Jim Bamber
Encyclopedia
Jim Bamber is a British
artist
and editorial cartoonist
specialising in motorsport
, who is best known for his motor racing related caricature
s which incorporate his distinctive driver designs, that now adorn every issue of Autosport
magazines as well as his annual compilation of cartoons from the magazine called The Pits.
) in Preston, he moved to London
to pursue a career as an artist, where he worked in numerous renowned publications and would soon gradually become freelance. There he worked for Car Magazine
which led to a stint at the publisher of Autocourse
.
in his driver's overall and helmet, Bamber began to practice cartoon drawing of drivers in overalls and a full-face helmet, of whom Blomqvist was the first caricature drawn by Bamber. Rather than drawing faces of drivers, a common feature at the time, he shortcutted it by drawing a ball as a helmet and adding names above their visors to identify drivers. Bamber would continue to practice drawing drivers' caricatures, while working as an illustrator and as an Art Editor for Rallycourse yearbooks.
In 1983, Bamber took his first commissioned job as a cartoonist for the monthly car magazine Car & Car Conversions, titled "Yumping Yarns", to which he contributed monthly specialising in World Championship Rallying. This was followed by a stint for Autosport
for a cartoon now known as "Bamber's view", specialising mostly in topics related to Formula One
. Although appearing regularly in the magazine, his cartoon became a weekly feature in 1994 which continues to this day. In addition, Bamber also created a short lived comic strip called "Bumpa the Bear" that appeared weekly in Auto Express
from 1991 to 1992.
By 1988, his drivers' caricatures had evolved from a lanky goggle-eyed character to a dumpier version. Bamber still uses this caricature design to this day.
In 1998, Stirling Moss
became the only driver to have been given his own distinctive helmeted design, differing from Bamber's standard full face helmet style, incorporating his overalls, helmet
and goggle that he had worn during his professional career, with which he has become associated. His cartoon incorporates a Damon Hill
fan being asked a question by an ITV
F1 correspondent, "Who's the greatest driver"; he is threatened at gunpoint from behind by a Michael Schumacher
caricature, who in turn is threatened at gunpoint from behind by Moss, who says, "Moss - pass it on!". Bamber claimed the cartoon was not as funny with only Schumacher; as such, he drew in Moss, and found that it increased the humor of the cartoon.
There have been many people who have been given their own caricatures, namely top-line personnel including Bernie Ecclestone
, incorporating his suit and sunglasses (which often include the dollar symbol on the lenses), and Max Mosley
, and team managers including Jean Todt
, Frank Williams and Ron Dennis
, and drivers, sans helmet, such as Mika Häkkinen
and Michael Schumacher
as well as celebrities, for instance Posh
and Becks
in 2007.
A mural
illustrated by Bamber appears in the circuit cafe of Mallory Park
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and editorial cartoonist
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
specialising in motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
, who is best known for his motor racing related caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
s which incorporate his distinctive driver designs, that now adorn every issue of Autosport
Autosport
Autosport is a weekly magazine covering motorsport, published in the United Kingdom every Thursday by Haymarket Consumer Media. It was first published on 25 August 1950 by Gregor Grant, immediately prior to the Silverstone International Trophy meeting of that year...
magazines as well as his annual compilation of cartoons from the magazine called The Pits.
Background
Bamber was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1948. After completing his studies at the Harris College of Art (now part of University of Central LancashireUniversity of Central Lancashire
The University of Central Lancashire is a university based in Preston, Lancashire, England.The university has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge which was founded in 1828. In 1992 it was granted University status by the Privy Council...
) in Preston, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to pursue a career as an artist, where he worked in numerous renowned publications and would soon gradually become freelance. There he worked for Car Magazine
Car Magazine
Car Magazine is a British automotive enthusiast magazine published monthly by Bauer Automotive. International editions are published by Bauer Automotive in Brazil, China, Greece, India, Mexico, the Middle East, Poland , Romania, Russia, South Africa , Spain, Thailand and Turkey...
which led to a stint at the publisher of Autocourse
Autocourse
AUTOCOURSE, or Autocourse, is a series of annuals covering motor racing, and Formula One in particular. The annuals cover a long period of the sport's history, from 1951 to the present day, and, as such, are highly collectible.-History:...
.
