Sports Broadcasting Ambassador: Alexandra Legouix Alexandra Legouix is an Ambassador of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Broadcaster: Alexandra Legouix Alexandra is a professional TV presenter, vlogger and corporate host. Currently she is is the main face & pitlane reporter of Eurosport's live coverage of the World Touring Car Championship. This see's Alexandra tour the globe to 14 different countries, presenting to a reach of around 600 million viewers per show. She also presents the championship's YouTube series 'Through My Eyes' as well as their live studio show 'Over The Line'. At Silverstone Classic, Alexandra helped us out with a few interviews to capture drivers' and fans' greatest memories, including this one with WTCC World Champ Rob Huff.? She recently presented the live coverage of the Singapore GP interviewing all drivers and key names in F1. Alexandra additionally interviewed the drivers for the Formula One worldwide live TV coverage of the 'Drivers Parade' and in July Al presented the live covered of Silverstone Spectacular for BT Sport alongside Abbie Griffiths.Alexandra is often seen hosting many corporate events and festivals. Most notably she hosted the launch of the International Boat Show alongside Nicole Scherzinger; the London Boat Show alongside Hugh Bonneville; the Cake and Bake Show alongside Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood; Fast, Furious and Funny alongside Top Gear main man, Rory Reid; and the Fast, Car Festival with Tiff Needell. Follow on Twitter @Legouix alexandralegouix.com
Star Supporter: Dame Katherine Grainger Dame Katherine Grainger has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Rowing: Dame Katherine Grainger Katherine won the Olympic Gold at London 2012 alongside teammate Anna Watkins in the double sculls and is Britain's most successful female rower and the only female athlete - in any sport - to gain medals in four consecutive Olympic Games. Katherine took up rowing at Edinburgh University in 1993 and made such good progress she was awarded the Eva Bailey Trophy as their most outstanding female athlete in 1996 and again in 1997 when she won her first international Gold medal at the U23 World Rowing Championships. Katherine has shared memories of starting out in the sport: "When I went to Edinburgh University I was aware of a girl called Dot Blackie who had just graduated before I arrived and who had been the first female captain of the Edinburgh University Boat Club. She was a legend at the University and by then was part of the British Olympic rowing team. Having not just a role model but having one who had been in the same team, sat in the same boat, trained in the same gym as I was now doing meant I had a personal link to a genuine role model. That makes you believe that that level of success is possible." Recalling the final in 2012 "One of the most important things I knew coming into this race was that Anna (Watkins) and I had won every race for the previous three years, that we were fit and well, that this was the best chance of Olympic Gold we would ever get. We believed we could cope with any eventuality or we at least would know how to deal with it. The massive question we couldn't answer was, on the day of the Olympic final could we cope with ‘the moment'? The pressure had built and built and a nation expected. So many people had helped and supported us along the journey in the most wonderful of ways and we really wanted to deliver the result for everyone." Since winning her Olympic Gold Katherine has been honoured with a CBE, gained a PhD, been short-listed for the 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and had a post box in Aberdeen painted gold in her honour. She was elected to the British Olympic Association's Athlete Commission and a board member for International Inspiration (a London 2012 legacy charity). In April 2017 Katherine was appointed Chair of UK Sport For more information head across to: katherinegrainger.com
Star Supporter: Sir Steve Redgrave Sir Steve Redgrave has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Rowing: Sir Steve Redgrave Sir Steve has shared memories of his early sporting years and ambitions: "My first sporting hero was Mark Spitz winning seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics; I must have been 10 at the time. It was something that made a strong impression on me. We used to have a very long drive in those days and during the summer holidays it was my job to go down to the bottom of the drive to collect the milk and the paper. I can remember more of the headlines in the paper than actually seeing it live on TV. I remember one headline in particular which was 'Spitz for six' even though he went on to win a seventh gold medal. That was the headline I always remembered.......... Rowing is a sport that dips in and out of the Commonwealth Games; fortunately for me it dipped out after 1986 and therefore leaves me as reigning Commonwealth Champion in three different events. It was quite a marked turning point in my career in a number of ways. I always wanted to be a single sculler but every time I tried that boat internationally I didn't really get very good results. I had got into the four for Los Angeles in 1984 with only about two months to go to the Games and after winning the Gold medal I thought that would be a good spring-board....." Knighthood Steve was awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours List in 1987 and the CBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1997 and following his success in Sydney was awarded a Knighthood in the 2001 New Years Honours List. The University of Durham also awarded him an Honorary Degree in December 1996. Visit www.steveredgrave.com
