Rooting around in a box full of old prints, slides and negatives I found this Magic Moment.

Nearly 29 years ago, 10th May 1981, I showed all the symptoms of the insanity that would drive me down the motorsport path instead of a normal job. I recall that it was a mate's birthday, but I had a ticket to the Silverstone Six Hours. The choice was stark, spend the day in the pub drinking beer or brave the elements at the old bomber base. No need to ask what the answer was. I had my new-ish camera gear to try out.

It rained cats and dogs, the Werks Porsche 936 (or 908/80) in the hands of Jochen Mass, aquaplaned off on the first lap, it was that kind of day.

No need to worry though, the crowd was mesmerised watching a Red Arrow, sliding from lock to lock, on the edge of disaster almost all the time, except it wasn't. Hans-Joachim Stuck jnr. simply ignored the rain and all the standing water. He dragged his underpowered, standard ProCar spec, BMW M1 from the wrong end of the grid to second overall by the first pit stops.

Incroyable! The fairytale did not have a happy ending, the gearbox gave up halfway through the race.

My mate hopefully still has birthdays, I lost touch years ago.  Me? I will be at Spa on the anniversary of this race, in a week or so, probably in the rain, watching three Audis and four Peugeots run a full dress rehearsal for Le Mans. Maybe I was not crazy after all.

John Brooks