Not many people make their car racing debut in a Jaguar D-type, but it seems entirely appropriate for Gary Pearson. He has been one of historic racing's leading exponents for more than a quarter of a century, driving a wide variety of cars, yet is most readily associated with the machines from Coventry.
His father, John Pearson, knew long-time Jaguar Cars boss Lofty England and formed Pearsons Engineering, which is still known for its work restoring and preparing Big Cats.
"It was unavoidable really," says Gary of his life in the sport. "My dad was mechanicking in the early 1960s so I was born into it. He was looking after Peter Sutcliffe's Jaguar E-type and then his Ford GT40s, and Tom Fletcher's Lotus Cortina. The old man also got quite matey with the Team Lotus guys, particularly Bob Dance."