During your career, which has been your favourite car ? Why ?
« Thats a difficult one. I still have the Dallara which I love as it just makes the best noise and goes so fast, with your head in the wind. Just the best feeling!
My favourite car to drive is the Mosler though, such a big part of my life and my team and I developed that car, and the car with the misty eyed love was the TVR Tuscan that we should have won the British GT with. »
Is there a car that you have not driven which you would have wanted to do ? Why ?
« In my garage here is the Strakka Gibson LMP2 car…..I would like to drive that, maybe one day I will! I drove the Saleen at Daytona and got on the podium, that was quite a beast…… the Merc GT3 and BMW Z4 GT3 were very special….. the Brabham BT62 was awesome…… but I don’t get too excited about cars, I’ve driven so many….. I think I would like to drive Joao Barbosas Chevy Dpi car. That would be fun :)…..but having just returned from Retromobile in Paris, I know the car I would love to drive. The McLaren F1……and another story….. I made the roll cage for those carsW As Rollcentre, my business was Rollcage manufacture as well as a race car team. We won le mans! Well my Rollcage did anyway. I also supplied the corner weight scales to the team when they won with the Johnny Herbert Mazda. 🙂 «
Whom do you consider as the best sportscars drivers you have known when you were racing yourself or when you were heading Rollcentre ?
« Well João of course was relatively undiscovered when he came to us, and he was just fantastic.
A quiet man who doesn’t shout about himself, just gets on with it. Two drivers stand out for me though, in a similar vein to Joao. Jacky Ickx and Tom Kristensen.
We were lucky to have Jacky with us when Vanina drove for us. Always had the time to talk, polite, charming, kind and patient. Just like Tom, the same qualities, and in fact just like João. Efficient drivers, merciless on the track, but just such nice people to drive with. Allan Simonsen was similar as well though he never drove with us. Such a nice guy. I met plenty of drivers that were totally about themselves, their careers usually never lasted as long. »
What do you think about the new Le Mans rules and the ACO/IMSA agreement ?
« I like the fact that you can race and win at Sebring again, and also at Le Mans. Like we did (well not the winning part haha!). I wish the ACO would stop courting the manufacturers at times, and I really don’t understand the Hypercar rules, but I do like the Dpi cars. I hope the Dpi’s take over. American V8 engines, equivalency that seems pretty good, the ability for private teams to win in honest and open competition. I have my hopes! »
Are you optimistic about the future of motorsport racing ?
« It’s going to be very different for sure! Back in the early days, when the old blower Bentleys were racing around, they probably could never imagine the changes coming, and I guess neither can we. The advent of Sim racing is quite something. My lads do it, and are in the top 1% in the world. The level of skill they build up developed by the hundreds of hours they put into a Sim is incredible, and can 100% be translated to on the track. What will be on the track in 10 years time is indeed the question! I enjoy the Sims though. I can sit behind then with a glass of red wine in my hand, and still get the heart rate up, and give advice (well to be honest not so much now, they know so much!) but it’s fun. So as long as its fun, and passionate, we have hope! »
Will you have some racing activities – as a driver or as a team- in 2020 ? Masters Endurance Legends, British GT or something else….
« I have been half heartedly trying to retire! It hasn’t worked really. I met a guy who wanted me to help him, Will Powell who was running the Brabham BT62 project, and I’ve been really busy with that.
I have entered Le Mans Classic with my Oreca Dallara as nobody has bought it yet! I decided a while ago to sell it, but the money wasn’t quite right, and always in the back of my mind was the LM Classic, and maybe……just maybe I can make it to the podium……I don’t want to think too much about it, but it does make me smile. We will be looking after some other cars in Britain, but plans are still being made so I don’t know, but retirement looks like it has to wait a bit longer! »
Are your still involved with Mosler ?
« Yes, of course 😉 I love Mosler, we still carry nearly all the parts for Moslers here, and I have my 2 cars that i raced, at Daytona, Bathurst, etc, and 2 new chassis from the early days that are part built waiting to be turned into real cars. If I wasn’t so busy, I would be building them, and entering either them or my Daytona car into Peter Auto races, and do LM Classic! »
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