Star Supporter: David Weir CBE David Weir CBE has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Paralympian: David Weir CBE 6 time Gold Medal Winner Paralympian David Weir shares memories in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation The 'Weir Wolf' picked up an incredible four golds at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, to add to the two won in 2008. David has had massive success both on the track and competing in wheelchair marathons around the globe. Recalling how he first got into wheelchair racing for us: "My school got leaflets about the London mini marathon, so I asked my parents if I could go and try it. I did the trials and got the bug for it. I was eight years old when I did my first mini marathon which was three miles, I didn't win it, but I'd found a sport I could enjoy, it was me competing against other disabled athletes. All my mates were playing in mini league football and would come back from games and training and always had stories to tell. I didn't. But through competing in wheelchair races I had stories to tell too, I could come back and tell my friends about the race and how I was doing." Confirmation that wheelchair racing was going to be his sport came one day when competing at Stoke Mandeville, after getting to the basketball finals as part of a cobbled together team, David went out to compete on the track in the afternoon and won all his races. That was the turning point that led to an incredible career that culminated in the memorable four gold medals at London 2012 "Ahead of London 2012 I wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted to be mentally in the best shape I could be. I didn't want any injuries or illnesses, no hiccups going in to the games. The last ten weeks of training were the best I had ever had. I knew going in to the games I was in the best physical and mental shape I had ever been. I didn't want to disappoint the team who have helped me through my career. When you see 80,000 people in the Olympic Stadium, in the city you were born and raised in and you are the only Brit in the race, you don't want to disappoint them either!" For more information on David's foundation visit: www.weir-archer-academy.com Follow @David Weir2012
Star Supporter: David Coulthard MBE David Coulthard has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Racing: David Coulthard MBE David Coulthard MBE is supporting motorsport based reminiscence activities to help tackle dementia, depression and isolation in older people. DC, an integral member of the BBC F1 team, was a multiple winner of the British Grand Prix and the highest scoring British F1 driver of all time, became a supporter on hearing of the positive impact the Sporting Memories Network's innovative work is having. You can read David`s memory of his favourite F1 victory on the Replay Motorsport site. "When I think back across my own career, I have great memories of circuits, races and the drivers I competed against. The rich history of the sport and the passion fans hold for their favourite drivers and teams should make for some great stories and discussions. I'm looking forward to seeing the fans' memories being added to the Replay Motorsport website." DC looked back at his own career in a thirty minute interview that was produced by Mario Muth of Shakefree. Our sincere thanks go to Mario for permission to use this terrific film DC dominated Britain's junior Formula Ford categories in 1989 and became the first ever recipient of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for young drivers. In 1991 he fought a titanic battle with future Formula 1 rival Rubens Barrichello for the British Formula 3 Championship, and won the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix. He joined the Williams Formula 1 team as a test driver in 1993, and after competing in eight grands prix for the team in the 1994 season he became a full-time F1 driver in 1995. That year he won the Portuguese Grand Prix and finished third in the championship. After moving to McLaren, David took his new team's first win in three seasons at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix. In all, he scored 12 of his 13 grand prix wins and 51 of his 62 podium finishes with McLaren, and, after supporting team-mate David Coulthard on the podium in MonacoMika Häkkinen to the drivers' championship in 1998 and '99, he finished runner-up to Michael Schumacher in 2001. In 2005 David moved to the newly formed Red Bull Racing team. By the time he retired from driving, in 2008, he had notched up 535 points, making him the highest scoring British driver of all time. David stayed on as a consultant to Red Bull and also acts as an ambassador for Mercedes-Benz. Visit DC's official website here : www.davidcoulthard.co.uk The David Coulthard Museum, based in Twynholm, Scotland has without doubt the world's most complete collection of memorabilia for any F1 driver, past or present, with informative museum tours, great home made cooking & snacks and of course a friendly welcome. More details at : www.dcmuseum.co.uk
