Nice photo of the famous Mercedes Benz SS sportscar competing in the 1929 RAC TT (Tourist Trophy) at Ards near Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Mercedes team for this race included former Royal chauffer Otto Merz, seen in this photo, and GP ace Rudi Caracciola who won the event in a famous and much praised victory in poor weather.
Merz (who drove one of the cars in the motorcade when Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand was shot dead in 1914 - the incident that started WW1) crashed into a wall early in the event and apparently the front mudguard was jammed against the front wheel. Merz climbed out, ripped the guard away with his bare hands and drove on - only to be disqualified as a result!
This photo is taken at one of the three towns on the circuit, Comber, Newtownards or Dundonald and you can see shops in the background which probabaly still exist today, as much of the circuit is relatively unspoiled by the passing of time.
10x7 inch (254x178mm)
