This film features a saloon car race meeting at Brands Hatch in Kent, or, more specifically, a "Fordsport Superloon Day- Sunday 25th May 1978". The cameraman probably had some sort of personal link to, or simply an admiration of, the "Lord Hesketh" racing team, as this figure features at regular intervals throughout the latter part of the film, and car no. 24 (a Lord Hesketh team car) is also focused upon by the cameraman, and is shown frequently. All footage looks to be...

This film features a saloon car race meeting at Brands Hatch in Kent, or, more specifically, a "Fordsport Superloon Day- Sunday 25th May 1978". The cameraman probably had some sort of personal link to, or simply an admiration of, the "Lord Hesketh" racing team, as this figure features at regular intervals throughout the latter part of the film, and car no. 24 (a Lord Hesketh team car) is also focused upon by the cameraman, and is shown frequently. All footage looks to be taken from a handheld camera and most shots are taken from the crowd on one of the banks beside the racetrack. The film starts straight in the action, as three cars are shown flying past the camera, and the small crowds on either side of the track, racing bumper-to-bumper, the camera follows them for a short while. The cars enter a straight before a corner, and pass many advertisements posted on the side of the track- one for Shell fuel which was growing in popularity at this time due to growing development from a small-time oil export company, into the global, commercial, industrial- superpower it is now. In fact, many of the cars shown in the film bear the badge as sponsorship. As the three cars (appearing to be leading the pack) enter a hill, the camera stays stationary to show a nice shot of the rest of the pack going by, all fighting tooth & claw for vital positions. The film then cuts to the next scene, where one car (no. 24, the Lord Hesketh team car mentioned at the top) looks to have built a substantial lead on the others, races down the top of a hill and passes a scoreboard. This car is clearly labelled no. 24 and bears the Shell badge as sponsorship, along with the words "ShellSport" printed on the side for god measure. As the car reaches the foot of the hill, and begins to climb again, it disappears behind advertisements and the race-side crowd. The film cuts back to the same hill again (at the point where the track is directly in front of the scoreboard and a throng of people), but it is clearer now and we are able to read "LUCAS" at the top-left and top-right of the scoreboard. Lucas was a professional motorsport team and therefore could easily have provided sponsorship for an event such as this one. We can also see what the scoreboard is showing- "PLACE- 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th No. - 3 9 7 - 11 LAPS COMPLETED- 3 EVENT - - LAPS 11" There is then a short wait for another car to join the frame, but as it races past, the camera again remains stationary and shows the other cars trailing it before following no. 24 again for the same section of the track (therefore it must be a new lap) as previously mentioned, this time though, as the camera is closer, and more focused, we can see it passing a "Daily Mail" advertisement, before again, disappearing behind the crowd and under the "Dunlop" bridge at the end of the straight, and then again, the rest of the competitors are shown trailing. Next is a tight bend directly in front of a stand, with a Dunlop ring & trees in the background, eight cars are shown in this scene, before the camera cuts to a view of a Shell stand, full of spectators, which we see is situated on the track directly before the scoreboard & brow of the hill. The car which enters the frame first flies past a sign for the "John Player Grand Prix", a reminder of how prestigious & covered in racing glory & history, Brands hatch is. This scene is only short, & as the car exits to the left of the frame (racing down the hill) we cut again to car number 24, however the camera is now closer to the track and subsequently we can see that the car has the words "Lord Hesketh" printed above the fuel filler cap, this indicates that this car was part of Lord Hesketh's team, and he also features in the film himself. There is a Daily Mail advert re-enter the shot and the car disappears again, the film then cuts to a new lap, with the same car starting at a pretty much identical point on the track, just before the daily mail advert. However, this time the camera pans out and shows the two more cars in hot pursuit of no. 24, and a race warden is shown waving a flag besides the left-hand-side of the track. As the film is black & white, we are unable to distinguish the colour, but as the camera cuts to a shot of car 8 re-entering the track after spinning out onto the dirt track besides the road. The car is labelled "G. Johnson- Smith". Then, perhaps unintentionally, there is an extremely short clip of a section of the track but without any action/ cars present in the shot. The film cuts back to the shot of the tight corner before the stand, as the cars in the frame exit the shot, we cut to a crowd on a bank with 4/5 people in the immediate foreground. Two of the figures are blocked by a woman standing between them and the camera, but the two are clearly visible. One is a woman who is talking to other members of the group, wearing a large, and stylish coat with white buttons, and what looks to be a scarf around her neck. Part way through the shot she pulls out a camera and takes a picture. The man stood to her left (our right) seems to be Lord Hesketh himself; he is wearing a white shirt and dark sunglasses. Two of the people in the background turn to face the camera, one of which is wearing a hat. There is a shot of the winner's podium and of course, the winner, with a floral wreath around his neck, he is accompanied on the mobile podium by two women; one is waving a chequered flag, the other, a bottle of champagne. As the vehicle moves past we see people in the foreground taking pictures and the winner taking a swig of champagne (then scrutinising the label on the bottle). We see more faces in the crowd as the man directly in front turns round. Following this is what looks like an interview between Lord Hesketh (white shirt + shades) and a TV/ radio presenter (headphones + microphone) and then we see Lord Hesketh signing autographs in the Press enclosure, there is an extreme close-up shot and we see the girl in the centre of the picture waiting patiently with a notebook for his attention. INTERVAL When film restarts, we see a piano beside the track holding up a plaque which says; "The Lords V Commons at Brands, 1st prize presented by NATIONAL ORGANS" There is one car, then more fly past the camera and then cut to a car in the paddock with a man leant against the window frame, talking to the driver inside, more cars can be seen at the top/ top-left of the frame and there are a few people walking by. The man is then joined by another, he has a large beard and the first man is then replaced by a woman in overalls with a camera- possibly the same woman as previously mentioned, smiling at the camera. Three cars are lined up on the track- all with ShellSports sponsorship and Avon Tyres. The 1st car is labelled "Lord Strathcarron", the 2nd "Earl of Suffolk", and the 3rd car is partially blocked by the 2nd. The camera pans right to the rest of the cars on the grid & the small crowds milling on & off the track. No. 24- Lord Hesketh is seen once again, and the driver adjusts his helmet. The car is positioned alongside no. 7. There is an extreme close up of a team member leant against another car window, again talking to the driver. Then the two sponsorship girls make a re-appearance as they converse with the drivers (firstly no. 3) A member of one of the race teams, wearing a hat & racing overalls, hurries past the camera in the immediate foreground, & the girls move on to the next to the next car. The film closes with a shot of the grandstand and a sweeping shot of some of the cars race past. END