Star Supporter: Howard Webb MBE Howard Webb MBE has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Football: Howard Webb MBE Born in Rotherham, the former Police Sergeant began his journey to becoming a FIFA listed Ref in 1993 when he became an assistant referee in the Northern Counties League. It was 1998 when Howard took charge of his first game as Ref in the Football Conference before rapidly moving up the leagues. In 2010 he became the first person to referee both the UEFA Champions League Final and the World Cup Final in the same year. Whilst football is the focus for Howard's career, during the summer as a kid it was Tennis at Wimbledon that captured his attention. " As a kid my all time tennis hero was Ivan Lendl. I was so desperate for him to win Wimbledon but it never happened. He kept coming up against Boris Becker and he had a great chance against Pat Cash but lost that one. The point about Ivan Lendl was that he was clean-cut and wore great Adidas shirts which I used to go out and buy to play my tennis in thinking I would be the next big thing" When talking sporting memories, few if any, come bigger than The World Cup. Memories of 2010 also figure prominently "And there was the second podium just on the pitch with the words FIFA on it and on top of that was the World Cup Trophy itself, but it was the shiniest piece of metal I had ever seen in my life. I had seen it so many times on TV before and replicas but I didn't expect such a wonderful sight and to think we were about to play for that Trophy with the Golden World on top and the green at the base was an amazing thing to see as I waited to walk out for the World Cup Final. Those memories and that walk out will stay with me forever, collecting the ball, onto the pitch and past that Trophy and to turn around and face it and to know that you're about to be involved in something quite amazing was very special."
Star Supporter: Jason Leonard OBE Jason Leonard OBE has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Rugby: Jason Leonard OBE The World Cup winner enjoyed success at club and international level in a career that saw him hold the record for most international caps. As an England player, Jason was on the winning side for four Grand Slams, the Lions tour to South Africa in 1997 and played a key role in England's World Cup victory in 2003. Recalling his early days Jason says "I played at Barking Rugby Club until I was 18 and then I trialled with Saracen's Under 21's for a while. I played a full season at Barking as an 18-19 year old and then went to Saracens after that and had two years at Saracens where we got promotion from Division Two to what would have been the original Premiership then, sort of like the First Division, and at the time I got picked up for the Under 21's for the first ever England Under 21's International in Romania and then I came back and played one season again at Saracens in the first team in the First Division and then got chosen to go on tour to Argentina with the England team." Memories of the World Cup "We thought we'd get to the Final, we thought we'd win the Final it's just that we made bloody hard work of it and we shouldn't have. We should have won the game in eighty minutes but lack of discipline let them back in the game and one thing you can always say about Australia is that they can play the game - they're very intelligent about how they play the game and when they play. So all the credit to them, they got back in the game and I was lucky enough to come on the field at extra time."
Broadcasting Supporter: Alastair Stewart OBE Alastair Stewart OBE has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Broadcaster: Alastair Stewart OBE Alastair Stewart OBE is one of the UK's most experienced and respected presenters, having anchored national news bulletins since 1983. He now presents ITV News at 1.30pm and co-presents ITV News at 6.30pm with Mary Nightingale. Alastair chose to share a memory of a nerve tingling moment from the battle for team show-jumping gold at London 2012. "The setting was perfect - a Royal Palace on the banks of the Thames, a river that flows with patriotic pride and memories.The company also perfect - my wife, who I 'courted' on equestrian adventures to the New Forest, and two of my children who love show-jumping and are rather good at it.The spectacle? Well, it couldn't really be bettered: not only was it the final of the London 2012 Olympic team show-jumping but, on the team, a dear, personal