Nick Brittan with the Netherlands Ford cup 
Nick Brittan in a Dutch National Team Formula Ford 
Showing off the Netherlands Ford cup
These images from the media announcement of the 1969 Formula Ford championship and the Dutch National Team’s vehicle debut are quite an interesting case-study in how sporting media drops have changed in the intervening years.
Today’s racing press events are glitzy orchestrated affairs: Dance music pulses as the curtain drops. A sheet is pulled from the waiting car before the unveiled car rotates on a stage bathed in carefully selected spotlights. Smiling media-trained drivers bedecked in sponsorship logos emerge from the side of the stage to shake hands with auto executives amid the popping flashbulbs of a baited motoring press.
These shots are exactly the opposite of that. It is a beautifully spontaneous mess:
“Hey Boss, Nick Brittan is here.”
“Who?”
“Nick Brittan. The director of the International Formula Ford Championship. He’s got the trophy with him. I’ll bring him back.”
“Let’s take a few photos while he’s here.”
“Sure thing, Boss. Should I just park the car in front of those ashtrays by the elevators?”
“Yes. And get him to awkwardly pose on the car like he’s a glamour model while we’re at it.”
“Yes Sir! This is going to be great!”