Can't remember which thread, but someone was asking recently about Mike Sparken, or Michel Poberejsky as he appears to have been christened.

One of the co-authors of the Data Book, David Holland had a conversation with Mike at Silverstone in 1990 where he was sharing the driving of an Alfa Romeo 158 in a demonstration.

It appears that shortly after that, he moved from Cobham to France. I have been given an address, which may or may not be current. I intend to write to it and see what happens.

If anyone has anything more recent, I'd be interested to know about it.

Barry, I might have Mr. Sparken confused with someone else but I thought I had read somewhere that he was no longer living. However, if he is alive and well I would love to get in touch with him myself for the purposes of my Masten Gregory biography. Masten and Mike shared a Ferrari together at Le Mans in 1955.

Joe, you may well be correct. My friend's contact with him was ten years ago. However, I'll try, just to confirm things one way or the other.

I just happened to see a film this evening on the 1955 British GP at Aintree. The drivers all got a parade lap before the race in Austin Healeys. There is a nice closeup shot of Mike Sparken. Also in the race there is a nice close up shot of him when he makes a pitstop.

You get a good shot of him at the start, too. His Gordini was on the back of the grid, and as I recall, they do a shot looking from the back.

He VERY nearly got a championship point too, finishing just one place behind Hawthorn and Castellotti's shared Ferrari. Then again, he was 6 LAPS behind their car!

I've seen the footage too incidentially, but just to correct you Barry, he finished two places away from a point as in 1955, only 1st to 5th carried championship points. Points for 6th came in in 1960.

Damn ! You're right. I'm getting old!

I last saw Michel Poberejsky in his London home about six or seven years ago. I believe he's now living in Portugal.

Thanks for that, David. The address I have is in France, so it looks as though I'm way out of date.

I wonder if there is some way we can trace this man. He would be 70 years old now.

Interestingly, the Grand Prix Data Book lists him as French, having been born in or near Paris; but Franco Varani's great racing images site says he is American. I wonder actually, what nationality he is.

I have just visited Tony Gaze. He had a photo there he took of Sparken, looking very much alive and in good health, at Goodwood a couple of years ago.
Tony said he was there again this year and suggested you contact him via the Pilotes Anciens.

I just saw a bit of film from the Daily Express Int. Trophy sports car race on 7/5 in 1955 . As allways ,also on the lookout for transporters , I noticed what I believe a red Fiat transporter ,and looking through the results found no "red" teams. Sparken raced his red Ferrari and finished 9th , one of his poorer placings in that spring. Could it have been his ?As I have read he was also a member of the Los Amigos club ? Did any of you ever get in contact with him ?

Unless I am very mistaken isn't Carol Spagg his ex wife? She should be pretty easy to contact.

Last I heard, Mike was living near (or in) Monte Carlo.

Thats correct. Roy Salvadori told us about him living near to Monte Carlo, whe we talked to him at his home two years ago. Both families are in frequent contact.

While searching about the LOS AMIGOS members , I have found the following on Michel Poberejsky and his Ferrari Monza 0504M:

Born in 1930 .

1955 GP Agadir M.Sparken (Los Amigos) 1.
1955 GP Dakar M.Sparken 8.
1955 Oulton Park Emp.Tr. M.Sparken R(clutch)
1955 Portugal GP M.Gregory (M.Sparken) 2
1955 Goodwood Easter M.Sparken 2
1955 Silverstone Int. M.Sparken 9 (8th?)
(1955 12h Hyeres M.Sparken /F.Picard in Picards car Retired)
1955 Le Mans M.Gregory/M.Sparken R
1955 GP Portugal M.Gregory 2
1955 GP Lisboa M.Gregory 1
1955 Beverly M.Gregory 2

Now I am making some conclusions which may not be right , so if any have more info , please.....

I have as yet found no more races with Michel P.
Only the first seems to be in connection with Los Amigos
In between Michel P.'s races Gregory had a try out and as the car later was sold in the US..........from where it some years later returned to Michel P.
Looks like Gregory took over some time in 55 and brought it to US !
The LM race with Gregory was an M.Sparken entry !
At the Silverstone race his car had no.18 ! A picture of a transporter in Karl Ludvigsens book Red-Hot Rivals shows (but not the race confirmed)a red Ferrari Monza with no.18 on top , and another below which is not fully visible , a Ferrari for sure , with perhaps a no. 4 . Now at Silverstone was only 1 Ferrari as far as I found , so which is the other ? The Piotti car which raced at Oulton and Goodwood only ?

Was his christened name Poberejsky or Pobrejeski ?

I believe Graham Gauld said that Mike Sparken organizes the lunch for the "anciennes pilotes" at the Yacht Club on the Friday of the Monaco Historique.

Vince H.

Michael is very much alive and well and lives with his wife Esmeralda in Beaulieu sur Mer. He does indeed organise the luncheon for the club des anciennes pilotes de formula which this year was held at the Yacht Club at the end of the paddock during the Monaco Historics.

Poberejsky, unless someone knows anything different?

Well , www.classiccars.com did!

But where BJORN ?

Sorry , but it did not look like much of interest......

http://www.classiccars.com/chassis/502A600.htm

Ferrari Chassis Numbers (Ferrari Monza)

Bjørn, you've been sending us to the wrong website, which explains why we couldn't find anything. The correct address is:

http://www.classicscars.com/chassis/502A600.htm

(there's an 's' between 'classic' and 'cars')

And I extra had a look knowing all these "ssicsc" could confuse .....perhaps its time to step up a bit with reading glasses.....! Sorry and thanks for correcting........ but still

I fail to see why such a web site should be cited as a source of reliable information, particularly when you have already had an authoritative response from Richie.
Certainly a little less self-congratulation would be in order.

(Note the lack of use of smilies)

?

Indeed, I wouldn't set any store by the contents of that particular website.

With things hopefully having settled down , I would like to put your attention to post 18 and my conclusions. I look forward to any corrections , or additional comments .

Interesting that in Anthony Pritchard's book about Aston Martin, Mike Sparken is described as Franco/Polish.

However, that's not the point of this post; I am interested to find out if anyone has a picture of the unique Vignale-bodied Aston Martin DB3 that Mike Sparken raced in Morocco in 1953.

Pritchard implies that it was a very stylish body shape.

I know I've seen a picture of it somewhere
Not much help, I know, but at least you know a photo has been published somewhere, sometime