friend - Peter Charles. Also on the team the legendary Nick Skelton and two bright young stars - Ben Maher and Scott Brash, who are currently number 1 and number 2 in the world and have become friends. The crowd was splendidly multinational, as is the sport; but the 'Brits' had an edge, I felt. Flags fluttered, people wore their 'colours' - the Dutch, in orange, were particularly striking. Each rider had already 'gone' once and Britain was, nerve-rackingly, tied with those 'orange' Dutchmen. A 'jump-off' final is life or death in show-jumping and that was what we were about to behold....." Alastair presented ITV's Election 2010 programme and made television history as he moderated the First Election Debate on ITV1 between David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg. Winner of the Royal Television Society Award for Presenter of the Year in 2005, Alastair was also named as The Face of London by the Royal Television Society in 2002 for his former role of presenting London Tonight. In 2006 Alastair was awarded the OBE for his work in broadcasting and for charity, and he in 2008 was made an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of Bristol, followed by a Doctorate of Letters from Plymouth University in 2010. Follow Alastair on Twitter @AlStewITN
Supporter: Gordon Taylor OBE Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers' Association Gordon Taylor OBE has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand PFA Chief Executive: Gordon Taylor OBE Gordon is Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, the world's oldest professional sport trade union. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Gordon used to go with his father to watch Bolton Wanderers, the club he would go on to sign professional forms with and make his football league debut for. After ten years at the club, Gordon signed for Birmingham City and later played for Blackburn Rovers, Vancouver Whitecaps and finally Bury. With a lifetime of memories playing and watching the beautiful game, from watching Stanley Matthews on black and white TV in the 1953 FA Cup final, making his league and FA cup debuts for Bolton through to attending World Cup Finals, choosing just one favourite memory would be impossible, but a broad smile lit up his face when recalling the day he played against Pele....and was on the winning side "My best night would be in the summer of '77 when I played for Vancouver Whitecaps in the North American Soccer League, that was when they were trying to boost soccer in the USA, Pelé, Cruyff and George Best were all over there, but New York Cosmos really pushed the boat out. They had Pelé, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto. We had a full house at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, where you could see the mountains and the Pacific, a beautiful night, we beat them 5-3 and I got Man of the Match. To be in a team that beat Pelé and get Man of the Match was a bit special, it would be hard to top!" Find out more about the Professional Footballers' Association at www.thepfa.com
Star Supporter: Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Racing: Johnny Herbert Johnny, who is nowadays part of Sky TV's F1 Team, won 3 Formula 1 Grand Prix in the course of his career, including the British Grand Prix. Yet it is a fourth place finish that sticks in his mind when sharing magic memories. "We did okay in qualifying, I managed 12th place on the grid and out qualified my team mate Alessandro Nannini, which didn't go down too well with the Italian camp, Benetton being an Italian team! It was Flavio Briatore's first race and clearly he was expecting Alessandro to beat me, so it didn't exactly go to plan for the team, but I was happy of course. It did though give me my first insight into what was to come in being the second driver in a team managed by Flavio." www.johnnyherbert.orgFollow on Twitter @JohhnyHerbertF1
Sports Broadcasting Supporter: Henry Winter Henry Winter has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Sports Writer and Broadcaster: Henry Winter Henry is chief football writer for The Times: "I've been reporting on football for twenty-eight years now and there are two stand out memories that made for two of the most difficult working nights of my career, but they led to two of the most momentous and dramatic stories that you could ever have the joy to cover." The first of those took place at the Nou Camp in 1999. ".....Then began the most extraordinary end to a game that I've ever seen or covered. When the first goal went in from Sheringham and was then followed by Solskjaer, it was the most incredible moment for the players, fans and everyone associated with Manchester United and any neutral was just jumping around with excitement. I looked around the press box in Barcelona and it was absolute carnage. All the print sites were rolling on one little wire, so I just picked up the phone and screamed a couple of ad lib paragraphs of the dramatic late turn around - Manchester United defy the odds to turn logic on its head with two late, late goals to win the European Cup. Those two paragraphs were of course then followed by 950 words of criticism of Ferguson's tactics!" The second game that stands out took place in Istanbul. 