10/09/2012
NEWS STORY
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Regular readers will have seen that in recent weeks we have been running a series of photos taken by various Formula One drivers and team bosses as well as other famous personalities from the sport. The photos have been taken and autographed for an auction called Zoom in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. It is no exaggeration to say that the photos are a very diverse bunch with all those taking part revealing an artistic bent.
We have had photos of Mark Webber's pet dogs drinking at a stream, an old tractor Adrian Newey found in India, an Alpine vista taken by Sebastian Vettel on a skiing trip and a mass-gathering of Ferraris in front of Mario Andretti's vineyard in California. The live auction takes place on Friday so it is fitting that the closer we get to it, the more fascinating the images which are being released.
Pitpass is an official media partner of Zoom so we can bring readers photos before any other outlet. Today's photo is certainly a timely one and it has never before been released. The ornately-designed cart that you see in the picture above belongs to none other than F1's boss Bernie Ecclestone. The cart contains chopped up bits of wood and sits outside Ecclestone's chalet 'Le Lion' in the exclusive ski resort of Gstaad in Switzerland. The chalet is where Ecclestone recently got married for the third time to long-time girlfriend Fabiana Flosi and it certainly has his touch to it.
Ecclestone's offices in Knightbridge are littered with objects he has acquired over the decades he has been involved with F1. There's a fireman's hat, a model of a million dollars in cash and a statue of two hands gripping each other in a disembodied handshake. The cart outside the chalet continues this trend and Ecclestone told Pitpass' business editor Christian Sylt, who is one of the founders of Zoom, that "it came from somewhere like Turkey. It is just for decoration and not for use."
The photo has been signed by Ecclestone and is being auctioned exclusively online through the Zoom website with bidding opening late next week after the live auction of other photos has taken place. Ecclestone is the only person who has taken two photos and his other one will be auctioned at next week's event. It is also of another item which Ecclestone has picked up along the way. In fact it is a pair of statues and they take pride of place on the mantle piece in the lounge of Ecclestone's chalet.
Our gallery shows the photo of the statues and there is no doubting that they are mysterious. "These two interesting statues are in my house in Gstaad in Switzerland. I can't remember where they came from but I like them a lot," says Ecclestone. It is a truly personal glimpse inside the house of F1's most powerful man with the only other people who are likely to have seen it recently being the guests at Ecclestone's wedding.
On Saturday Zoom was the cover story of the Daily Telegraph's motoring section and the report showed off a few more of the photos. Whilst they don't go behind closed doors, they do show one-of-a-kind views. Perhaps the most unusual is Caterham driver Vitaly Petrov's picture of a giant earth mover which can also be seen in our gallery. In fact, there is a perfectly logical reason for Petrov's choice of photo as he explains.
"Every driver looks forward to racing in his home country, but so far I've not had the opportunity. I took this photo of a giant digger at the circuit which is under construction in Sochi and will host the very first Russian Grand Prix. I'm very proud that my country has made this decision. F1 is getting more popular in Russia all the time and I'm really looking forward to racing in front of my home crowd. It will be a very special feeling."
The photo taken by Williams team principal Sir Frank Williams is an equally unique view of a country which does not yet have an F1 race. It shows the name of his team etched into the sand in Qatar where Williams has a research and development facility. "I was visiting to take a look at the progress being made and visit local dignitaries," says sir Frank adding that "Williams F1 and the Middle East have a long association - our first ever sponsors were from the region, so has a special significance for our organisation. The weather's not bad too!"
Another one of the photos which was shot on a beach was taken by former world champion Damon Hill. It is an extremely atmospheric shot of surfers running into the sea. Over drinks in Waterloo Hill told Sylt that he "took this picture on a beach in Devon. After a day surfing I was trying to capture the light on the dunes at dusk when suddenly some other surfers came running into the shot at just the right moment, making it the perfect photo opportunity."
Another truly personal photo comes from commentator Murray Walker who has taken a lovely snap of an old motorcycle in the sun. There is a wonderful story behind it as Walker says that it "features a very rare four-cylinder AJS of 1931 vintage which I took at the 50th Graham Walker Memorial Run, held at Beaulieu in August in honour of my father who died 50 years ago."
The other photo which has been added to our gallery brings us back to the track but not the one we are used to. It is taken by Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali and shows his driver Fernando Alonso on a mountain bike going over what appears to be pretty rugged terrain. It gives a good idea of Alonso's training regimen and is one of the most unique photos in the collection. After all, where else are you going to find a photo of Alonso specially taken by Domenicali and signed by him? It is a dream come true for the Tifosi.
Next up will be the photo taken by Kimi Raikkonen which reflects the wild side we all know the Finn has. Look out for this one tomorrow and for all the latest developments about Zoom keep an eye on its Twitter and Facebook pages.
Check out our Zoom gallery, which is updated on a regular basis, here.