My first race

Mallock Mk29, Donington Park,1991 by Jamie Davies

I was in my final year of karting and was already planning on racing in Formula Vauxhall Junior the following season. I’d signed up with Terry Nightingale’s TJN Motorsport team and he suggested that I should do a couple of races beforehand to get used to standing starts. He was racing a Formula Ford-engined Mallock in Clubmans, so he put me out in that at the end of 1991. My first race was at Donington Park, on the Grand Prix circuit. I qualified second, but it was wet and I spun early on and didn’t finish. My second race was at Silverstone, also on the Grand Prix layout, and I think I qualified second again. Tended up winning my class, but only because I could take Copse — the old one, which was bloody fast — flat-out. Terry had told me it was flat, but it had taken him 10 years to do it. It took me just 10 laps! I got into the lead of the class and was able to hold on even though I was pretty green. Every lap I would take Copse without lifting and make six or seven car lengths on everyone else. They would catch up over the rest of the lap, but then I’d pull away again at Copse.

…and my last race

Maserati MC12, Bahrain, 2005

I got a call late on the previous Monday asking me if I could race the second JMB Racing Maserati with Philipp Peter. The car didn’t have the latest aerodynamics and the engine was tired, but I was able to run second and hold a small gap to the leader over the first stint. I pushed hard when I got back in the car, but had to settle for second. GW