25th May 2005 Atatürk Stadium - A C Milan v Liverpool. " We didn't know at the time that Rafa Benitez had used half time to make a stirring speech, nor that Steven Gerrard had left the dressing room door open so the players could hear the 40,000 Liverpool fans still showing their support, singing ‘You'll Never Walk Alone'. What we did see was Gerrard emerge from the tunnel for the second half and was totally pumped up. He clearly realised it was going to be the biggest moment of his career and he was going to do everything possible to achieve the glory he dreamed of when growing up as a kid supporting Liverpool. He basically went out there and seized the moment, he scored, he won the penalty, he got them back into it. Then extra-time and Ancelotti began to send on fresh players, Carragher was suffering from cramp, holding on to the post trying to get rid of it, lactic acid coursing through his legs, but all that was going through Gerrard was pure adrenaline and a desire to get through to penalties." I go in to talk to schools and say that whatever you are doing in life, whatever profession you to choose to go in to, whatever hardship you face, there is always a way out if you believe, you work as a team, you have the determination, the drive, then you can do what Sheringham, Solskjaer & Gerrard achieved, you can get yourself out of difficult places. Follow Henry on Twitter @HenryWinter
Sports Broadcasting Supporter: David Croft David Croft has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Broadcaster: David Croft "Crofty" has given his backing to the Sporting Memories Network, sharing a great memory of a trip to Wembley to see his beloved West Ham United. Away from the Boleyn Ground, he appears on our screens as lead commentator of the Sky Sports F1 Team. 2018 will be Crofty's 13th season covering F1 where he regularly hosts the press interview with the top three qualifiers and finishers after the race. Prior to joining Sky, he commentated for 6 years on BBC 5 Live's F1 coverage. Crofty is also well known for his commentary at the legendary World Masters Darts at the Lakeside and as a boxing commentator covered some major fights including Joe Calzaghe's final fight against Roy Jones Jnr at Madison Square Garden. He has covered major global sporting events including the 2002 World Cup and 2004 Olympic Games In sharing a favourite football moment, his Hammers memory was the 1000th submitted to the network! "Do excuse me for not reliving an F1 story from my years covering the sport or not re-telling a tale or two from the many nights of late night research put in over the course of the Lakeside World Darts Championship. I'd like to go back, if that's okay to Sunday 14th March 1981, when my Dad and Me went to Wem-ber-ley" Follow on Twitter @CroftyF1
Star Supporter: Robbie Savage Robbie Savage has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Football: Robbie Savage One of football's most colourful characters Robbie is famous for his no nonsense approach on the field and at the time of writing is the record holder of most Premier League yellow cards with 89. He is quickly becoming one of Britain's favourite media pundits off the pitch and won a Sony DAB Rising Star Award for his work on the BBC Radio 5 Live 6-0-6 programme. We spoke with Robbie at the Celebrity Karting event he competed in, which was held at the Autosport International Show at the NEC. The race was in honour of Dan Wheldon and raised funds for the Alzheimer's Society Robbie shared a fantastic memory in support of our work with older people with dementia, choosing the favourite moment of his career - "The stadium was packed that night with 72,500 fans. Italy had all their stars playing, Del Piero, Gattuso, Nesta & Buffon and the atmosphere was electric. Lining up before the game, the national anthem made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. We had the whole country behind us that night. We all played like dragons that night, beating them 2-1" Robbie's honest and forthright opinions can be read weekly in his Daily Mirror column as well as being heard in his regular appearances on both TV and Radio for the BBC. Robbie is an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society, raising the profile of dementia and championing the charity at events across the UKwww.robbiesavage8.com Follow Robbie on Twitter @RobbieSavage8
