What better way to spend my birthday, than in Dalby Forest in Yorkshire, surrounded by rally cars for the Trackrod Rally?

It’s fitting, because that’s where I grew up; on the rally stages in Yorkshire! Fellow rally competitor, and fellow Yorkshireman Tim Kirvan-Rodgers decided he’d add a little more fun to my television birthday party, by interviewing me at the stage end.

This made me smile, and I thought perhaps it would make you smile, too. Enjoy, and thanks for all your messages – I came back from the rally to a monster number of Twitter and Facebook notifications!

Classic motoring is bigger business than ever, helped of course by those people attracted by well-documented potential investment opportunities. But it’s not all about them – it’s about people like me…and you.

But the future of the classic car show is moving away from a misty field, with a gathering of MGBs sporting a bar full of ‘rally’ badges.

I happen to like the way it’s moving, and if the Footman James Manchester Classic Car Show is anything to go by, we’ll be experiencing iconic cars, rather than simply staring wistfully at them.

This is what happens when I’m booked to host a motoring event…

Something I’ve (happily) not let go of, as the years of presenting motorsport on television have flown by, is the thrill of rubbing shoulders with people I’ve long considered heroes, legends and inspirations for this dream that I’m living.

Rally Day 2016, at Castle Combe race circuit proved to be a shining example of this, with current rally stars, past legends of the sport, and people who – in part – are the reasons I wanted so badly to be in front of a camera, by the side of a rally stage.

Featured in the latest Special Stage TV show, is multiple World Rally Champion, and Group B rally legend Juha Kankkunen, current M-Sport Ford WRC drivers Elfyn Evans and Eric Camilli, and former co-driver to the greats, Mike Broad. And that’s just the start!

But someone I was delighted to catch up with, and talk rally memories with, is someone who I used to watch presenting the Top Gear Rally Report in the nineties – Tony Mason. Winner of International rallies alongside people like Roger Clark, and presenter of some of the most iconic decades of rallying we’ll probably ever see.

Tony is without doubt the Murray Walker of the rally world, and even hearing about his route to becoming a Top Gear Presenter inspired me. You can hear this, and other wonderful stories, together with watching a round-up of action from the event, below.

It was great to meet, and have photos taken with so many of you at Rally Day this year. It’s both hard to get my head round, and also incredibly humbling to think that I can also use what I do to inspire new generations of rally fans, just like Tony Mason and others did for me.

If there is such a thing as a one-man-band in the world of motoring media, I was possibly it last weekend at the Footman James Manchester Classic Car Show.

Not only was I there to host the show, which is fast becoming one of the UK’s leading motoring events, but I was also charged with shooting social media content, producing the TV commercial, commentating on the live rally action, and even driving a rally car for a demonstration run.

Needless to say it was a busy weekend, but with over 800 iconic (and I don’t use that word lightly here!) vehicles, and an estimate of well over 10,000 visitors over the two days, it was a fantastic event to be involved with.

I’m really excited about the content that I shot over the weekend, and I’m currently working on a film which I’ll release here soon, as well as other content which you’ll be able to see if you follow me on Twitter.

Thank you to the team behind the event, who had faith that I could stretch the bounds of a motoring presenter, and wear more hats than I normally would during an average day ‘in the office’.

Here’s a teaser to give you some idea of what’s to come…

It’s always great to see people enjoying my films. It is, after all why someone like me spends every spare (and sometimes not so spare!) waking hour dreaming up new ways to shoot cars.

So it was really great to see that Ford of Europe had shared my recent Escort Cosworth film on their Google+ blog.

What’s even more exciting, is that manufacturers are still just as passionate about the iconic cars nestling in their heritage, as we are.

HERE’S the Ford of Europe Blog, and if you haven’t seen it yet here’s my latest film…

Ok, so it’s not ‘my’ World Rally Car. But, crucially it is a WRC, and you could win a ride in it.

Coffey Rally Team is running a Facebook competition to win a ride in the ex. Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S12b WRC I won the Neil Howard rally in with the team in 2012.

Not only that, but they are throwing their ex. Mads Ostberg Fiesta WRC into the mix, too.

I’m lucky enough to say I’ve experienced both an Impreza and Fiesta WRC in anger, and it really is an unrivalled thrill – you need to get involved.

All you’ve got to do is work out the answer to a very simple question, and if you need help with that, all you’ve got to do is ask.

Enter HERE.

It’s not often I get chance to compete myself these days, whether that be hillclimbing, rallying or go karting.

