I came across this fantastic set of photos a few years ago, but was recently reminded of just how precious an artifact it is. I’m surprised by the size and variety of the grids for these events. Minis, Lotus, a Beetle or 2, Fiat Cincuentas—magnificent. It’s easy to focus on the famous tracks and drivers of Europe, or the grass roots glory of the American road racing scene; but these shots from Angola at the height of sports car racing is every bit as vibrant and exciting.
The track preparation shots are particularly fantastic. We don’t often get to see photos from the era building the tracks that have become sacred ground. We’ve sat in more than enough traffic jams to get they general idea of how roadways are built today, but for me these shots of a few construction vehicles creating a tarmac racing surface from nothing is just another extension of the DIY spirit of home racing car builders and garagistas that has always been at the center of what we hold so dear about classic motorsport.
Be sure to click over to Nite_Owl’s Flickr stream for the complete set. Well worth it.
0 replies on “Flickr Find: Auto Racing in Angola”
I think that the car in shot number #, faded orange and on the far left side of the photo, is a Lotus 47 – I also see a 904, some Elans, perhaps a GT40, and an Alfa… anyone know the specifics of this grid?
[…] should have known that yesterday’s peek into the racing history of Angola was only the tip of the iceberg. Here are a couple of short films […]