KCB: What first drew you to motorsport?
TN: Dad took me to Goodwood as soon as I could walk.
KCB: When you were learning to race at Brands Hatch, do you think the skills came naturally to you?
TN: Seemed to. Playing with Mum’s Morris 1000 on wet roundabouts might have helped!
KCB: You won a Lotus 69F Formula Ford car in a competition held by Autosport Magazine, Do you remember the question and the answer you gave?
TN: It was a competition when you had to arrange 10 items for preparing a racing car in the order of their importance and one of my entries came the closest to those picked by a panel of experts!
KCB: Did you stick with the Lotus for the rest of your time in Formula Ford or did you switch cars?
TN: Sold it after two and a half years when offered a cost price, new Elden Mk10C.
KCB: How did you learn race mechanics?
TN: By trial and error.
KCB: In 1975 you won the Formula Ford Championship and then progressed up to Formula Three in 1976, how were the car’s different?
TN: Mainly did FF2000 in ’76 getting used to slicks and wings so the step up to F3 was simply one of more power.
KCB: After your time in Formula Three, you then go on to win the Durex Formula One Scholarship and land yourself a drive in 1980 with Team Ensign. What was it like to be a part of an F1 Team and what was the Ensign like to drive?
TN: The Ensign team only totalled about six mechanics, so it was a nice small family. Sadly they were only waiting for Jan Lammers to be free so it was a very brief experience.
KCB: What is your favourite car you drove at Le Mans?
TN: The Porsche 962 that carried me to 3rd place in 1990.
KCB: While driving at Le Mans, what would you go through your mind while driving down the Mulsane Straight?
TN: A time to relax, check all the gauges and wait for the kink to arrive!
KCB: What were your favourite memories of racing in Japan, any favourite tracks?
TN: The Japanese way of life. Great food and a very different culture. Suzuka was always the best track.
KCB: Do you have a favourite BTCC car that you drove?
TN: Steve Soper’s BMW I tested for a Top Gear story. RWD and so much easier to drive on the limit.
KCB: Have you competed in Historic Motorsport?
TN: All 25 Goodwood Revivals plus Silverstone Classic, Thruxton and Donington Festivals.
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| The MKVII Tiff drove at the Goodwood Revival in 2010 |
KCB: Do you find it easy to switch between cars and to be quick in them?
TN: Pretty much if I know the circuit.
KCB: Of all the racing cars you’ve driven, which was your favourite to drive?
TN: March 782 BMW Formula 2 car.
KCB: Do you have a favourite race track?
TN: Thruxton of course!
KCB: Do you own any of the cars you raced?
TN: Just the Lotus 69F that I sold in 1973 and bought back some 40 years later!
KCB: What was it like to work with Murray Walker commentating on F2 and F3?
TN: Wonderful!
KCB: How did Top Gear come about?
TN: When Chris Goffey broke his ankle a week before driving the new Formula First single seater early in 1987, they asked me in just to do the driving for him and, when they liked what I did, they asked me to do more …
KCB: MPH 03, I remember you driving a Jaguar?
TN: Drove many things in those shows and a Jaguar may well have been one of them!
KCB: After Top Gear you went onto 5th Gear, how many seasons did you film and what were your highlights from that time?
TN: After Top Gear was taken off air, I was pivotal in creating 5thGear along with a former Top Gear producer. Highlight was surely driving a Williams-BMW FW26 Grand Prix car round Rockingham in 2005 – racing Vicki Butler-Henderson in the latest M5 BMW.
KCB: How did you get involved in Lovecars on the Road?
TN: When 5th Gear was taken off air, Paul Woodman invited me to join his YouTube and TV productions and I’ve been there ever since.
KCB: Will there be more Lovecars On The Road?
TN: Second series filmed and being delivered to distributors later this month.
KCB: How did the Hot laps at Thruxton come about?
TN: Seemed like a good idea at the time – and it was!
KCB: What is your favourite car that you’ve owned?
TN: My 1981 BMW 323i.
KCB: What is the best car you’ve driven?
TN: McLaren F1.
KCB: What is the worst car you’ve driven?
TN: FSO Polonez.
KCB: Electric cars, what is your overall opinion of them?
TN: They’re fine if they suit your lifestyle.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Tiff.
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