"Celebrity" drivers?

[Al Weyman]

suppose the biggest celeb was James Dean!

I think his main claim to fame was he died young, I often think if he had lived he would have faded into obsucurity, he reminds me of Shawn Penn (who you may ask) remember the hype around him when he first appeared, I think Newman is far more the star.

[Snapper Baz]

This is what happened to " Mr Starwars Lucas" at LongBeach the other weekend in his celeb' outing...the cars a Toyota Scion...not bad cars actually!

[jaysalv]

Originally Posted by Snapper Baz

This is what happened to " Mr Starwars Lucas" at LongBeach the other weekend in his celeb' outing...the cars a Toyota Scion...not bad cars actually!

he should have used the force

[Motormouth]

Originally Posted by davyboy

There was a rumor going round back in the day that Eamon Casey had a Ferrari [or use of one] to get to parishoners in need of the last rights

Think he had a Merc S class with a V8. he was famously done for 132 mph on the Dublin Galway Road years ago....
How about Ronan keating and Shane Lynch from Boyzone racing 2 Unos at Mondello in '96
Lynch has done loads since but Ronan didn't return to the tracks until the Formula Vee charity race in 2005, when he famously defeated 2FM DJ John Kenny in a wheel to wheel dice for 11th place!!!!

[Jamie G]

I seem to remember that Brands had a fleet of Talbot Sunbeam Lotus' after the Escort Mexicos - I remember a pro-celebrity race there in the 80s with (I think) Daley Thompson, Mike Smith and Maggie Philbin in it. If I remember correctly my dad told me to "look out for the guy named Gerry Marshall" who promptly wiped the floor with everybody!

Am I mistaken about them being Lotus Sunbeams?

[Suze]

Seeing that George Lucas pic has reminded me that Vinnie Jones has raced as well....he also did one of the celeb races (last year or the year before) at Longbeach as they did a documentary on it - was hilarious!

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Jamie G

I seem to remember that Brands had a fleet of Talbot Sunbeam Lotus' after the Escort Mexicos - I remember a pro-celebrity race there in the 80s with (I think) Daley Thompson, Mike Smith and Maggie Philbin in it. If I remember correctly my dad told me to "look out for the guy named Gerry Marshall" who promptly wiped the floor with everybody!

Am I mistaken about them being Lotus Sunbeams?

I think they were Sunbeam Ti's not Lotus'. (Wouldn't this have been at the same time as John Webb's Formula Talbot single seaters?)
Great thread though.
I seem to remember that Daley Thompson rolled his Group N Peugeot so many times that his team fixed castors to the roof (as a joke, of course).

[G40motorsport]

Chris goffey did a season in the beetle cup

[JimW]

Originally Posted by Alan Raine

Brands used to have a fleet of Escort Mexicos that were used for Celebrity races. I do believe there was even a House of Commons v House of Lords race and another for Fleet Street Journalists. Some, like Daly Thompson did a few races afterwards.

I recall assisting Fiona Richmond out of one of those and up the sleepers at Brands post 4A.

Another participant was the late Jean Denton (subsequently Baroness Denton, a junior minister).

Jim

[ensign14]

If we include the States, Marty Robbins drove top-level NASCAR and was not exactly disgraced. Half-a-dozen top 10s and even a 5th at the Michigan oval in '74.

Walter Cronkite - a sort of US Trevor MacDonald figure - drove in the Sebring 12 hours at least once.

I think Mike Smith got into DJing via motor racing. Noel Edmonds thought he had talent when he did stuff on Brands radio or something and got him into the business.

DLT also had some success in dragsters.

[medius]

John Noakes prepping and racing a Viva is on Youtube.

[Lightning Bug]

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

Andrew Ridgeley did a season of British F3.

It was French F3 actually with David Price Racing, in 1986. IIRC he went to race in France because of less pressure from paparazzi etc. But he did compete in the Cellnet Superprix at Brands Hatch. He was a better driver than he was a musician, ie. not very good as opposed to rubbish.

