The SFO agency designed and produced all the John Player Team Lotus racing apparel in its sweat shops at Stratford and Maryland in London’s East End, as well as the T-shirts, stickers, anoraks and JPS merchandise that were sold to race fans at circuits. Working alongside Grand Prix statistician Mike Doodson and with reference to John Player marketing chief George Hadfield and his Special Events aide Ian Catt, Tipler’s role was to co-produce glossy JPS press handouts, which transcended in quality anything that had been seen before in motor racing PR. Race by race, they logged the fluctuating fortunes of drivers Emerson Fittipaldi, Dave Walker, Mario Andretti, Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx, lurking in and around the pits and the Travco team support vehicle to catch nuggets of information that could be broadcast throughout the season.
Black & Gold The Story of the John Player Specials, is the result of a veritable wealth of knowledge and experiences from all the ‘players’ in a ‘special’ story that started in the 70s and is still recognised and remembered the world over. The Black & Gold legacy endures in CTL through Clive Chapman and former Team Lotus stalwart mechanics fettling and running JPS F1 cars from those halcyon days at historic events across the world.