Motorsport Network has made another important purchase boosting their aim to have the world’s biggest motorsport photographic archive.
They say: ‘Legendary German photographer Rainer W. Schlegelmilch joins Motorsport Network, continuing the expansion of LAT Images as the world’s biggest motorsport photographic archive.’ His first Formula 1 race was the Grand Prix of Belgium 1962 at Spa-Francorchamps. Schlegelmilch’s ‘out of one hand’ archive features all together half a million black & white negatives, colour slides and digital photos from 1962 to 2016. He has been a familiar face on the Formula 1 circuit – working at more than 600 Grands Prix. In Monza in 2011, Bernie Ecclestone honored Schlegelmilch with a lifetime permanent photographer accreditation – the first and only one.
Schlegelmilch has also published more than 40 books featuring his images starting with “Grand Prix – The Fascination of Formula 1 (1969-1993)” which sold more than 130,000 copies. “I’m extremely proud of the collection that I have grown, maintained and curated throughout my career,” Schlegelmilch said. “I have been on site at some of the greatest moments in motorsport history and worked hard to capture moments in time which illustrate what it is that we love about this sport.
“For me it was very important that my collection be in very safe hands. I have worked alongside photographers from LAT and Sutton Images for many years – they are my colleagues and my friends and I thrilled that our collected works are now joined together.
“I am very pleased that Motorsport Network feel the same way that I do about the tremendous sense of responsibility of curating this incredible collection of images which showcase our sport’s amazing history.”
Related: Motorsport acquired LAT and Sutton Images