500 weeks, 500 euros, 500 Grand Prix
06/14/2020
You can't really get very far with 500 euros these days, especially not in racing. Nevertheless, the number 500 can mean an impressive number. As we now know, zwischengas.com is already 500 weeks old.
It took me 34 years to accumulate 500 Formula 1 races in my photographer's account ...
After my start in the premier class at Silverstone in 1979, I photographed all the races from 1987 up to and including 2016, apart from two, namely Imola in 1990 due to a cruciate ligament rupture and Mexico in 1989 due to the clash of dates with the Indy 500, where Nigel Mansell started for Newman-Haas, which we (Michael Schmidt and I) preferred to the GP.
My first Formula 1 race that I was able to experience live on site was the 1972 Monaco GP when I was 12 years old. It rained cats and dogs all day, Jean Pierre Beltoise was a surprise winner and a certain Niki Lauda was enjoying his rookie existence in March, just like me in the stands. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough money to pursue our own driving career. So I followed in my father's footsteps as a photographer.
I celebrated my 500th GP anniversary in Suzuka in 2013. In the days of Bernie Ecclestone, loyalty was still rewarded.
Bernie knew exactly how important the media representatives were and rewarded the group with 500 race participations every year. He gave everyone a silver necklace with the number 500 in rubies on it. They also received the "Honory Pass", a lifetime accreditation to Formula 1 races.
Funnily enough, Michael Schmidt (F1 expert from "Auto, Motor und Sport", pictured above right) and I were tied until shortly before our 500th race participation, when he had to skip the Korean Grand Prix due to a bicycle accident. We postponed our joint celebration and dinner from Japan to Brazil, where we were both 500 races old.
