Salty tales

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Sir,

On page 29 of Don’t fry for me, your article on the 1955 Argentinian Grand Prix in your January 1999 issue, Matthew Franey quoted Stirling Moss commenting on Fangio’s win:

“The fact is he had these incredible pills. I don’t know what they were, but I am sure they helped him over the worst of it”.

If Stirling had asked us about them when he addressed us at the Hong Kong Motor Sport Club in the late 1950s, we could have told him the answer was salt tablets. A bowl full of them could be found on all tables in the club houses of The Royal Hong Kong Golf Club, and possibly all sports clubs and virtually every golf club in the Tropics.

I am, yours, etc. PR Zeeman, East Launceston, Australia

A fair point, but stories of racing drivers over the ages taking something a little stronger than salt to make it through a race persist to this day. – Ed.)