Yumping Yarns/The Pits
During his time as an illustrator, looking at a picture of Stig BlomqvistStig Blomqvist
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. He made his international breakthrough in 1971. Driving an Audi Quattro for the Audi factory team, Blomqvist won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1984 and finished runner-up in 1985...
in his driver's overall and helmet, Bamber began to practice cartoon drawing of drivers in overalls and a full-face helmet, of whom Blomqvist was the first caricature drawn by Bamber. Rather than drawing faces of drivers, a common feature at the time, he shortcutted it by drawing a ball as a helmet and adding names above their visors to identify drivers. Bamber would continue to practice drawing drivers' caricatures, while working as an illustrator and as an Art Editor for Rallycourse yearbooks.
In 1983, Bamber took his first commissioned job as a cartoonist for the monthly car magazine Car & Car Conversions, titled "Yumping Yarns", to which he contributed monthly specialising in World Championship Rallying. This was followed by a stint for Autosport
Autosport
Autosport is a weekly magazine covering motorsport, published in the United Kingdom every Thursday by Haymarket Consumer Media. It was first published on 25 August 1950 by Gregor Grant, immediately prior to the Silverstone International Trophy meeting of that year...
for a cartoon now known as "Bamber's view", specialising mostly in topics related to Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
. Although appearing regularly in the magazine, his cartoon became a weekly feature in 1994 which continues to this day. In addition, Bamber also created a short lived comic strip called "Bumpa the Bear" that appeared weekly in Auto Express
Auto Express
Auto Express is a weekly motoring magazine sold in the United Kingdom published by Dennis Publishing. The Editor-in-Chief is Steve Fowler.Launched in September 1988, its 1000th issue was published on 20 February 2008. It's only weekly competitor in Britain is the long established Autocar...
from 1991 to 1992.
By 1988, his drivers' caricatures had evolved from a lanky goggle-eyed character to a dumpier version. Bamber still uses this caricature design to this day.
In 1998, Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
became the only driver to have been given his own distinctive helmeted design, differing from Bamber's standard full face helmet style, incorporating his overalls, helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
and goggle that he had worn during his professional career, with which he has become associated. His cartoon incorporates a Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
fan being asked a question by an ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
F1 correspondent, "Who's the greatest driver"; he is threatened at gunpoint from behind by a Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
caricature, who in turn is threatened at gunpoint from behind by Moss, who says, "Moss - pass it on!". Bamber claimed the cartoon was not as funny with only Schumacher; as such, he drew in Moss, and found that it increased the humor of the cartoon.
There have been many people who have been given their own caricatures, namely top-line personnel including Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone is an English business magnate, as president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration and through his part-ownership of Alpha Prema, the parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is generally considered the primary...
, incorporating his suit and sunglasses (which often include the dollar symbol on the lenses), and Max Mosley
Max Mosley
Max Rufus Mosley is the former president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile , a non-profit association that represents the interests of motoring organisations and car users worldwide...
, and team managers including Jean Todt
Jean Todt
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort, Cantal, France. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004...
, Frank Williams and Ron Dennis
Ron Dennis
Ronald "Ron" Dennis CBE is the executive chairman of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group, and is also a significant shareholder in both companies...
, and drivers, sans helmet, such as Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
and Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
as well as celebrities, for instance Posh
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
and Becks
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
in 2007.
A mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
illustrated by Bamber appears in the circuit cafe of Mallory Park
Mallory Park
Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47, between Leicester and Hinckley. With the full car circuit measuring only 1.35 miles it is amongst the shortest permanent race circuits in the UK...
.
Published works
- Racing cars (illustrations, with David W. Hodges, 1984)
- The World Atlas of Motor Racing (illustrations, with Joe SawardJoe SawardJoe Saward is a British Formula One journalist. He was educated at Haileybury College and attained a degree in history at Bedford College, University of London. In 1984 he joined Autosport magazine in London. He began reporting on Formula One in 1988, working alongside Nigel Roebuck and remained...
, 1989) - Yumping Yarns (1987)
- Yumping Yarns (1988)
- Yumping Yarns (1989)
- Eff One (1992)
- The Pits (1993)
- The Pits 2 (1994)
- The Pits 3 (1995)
- The Pits 4 (1996)
- The Pits 5 (1997)
- The Pits 6 (1998)
- The Pits 7 (1999)
- The Pits 8 (2000)
- The Pits 9 (2001)
- The Pits 10 (2002)
- The Pits 11 (2003)
- The Pits 12 (2004)
- The Pits 13 (2005)
- The Pits 14 (2006)
- The Pits 15 (2007)
- Grand Prix Heroes (2008)