Google Earth shoots F3F!

Mike Shellim

12 December 2006

An isolated slope in South Wales may be safe from the gaze of urban CCTV cameras, but not, it seems, from the all seeing eye of Google Earth.

Fellow F3F pilot Mark Abbotts was idly looking at Google Earth one day when he spotted what looked like a bunch of cars in the car park at the Bwlch. Further scrolling around revealed what looked like a bunch of models, and the shadows of their pilots.

After reading Mark's post on the F3F list, a detailed look through my photo archive revealed some highly promising matches - the photos appear to have been taken during the BMFA League 4 F3F competetion on 11th July 2005! The date has been confirmed by others who have managed to identify their cars by their location and colour.

These Google Earth screen captures tell the whole rather stange story:

Below is a photo around the same time from ground level. It shows the back of the motorhome, and Vic Eldridge standing in front of the roof-box equipped car shown in the photo above.

Here is the L4 photo album.