Relive the Golden Age of Car Racing in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Photographer Rainer W. Schlegelmilch possesses not only a name unpronounceable outside his homeland, but also an image archive that has seen him become as illustrious as the racing drivers he spent a half-century photographing. A new exhibition of his work has just landed in Carmel, California…

After watching his first race at the Nürburgring in 1962, the German-born snapper went on to create much of motorsport history’s most iconic imagery. His unique photographical dexterity, from capturing the glazed-over look of a deep-in-thought driver to seizing upon a high-speed Formula 1 fly-by, ultimately earned him the only ‘Bernie pass’ in existence, affording him the same unbridled access at F1 weekends as Ecclestone.

Throughout August, his self-selected best photographs from the 1960s will be displayed at the Marjorie Evans Gallery at the Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California – a worthy addition to the itinerary of any making the pilgrimage to Monterey Car Week.

Photos: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch