[To return to our www.petelyons.com PHOTO SITE, click here]
Welcome aboard my new cyber-racer! I have no idea how to drive this turbonitrocharged Magnum BlogSpeeder thing, so you might want to strap in and hang on. Tight.
But you needn’t shut up. I’m going to welcome all the helpful advice I can get. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, I’m inured to harsh criticism — shucks, I’ve driven Hurley Haywood around a race track and survived. (My story about that is posted in the Category named Published Words, accessible in the sidebar to your right; look for “Driving Mr. Haywood.”)
And pictures. I’m going to be posting pictures. Pictures are what we’re about here at petelyons©com
“Pete’s Notebook” is a companion to our main website. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes an actual word or two can help us appreciate what we’re seeing. We might talk about the background of the picture’s subject, say, or the story of where and why the picture was made.
Perhaps a photo will spark a discussion about photography itself. I enjoy the process of making pictures as much as I do crafting words. In fact, I was shooting race cars before I started writing about them.
Also, these words-pages give us a place to expand on explanations about the products we offer: the various sizes of photo prints and their prices (simply see “Sizes and Prices” in the sidebar), the new — and now award winning! — “CAN-AM CARS IN DETAIL” from David Bull Publishing as well as our other books, the “Can-Am Thunder” DVD produced by Duke Video, my own new “Pete Lyons’ CAN-AM CALENDAR 2011″ along with a very limited remaining supply of last year’s 2010 Road & Track “Vintage Memories” calendar featuring 14 Lyons photos.
Let’s also take this space to invite your attention to various collaborative ventures. The first is posted already: studio photographer Peter Harholdt’s portfolio of some of the stunning images he created for “CAN-AM CARS IN DETAIL.” Other announcements are coming soon.
“Pete’s Notebook” is, and no doubt will remain, a work-in-progress. As we make our way around the Internet raceway, you may notice the occasional wheel being put wrong or gearchange missed. Go ahead and shout at me, Hurley did. As on that occasion, I’ll try to learn fast.
Ok, gear in, revs up, take a deep breath…
Contents and concept copyright © 2009-2011 by Pete Lyons
Pete,
Well, you are certainly quite a few words ahead of me with this blog thingy. Maybe one day I’ll get up to speed on all this but first I’ll reapply the Ben Gay, take a few more Advils, and keep trying to figure out how to get those search engines to ‘find’ my website!
Congrats on navigating your way through the ‘blog’!
Andy
Hi Andy –
Thanks for the kind word, but I fear I don’t deserve it, not yet, anyway. I’m less “up to speed” in your phrase than I am blundering along, misfiring, tires cold, windscreen clouded with clag… But at least there hasn’t been a crunching sound yet!
– Pete
Hi Pete,
Just got the newsletter regarding the new book. Congrats! Looks pretty. Will probably buy. Your calendar has been hanging over my monitor since the beginning of the year. Every day this month, I’ve been looking up at Mark and David’s beat up warrior. I vividly remember reading about that race as a boy and seeing that picture and description takes me back without fail.
However, in July, we return to my fav — the Can Am bruisers.
Thanks for all the photos and words.
Cheers,
Michael
Michael, you’re not supposed to page ahead in the calendar! Seriously, thank you for expressing the same enthusiasm I feel for those wonderful times. — Pete
I just happened to come across the work you do Mr. Lyons and I am impressed. I was a teenager when Can-AM was in it’s prime and was able to see a couple of races at Road America. My older brother and I were die hard model builders and that grew into slot cars. Many weeks worth of allowances went into our habit.
I was able to get a copy of ‘Can-AM Photo History’ and that will be my brother’s Christmas gift. Thanks for keeping the faith alive and bringing back some wonderful memories. One of these days I will make it to Texas and go to the Chaparral museum but in the meantime I can look at your photographs. I may have to break down and get one of the DVDs.
Thanks again and keep up the good work,
Steve
Thanks for the kind word. — Pete
Pete,
Attended the wonderful Bridgehampton Rally and Bridge Tribute yesterday. Weather was perfect! Met Guy Frost, talked with Joe Buzzetta, saw some great cars and lots of your great photos.
Kinda hoping you would be there too but then again, Bridgehampton is more than just a walk up the paddock row from your place in California now isn’t it? Still, your work was very evident and that made it feel like you had come home again to ‘sandy-land’ aka Long Island!
Keep your speed up!
PS – I confess to flipping ahead on my 2010 PL calendar too! Great images from a great (greatest!) time in sportscar racing!
Glad you had a good time, Andy. I’d have enjoyed being there, but the days I lived close enough are loooong gone!
The owner of Dan Gurney’s 1966 winning Lola, Johan Woerheide, took a photo of it posed in the old Turn One and posted it on his Facebook page; search for “Woerheide Johan”
Hi Pete,and Lorna.
I am thrilled to find and purchase the photo of the Chaparral 2g at the ”Bridge”
in 1968. I am old enough to say that I was there on that day. As I arrived at the track very early I saw a pick up truck pulling a open trailer with the 2g on the trailer.
I had never seen a winged Can Am car before , so I followed the car to the pit area,
to watch the crew unload the car, and there I saw Jim Hall , it was a unforgetable
moment.
Thank you for being there and and taking this historic photo, it was a
great time in motorsports.
I was just setting here thinking about a nice gestures from some fellow car lovers.
Thanks again Pete from a big Peter Bryant fan.!
P.S. And Pete Lyons is OK in my book too!
Thanks, Scott. And I’ll bet Peter Bryant is smiling back atcha …
My favourite piece you ever wrote was the wonderful description of the journalists attempt to disrupt practice by physically blocking the pitlane at Zeltweg, car after car slowing to a halt against the Armco. Then appeared the Marlboro BRM of Clay Reggazoni……
Now, I must profoundly apologise if I have gotten the next bit wrong. My memory is nagging me that in fact Gordon Kirby may have written the Autosport article in question. In 1975 the UOP Shadow guys organised a farewell demo of their Can-Am car to the motoring press at The Glen, a makeshift passenger seat fitted. Follmer drove, I think. The piece begins with a pit-lane encounter with an ashen-faced Paul Frere…..
If I could find a transcript of this memorable piece I would be most grateful.
How kind of you to remember that story from Austria, Julian, thank you. That was kind of a fun moment for someone brand new to EuroPolitik.
As for the Watkins Glen piece, that must have been Gordo’s. If I’d been there I’d have gotten myself into that passenger seat so fast … !