David Brodie (Racer and BBR co-founder)

Since the early '60s he's been racing cars or tuning them to go faster. Here David Brodie shares just some of his career highlights

- BRETT FRASER

DAVID A BRODIE IS MANY THINGS. For starters, he's Brode, a name he calls himself, as do all his friends and acquaintances. He's a hugely successful saloon car racer, in club, British and European championships, who will be forever associated with a wide-arched Mk1 Ford Escort affectionately known as Run Baby Run, a car that reputedly won 200 races in the years 1969 to 1972. He's held lap records at all the UK circuits, a few of which stood for many years; in the case of the Crystal Palace circuit, now long closed, he says, 'I'll hold that one forever.

He has long been a friend to motor racing's elite, having helped out Frank Williams in his early career (later becoming a director of Williams Grand Prix Engineering at its outset) - and was best man and limo driver at Ronnie Peterson's wedding, a favour the Formula 1 driver later returned. Barry Sheene was a good mate. He's a scallywag - at least, in his youth he was, and doubtless in adult life as wellhaving been expelled from private school and then having his driving licence revoked for three years (reduced to two after an appeal).

Brode's irreverent, mischievous, and has no time for political correctness - think DCI Gene Hunt, the character from the BBC series Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, but with Nomex and a crash helmet. He's a businessman and race team owner - Brodie Brittain Racing, or BBR, the company now better known for tuning MX-5s. He's competitive on track and in life in general, never more so than when leukaemia tried to punt him off the circuit. He's bloody funny, and seemingly doesn't care if you quote him saying something potentially libellous. And he's got more stories to tell than the British Library.