Evening With A Legend: Michael Keyser

In this Evening With A Legend session, Michael Keyser—driver, filmmaker, and author—recounts his path from photographing Le Mans in 1970–71 to racing there as a privateer, while also filming material that became The Speed Merchants. He describes shooting in heavy rain, pit-lane life, encounters around Porsche and Ferrari teams, and early experiences with danger, including Piers Courage’s fatal crash at Zandvoort. Keyser details his 1972 Le Mans in a 2.5L Porsche 911 ST with Jürgen Barth and Sylvain Garant, finishing 13th and winning the GT 2.5 class as the only 911 to finish, plus a similar Porsche Curves off in 1974 with an RSR and a 1976 Le Mans attempt in a Monza ended by drivetrain failure. He explains where his footage went, how The Speed Merchants was released and is still available on DVD via autosportsltd.com, and shares opinions on modern Le Mans and why he doesn’t plan to return. ===== (Oo---x---oO) ===== 00:00 Meet Michael Keyser 02:01 First Le Mans As Photographer 06:13 Rainy Night And Piper Crash 08:16 Lost Keys And Track Roaming 11:16 1971 Return And Changing Paddock 13:01 From SCCA To FIA License 14:02 Watkins Glen Shunt 15:22 New 911 ST And Film Crew 17:56 European Races: Targa Florio To Nürburgring 22:02 Arriving At Le Mans 1972 23:48 Racing in Night Fog and Bonnier Crash 28:23 Porsche Curves Mistake 29:26 Finishing 1972 Le Mans: Only 911 To Finish 31:18 Filming Speed Merchants 33:43 1974 Armco Repeat 38:25 Why The Monza (1976) 41:22 Monza Shakedown Chaos: Tires Off The Rims! 47:12 Where The Films Are Now 49:07 Modern Le Mans Thoughts 50:06 Lessons And Legacy 53:13 Closing Thanks And Sponsors ==================== The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net More Information: Visit Our Website Become a VIP at: Patreon Online Magazine: Gran Touring Follow us on Social: Instagram To learn more about or to become a member of the ACO USA, look no further than www.lemans.org, Click on English in the upper right corner and then click on the ACO members tab for Club Offers. Once you become a Member you can follow all the action on the Facebook group ACOUSAMembersClub; and become part of the Legend with future Evening With A Legend meet ups.