Warren Hughes talks to Joe Bradley about his early days in Formula Ford and Paul Truswell tells us about his love for the Formula Ford Festival. Paul Jurd digs out the history of the formula and discusses the earliest days back in 1967 with Paul Tarsey. There’s news from the Roger Albert Clark rally and from Classic Sports Car Club, and Ian Wagstaff talks about his new book Audi R8-405
Historic Racing News
Donald Campbell died on 4th January 1967 trying to break the World Water Speed Record. His nephew Don Wales explains what happened on that fateful day and why Campbell made some fundamental errors. Rob Cull and John Pearson talk about their innovative and very successful series running under the Equipe Racing banner and Jim Roller brings us up to date on the latest from the world of auctions. Plus, who is the ‘Greatest F1 Team Manager’? Paul Tarsey hosts.
Formula Ford has launched the careers of some of the greatest champions in our sport. In this episode the team takes a look at why the formula has been so successful, right up to the present day. We talk to Jeremy Shaw about his ‘Team USA’ initiative, James Beckett who, amongst many other things, started and runs the Walter Hayes Trophy and Rick Shortle tells us what it was like racing against, and beating, people like Johnny Dumfries, Damon Hill, Mark Blundell, Andy Wallace and Derek Warwick. Jim Roller also looks at some interesting auction results which have ended to 2022 season with some big surprises.
Paul Jurd reminisces about those cold, and sometimes snowy, Boxing Day race meetings; Joe Bradley talks about his trip to the Classic 24 Hours at Daytona and a man in a red suit pays an unexpected visit too!
This episode is all about books and the tales they tell. Crispian Besley talks about his new book ‘Driven to Crime’ which investigates the seedier side of the motor sport world, and world-renowned author Doug Nye talks to Paul Tarsey about everything from why Mike Hawthorn wasn’t universally popular in his home town to the tale of the Italian lunch that brought about the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In a full length, exclusive, interview, Doug also explains his thoughts on Vanwall and their rivals at BRM. Since the runaway success of Jon Saltinstall’s biography of Niki Lauda the author has been researching and writing a new volume about Jacky Ickx, Unusually, Saltinstall was able to rely on the wholehearted support of Ickx himself, creating a full and in-depth look at the life of the great Belgian driver. Jon Saltinstall explains why he so much enjoyed his time with Jacky too. Paul Jurd revisits a couple of books by Tim Beavis and Guy Loveridge featuring photographs from the racetracks of the 1960s and ’70s and wallows in the nostalgia from those times.Â
Jim Roller takes a look at the world of auctions and talks to Paul Tarsey about the box of parts which comprised what’s left of the the ex-Penske, ex-McLaren Zerex Special which Bonhams sold recently for £911,000. Joe Bradley talks to his namesake (but no relation) Richard Bradley who races everything from pre-war Aston Martins to modern day prototypes and he explains why racing a historic car is so much more satisfying. Paul Jurd looks at the calendar for November and Joe Bradley joins us live from Daytona as he gets ready for his time in the commentary box for the HSR Classic 24 Hours.
An in-depth look at Spa-Francorchamps ‘the finest race track in the world’. Nick Padmore describes what it’s like to race a Williams FW07 round the legendary circuit whilst Paul Jurd goes right back to the beginning, in the the 1920s, when it was the fastest track in Europe. Peter Snowdon talk about the real-world challenges which Spa brings to a modern day driver. The whole team, whilst Joe Bradley remembers a bizarre escapade as a team manager for a Renault Clio team making a ‘raid’ on a European round at Spa back in the day.
Cars which have won Le Mans more than once are few. But it is now officially accepted that there are actually five cars which have achieved this special honour, including one which was generally accepted to be a real no-hoper at the time. The team of Paul Jurd, Jim Roller and Peter Snowdon also state their case for the defunct circuit which they would like to see brought back to life. ‘Baron’ Tarsey then has to choose his favourite, and be warned, there are some strange inclusions and some equally unexpected omissions! Paul Jurd looks forward to some of the events happening in the UK and in the USA in October
Paul Tarsey and Jim Roller report on their recent visit to the Goodwood Revival.
Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi are famous for their feud, which happened after Pironi supposedly ‘stole’ victory in at Imola in 1982, and Villeneuve was so upset that he never spoke to his Ferrari team mate again. Andrew Marriott explains some of the background to the feud. Paul Tarsey and Paul Jurd look forward to the upcoming September events, Goodwood Revival and Spa Six Hours in particular, and get wistful over never having been to the ‘Circuit des Remparts’ at Angouleme. And the team looks back on the life of Lance Macklin, forever associated with the Le Mans disaster in which he was a blameless player, reviewing a new book by Jack Barlow.