You’d be forgiven for thinking that I’ve suddenly become a Subaru Impreza fan. As it turns out, I’ve always called myself one of those, it’s only recently that I’ve been given a couple to drive, and this latest one is something very special indeed.

“Final Warning” features the Final Edition Impreza STI, and charts the transition from legend to legacy for Subaru’s ultimate performance car brand.

Check the film out here – and remember to give it a share for me on your social media if you like it, thank you!

One of the great things about being the Circuit Manager of a race track, is being surrounded by race machines day-in, day-out. But I’ve found something even better: Driving race cars.

We took delivery of one of the Palmer Sport Clio Cup race cars, something I arranged with Assistant Manager Mick Brown and Jonathan Palmer as a way of spicing up the Track Ops Team driver training.

Needless to say, it went down very well. And you also probably didn’t need me to tell you that I couldn’t resist dusting off my helmet for some flat shift action.

Here’s the lap I did of Cadwell Park – apologies for the awful camera angle. If you know the track as well as my ten year old, you’ll be able to navigate your way round with the odd glimpse out of the side window or between the roll cage.

If not, just treat it as therapeutic music; kind of like a 1.6 turbo version of whale music.

Or something…

As a thank you to those of you who take the time to follow my motoring story on this blog, my new film “Rally Iconic” is now available to watch on this website, prior to going live on social media at 6pm this evening.

This film marks a return to the format that so many of you have told me you have enjoyed, and with hundreds of thousands of views across my #CarFilms series on YouTube, it seems you are not alone. Thank you!

While it’s been a while since I last released one of these videos, I have been producing content for Cadwell Park Race Circuit, the place I call home during the week (and the weekends as it happens!), where I am the Circuit Manager. You can keep up to date with that content by subscribing to the circuit’s YouTube channel, HERE.

“Rally Iconic” is a story which in many ways has been a lifetime in the making. You see the Subaru rally story was a big inspiration to me as a young, influential rally fan, particularly Colin McRae’s WRC victory in 1995. As they say; the rest is history, and you could say the results since then speak for themselves.

I’ve been a rally fan, a rally engineer building and maintaining cars, a rally driver and then a rally TV presenter. And now, in my role at MotorsportVision, I get the opportunity to have an altogether very different perspective on the sport, from the event (and venue) management side of things.

I’m hugely proud, but also very grateful for the stories and experiences, but also the people who I’ve had the pleasure to meet thanks to rallying, so in a way making a film like this is my way of paying tribute to those stories, and those people.

But above all else, someone handed me the keys to a nicely spec’d clubman Impreza rally car on a quiet (and very muddy!) farmyard in Yorkshire for the day. So it would have been so, so rude of me not to do THIS…

After a longer-than-intended interval, my ‘#CarFilms’ series continues, and it’s muddier and more fiery than ever, thanks to the time I spent with a muddy farmyard and a fire-breathing Subaru Impreza rally car recently.

Almost five years ago to the day, I got my eldest son involved in shooting a car film with me – you may remember the day he banished my Peugeot 205 GTI from the garage? If not, remind yourself HERE.

This time, he quite literally got behind the wheel of the rally car I was shooting, and it was great to see how much his character, confidence and shared passion for cars had come on since that first film.

The film goes live HERE on Friday, 6pm. In the meantime, here’s a little teaser of what you can expect from ‘Rally Iconic’…

2017: I have to start with an apology.

Any thoughts I had about being a prolific blogger now manifest themselves as clouds of guilt, which return every time I have five minutes to myself and could probably update my blog, but invariably find a more pressing cloud to attend to.

So it’s been a busy year, in other less poetic words. But WHAT a year. If you’ve been following my social media updates on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter you’ll have lived the journey with me.

If not, here’s a spectacular, action-packed season of racing, rallying and people all crammed into a 2 and-a-half minute video edit.

Thanks for being on this journey with me. This is how my first year, as Circuit Manager of Cadwell Park Race Circuit looked…

I feel I must apologise for the lack of updates over the past couple of months. Being honest, I have never been so busy, and so challenged in every way than I am now, and yet I feel like I’m doing something with real purpose, and I’m loving every minute.

It might sound strange to talk of purpose and race track management in the same sentence. After all, my world is just a niche brand of leisure and entertainment, right?

Far from it. Motorsport is an extremely important industry to the UK, and Cadwell Park has been a way of life for countless people, for a variety of reasons. It’s a place people identify with; the people in my team are like extended family members for many of our guests, and the circuit is a place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world.

