"Passion le Mans"

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I met Denis Boussard thanks to Marco Raymondin. Both of them are partners and have shared the same passion for vintage machines for several decades.
Denis is also and above all a professionnal fashion photographer in Paris, which forces him to use digital technique.

For his personnal work, he has chosen to stay traditionnal and shoots only Analogic films, with his favourite camera: 6X6 square size Rolleiflex .
This commitment impose, on one hand to permanently chose the good picture (frame and construction) cause the film holds only 12 frames, and on the other hand to get close to the subject cause the lens can't zoom. This minimalism keeps therefore intact the passion for picture and the waiting of its results.
Which is the essence of photography....

Denis is native to Le Mans and naturally has always attended to the mythic race "les 24 heures du MANS"
He took his first images in 1977, those great days of Jacky Ickx and Henry Pescarolo, and since, every year, he is back to complete this work which recently became a book named "Passion Le Mans".


In this square black and white pictures book you find side by side great moments of 1977 Le Mans, but present Le Mans and classical Le Mans as well.
It's beautiful and a good piece of writing in French and English by Christophe Wilmart. And the foreword is from Jacky Ickx himself.

Nice job Denis
Denis Website here: http://db-ontheroad.com





Jacky Ickx gave us our dreams, and we still admire his achievements. That race of 11-12 June 1977 is engraved forever in our memories. That year, that weekend, Denis Boussard immortalized the victory of Jacky Ickx, Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood. Meanwhile I followed the exploits of my heroes on the radio, thrilling to the commentary. We could not have known then that thirty years later we would meet at the Le Mans 24 Hour race. He had his Rolleiflex, I had my notebook and pencil. A friendship grew up. Three years later, we spent an hour talking with Jacky Ickx about that 1977 victory. Not only did he agree to write a preface for us, but he also allowed us to share our passion for the 24 Hour race with him. Merci, ‘Monsieur Le Mans’.














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Adventures on a Motorcycle

"It's not an adventure until something goes wrong"

(Yvon Chouinard)

That could be a good sum up of the course that Pete Young and other participants of the Cannonball Run have just been in.

Nowadays, ultra sophisticated technical and security means, involved in most of the human experiences get the concept of unforeseen or withdraw for wound or mechanical problems almost inexistant and nearly impossible.

The Participants of the Cannonball, all of them involved in modern life, dared defy time crossing the USA at an average speed of 40mph on machines nearly a hundred years old, usually exposed in museums.

Their driving, very technical, cannot be improvised and you have to know how to save them and listen to them if you wish to reach the end.



Despite that, at the very fist leg, various failures but especially engines ones have been massive. Some, like Pete, could repair during sleepless nights in improbables workshops with tools of ancient times, while others were forced to give up.... just like years ago!




It means that each participant has a perfect knowledge of his machine and that mutual aid has a huge role to play between them.


I'm sure that those difficults moments have created real friendship.

Thanks to Kevin Bean're for the photos

There is also a real concept of travel and discovery, a trail of 3500 miles at slow motion, on straight roads of several dozen of miles leaves alone with your reflections...



For all those reasons, I would qualify the first (but not last, I hope) edition of the "Motorcycle Cannonball Run" a BIG human adventure

Thumbs up guys!

Photos by Michael Lichter


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Pictures from the Paddock

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After a little break, we are back with paddock's pictures from various track events. From the popular "climb race", our national countryside sport, Alpine Renault and other Gordinis were and still remain period's stars. Through the "Gaillac" vineyards, we decided with my mate JJB to take participation with the GT 350 Mustang (An elephant among chickens!), very funny Sunday...
Our friend Jean-Claude, like every year, was at the French "Ton-up" rendez-vous, held in Lurcy-Levis. This typical "British bikes" event is now open to Italian bikes (Chutney Pasta?). No races but just demos as everywhere in France now. As we can see our "Man" prefers doing mechanics than drinking tea!
Next series is by Benoit our blog Photographer and VW addict, who took some pics at the annual VW/Rods and american cars meeting near Toulouse.
And at last, the most prestigious French race "Le Mans Classic" where YJH and PdO were looking for new toys ! Big contrast with the first event ...
Enjoy !






















































































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