Great Scot

Re the sale of Dick Skipworth’s Ecurie Ecosse collection, I had to smile when I read your list of drivers who had driven for EE. I thought ‘why didn’t they mention me? They only mentioned the famous ones!’

My part in EE was very small, but very enjoyable. David Murray was no mean driver himself, and was single-minded but scrupulously fair in every way. When I was about to test the Tojeiro-Buick he talked at length about the car and its power. (I was jumping from a battered FJ racing school car with about 70hp to a state of the art 270hp GT!) Before I went out, he said: “Doug, just take it easy at the start”. He was a really nice man and always smiling. I liked him a lot.

After I’d got a third in class at Brands he said “Doug, would you like the trophy or the money?” I took the money! Reading many years later of the reasons for his move abroad and his decline and passing was a source of great sadness to me.

I didn’t have a great deal to do with their star man JYS. One time when we were testing I was ‘advised’ by DM to watch out for Jackie and move over.

I was hard on the brakes going into Becketts in the Buick and Jackie came by me in the Ford, still on the loud pedal before he braked!

Our transporter was a beauty – there was nothing like it in the UK. I was told it was based loosely on the F1 Ferrari transporter. That three-cylinder supercharged two-stroke made a great noise. It had everything – crew quarters, work bench, hydraulic ramps, and painted the unique Flag Metallic Blue it was stunning.

Great times for me being associated with EE, and I shall remain ever grateful to David Murray and his team for looking after me all those years ago.

Doug Paterson, Long Buckby, Northants