Star Supporter: Brian Johnson AC/DC Brian Johnson has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Music: Brian Johnson AC/DC By night, Brian sings in the biggest rock 'n' roll band on the planet. By day, AC/DC's charismatic, flat-capped Front man gets to indulge his passion for all things automotive. Car racer, car collector and all-round car enthusiast, Johnson is an incurable, certifiable Petrol Head who can't remember a time when four wheels didn't feature large in his life.Starting, as a young boy growing up in Tyneside, with an old steering wheel and his imagination, a lifelong passion took root. And through cramped teenage fumbles in an old Mini and clapped-out, hygienically challenged tour vans, to chauffeur-driven, leather-trimmed limos and a sideline as a successful racing driver, it's been there ever since. However.It wasn't cars that featured in Brian's early years growing up in Dunston. Brian and his Dad would head along to watch Gateshead FC play "We walked there from Dunston, we didn't have a car anyway. We walked through Dunston Park, down past the gas works, turned right up alongside the tributary that led into the Tyne from the mines, to the Gateshead stadium." Twitter @BrianJohnson www.brianjohnsonracing.com
Star Supporter: Jason Plato Jason Plato has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Racing, British Touring Cars: Jason Plato Jason won the BTCC championships twice, in 2001 and 2010 and has finished in the top three in the championship nine times. Jason holds the record for the most overall race wins in the BTCC, the most podiums, most pole positions and the fastest laps at the time of writing. Having started out in Karting in 1980 at the age 12 he moved on to Formula Renault where he was the European Champion Formula Renault. Winning the Renault Spider Championships in 1996 proved to be a life changing victory, but not without a battle first! Jason was eventually offered a drive by Sir Frank Williams in 1997 in the Works Williams Renault BTCC Team, claiming pole position in his first three races. Included in the memories Jason shared with us is the full story behind how he secured that seat, which included a cunning plan to hi-jack Sir Frank "I woke up absolutely full of hell and thought - I'm not having this, I'm going to go and see Frank, what have I got to lose? -.So I put on a suit, picked up my empty briefcase (I've really no idea why I took it but I did!) and marched into the offices at Williams at 9am" Other notable accolades include six times BRDC Silver Star winner, two times Autosport National Racing Driver of the Year winner and the World's Best Touring Car Driver as voted by the fans of Touring Car times. Jason was a presenter on the motoring series Fifth Gear and he is a columnist for a number of national papers Twitter @JasonPlato
Star Supporter: Gordon Sheddon Gordon Sheddon has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Racing, British Touring Cars:Gordon Shedden Having grown up watching Scottish driver John Cleland racing in the BTCC championship, it is little wonder Flash chose to look back on the moment he secured his title. "There is an image of me in the car, half way down paddock hill, after the race has finished when the team got on the radio to me and said "you have done it, you are now British Touring Car Champion". They say the eyes can be the gateway to the soul and at that moment, in that image, it is clearly the point when the news kicked in that I'd done enough." www.gordonshedden.comTwitter @gordonshedden
Star Supporter: Marino Franchitti Marino Franchitti has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Racing: Marino Franchitti Marino competes in the American Le Mans Series for Patron Highcroft Racing and has driven a fantastic array of machinery in a career which started out at the age of eight when began competing in karts,winning various Scottish titles including the West of Scotland Kart Club Championship, the Scottish Open Championship and the Scottish Pro-Kart Championship. Making the move into single seaters, Marino competed in two Formula cars - Formula Ford and Formula Vauxhall. In Sportscars he has competed and taken podiums in no less than 11 GT category cars, Porsche GT3RS, GT3RSR, Ferrari 360 Modena, Chrysler Viper GTS, Audi 4-wheel drive A4, Panoz Esperante GTLM, Spyker C-8 Spyder GT2R, Porsche 996 GT3 Cup, Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT, Ferrari 430 and Maserati MC12 GT1. He was the 2001 British GTO and 2010 ALMS LMP champion. Possibly the most striking of all vehicles Marino has driven was the amazing Nissan Delta Wing in which he competed at Le Mans last year. Marino has shared a memory of the first time he drove the uniquely designed car on circuit. "Being involved in the Nissan Delta Wing, which we took from ‘concept' to racing at Le Mans in the space of about 3 months, was an amazing experience. The car had half the weight & half the amount of drag of a standard race car. With that it also uses half the tyres & half the fuel, factors which are hugely influential in endurance racing." www.marinofranchitti.com Twitter @MFranchitti
Star Supporter: John Cleland John Cleland has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Sport, British Touring Cars: John Cleland John won the BTCC title in 1989 and 1995, spent his childhood travelling to motorsport events with his father, who was chief scrutineer for Scotland. He describes watching an unusual race between Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark at Ingliston in the 1960's, travelling to Glasgow to watch the start of the iconic Monte Carlo Rally and of course, some fantastic memories of his racing career, looking back at some of the most spectacular BTCC races. "Taking part in, what is said, was the best touring car race ever. It was the race at Donington in 1998 which Nigel Mansell drove in. I won the race on that day and I think it was the best race I'd ever been in, in touring cars." More recently, John was asked by the FIA to be the driving standards steward for some of the World Touring Car Championship rounds which he says seemed like more fun...poacher turns gamekeeper! www.clelands.co.uk and www.johncleland.net
