Have you met your Motorsport hero's?
Discussion
ts though.Goodwood FOS is the place to go.
I've had quick chats with -
John Surtees
Jackie Ickx
Richard Attwood
Mike Costin (co-founder of Cosworth)
Richard Petty
Alan Jones
Nick Mason (OK, not a racing hero but a great aficiando of historic racing cars)
Doug Nye - the motor racing historian and Lord Msarch's technical and historical consultant
I've had quick chats with -
John Surtees
Jackie Ickx
Richard Attwood
Mike Costin (co-founder of Cosworth)
Richard Petty
Alan Jones
Nick Mason (OK, not a racing hero but a great aficiando of historic racing cars)
Doug Nye - the motor racing historian and Lord Msarch's technical and historical consultant
Not really a Hero (of mine) but many years ago when the CART series visited these shores , I went to Silverstone for the weekend they were there and spent the Saturday evening wandering freely in and out of the garages taking photos etc. As at the time I didn’t know too much about the series and I got talking to one of the American Guys with one of the teams, who proceeded to explain the whole setup and background.
It was only the following week after reading the reports in the comics, I found out I’d spent a fascinating half hour with one Anthony Joseph Foyt !
It was only the following week after reading the reports in the comics, I found out I’d spent a fascinating half hour with one Anthony Joseph Foyt !
Found myself at Nigel Mansell's home on the IoM in '92 - was doing a bit of business in motorsport publishing back then. Spent a morning there. Properly decent, ordinary bloke - his wife was quite good fun too. He gave me a surprisingly sedate lift back to the airport via a tour of the island.
Meet Senna briefly at a tyre test at Silverstone the same year.
Interviewed Alan Jones for a radio thing at the first A1GP race at Brands. Keke Roseberg too. We'd finished the interviews and the Historic F1 cars started feeding into the back of the pits ready for their race. AJ and Keke walked over to their old Williams cars and gave me an overview of what they were like to drive. Nelson Piquet was there too. I'd asked him for an interview but he declined and he sat on a wall, talking into a mobile, right in front of his old Brabham and didn't bat an eyelid. This didn't go unnoticed by AJ or Keke and I wont repeat their views here!!
Had a long chat with John Surtees at A1GP as well.
Have known and continue to do a bit of business with Perry McCarthy - top bloke, should have been a stand-up comedian.
When I was 18, I was a Graphic Designer for an agency that did a lot of work for Ford. One one assignment, I found myself at Fords European HQ in Brentwood in the main boardroom setting up a motorsports exhibition stand with Stuart Turner, then head of Ford Motorsport. Job done, he and I sat talking motor racing for at least 2 hours! I was way too young to appreciate the privilege and too far back to remember what the specifics were we talked about.
Have met and chatted with Colin Turkington a few times and seems a very decent bloke.
Also had quite a long chat with Ted Kravitz at Snetterton a few years back when he was doing BTCC and was very impressed with his approach to the sport. Nice fella.
But anyway, as I was saying to Eric Clapton only recently, I hate name droppers!
Meet Senna briefly at a tyre test at Silverstone the same year.
Interviewed Alan Jones for a radio thing at the first A1GP race at Brands. Keke Roseberg too. We'd finished the interviews and the Historic F1 cars started feeding into the back of the pits ready for their race. AJ and Keke walked over to their old Williams cars and gave me an overview of what they were like to drive. Nelson Piquet was there too. I'd asked him for an interview but he declined and he sat on a wall, talking into a mobile, right in front of his old Brabham and didn't bat an eyelid. This didn't go unnoticed by AJ or Keke and I wont repeat their views here!!
Had a long chat with John Surtees at A1GP as well.
Have known and continue to do a bit of business with Perry McCarthy - top bloke, should have been a stand-up comedian.
When I was 18, I was a Graphic Designer for an agency that did a lot of work for Ford. One one assignment, I found myself at Fords European HQ in Brentwood in the main boardroom setting up a motorsports exhibition stand with Stuart Turner, then head of Ford Motorsport. Job done, he and I sat talking motor racing for at least 2 hours! I was way too young to appreciate the privilege and too far back to remember what the specifics were we talked about.
