Allan Moffat - Climbing the Mountain

A family holiday in Manitoba Province, Canada. My father Arthur, mother Evelyn, Gordon and myself.

In South Africamy first powered vehicle, the scooter I rode to school. I remember it as a Goggomobile.

My very first carthe mighty 1935 flathead Ford Fordor. Im on the right fender.

The Triumph TR3 became progressively fasteror at least I did. It was possible to set it up in a drift.

At the wheel of the works VW Beetleall four wheels off the track but with the power still fully applied.

My first year as a Team Lotus mechanic, 1964. Gofer, actually. Cleaning the windscreen was an important job and I took it seriously.

Two of my greatest early motor-sport influencers, 1964Ray Parsons (left), who gave me my start and later became my Lotus Cortina teammate, and the amazing Colin Chapman, the genius behind Team Lotus.

After my first race in the Lotus Cortina, in the sports-car race at the Canadian Grand Prix, Mosport Park, 1964, with my great mate Jack Christie and the second-place trophy on the bonnet. Jack got to wear the official Team Lotus mechanics overalls.

Past and present. My guardian angel Peter Quenet (middle) on the bonnet of the Lotus Cortina with me (left).

I became part of the Lotus Cortina. The steering wheel Im holding is actually the brake-light garnish.

This was the natural body language of the Lotus Cortinatwo wheels, perfectly balanced and on the absolute limit. Thats how you drove them for maximum effect.

With my father, Arthur Moffat, 1965.

My favourite photograph of all. On the main straight at Indianapolis after Jim Clark won the Indy 500 for Lotus in 1965. Hes in the car. Team owner Colin Chapman is kneeling in front of the cockpit and I am second from the right, proudly wearing my Team Lotus overalls.

At Daytona, 1967my car and Jim McKeowns engine. Left to right: me, mechanic Vince Woodford and Jim McKeown. It was the day one career door shut.

A very historic picture. The Mustang in its original grey, sitting on jacks in Bud Moores workshop along with two sister cars, prior to being built up. I wasnt allowed near it so this is a spy shot I took in 1969.

The mighty Mustang Trans Amstill in its grey undercoatarrives in Australia after its flight from New York, 1969.

On the earthen floor of 711 Malvern Road, with the Mustang still to be painted, 1969. Left to right: Barry Nelson, me, Peter Thorn and Brian Fellows. We shared the workshop with trucks from the local bakery.

In 1969, on the warm-up lap of a non-championship race at Calder, Norm Beechey brake-tested me, putting a dent in the nose of my Mustang. Payback came shortly afterwards when I was able to press him into error. Despite the nose damage that implies I hit him, I never touched him.

Calder Park. One of the few times when the Mustang stepped out of shape.

I was always hands on. Here Im using a micrometre to check the bearings of the Trans Ams engine, an intricate task, 1969.

A close encounter with Pete Geoghegan put me into the fence in the Warwick Farm esses. It all looks okay from the A-pillar backwards but check out the front left-wheel position and angle.

The very early days of the Brock/Moffat rivalryPeter in the six-cylinder XU-1 Torana and me in the Falcon GTHO at Warwick Farm.

My first Bathurst 500 win, 1970. Emotion overcame me.

Al Turner was a hot-shot marketer and race-team developer at a time when Ford was relying heavily on high performance to sell cars. I looked up to him. Still do.

Fords Super Falcon, pushed onto the hard stand at Lot Six, 1970. You can see from the surrounding wire fences and weeds that Fords race headquarters were devoid of pretention.