{"id":498215,"date":"2019-05-28T13:12:37","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T20:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=80334"},"modified":"2024-01-08T14:28:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T14:28:23","slug":"ron-maydon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/ron-maydon\/","title":{"rendered":"Ron Maydon"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Ron Maydon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Casey Annis speaks with historic racer and founder of The Masters Series, Ron Maydon, about why he chose to start a new series, the future challenges to historic racing and the best and worst cars he’s ever driven.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How and when did you first become involved with cars<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maydon:\u00a0<\/strong>I was into Motocross during the \u201970s but stopped that when children arrived \u00a0It was actually 2001 that I brought my first race car \u2013 a 1968 Cooper F1 car. \u00a0Before that, I had no real interest in racing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Maydon’s first car…a 1957 Humber!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What was your first car?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maydon:<\/strong>A 1957 gold Humber!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When were you first bitten by the racing bug?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maydon:<\/strong>The Cooper started it all for me\u2026.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What was your first racecar?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maydon:<\/strong>The 1968 Cooper T68C<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Maydon at the wheel of his 1968 Cooper T86C-Alfa Romeo at Spa, in 2005.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What prompted you to you start The Masters?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maydon:<\/strong>I brought the Cooper F1 car, which I started racing. I was at Silverstone for a race and it was very wet and very cold. My wife and three young kids were with me and said, \u2018If it\u2019s like this every time, we will never join you again\u2019. The next event was at Le Mans-Bugatti, and it was so hot. My wife said, \u2018I can\u2019t find a cool drink anywhere. Either you stop racing, or do something.\u2019 Then I thought I can\u2019t be the only one who thinks it\u2019s too hot, too cold or too wet. The idea of Masters sprang from that! The funny thing is that five or six years later every series was doing hospitality, and drivers were going from one feast to another!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What was that first Masters race like for you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maydon:<\/strong>We turned up at Pau, in May 2004, with a grid of 14 historic F1 cars. We had a truck, we had a hospitality unit, we had two lovely German girls making sandwiches, and we even had a coffee barista. We opened the doors \u2013 and nobody came in! Everyone just walked past, we looked like we were from another planet. The next day, it wasn\u2019t much better. It was hot, we had ice creams \u2013 and still nobody came. The third day it rained, and suddenly the place was packed. Everyone was looking for shelter! We never looked back from there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Any events since then particularly stand out in your mind?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maydon:<\/strong>I wouldn\u2019t pick any one out\u2014all have their plusses and minuses. But it\u2019s a combination of atmosphere and spirit, and what the organizers, promoters and competitors bring to the event. Sometimes it just comes together. A good example is the Silverstone Classic. In its earliest days it didn\u2019t have the correct spirit between those three elements. Now, I\u2019m looking forward to going there \u2013 it has changed from a big event, to a great event.<\/p>\n