Star Supporter: Matt Neal Matt Neal has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Sports, British Touring Cars: Matt Neal We are delighted to have the support of British Touring Car Champion Matt Neal. Matt Neal is a three times BTCC champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Matt made his debut on a BTCC grid in front of over 120,000 fans in 1991 at Silverstone when BTCC was part of the British Grand Prix race weekend. The circuit holds many memories for Matt "My Dad took me along to see the Big Cat Jaguars in the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone, that was in the days when it was still all ploughed fields in the centre of the circuit. We had a wander round the circuit and stood on the banking near Becketts to watch. We managed to drive onto the in-field, my Dad used to sneak us in with us hiding in the boot as we were still small enough to fit in back then! Andy Rouse was racing the Broadspeed Jag and Hans-Joachim Stuck along with Jochen Mass were in the Batmobile BMW's. Seeing those cars pretty much sold it to me. The Jags were incredibly fast, but also very fragile, they'd get into the lead and then always breakdown. But that day really got me hooked on Touring Car Racing" Follow on Twitter @MattNealRacingVisit www.mattneal.co.uk
Star Supporter: Allan McNish Allan McNish has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Racing:Allan McNish Allan is one of the most respected and liked personalities in the dynamic and competitive world of motorsport and is rarely seen without a smile on his face, Allan has always been one of motorsport's most naturally engaging and entertaining characters, making him a favourite of media and fans alike. Off-track, this has led to media roles with BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports F1 and SPEED TV, where he has shared his sporting insight with millions of viewers and listeners. After family trips to watch racing at circuits such as Ingliston, Oulton Park and Croft and being inspired to get into motorsport through trips with his father, who was helping local driver David Leslie, a successful foray into Karting saw Allan rise through the ranks to win the Scottish and British Championships and then onto podiums internationally. A freezing cold Knockhill then beckoned for a first drive of a race car. "It was 1987 when we headed to Knockhill circuit. It had just been bought by the Butchers, who still own it to this day. Derek opened it up on a cold, dismal wet and freezing February day back in 1987 before went off for a walk with his dog, wrapped up with his wellies and deerstalker on whilst this young long haired yob from Dumfries had his first ever go in a racing car.. We had a year old Formula Ford. It was just unbelievably cold, freezing with ice on the track and having just come from International Karting, I just couldn't believe how little grip this car had. I didn't even complete one lap before I'd spun." Allan has shared memories of some great career highlights that have taken in racing with Ayrton Senna and of course, standing on the top step of the podium three times at Le Mans. Follow @AllanMcnish and for more info visit www.allanmcnish.com
Star Supporter: Derek Warwick Derek Warwick has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. We create and curate weekly reminiscence materials for our weekly groups across the country. Expand Motor Racing: Derek Warwick President of the British Racing Drivers' Club. Derek has shared memories of his career in Motorsport, reflecting on his own heroes of Formula 1 when he was growing up, how he became a World Champion at the age of 19 and the feelings of pride in driving his first ever Grand Prix at Imola in 1981. "Even though I didn't qualify, it was the proudest moment of my life. It almost brought tears to my eyes. I still maintain today, that driving a Grand Prix car is the most satisfying and rewarding, yet hardest, most difficult and often disappointing thing you can do, but it is another level compared to anything else I have ever done in my life. I look back and just loved every single minute I had in Formula 1." Derek competed in Formula 1 for eleven seasons, driving for teams including Toleman, for whom he drove Formula 2 before making the step up to Formula 1, Renault, Arrows and Lotus. On leaving Formula 1 Derek switched to World Sports Cars, driving for Jaguar as they made their comeback.Le Mans holds many dear memories and his victory in the 24 hours with Peugeot in 1992 was made all the more special due to the actions of team boss Jean Todt.
