Where are they now?

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Originally Posted by Coops

Top topic!

Patrick Watts was running a storage company or something? His own business. Can anyone shed any light on that?

Simoni was a racing instructor in Italy somewhere if my memory's right. Can't remember which circuit.

I thiiiiiink Chris Goodwin is a McLaren road car tester type guy.

Anyone know anything about Nigel Smith? Robb Gravett? Harry Nuttall? Bobby Verdon-Roe? (GT's still?) Alex Portman? Andy Middlehurst? Laurence Bristow?

I probably should google but i'd spend hours researching when I bet some knowledgeable people know the answers!

I was watching the 1992 race from Knockhill the other week and it was so sad thinking that 3 of the grid are no longer with us now :( It's a shame also that some of these names are 'where are they now?' because Luby, Watts, Sugden, Goodwin, Burt and others had the talent, I think, to go much further given the right machinery. That's a whole other topic though.

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Patrick Watts runs a racking company of some sort I think. Funks on here will know more as they're from the same village. :) He was the British Historic Rally Champion in 2006 in a Sunbeam Tiger. :D

Nigel Smith did some GT racing a few years back and was overseeing his sons racing in Formula Renault. Robb Gravett runs a driver training company and his son has also started car racing in Sax Max. Harry Nuttall I think worked for TWR before they went bust, BV-R is a historic racer mainly these days and lives in Portugal, last I heard of Alex Portman he was racing the Lotus Esprit in FIA GTs, Andy Middlehurst is a car dealer and raced various Nissans in production saloon car series until the NSCC was swallowed up by the BTCC. Laurence Bristow I haven't heard about since the mid-1990s when he was using his ex-BTCC RS500 in Thundersaloons.

Sad that about Knockhill in 1992. Kieth O'dor's autograph was the first touring car driver's signature I ever got at Knockhill in 1994. That was the last place I saw him and Will Hoy as well sadly. I was waiting until 7pm to leave the circuit in 2002 and Will was getting into his hire car which was parked opposite mine. I was going to congratulate him on Honda's first win that day, but I didn't want to bother him. Wish I had. :(

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Originally Posted by Marc W

Going back to David Leslie, as well as commentary he still races too. He won the first Britcar race of the season yesterday in a BMW along with Harry Handkammer. There'll be some photos of the event on my Flickr account shortly.

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Of topic: Bit of an eventful day with the snow during the race, never seen anything like it!

Ive got a post about the britcar in the National Motorsport section, so if you could post a link of your pics that would be great :D

What is Jeff Allam up to these days?

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Originally Posted by Matty

I always wondered about Jamie Wall

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Wall did the opening round of the 1999 Australian Super Touring Championship in a Honda, was always meant to be coming back to do the rest of the season, but a budget was never found.

Jeff's a car dealer just like his old teammate. :)

http://www.allams-vauxhall.co.uk/

David Leslie also raced a Radical SR8 with Quest Racing last year - a name familiar to us all i believe :)

Does anyone no what happened to colin blair and russell spence?

Russell Spence is apparently still involved in the Karting industry

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Originally Posted by Iain

Patrick Watts runs a racking company of some sort I think. Funks on here will know more as they're from the same village. :) He was the British Historic Rally Champion in 2006 in a Sunbeam Tiger. :D

Nigel Smith did some GT racing a few years back and was overseeing his sons racing in Formula Renault. Robb Gravett runs a driver training company and his son has also started car racing in Sax Max. Harry Nuttall I think worked for TWR before they went bust, BV-R is a historic racer mainly these days and lives in Portugal, last I heard of Alex Portman he was racing the Lotus Esprit in FIA GTs, Andy Middlehurst is a car dealer and raced various Nissans in production saloon car series until the NSCC was swallowed up by the BTCC. Laurence Bristow I haven't heard about since the mid-1990s when he was using his ex-BTCC RS500 in Thundersaloons.

Sad that about Knockhill in 1992. Kieth O'dor's autograph was the first touring car driver's signature I ever got at Knockhill in 1994. That was the last place I saw him and Will Hoy as well sadly. I was waiting until 7pm to leave the circuit in 2002 and Will was getting into his hire car which was parked opposite mine. I was going to congratulate him on Honda's first win that day, but I didn't want to bother him. Wish I had. :(

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Jeff Allam was (attempting to be, not an easy job) the driving standards guy for the BTCC not so long ago wasn't he? Clerk of the course type of thing, deciding which moves were 'on' or not.

Ah yes, I remember Nigel Smiths sons racing now. I was walking around the support Paddock last year at Brands and spotted John Cleland and son as well as John Surtees and son. Pushy fathers? :p

I thought Patrick Watts was doing some sort of business now, good to know he still has his hand in motorsport though, I really rated that guy. Pulled a lot of results out of the bag by dragging unwilling cars kicking and screaming around every corner. I remember his pole at Snetterton in '93 he said something along the lines of 'he could have gone off on every corner'. Shame the first lap of the race, he did!

Thanks for the info on the others, I always wondered if Laurence Bristow was a gentleman driver who brought a bit of money to the teams he drove for. Maybe just assumed as he always carried Labbatts backing and I never heard of him again.

Will was a total gent, I had a soft spot for the 'old guard' in the super touring days and I got his autograph a number of times just cause he was one of my favourites. I was at Silverstone when he won in '98 and everyone in the crowd was willing him on. I never met Keith, but when I watch the reviews now you can really see him mature as a driver. Holding off Soper for the win at Silverstone in the biggest race of the year for instance. He didn't deserve that dog of a car in 1994 but proved himself against ex F1 and sportscar driver Eric Van de Poele.

I know Frank Sytner can be seen terrorising historic racing these days since he's sold he's BMW dealership for a vast amount. He was on neighbours from hell, too. After a bit of research i'm surprised to find Laurent Aiello gave it all up to race jet skis!

Anyone know what happened to Jerry Mahony? ;) Paula Cook, any ideas?

Jerry Mahony is otherwise indisposed these days as I'm sure you're aware judging by the ;) in your post. :p :

Paula Cook did the first SEAT Cupra Championship in 2003 before disappearing off the radar, rather like her brother David who made it all the way up to F3000 with the family team.

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Originally Posted by Iain

Paula Cook did the first SEAT Cupra Championship in 2003 before disappearing off the radar, rather like her brother David who made it all the way up to F3000 with the family team.

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She briefly moved over into sportscars- appeared at the 2003 Spa 24 hours in the GT2 Morgan, then did British GT in 2004 in the Embassy Racing Corvette, shared with Neil Cunningham- she didn't finish the season and Ben Collins took over the seat for the last few rounds. Don't think I've heard anything about her since


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