JustBritish

Robbie Williams has admitted he still can’t drive a car at the age of 37. The British singer struggles to get around Los Angeles, where he lives with wife Ayda Field, because he has never passed his driving test.

He said: “I don’t have a driver’s licence. In London you just don’t drive because the traffic is terrible, so you get cabs to go everywhere, which has left me being 37 and still without a driver’s licence in Los Angeles.”

Although he can’t drive, the Take That star – who has teamed up with country music star Bob Paisley to record ‘Collision of Worlds’ for the forthcoming ‘Cars 2′ movie – is fascinated by cars and loves watching motor racing on television.

In an interview organised by Disney and posted on Robbie’s official website, he said: “We have Formula 1 over in England, and it’s always been a very important part of growing up and seeing these heroes and respecting and admiring them and the glamour that surrounds them. It’s exciting.”

The ‘Flood’ singer also admitted he thinks of himself as a “steady and reliable” minivan.

Asked what type of car he thinks he is, he said: “I think I’d be a van, to be honest. Nice and comfortable, steady, reliable. I’d like to consider myself like something sporty, but I’m not. So yeah, a minivan with a plasma screen inside, big relaxing chairs and comfort. That would be me.”

Racing legend Sir Stirling Moss OBE has retired from racing, closing the door on a competitive racing career that has spanned more than 60 years. During qualifying for the Le Mans Legends race at the wheel of his Porsche RS 61, Moss made the decision to retire from the sport he loves.

On his retirement Stirling said, “This afternoon I scared myself and I have always said that if I felt I was not up to it or that I was getting in the way of fellow competitors, then I would retire.”

Moss leaves motor racing as one of the most recognised racing drivers in the world, having raced from the age of 18, winning the British Grand Prix twice, the Monaco Grand Prix three times, the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the Tourist Trophy, as well as countless other races, during his professional career. He is regarded as one of the greatest motor racing drivers the sport has ever known, having raced successfully in all forms of motor sport and racing not only to win, but racing because he loved the racing itself.
As Stirling said, on the day of his retirement, “I love racing, but now it is time to stop.”

Source: Stirlingmoss.com

More than half (56 per cent) of British motorists have at some point forgotten where they parked, according to a poll.

And three per cent of these forgetful motorists have called their breakdown service to help them find their car, the survey by Confused.com found.

Women appear to have more memory lapses than men, with 63 per cent of female drivers forgetting where they parked compared with 43 per cent of males.

The survey did not report on whether or not the women misplaced their cars, and perhaps the associated male drivers, on purpose. One has to wonder!

On a recent Saturday, Blaine Benson sifted through a folder of documents, the remains of a road trip taken 40 years ago. Among the ephemera were Pan Am airline tickets, ferry receipts, invoices for car repairs and a mileage log, handwritten on white notepad pages.

“It’s the family story,” Mr. Benson, a computer systems engineer, said of the archive. It is the chronicle of a continent-crossing journey, stretching nearly equator to pole, that his parents once made in a 1962 MGB roadster.

“My dad had a thing for sports cars,” Mr. Benson, 41, said. “He had a Triumph TR3. He was a bit of a car freak.”

Mr. Benson’s father, Skip, bought the MGB
in 1967 for about $1,000 in Puerto Rico, where he and his wife, Barbara, were training Peace Corps volunteers. When their work contract expired later that year, the family — Joel, Blaine’s older brother, was born during that time — travelled to Nome, Alaska, where Skip was going to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Read the full story of Mr. Benson and the 1962 MGB over at The New York Times. But before you go, tell us something about your companion and automotive member of the family. What cars have transcended transportation for you and become integral to the story of your travel itself?

The 59th Coppa InterEurope Storica Event, round four of the FIA Historic Formula One Championship Series at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, will add another piece of history to its racing weekend June 3-5, while honoring a special moment in American motor racing history. Scuderia del Portello, together with Lawrence Auriana, will hold a race for 1.5-liter Grand Prix cars, titled “The Phil Hill Trophy,” celebrating the 50th anniversary of Phil’s victory at Monza and subsequent World Championship Title.

Alma Hill, Phil’s widow, and son Derek, will present the trophy and honor America’s first Formula 1 Champion who succumbed to Parkinson’s disease in 2008, at the age of 81.

At Monza in September 1961, Phil Hill clinched the 1961 Formula 1 World Championship at the wheel of a Ferrari 156. The quiet, unassuming, Santa Monica-resident, led the way to Europe for a group of young American race drivers, who included Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby. His Formula 1 Championship was a testament to his courage and ability, as well as intelligence.

“My mother and I are so pleased to be asked to hand out the Phil Hill Trophy at Monza,” said Derek Hill. “Not only was my father the first American to become a Formula 1 World Champion, but he also defeated the odds by walking away from the sport a living man.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t so for his main rival and teammate, Wolfgang von Trips, who was killed the very day Hill clinched the Championship. “Death was very much a risk you took every time you sat in one of those cars,” continued Hill. “To be here at Monza, a circuit my father had significant victories at driving for Ferrari, means a lot to our family.”

Monza is where Hill won his first Grand Prix in 1960, and again in 1961, when he clinched the Formula 1 World Championship.

The car in which Phil won the title, and with which the Ferrari team dominated the 1961 Championship, was known as the “156,” which stood for 1500cc/6-cylinder. It was also known as the Ferrari “Sharknose” due to its beautiful streamlined shape and particularly, its shark-like nose. Unfortunately, in 1962, at the end of the 156′s second season, Enzo Ferrari had all the models destroyed.

For many enthusiasts, the 156 was one of the most iconic of Ferrari vehicles, thus when Belgian enthusiast Jan Biekens decided to build a replica Sharknose, using many original parts including an engine and the complex transmission, his efforts were welcomed with great pleasure. Mr. Biekens’ 156 will be on display at Monza throughout the Historic Championship weekend, both on and off the track, and will be the star of the “Phil Hill Trophy.”

Read more here: http://www.vintagemotorsport.com/show_news.asp?id=2159

I just got this message and thought it appropriate to post it.

Dear BCF Member,

Most of you who frequent the British Car Forum know our MG forum moderator, Tony Barnhill. Some of you already know this, but for those who don’t it is with great sadness that I much inform the members of BCF that Tony was killed in a head-on collision near his home in Gurley, Alabama on Monday, 25 Jan 2010. His wife was seriously injured as well and remains in ICU. The accident occurred Monday morning, 25 Jan 2010. Tony had been a dear friend and one of my Moderators for over nine years. In that time he helped countless enthusiasts from around the world solve their MG and other British car problems. Many of you knew him personally; some only knew him from the internet. Either way, those who had the good fortune to cross paths with Lt Colonel (USA, retired) Tony Barnhill were all the richer for the experience. I have a thread in the “Pub” forum where members can post their condolences to the family and/or post remembrances of Tony. From the posts we have so far, it is obvious that Tony touched a lot of lives and his death leaves a huge void. At the appropriate time, I will print and send the thread to Tony’s family with all your condolences.

Sincerely,
Basil