Sports Broadcasting Supporter: Suzi Perry Suzi Perry has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Broadcaster: Suzi Perry Prior to landing the lead role in the BBCF1 team, Suzi was perhaps best known for her work in presenting two wheel racing, having been the presenter for BBC's coverage of MotoGP for thirteen years. This was combined with seventeen series as co-presenter of hi-tech The Gadget Show on Channel Five. Suzi's first break in TV came about through her passion for bikes. Having obtained her bkie licence, regular trips to watch racing at Mallory Park and Donington led to a determination and a plan to forge a career in the industry. "I made a tape; it would be around 1996/97 interviewing some of the riders at Donington including Niall McKenzie, Jamie Whittam and Phil McCallum. I got a lot of help and support from the guys and I still appreciate that to this day". "Brands Hatch, 1997 was a massive moment in my life. It was the first race I presented on TV. I was working for Sky Sports and it was a six hour-long live broadcast! It's fair to say it was a real sink or swim moment." Away from the race track, Suzi was brought up surrounded by the black and gold of her local football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Follow @SuziPerry and for latest news and blogs visit www.suziperry.com
Star Supporter: Finlay Calder OBE Finlay Calder OBE has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Rugby: Finlay Calder OBE Finlay Calder has shared memories of his Rugby Union career in support of the network. Finlay captained the British and Irish Lions on their 1989 tour and holds a unique place in Lions history as the only 20th century captain to lead the team to a series victory after losing the opening Test. He made his international debut for Scotland in 1986 and made history three years later by following his brother Jim, a 1983 tourist, into the Lions red jersey, making them the only twins to have played for the side. Born in Haddington, East Lothian, Finlay's love of Rugby Union saw him develop into an international flanker, representing Scotland 34 times during his career, including the 1990 Five Nations when Scotland defeated England to win the Grand Slam "There are some days when you feel you can run forever and other days when your legs feel as heavy as lead; that day we could run forever. We were all feeling good. Some days you look around the changing rooms and there are a few carried injuries but it wasn't on that day. Everyone was fresh.For the winning try I remember Gavin Hastings kicking it back into play and it was then a straight foot race between Tony Stanger and Rory Underwood. Tony had the advantage in that Rory had to turn whilst he was at full tilt as Gavin kicked it."
Star Supporter: Johnny Mowlem Elite Motor Racing Champion Johnny Mowlem has donated a memory in support of the Sporting Memories Foundation. Expand Motor Racing: Johnny Mowlem Johnny's sports car career has seen him compete in the most iconic races at some of the World's finest circuits including Le Mans, Nurburgring, Laguna Seca, Daytona and Road America. Many fans will first recall his astounding season in the British Porsche Cup in 1997 when in winning the championship for a second time, he had a remarkable record of remaining undefeated throughout the season, finishing first in all seventeen rounds of the championship. In the same year Johnny won the Gregor Grant Award at the Autosport International Awards for "Outstanding Achievement in International Motorsport", previous and more recent winners of this particular put him illustrious company: including Dale Ernhardt Snr, Colin McRae, Alain Prost, Emerson Fittipaldi, Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon and Fernando Alonso Johnny then went on to forge a highly successful career in endurance racing, competing in the American Le Mans Series, enjoying podium finishes in GT, GT2 and LMP1 classes. Some of those victories were particularly close, in 2004 he was part of the closest ever GT2 finish in history at Daytona International Speedway circuit and in 2007 he became part of Sebring history as part of the Melo/Salo/Mowlem Ferrari team that won the GT division in an incredible final lap that became voted in the top 10 best ever moments of the American Le Mans Series' championship history. "The biggest single problem that ended up losing us the best part of a lap throughout the entire 12 hours, was a re-starting issue at the pit stops. Unfortunately for me, this problem first appeared in the race at the start of my first stint. You can imagine my horror when they drop the car and I'm turning the engine over but it won't fire! Here I was, the third driver, and the first thing that goes through your mind is that you're doing something wrong. I scanned all the switches first, fuel pumps, lambda, etc.,then I turned my attention to the ignition." His first time at Le Mans 24 hours in 2000 saw a podium in the GT class and he has been a regular competitor ever since. "The 24 hours of Le Mans is without doubt one of the most famous races in the world; attracting manufacturers and top privateer teams alike, so I always feel privileged to be a part of it. I've driven at Le Mans before in a Porsche and for Saleen, but there is something about the name; Ferrari, that grabs people's attention!" In 2013 Johnny capped a fine season by becoming the European GT Le Mans series champion Follow @JohnnyMowlem www.johnnymowlem.com