1968, a year of new beginnings impelled by the momentum of Matra and its driver Jean- Pierre Beltoise, French motorsport underwent a renaissance in the 1960s. Text in English and French. While the demonstrations of Spring 1968 all around the world were not the playing field of DPPI’s (Diffusion Presse Photo International) photographers, the latter happily continued to flourish in the extraordinary world of motor racing, the atmosphere of which they captured to perfection. Their purpose was both to translate into images impressions like the frightening average speed per lap of 243 km/hr of the Belgian Grand Prix on the Spa-Francorchamps track or the clearance, complete with major skidding, of a snow-covered pass during the Monte-Carlo Rally, and to serve as complicit witnesses to the mixture of tension and freedom that inhabits these men and women of the racing world who gathered each weekend to share triumph and tragedy. It comes as no surprise that such a concentration of action and emotion made a strong impression on the public and inspired brands and emerging marketing services seeking new channels of communication.
Text in English and French.