Nottsnortherner:
OK, in response to the identification of the D series driver in the group photo, I have studied the guys for quite a time and can only say that I think at around that time KKP was the mount of Roger Oakley and the guy sitting on the left and not looking at the camera does look like Roger, then again the guy at bottom right certainly bares a resemblance to Steve Lacy !! so the plot thickens. Incidentally Dave Thomas was a distant relative of mine so I can confirm that he is definately not in the photo! In any case by the time that photo was taken Dave was firmly in place in the office at Shawfield Park. The photo of the National Hotel in Belgrade which features later in the post I found very interesting. As you all know it was something of a second home to Pros, drivers so we knew it pretty well so around 3 years ago on an eastern European tour with the IBM trailer we found ourselves in Belgrade. The guy with me had never been there before so on a day off I showed him the sights including the “National”, yes, its still there, still the same but not now on the outskirts of town as the town has now grown so much that it has now reached the hotel! We also took in the well known hilly street in the old Turkish quarter better known as “Up and down street” where the local boys stood around drinking whilst watching the local talent who were walking “up and down” All pretty much the same but more of a tourist trap these days. Sadly the city seems to have stood still in many ways, Serbia having sold out big style to Russian investment over the last 20 years or so. They have built a new ring road and river crossing though to the east of the city and put a weight limit on that rickety old bridge you had to cross in order to get to the customs.
Steve Lacy was a “T form Charlie” and perhaps only once got as far as Yugo (if ever). Happily I didn’t bump into him too often.
I’d love to see more photos of The National which was a second home for many of us. I stopped driving for Promotor in 1986 and ended up driving (by car) to Plovdiv for a exhibition and I stopped on my way through just before the start of the war. I was greeted with a “long time no see George” from one of the old boys. Inflation was soaring, change DM20 to Dinar and by the next day the Dinar were worth less than half. We ended paying in DM for everything as the local currency was becoming valueless - a sure sign of an impending war
Once I remember a Turkish truck arriving and the entire staff (very large and powerfully built staff) of The National ran out and forcefully told him to leave… Obviously not keen on their former neighbours. I was quite surprised at how vehement that staff were that Turks were not allowed.