Features

Where do cars rank on your scale of all things good?
My wife comes first, then my 10-month-old baby girl, then my Jag, then my house. So, third, which I think is quite high.

Can you tell us how you make donuts?
Urgh, no. Get someone to make them for you.

You've got all weekend to drive from London to the south of France; what's the car and who is in the passenger seat...
It would have to be my Jag. It's comfy, quick and it's got a baby seat. Or if I had more kids then it would be a Renault Espace

...and what's on the stereo?
Metallica, The Black Album. Perfect driving music.

Can you tell the difference between the smell of frying clutch and the smell of burning rubber?
Yes. I did some driving with Radio One and a load of Seat cars. We burnt the clutches off all of them.

What's your earliest memory of a car?
I remember buying my first car, which was an old Ford Escort. I used to stack bog roll on shelves at Tesco and I bought it from the lady in the next row who was stacking baby food. I used to give lifts to my friends and charge them for petrol.

What one gadget would make life easier for you when you're behind the wheel?
It would have to be autopilot. That, with satnav, would mean the car would drive itself.

What caused your worst car crash?
I crashed a Bolton Council van into a bin wagon when I was younger.

When it comes to driving licences, is cleanliness next to godliness?
Well mine's clean, so I feel pretty close to God.

How many laps into the Grand Prix before you nod off?
I don't even turn it on. It's the dullest thing ever.

What winds you up about other drivers?
People who throw litter out of the window, people who hog the middle lane, people who drive too slow. It pisses me off.

What's the secret of pulling at the lights?
Polish your wheels regularly. Good wheels are like good shoes. Not that I've done it in a long time.

What makes you lock the doors when you're driving?
I don't lock the doors, the car doors automatically lock themselves once I start driving.