I have a list. It’s called my ‘Things To Do Before I Die’ list. Morgan Freeman made such things more popular with The Bucket List, but I’ve had mine long before the movie.   You’ve probably got one too, even if only mentally. Mine has on it things like ‘Fly Aeros with The Red Arrows’, ‘Drive a Class One Offshore Powerboat ‘, ‘Date With Kelly Brook’ and ‘Fly in a Lancaster Bomber’,   In idle moments, glass of something in hand, I add things to it. Some, as you’ve gathered, are totally unattainable, but others Read more…

I’m prompted to write this after receiving some very interesting statistics from audio specialists Harmon. In late 2011 they conducted research into what people wanted electric cars to sound like in future. There would appear to be no way of avoiding legislation, which I personally see is ludicrous, which will require electric cars to emit a noise of some sort to warn pedestrians. Harmon’s findings were interesting.   “While the majority of respondents actually want electric cars to sound like their current cars, consumers in the survey said they expect that car manufacturers will have a Read more…

At this time of year, most drivers and track day heroes are watching the in-car footage from their favourite day last year, booking tickets to visit Autosport International, thumbing through the Demon Tweeks catalogue and waiting, waiting, waiting for the weather to clear and head for that first day on track again. For the wisest drivers, though, the best driving season is only just beginning. The Ice Driver season. Back in February, I travelled to Sweden to meet Ice Driver’s Andy McKenna and see what all the fuss was about. “Weʼll drive onto the lake Read more…

For those of us of a certain age, the phrase RAC Rally stirs emotions. These days, the RAC part stands for Roger Albert Clark, the man who made Ford Escorts and muddy forests fashionable as well as Cossack hair products. But in years gone by, what is now known as Rally Wales GB, a round of the World Rally Championship, was sponsored by one of Britain’s biggest breakdown organisations, the RAC.For decades the RAC Rally was an annual pilgrimage into the forests of Wales, Yorkshire and Scotland, thermos flask and jam sandwiches in hand, bobble Read more…

I had a really interesting trackside chat with a colleague yesterday about cars, horsepower, handling and so forth. The usual small boys stuff. The topic came around to the question, “Which is best, a lightweight car with minimal horsepower or a car with a bit more weight but a lot more power?” A very good question and one that I believe I’ve answered to my own personal satisfaction this year. However, as the Americans are fond of saying, “your mileage may vary” To put this into perspective, let me explain one of my day jobs. Read more…

I’ve been listening to Rock Star by Nickelback on my iPod recently, so when I’m asked to meet up with to meet Shane Lynch of Boyzone to talk about his latest motorsport craze of drifting, the lyrics spring to mind “I want a big black jet with a bedroom in it… and a bathroom I can play baseball in…I wanna be a rock star.” So as I head over to the drift track, I’m keen to see what this rock star life is all about. Shane greets me with a firm handshake and a “Great Read more…

I’m often asked, as boys do, what’s the fastest you’ve been? To many people it’s a childish subject, considered irresponsible by some. But the answer is 200 mph, just a tad over. Inevitably, ‘Whats it like?’ is the next question. Followed by ‘where and when‘ and ‘what car?‘ This is something I thought long and hard about before writing, as I didn’t want the tags of ‘flash git’, ‘idiot’ or ‘encouraging speeding’ but I’ve been encouraged to explain, so here it is, with a few tips for those that might have the opportunity in the Read more…

It might sound a little odd for me to be writing a driving report about a car which isn’t the latest thing but a car that has, in fact, just ceased production. However, in the case of the Lamborghini Murcialago LP640, it’s appropriate to mark the end of an era. It’s replacement, the new Aventador, is commencing production, but it won’t be the same. It has an all new V12 engine, it has a lighter chassis made of carbon and for the first time, no option of a manual – all Aventadors are to be Read more…