My hero -- by Stuart Turner

My hero:

There’s only one: Stirling Moss. He was making the headlines when I started out in this sport and I also had the privilege of watching him from behind the fences at Aintree when he beat Fangio in 1955.

The thing about him is that he had the ability to race and rally; even without his racing record, his rallying stands up on merit. I got to know him through navigating for his sister Pat, and the things I have always liked about him are his energy and enthusiasm; the fact that he has never sounded like he has been coached to say the right thing like so many others, and his great sense of humour, something his wife Suzie shares. I remember seeing him drive a sportscar at Oulton Park in the ’50s and to show how he felt about the car he made hand movements to suggest pulling a toilet chain! Of course, the crowd loved it.

& favourite road car:

I’m sorry to be boring but I’d say my current Ford Focus Estate — to make it worse, it’s a diesel, too! Everything about it — the engine, the handling— is superb. I live in the Cotswolds where there are some glorious roads; the Focus is the perfect car in which to enjoy them. I’d say it even handles them better than my Dellow trials car. Yes, I’ve driven lots of road cars but I’ve never been interested in owning a Porsche or anything like that. I just want a car that can do the job. I switched from a Mondeo to the Focus and now I would not go back to anything bigger.