship in that series as well. He had an incredible fighting spirit. In the sweltering heat of the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix I watched stunned as he valiantly pushed his disabled Lotus towards the finish line until he collapsed from exhaustion. His legion of fans identified with his determination and affectionately referred to him as “Lion Heart.”
Formula One Landscape: Monaco Hairpin
Nigel Mansel in the Williams.
Formula One Landscape: Monaco
A Brabham enters Mirabeau.
A Box Of Asparagus
Paul-Henri once joked that “In the Spring the asparagus arrives and so does Dale.” I love the seasonal availability of produce. When something is fresh the flavor and texture are supreme and you eat a lot of it until it is gone. Then you have something to look forward to next year. Needless to say the asparagus at La Boîte d’Asperge was incredible and it is an indelible memory. Proust had his madeleines and now, decades later, when I taste the first fresh asparagus of Spring I think of France, Le Mans and Porsche 956s.
A Lunch To Remember
The day after my ride with Derek Bell I was invited to attend a luncheon at La Boîte d’Asperge, a small restaurant near the circuit. I was seated at a table with a few other photographers and journalists and a selection of great sports car drivers. The conversation, in a mixture of French and English, was filled with racing anecdotes punctuated with laughter. I was silent, listening in amazement when Paul-Henri Cahier announced that I had a lap the previous day in a Porsche 956. Seated across from me, Jochen Mass laughed heartily saying “ Oh you are the tall American that rode with Derek. You know the crew had a bet going you weren’t going to fit!” The whole table joined him in laughter. I guess I must have been quite an amusing spectacle folding myself into the car. Afterwards I took this picture, left to right: Bob Wollek, Jochen Mass, Bernard Cahier, Henri Pescarolo and Claude Ballot-Léna.
THE 956
I was so excited and disoriented after my ride with Derek Bell that I never photographed the car itself. I went back later and was told this was the one. Its clearly a “T” or spare car with its taped numbers. That makes sense because the primary cars would be saved for the race and you don’t want any tall photographers damaging the racecar trying to fit inside.
poeticsofspeed 
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