Have met and chatted with Colin Turkington a few times and seems a very decent bloke.
Also had quite a long chat with Ted Kravitz at Snetterton a few years back when he was doing BTCC and was very impressed with his approach to the sport. Nice fella.
But anyway, as I was saying to Eric Clapton only recently, I hate name droppers!
Many moons ago a good mate arranged for me and him to go to an open day for Ford at Brentwood.
it was very select few and the mondeo Touring car had just come out, I cannot remember the year.
Anyway, thanks to my friend and his dad who sorted it all, we had an afternoon with Paul Radisich and Andy Rouse.
Paul was up and coming, but Andy was a proper Tin top hero of mine and he was so down to earth, chatted about the cosworths, turbo cars in general and even the fact that the journey to the meet was fraught for me and my mate Rich, due to various instances of brain fade with his mini, we left a camera on the roof, the cap off the rad and the boot un cliped so it opened in traffic!
I have to say they were both great guys.
Years later, my sis won tickets to F.O.S and took me, and she enjoyed a lovely chat about old racing cars, dancing!! and picnics at race courses with Sir Stirling Moss, who she meet while walking back from the Loos.. Knowing how scatty me sis can be, Stirling must have had the patience of a saint!
it was very select few and the mondeo Touring car had just come out, I cannot remember the year.
Anyway, thanks to my friend and his dad who sorted it all, we had an afternoon with Paul Radisich and Andy Rouse.
Paul was up and coming, but Andy was a proper Tin top hero of mine and he was so down to earth, chatted about the cosworths, turbo cars in general and even the fact that the journey to the meet was fraught for me and my mate Rich, due to various instances of brain fade with his mini, we left a camera on the roof, the cap off the rad and the boot un cliped so it opened in traffic!
I have to say they were both great guys.
Years later, my sis won tickets to F.O.S and took me, and she enjoyed a lovely chat about old racing cars, dancing!! and picnics at race courses with Sir Stirling Moss, who she meet while walking back from the Loos.. Knowing how scatty me sis can be, Stirling must have had the patience of a saint!
I met David Leslie a few years ago around 2006/7. He was in a car park waiting to pick a trailer up for his classic formula ford. He ended up coming into my office and spent an hour having a drink and chatting motorsport. He loved it. He was so passionate about Le mans, btcc and general motorsport! I dont think I could have chosen a better person to have had a le mans chat with!
He really was a top top man!
He really was a top top man!
Eric Mc said:
Doug Nye - the motor racing historian and Lord Msarch's technical and historical consultant
He is one of my heroes too. He walked past me at the FoS this year but I was too slow on the uptake to grab a chat. I would sell my mum to go for a few pints with Nye and Roebuck; much more interesting characters than most of the drivers!chevronb37 said:
Eric Mc said:
Doug Nye - the motor racing historian and Lord Msarch's technical and historical consultant
He is one of my heroes too. He walked past me at the FoS this year but I was too slow on the uptake to grab a chat. I would sell my mum to go for a few pints with Nye and Roebuck; much more interesting characters than most of the drivers!Eric Mc said:
chevronb37 said:
Eric Mc said:
Doug Nye - the motor racing historian and Lord Msarch's technical and historical consultant
He is one of my heroes too. He walked past me at the FoS this year but I was too slow on the uptake to grab a chat. I would sell my mum to go for a few pints with Nye and Roebuck; much more interesting characters than most of the drivers!Yes, many, many of them.
