For me, the highlights of historic motorsport events are always the Ferrari racing cars. Unfortunately, you don’t see too many Ferraris at these events these days. With prices for historic racing cars having skyrocketed in recent years – especially for Ferraris – many old racing cars from Maranello are surely languishing in air-conditioned garages, far from the public eye.
On the one hand, that’s certainly understandable; on the other, it isn’t. These wonderful racing cars were created solely for racing; it is, in essence, their sole purpose.
However, as I have been photographing historic motorsport for a few decades now, I have had the pleasure of capturing a great many different Ferraris through my camera lens. At the ‘Ferrari Racing Days’ alone, there was always a spectacular selection of historic Ferrari racing cars to marvel at, whether GTs, sports prototypes or Formula 1 cars. Every notable name in the glorious history of Scuderia Ferrari was there on the starting grid.
As soon as the entry lists for the historic motorsport events I’m covering are published, I check to see which Ferraris will be taking part. Unfortunately, sometimes without success.
Of course, there are other wonderful racing cars from Maserati, Porsche, Jaguar and many more, but the classic Ferraris are surrounded by a special aura – the Ferrari legend. It is simply unmistakable and extraordinary.
Of course, it has a great deal to do with the figure of the ‘Commendatore’ Enzo Ferrari, but also with the countless famous drivers who have always pushed these red racers to the limit on racetracks around the world. Whenever I touch a Ferrari like this, I always feel as though I’m touching history. For there are countless stories and myths about Ferrari – some true, and well, let’s say some slightly glorified. Whether these stories are true or not doesn’t really matter. What matters is that they are passed on and preserved to further enhance the myth and the allure of Ferrari.
Even a racing driver as level-headed and pragmatic as Lewis Hamilton couldn’t resist Ferrari’s pull; he did, after all, say that it had always been his dream to compete in a Formula 1 race in a Ferrari. It was exactly the same for Sebastian Vettel. Both left extremely successful teams to join Ferrari. For Sebastian Vettel, unfortunately, this did not end happily with a world championship title; as for Lewis Hamilton, we will have to wait and see whether he can secure victories in his second season with Ferrari.
I think, dear reader, you can sense my enthusiasm and passion for the legendary racing car manufacturer from Maranello. It’s something that connects me with millions of fans all over the world – including you?
