NOT many people can boast they have Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone on speed dial or predicted Lewis Hamilton would be World Champion a decade before he did.
Editor Paul Gibson meets ex-Formula One Journalist Kevin Eason at the birthplace of British motor racing in Bexhill to find out why he’s chosen to live in the seaside town after spending almost three decades on the F1 circuits…
We couldn’t help but stand and gaze at the amazing photographs displayed at The Sackville on Bexhill seafront that show what is claimed to be the first official motor race in Britain.
Huge crowds flocked to Bexhill on that Bank Holiday weekend in 1902 to stare, and we tried to conjure up the roar of the primitive engines that would have echoed from the walls of the surrounding tall Victorian buildings, thrilling spectators more familiar with a horse and cart.
But it was just as thrilling even now for the former motor racing correspondent of The Times, Kevin Eason, who travelled the world with legends such as Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Nigel Mansell, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher and of course, the boss, Bernie Ecclestone.
Kevin has settled in Bexhill with his wife Jacqueline after spending most of his career living out of a suitcase reporting on the Formula One championships for one of the world’s most famous newspapers. In a career lasting half a century, Kevin has reported on everything from local country fairs to general elections, the miners’ strike and major disasters, as well as three Olympic Games, the 2010 football World Cup, the Ryder Cup, the Open and Wimbledon — and, of course, Formula One.
Now 71 and semi-retired, Kevin started his journalism career aged seventeen on local newspapers in Hartlepool, Kettering and Birmingham before moving in 1986 to the newly-launched Today, which boasted being the first full-colour national newspaper. Three years later, he was hired by the The Times as a political and industrial writer, but he was also introduced to the world of motoring, taking on a weekly column in The Times and travelling the world — some times alongside a young Jeremy Clarkson — to report on the latest models hitting the road. But the big change in his life came in 1998 when he was hired by the sports department to become motor racing correspondent.
Looking back on how he got the prestigious role at the newspaper, Kevin said: “My editor came to me with a stack of documents which contained a scoop relating to the Ferrari championship race, and I was asked to pull it apart and the story was eventually a splash on the front page.
“It was such hard work, I jokingly told my boss he owed me a nice break abroad somewhere as a thank you. A week later, he told me I was off to Melbourne to cover the Australian Grand Prix as a full-time sports correspondent. I had no contacts, I didn’t know the drivers and I wasn’t trusted yet, which was extremely difficult.
“It took me a good year to become known and when I was first introduced to Bernie Ecclestone, I gave him my name and he jokingly replied, ‘So you’re the one who writes all that s*** in the paper?’ I realised this job would be a daunting challenge.”
There followed 25 years of travelling to more than 300 grands prix from Japan to Brazil, the USA to Russia, and interviewing and living with some of the most famous names in Formula One. However, one of his first interviews in motor racing turned out to be one of the most memorable even before he started full-time in F1. Kevin went the Buckmore Park circuit to interview up-and-coming kart racers, the next generation of drivers, who would follow the great names of the past like Jim Clark, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell. One small youngster caught his attention because he was the only driver of colour at the event, but he was a bright and articulate nine-year-old who declared he would be F1 world champion one day. His name was Lewis Hamilton and he was as good as his word. By the time Kevin retired, Lewis was a multiple champion and one of the greatest names in the sport.
Now, Kevin has published a number of popular books, the latest of which comes out this month and is expected to reach new audiences around the world. Ironically, he had no idea of Bexhill’s motoring past when he came to live in the town. He said: “It wasn’t until we drove past the sign saying, ‘Bexhill — birthplace of Motor Racing’ on the A259 that I discovered the story of the 1902 race. I had no idea. I’ve mentioned the town to key people in the F1 industry, and they didn’t know either.
“I found myself fascinated by the stories and have spent time researching the town’s history. I really don’t understand why we don’t have a large motoring heritage venue here to celebrate the town’s background. We have a stunning coastline and we should really be doing more in the town to bring people in.”
Kevin’s new book, published by HarperCollins, is called Speed: The Times History of the Formula One World Championships, and is the story of 74 years of Formula One. From Fangio to Verstappen, and includes stories of the triumph, horror, skulduggery and humour of decades of the fastest championship in the world. Each chapter includes an original report from The Times, capturing the mood of the moment each year with evocative photographs taken from the archives.
The 320-page book is available from all good bookshops and online at most retailers priced at £30.
