Motor Racing and me…

I’ve had this very close association with the world of motorsport for as long as I can remember. My dad passed it onto me when I grew up listening to stories of his exploits on a pre war racing Douglas motorbike. This was the kind of two-wheeled monster that brave young men used to lap the Isle of Man Island circuit in the famous TT race.
When I was still in short trousers, Dad took my brother and me to the local race track at Goodwood in Sussex to see drivers like Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark in action. Those days you were so close to the track, and it was very exciting for this small boy to smell all that racing oil and burnt rubber. I became an instant fan, and so it was that these guys, rather than rock stars, became my early heroes.
In the late 70’s, flying down to South Africa, I had the luck to meet James Hunt and through him was introduced to Bernie Ecclestone, who effectively runs Formula 1 to this day.
It turned out that Bernie had been great friends with Adam Faith, my manager at the time, so he already knew I was a race fan.
I attended the South African Grand Prix a few days later, the first of many as Bernie’s guest, and there was introduced to all my heroes. Many of them, I’m delighted to say, became great friends and I was privileged to watch the rise of Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna and Damon Hill from very close quarters.
Nigel became a close friend, treating me like one of the family. Damon’s a very keen musician, a guitarist who I’ve played together with a good few times. Over the years I’ve become very close to many people behind the scenes too, characters who’ve make the sport so unique, and now I try visit my friends at as many Grands Prix as my commitments allow.
This year was a special thrill for me, as Bernie visited Melbourne for the Grand Prix and I ended up singing a song in his honour at the Grand Prix Ball.
So you can see, I’m a true race fan, and luckier than most because I get to be on the inside track of this fascinating sport. I can hardly believe it, but now I’m photographed at the races beside my boyhood heroes, like Sir Stirling Moss.
Modern Formula One is a fantastic balancing act between man and machine, sport and business. The result is fantastic entertainment that I reckon rivals anything in show business.
As I write this I’m just preparing to go off to Mount Fuji to attend the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix.
They say a lot of boys grow up to be petrol heads, but some of us never really grow up at all!

Leo (September 2007)