Off the pace, but on the case

Nigel Roebuck’s recent memories of James Hunt reminded me that I once drove against the 1976 world champion. It was a banger race at Wimbledon Stadium in the late 1980s, one of the annual charity events organised by the National Advertising Benevolent Society. I was driving our agency entry, an Austin Cambridge, and was startled to see a certain J Hunt take his place on the grid. He then proceeded to drive very slowly around the inside of the circuit for the entire race, and no one went near him. Meanwhile, I was upended by a London black cab and crawled out of the back window at the feet of MC Chris Tarrant. Later, in race control, desperate to get a replacement car, I was passed by Hunt trailing a crowd of goggle-eyed girls and clearly enjoying himself. I learned a lesson: don’t take life too seriously… Frank Barnard, Staplecross, East Sussex