But that all changed when I was invited to the launch of a new annual championship by Bentley racing driver, Guy Smith.

Guy was joined by his Bentley Factory team mate Steven Kane, and they lined up alongside a host of professional, and semi-professional drivers from across the world of motor racing and rallying.

These included Jonny Milner, Steve Perez, and Abbie Eaton. Then there was me!

I was there to race, and in fact I was part of Pete Smith’s ‘Rally Boys’ team, comprising people who I normally interview at the end of a special stage, not race against.

The race coincided with the launch of Greenlight Sports and Entertainment, a new commercial sports partnership business with the aim of creating sponsorship partnerships at all levels of sport. In fact they’ve got quite a track record for such a young company – check out their new website HERE.

After an intense 100 minutes of racing at the superb PF International Kart Circuit in Lincolnshire, our team came home a narrow fourth, having battled with Steve Perez’ Amigos Team throughout the afternoon.

You’ll be able to see what it was all about very soon, as Imagen Photography were there on the day to shoot a film about the race, and of course I did my bit; singing for my dinner, so to speak.

It’s always great to be involved in new projects, and from what I saw and heard on the day, it sounds like we’re going to see big things coming from Greenlight.

One thing’s for certain; racing on track with works race and rally drivers is not an experience that I’ll forget in a hurry.

I’ll update you when the film comes out. Meanwhile, I’ll continue my recovery (I forgot how physical competitive kart racing is!).

One of the highlights of filming race and rally television programmes and events, is the chance to get up close to some of the world’s most rare, and incredible competition cars.

For me, cars – as well as people – can be heroes, and no-one would argue that they’re quite often the star of the show.

This has never been more true, than when I recently came toe-to-toe with a 1964 BRM P261 Grand Prix car while presenting the historic motor racing TV show at the Oulton Park Gold Cup.

This was a special moment for me. I know that one of my Dad’s treasured memories of his childhood was visiting the BRM factory in Lincolnshire; an outing which became a regular highlight for him and my motorsport mad Grandfather.

To know that the ex Graham Hill car that I was stood looking at, would have been stared at with equal astonishment by my Dad in the factory over fifty years ago was a big moment.

I just stopped and enjoyed it, taking in the smell of the hot engine and tyres, the sound of the exhaust metal contracting, and the feeling of heritage that comes with such an iconic, significant racing car.

Significant for history, and significant for me.

Wow, what a summer it has been, presenting the TV series to mark the Historic Sports Car Club’s 50th anniversary.

That’s it for the series now, having covered the motor racing at Castle Combe, Brands Hatch, Croft and most recently, Oulton Park.

The action has been varied, ranging from pre ’66 Formula One Grand Prix cars, to the late ’90s Super Touring Cars. And thanks to series like the ’70s Road Sports, we’ve seen door handle-to-door handle racing, which has been thrilling to present.

The highlight of the season for me has to go down as interviewing touring car ace from my childhood, John Cleland. He races the Vauxhall Vectra Super Tourer that he campaigned as a works driver in the ’90s, and he’s still just as much the character I remember him being.

Cleland’s passion for the Super Tourers is clear to see, and he still provides great entertainment on, and off the track. Though he doesn’t quite have the staff he used to have as part of the factory team, and I even caught him shaving the surface of his own tyres at the lunch halt!

When I was a young boy, motorsport captured my imagination, and my heart. My life has rung to the tune of racing like that enjoyed by the British Touring Car Championship over the years. So to line up alongside one of the greats from that era was surreal.

You’ll be able to watch the two most recent rounds; Croft and Oulton Park, on September 17th and 24th respectively. In the meantime, you can watch our last SSTV programme, with all the action from the Brands Hatch Super Prix, HERE.

If you’re a regular here on my motoring blog, you’ll no doubt be aware that I have been selected to line up alongside Clarkson, Hammond and May for their new ‘Drive Tribe’ concept. I have an update…ish.

The channel will launch in October, following the release of the new Grand Tour series, which I think it’s fair to say is quite eagerly awaited by petrol heads all over the world.

I can’t give you much more detail right now, but there is an unofficial Twitter account for my upcoming new channel, HERE, and I can tell you it will be as interactive as possible. My aim is to create content that makes people – all people – engage with, and talk about cars.

I hope the launch of Drive Tribe, and my role as a channel leader will give me a further platform to do just that. As always, thanks for all your support – as long as you keep enjoying my films, blogs and vlogs, I’ll keep them coming.

Woody