Timeline

1981 - 1985 – Part-time freelance, mainly as motor sport photographer
1985 - 1991 – Independent newspaper, Reigate. Photo-Journalist – Deputy Editor
1991 - 1991 – Croydon Advertiser newspaper, Sub-Editor
1991 - 1993 – Fast Car magazine, Deputy Editor
1994 - 1995 – Top Car magazine, Editor, relaunch as Performance & Style
1995 - 1996 – Super Touring magazine - Founder and Editor
1996 - 1997 – Various roles then Retro magazine, Contributing Editor
1997 - 1997 – Touring Car Worldwide magazine, Editor
1998 - 2001 – Dorking & Leatherhead Advertiser newspapers, Editor
1998 - now – Motoring Correspondent to Trinity Newspapers Southern
2001 - 2004 – Full-time freelance, Classics magazine Contributing Editor
2004 - 2004 – Carbuyer magazine, Freelance Acting Editor while Editor sought
2004 - now – Continuing freelance, motoring correspondent to Compass magazine, industry news and interviews for Motor Trader, NASCAR features and news for Race Tech, dealer newsletters for Immediate Network, general news and feature material for Auto Express, Just-Auto etc


The story

The Early Days

I went through school planning to become a design draughtsman, I never really knew why. Once in the Sixth Form I took up an O-level photography course simply because I didn't have enough lessons to fill the week. Within months I decided I wasn't going to be a draughtsman, I was going to be a photographer.

I did it the hard way - instead of going to college and getting qualifications I went to work in a camera shop and in my spare time tried to sell pictures, mainly of motor sport, spending every weekend at Brands Hatch. Success was slow in coming but eventually I was getting regular work with a new local paper, The Independent (it beat the national one by some years). Meanwhile in 1984 I was named overall winner of the annual London Marathon photographer's competition, beating professional Fleet Street snappers in the process.

When in 1985 the now renamed Reigate Independent's Photo-Journalist left I was offered her job. On my second week the Chief Reporter left (no I don't think it was due to me...) and until a new one was appointed I found myself running the show with the Editor, John Woodward. I was a Photo-Journalist there for a couple of years, and as I could write John sent me on the in-house training scheme. I passed all the qualifying exams with distinctions but not the final Proficiency Test as I couldn't write shorthand at 100 words a minute. I blamed being left-handed.

I went through a few Chief Reporters until when one left John asked me to apply for her job. Later the job was upgraded to the role of Deputy Editor, until in March 1991 against my and my Editor's will I was 'promoted' to the subs desk of the company's parent paper in Croydon. A couple of months later everyone left at Reigate was made redundant...

Newspapers to magazines

I endured Croydon for six months, and meanwhile continued to freelance in motor sport, which resulted in an offer to become Deputy Editor of Fast Car magazine. I started at the Security Publications offices in Orpington in November 1991 and would be involved with the company in some form right up until the Orpington offices finally closed down in October 2005.

I was Deputy Editor of Fast Car for two years, the magazine rather different to what it is now - quite a few of the pictures were in black and white, and none of them featured young women sans clothes! Then at the end of 1993 the Editor of Fast Car's sister magazine Top Car left and I got his job. Soon I was writing about and driving highly modified BMWs and Mercedes - life was tough....

Touring Cars

By now I had my own project - outside of my job I had become heavily involved with the rapidly growing British Touring Car Championship, and before long I was pitching the idea of a touring car magazine to the SPL management. Super Touring Magazine launched in March 1995, and though I say so myself it won much critical acclaim - people still tell me they miss it today.

Sadly, though the magazine was an excellent quality product editorially (said he modestly), and at the end of 1995 won me the first of two awards for motorsport coverage, it did not make a lot of money. New management at SPL sealed its fate and the last issue appeared in April 1996.

For a while I stayed at SPL in various roles, eventually becoming 'Contributing Editor' to Retro magazine, dealing with the classic car market. But I felt a bit like a spare part and for 1997 joined my former MD in his new company to try and do the Super Touring magazine all over again.

Unfortunately my radar was a little off on this occasion, failing to spot that the BTCC had passed its peak. Touring Car Worldwide lasted eight issues throughout 1997, and won me another Guild of Motoring Writers award, but circumstances conspired against it, not least the declining fortunes of the sport at the time and the launch of a rival magazine in a market that by that time was not really big enough for one. In February 1998 I found myself in the novel situation of being out of work.

Back to newspapers

Almost immediately, however, I was appointed Editor of what were effectively my local papers, the Dorking and Leatherhead Advertisers. Thus began three overall very happy years back in newspapers. Not long after I joined, the Group Editor realised it was senseless paying for a freelance to write his motoring pages when he had a qualified writer on the staff so I also became the Surrey & Sussex Newspapers Motoring Correspondent. This soon expanded to encompass other parts of the Trinity Newspapers Southern empire, the South London Press, Reading Newspaper Group, Slough & Windsor Express and eventually the Croydon Advertiser Group (my old paper), as I effectively re-invented myself as primarily a road car journalist.

I stayed at the Advertiser until the end of 2000, when I was offered an opportunity to return to the now SPL Publishing in Orpington as Editor to Classics magazine, working four days a week. This worked well for me, as it allowed some more time to build up my freelance career. In June 2003 I finally went full-time freelance, long overdue some said, though I remained a Contributing Editor to Classics until late 2003. Meanwhile my expanding freelance portfolio saw me adding such titles as The Observer Sunday newspaper and Auto Express magazine to my client list..

In 2004 following Highbury Leisure's (formerly SPL Publishing) purchase of Carbuyer magazine I was able to work on the title for a year, including two months as Acting Editor though sadly not in a position to influence its direction. However, since returning to the road market I have been able to raise my profile a goodly bit. In 1998 I joined the committee of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and in November 2002 when the long-awaited Southern Group of Motoring Writers was formed I was elected Vice-Chairman – I became Chairman in March 2006. These days I am well known to much of the industry, especially the manufacturer press offices, and I attend a number of launch events across Europe each year.

2005 saw the publication of my first book, 'Ferrari The Classic Collection' and the second, a concise history of the SUV, is appearing in both US and cut-down British versions during 2006. I have continued to expand my general freelance work, and at the time of writing my monthly workload can vary from industry news and interviews for trade newspaper Motor Trader, news and features (particularly concerning US NASCAR racing) for Race Tech where I am now a Contributing Editor, dealer customer and staff newsletters for Immediate Network, industry news for Just-Auto, news and features for Auto Express... and of course, I am always on the lookout for new outlets.