Raised initially within earshot of South London’s fabled Crystal Palace circuit, racing engines are the soundtrack to my life. Car enthusiast Dad and godfather took me to British Grands Prix of the 1960s, which sowed the seeds of my passion. Reading Autosport every Thursday morning, following my hero Ronnie Peterson’s exploits, fuelled it.
Volunteering as a BARC junior at Thruxton in the mid-'70s led to lap-charting for commentator Simon Taylor, Autosport's publisher, and grid/pit marshalling. Landed my dream Autosport job aged 19 in July 1977, working under legendary editor Quentin Spurring and Robin Bradford. A staffer for 20 years (1000 issues!), freelance since 1997, I’m its longest-serving writer.
Over 45 seasons I have reported 1200-plus events - covering F2, F3000, F3, club and Historic racing to hillclimbs and sprints at towards 100 venues - and commentated worldwide, most notably at Goodwood and the Spa Six Hours.
My driving CV lists almost 550 competition cars spanning 140 plus marques. Since 1981 I’ve contested over 200 events, from Brands Hatch to Daytona, scoring the occasional result. Co-owning and racing the Chevron B40 in which Keke Rosberg won Enna-Pergusa’s European F2 round the weekend after I joined Autosport and an F5000 Lola T332 were special!
A lottery windfall would see me buy a Chevron B8 (my favourite car from boyhood), Lola T294 and March 782 - and expand my racing sticker archive, popular on Facebook. Beyond the sport and family, my abiding interest is classical music.
Latest articles by Marcus Pye
Obituary: Special Saloons star Tony Sugden dies aged 91
Obituary: Formula Ford Festival and British F3 winner Gerrit van Kouwen dies aged 60
Long-running Brighton Speed Trials event is axed amid rising costs
Club racer building V8-powered Citroen 2CV Special Saloon
Memorable moments from the 2023 national racing season
Skoda Special Saloon star John Turner dies aged 81
Five key elements to watch at the 2023 Goodwood Revival
Obituary: Mini racing legend Peter Baldwin dies aged 82
National novelties: Batmobile BMW and rear-engined Mini Buick
Obituary: Formula Ford champion and key Reynard figure Peter Morgan
The anniversary celebrations to see at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
National novelties: Ex-Mosley Lotus and F3 cars return to Thruxton 50 years on
National novelties: Thundersaloon Carlton and Ligier JS2-R
‘Slim’ Borgudd obituary: F1 points finisher dies aged 76
Lotus F1 mechanic and Hawke cars creator David Lazenby dies aged 86
The UK national racing highlights from a poignant 2022 campaign
Obituary: Historics and hillclimb star Charles Barter 1943-2022
The "intimate" London parkland track where F1 aces thrilled
Ten on-track highlights for this year's Goodwood Revival
Obituary: Key Lola motorsport figure Mike Blanchet dies aged 74
10 things to look forward to at the 2022 Silverstone Classic
How the Gold Cup's revamp had mixed success
Ranking the 10 greatest Lola cars
The key step needed for the survival of beleaguered club series
The wackiest saloon racers of yesteryear revived for modern thrills
How Lotus emerged as a period Goodwood force
Ten things to watch at Goodwood's Members' Meeting
The UK national racing highlights from a mixed 2021 campaign
Successful Karmann Ghia Special Saloon to return to action
Tony Dron obituary: Touring car racer and journalist dies aged 75
Remembering Goodwood’s heroes at 78th Members' Meeting
The restored BSCC battler back in its family's hands after 50 years
Why Goodwood Revival’s revival will be an unmissable event
The mixed return of a historic racing stalwart
Eight reasons to watch the Silverstone Classic
How modern challenges are confronting historic racing
10 reasons to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed
British touring car legend Vince Woodman dies aged 83
Ken Tyrrell to race Tyrrell 011 in Historic F1
Donington delights as national motorsport returns to the new normal
The unusual racing journey forged by a youthful historics ace
How the Marshall club racing dynasty remains intact
Brian Jones: Memories of a national motorsport great
The greatest club racing characters
Memories from the unusual 2020 national racing season
New UK club racing prototype series launched
How production giants cemented Britain's racing pedigree
The greatest moments in Castle Combe's 70 year history
The iconic kitten set to roar again in national motorsport
The difficult historics decision that was sadly inevitable
Why national motorsport hasn't stood still during the pandemic
CSCC's first meeting of 2020 draws huge entry as UK national meetings increase
Remembering an F1 designer with a legacy of greatness
Brands Hatch Super Prix headlines weekend's UK racing
Inside UK club racing's 'new normal'
Formula Fords and GTs headline UK club racing's return after COVID-19 hiatus
Two-time F1 starter and 1981 Trans-Am champion Eppie Wietzes dies
National News: Why COVID-19 hasn't diminished the appetite for club racing
Obituary: Popular historic racer Mike Bell - 1949-2020
Historics News: VSCC cuts back 2020 event programme amid COVID-19 guidelines
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