I READ WITH INTEREST YOUR RECOGNITION OF THE RECENT PASSING OF TONY BROOKS [Matters of Moment, July]. As an eight-year-old, I travelled to Watkins Glen with my father to experience the 1961 US Grand Prix. Dad, an avid motor sport enthusiast, immigrated to Canada from England in 1949 and had maintained a friendship with BRM mechanic Dennis Perkins. Arriving at the Glen, we met Dennis and the rest of the team in the paddock. No doubt, I was thrilled when he asked if I would like to sit in Tony’s BRM P57. As the years pass, I am reminded once again of F1’s gentler times.
BILL WILCOX, COBOURG, ONTARIO, CANADA
I AM SOMEWHAT PUZZLED, IF ENTERTAINED, by Doug Nye’s comments] re historic racing. I agree that modern safety equipment can look incongruous when matched with older vehicles, but if that’s the price of them being allowed to continue to compete (particularly bearing in mind that there can be inherent risks with these cars) then so be it. Doug praises the proposal by Jason Wright of an “invitation demonstration” series – well, that might well be good to watch, but it won’t be racing, and I want to see historic competition vehicles competing. I’m surprised that someone of Doug’s stature feels differently.
