A few weeks ago we were fortunate to receive a handful of photos from racing driver Mandy Alvarez of the Cuban road racing scene experienced as a child in Cuba. Our luck has grown, because Mandy has dug back into the archives for another round of marvelous shots of racing on the island.
With Fangio kidnapped by the revolutionaries, it fell to Maurice Trintignant to take the driver’s seat in Juan Manuel’s Maserati. He finished 11th. It’s hard to imagine climbing into the racing seat, now knowing the fate of your teammate, but the show must go on.
At the ’57 Grand Prix Alfonso de Portago (#12) passes Juan Manuel Fangio (#2). Fangio later took the lead—and the race—when de Portago pitted and was unable to continue. Man, do those street lamps look awfully close. It’s photos like this that remind us that drivers were a whole magnitude of bravery higher than we see today. Even Monaco is surrounded by walls for the weekend.
Testa Rossas lined up and ready
Eugenio Castelotti pushed to the grid
Fangio and Bertochi on the Saturday of the 1958 GP (prior to the kidnapping)
Thanks again, Mandy!
We’d always excited to share more reader photos with Chicane readers. Drop us a line at tips@thechicane.com.
0 replies on “Reader Photos: Back to Havana”
“At the ’57 Grand Prix….when de Portago pitted and was unable to continue… “.
Actually, AdP was constricted to pit several minutes to cure a fuel feeding trouble. Even so, he finished 3rd, at near 2 minutes behind the winner.