That makes my job important in so many ways, and means I have a responsibility to these people, and to the story of this wonderful race circuit. Luckily, I have a truly fantastic team of people to help me step up to meet this responsibility.

So what about my Car Films?

Don’t worry – I’m still producing content, and now that content will also include a different avenue, with the series I’m filming at the circuit. Expect more car reviews and motorsport poetry in the coming months.

And the motorsport TV commitments?

Again, I’ll still be on your screens – I’m actually hosting the annual awards bash for the Motorsport News Rally Championship this month, at Oulton Park. 

I’m still commentating on the BTRDA and Welsh Rally Championships, and a number of other series on Motorsport.TV and now new channel, Front Runner.

I’ll hopefully have some news regarding my rally TV exploits very soon, and I appreciate all the comments I get about the shows, from visitors to Cadwell Park.

You can watch exclusive content from behind the scenes at Cadwell Park race circuit, HERE. Meanwhile, I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at my new home – the best race track in the world.

Thanks, as always for your continued support – I’m delighted to be able to take you with me on this exciting adventure.

I wouldn’t like to say that I’m too busy running a race circuit to blog these days…but I am too busy running a race circuit to blog these days. So.

I figured why not combine the two? As Circuit Manager of Cadwell Park, in Lincolnshire, I have access to some exciting motoring activities. The highlight of the past month has undoubtedly been my behind-the-scenes test with the works Honda British Superbike Team.

Based near Cadwell, in the Lincolnshire town of Louth, the team had some issues to iron out after the first round of the BSB season at Donington Park, and they were happy to bare all in this film I shot.

Two less wheels than you’re used to, and I’m used to, and my Grandma is used to. But I hope you like it…

Apologies for the radio silence, as you might expect I’ve been a bit busy figuring out how to run a race track. 

As it happens, I have a hugely experienced, and extremely supportive team helping me get my head round doing just that. It’s going to be a long, and incredibly exciting journey and I’m fiercely proud to be representing one of the world’s best motorsport brands, MotorSport Vision.

What a fortnight it has been since taking post as Circuit Manager of Cadwell Park race track in Louth, Lincolnshire. From racing cars, to racing bikes, and from helicopter visits from my Formula One driver boss, to breakfast with Guy Martin, it has been a truly eye-opening experience.

Day two of the job saw me buried in health and safety paperwork. Which can hardly be a bad thing when the paperwork reads ‘Race Circuit Driver Training’. Yes, I know!

For all the high profile, eyebrow-raising spectacles I’ve enjoyed so far however, the thing that has stood out to me above all else is the people of Cadwell Park. These people are the reason I took this job; the reason this circuit has the following it does, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed every single minute of getting to know them all.

I firmly believe I have been entrusted with the management of one of the best, most passionate teams of people in the business. This is a sentiment which I hear echoed daily; by colleagues, customers and people who – like me – have come back time and time again because of their hard work in making Cadwell Park a wonderful place to visit.

I must take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all those who have wished me well; on social media, email, in person, and by sending me thoughtful gifts. I appreciate the support, as I have always have, and I hope you continue to come with me on this journey.

I will of course keep you posted as things progress. I would urge you to visit the circuit at your earliest opportunity – it’s one of the UK’s best kept secrets, and nothing can prepare you for the spine-tingling feeling of watching a superbike or single seater racing car all wheels airborne across the mountain for the first time.

You can find full details of all the events at Cadwell Park HERE. In the meantime, here’s a quick look behind the scenes from my first two weeks. It’s not just motor racing, you know…

Ok, so my first ever trip to Blackpool was not to see the lights, or to climb the tower, but for something entirely more spectacular…motorsport.

The North West Stages is an event I’ve taken an interest in from a distance over the last few years. Although I’ve been asked to be involved in the media for the event on occasions before, this year was the first time I’d managed to put a deal together to be there.

I joined the Special Stage TV crew for two days of rally action, with an atmosphere the likes of which I haven’t seen for a long time in club rallying.

Hopefully the atmosphere – together with the action on the stages – comes across in our TV show, which is now online for you to watch in full HD at your leisure.

In the nineties, the hot hatch was still emulating the heroes of eighties roads, and Citroen embodied this approach with its sporting Saxo range.

The 8v VTR was perfect for first time drivers and cost-conscious performance motorists, while the full-fat 16v VTS was – on paper (and on the forums) – the car to have.

Having owned many Saxo VTS models over the years, including a rally prepared version, and suddenly finding myself with one in the garage again, there was only one thing to do. Then my Dad bought a VTR (same reason as me – couldn’t resist!), so then there wasn’t just one thing to do…there were two.

And here they are, in one film…