[rcarr]

Originally Posted by medius

John Noakes prepping and racing a Viva is on Youtube.

Just watched it, its really good but gives a false impression to kids that you can build a racing car in 1 day!

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by rcarr

Just watched it, its really good but gives a false impression to kids that you can build a racing car in 1 day!

Ah those were the days when you could call up Bill Blydenstein to book your new Viva in to be made into a saloon racer in the morning and pick it up that night. I'm sure he must have had plenty of stick after that episode of Blue Peter... wonder if he got a badge

[rcarr]

I think his entire outfit should've got badges for the work they did.

I thought it was so funny that Gerry Marshall looked so embarrassed just being at the "race." It was so obvious that he was going to win it though!
A TV presenter, a hillclimber and the saloon car master!

[R59]

Originally Posted by rcarr

I think his entire outfit should've got badges for the work they did.

I thought it was so funny that Gerry Marshall looked so embarrassed just being at the "race." It was so obvious that he was going to win it though!
A TV presenter, a hillclimber and the saloon car master!

Get down shep!

Back to the origins of the thread....

Dave Lee Travis - Drag Racing!!

And Steve McQueen was racing before he started acting. It was his working on cars that killed him - the asbestos in brakes was put down as the cause of his demise. If I remember correctly without googling it.

I can think of other racing drivers turned actors. Well their exploits on the track look like acting some times!

[alfaman]

Singer Chris Rea used to race in Ferraris.

And Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) moved from Clios to Aston Martins.

What about the former ABBA drummer Slim Borgudd - didn't he race in F1 briefly?

And actor Jason Priestley (Beverley Hills 90210 in case you're wondering) was seriously injured racing on ovals in the US (Pro-Infiniti or something I recall).

[midgetman]

There was a story doing the rounds at one time that racers in (?)Mondello were told if they wanted a bit of fisticuffs after an incident to take it up with the chief marshal/clerk/why, who was one B. McGuigan. Not sure how true that was, made a lovely bar room tale though.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by alfaman

Singer Chris Rea used to race in Ferraris.

And Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) moved from Clios to Aston Martins.

What about the former ABBA drummer Slim Borgudd - didn't he race in F1 briefly?

And actor Jason Priestley (Beverley Hills 90210 in case you're wondering) was seriously injured racing on ovals in the US (Pro-Infiniti or something I recall).

And Chris Rea also raced Caterhams (and sometimes Ferraris on the same day) whilst Slim Borgudd raced for Tyrrell, I think.

I also think that Mark Knoppfler raced a Gordon Murray designed Light Car Company "Rocket" in Monoposto (might be wrong there, though).

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by Lightning Bug

It was French F3 actually with David Price Racing, in 1986. IIRC he went to race in France because of less pressure from paparazzi etc. But he did compete in the Cellnet Superprix at Brands Hatch.

And crashed if I remember rightly.

[GORDON STREETER]

Daley Thompson did a few fiesta races with the TOCA package in the 90s when I was with ICS, he always finished on the roof !!!!

[Grandslammer]

Originally Posted by andy97

I also think that Mark Knoppfler raced a Gordon Murray designed Light Car Company "Rocket" in Monoposto (might be wrong there, though).

Yep,stuck it in the ploughed infield at Combe's Quarry Corner too

[Dean Watson]

Originally Posted by andy97

I also think that Mark Knoppfler raced a Gordon Murray designed Light Car Company "Rocket" in Monoposto (might be wrong there, though).

I memory serves me correctly he used to race with the VSCC in an ERA or something similar I remember him arriving at Cadwell by helicopter in the late 80's

[Chris Griffin]

Originally Posted by alfaman

...What about the former ABBA drummer Slim Borgudd - didn't he race in F1 briefly?

Trucks also?

[ensign14]

Borgudd drove for ATS in the latter half of 1981 and Tyrrell for about 3 races at the beginning of '82. He wasn't really Abba's drummer, more a part-time session musician who happened to drum on some Abba tracks. But he parlayed that into some sponsorship and scored a point at the attritional British GP in 1981 that Wattie (glory be!) won.