One I don't remember was Ronnie Peterson and Mario Andretti eating bacon and eggs cooked by my mother in our caravan on the Sunday evening after the BGP in '76 (I was about 4 weeks old at the time
)
One highlight was in the early '00's having dinner with Shelby, Brooks and Phil Hill
- The drive home with Shelby at the wheel was almost as 'entertaining,' the man still has a lot of it but is quite clearly nuts 
One I don't remember was Ronnie Peterson and Mario Andretti eating bacon and eggs cooked by my mother in our caravan on the Sunday evening after the BGP in '76 (I was about 4 weeks old at the time
)One highlight was in the early '00's having dinner with Shelby, Brooks and Phil Hill
- The drive home with Shelby at the wheel was almost as 'entertaining,' the man still has a lot of it but is quite clearly nuts covboy said:
Not really a Hero (of mine) but many years ago when the CART series visited these shores , I went to Silverstone for the weekend they were there and spent the Saturday evening wandering freely in and out of the garages taking photos etc. As at the time I didn’t know too much about the series and I got talking to one of the American Guys with one of the teams, who proceeded to explain the whole setup and background.
It was only the following week after reading the reports in the comics, I found out I’d spent a fascinating half hour with one Anthony Joseph Foyt !
OK, You didn't follow the series, but still, how did you not know you were talking to AJ Foyt? It wouldn't be far from an American fan not recognising Sir Jack Brabham!It was only the following week after reading the reports in the comics, I found out I’d spent a fascinating half hour with one Anthony Joseph Foyt !
I was in line at a book store waiting for Peter Brock, who was to be signing copies of a book he released. And as they do, token hello's, a little idle talk, sign the book, move on to the next one. This was the first time I was to "meet" Peter and was anticipating what our little exchange would be like. When it time for him to sign my book some inconsiderate, well past her best, stupid woman, who may have been part of his entourage but definitely knew Peter (as she was able to enter his side of the table) drew his attention away from me, he signed the book, I was ushered away, no words were spoken! In a split second I saw him stop, face me realising we hadn't spoken and that's it, I was gone without any meaningful exchange! I was annoyed but you can't make a scene about it at the time and thought I'll meet him at some stage later down the "track". Then, the following year, I hear on the news he was killed in the Rally accident, after getting over the disbelief that he was dead, I then thought about what was my only interaction with him, needless to say, the feeling of being duped re-surfaced but there is nothing you can do about it...this is my sob story.
I was at the British GP in 1966. This was the Saturday I think, nice and early. I got into the paddock with my dad and we strolled around and came up to the Cooper Maseratis. The boss was working on one car and my dad started talking to him.
He was very pleasant and chatty, asked my my name, apologised for not shaking our hands (he had been working on the car and his hands were greasy), and then chatted about his problems. I had read that the power output of the Maserati was a bit lower than some other cars (pre DFV if memory serves) and I asked him if there were any other problems.
"Did you see me going under the engine?" My dad said: "A bit heavy then is it?"
Not really a hero but I warmed to him. Nice bloke.
He was very pleasant and chatty, asked my my name, apologised for not shaking our hands (he had been working on the car and his hands were greasy), and then chatted about his problems. I had read that the power output of the Maserati was a bit lower than some other cars (pre DFV if memory serves) and I asked him if there were any other problems.
"Did you see me going under the engine?" My dad said: "A bit heavy then is it?"
Not really a hero but I warmed to him. Nice bloke.
Not sure if they would class as heroes as such, but the three people i have met who made a big impression on me
Trevor nation - down to earth, and very friendly, quite knowledgeable too
Kenny Irons - a brief chat, before his fatal last race. Very nice, quiet, i suspect shy young lad.
Carl Fogarty - Those eyes, he really does have 'the look' about him at all times
Trevor nation - down to earth, and very friendly, quite knowledgeable too
Kenny Irons - a brief chat, before his fatal last race. Very nice, quiet, i suspect shy young lad.
Carl Fogarty - Those eyes, he really does have 'the look' about him at all times
I had Sir Jackie Stewart as a client on a project about 20 years ago - only met him the once during the project, but I was more like a wee boy gazing at his hero, than the advisor he was paying me to be.
Tell you this, he can assimilate a lot of information in a very short time, and is a very eloquent and persuasive speaker!
Tell you this, he can assimilate a lot of information in a very short time, and is a very eloquent and persuasive speaker!
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