DOWN THE PUB

WITH BRIAN CULLEN

Age: 72 Lives: Co Clare, Ireland Irish veteran

He’s been racing for 53 years “I’ve been racing since 1963. I’ve retired a good four times in between! In my early days I did everything from hillclimbs to rallies and anything that had a competitive element. But my real interest was to get into single-seaters. It developed, though not with any great plan, from Irish events to a few in the UK and, before I knew what I was into, I was into International Formula 2.”

He raced against some big names “I did F2 in 1970 and 1971 in a Brabham BT23C. It was a Winkelmann Racing ex-jochen Rindt car. It was a lovely car with a good engine. I was very fortunate because they really were special days to be in F2. On the grid for some of the races I was usually not too far behind Emerson Fittipaldi, Jackie Stewart and Jacky Ickx and all the big names of the time.”

He then raced a sports-racing car “I retired after the 1971 season. F2 was changing to two-litre engines and I’d run out of money so I had to call it a day. Many years later with my son Mark we formed a fun team with a Crossle 9S and we won a sixhour race at Magny-cours outright. We raced mostly on the continent and had fun and made some great memories. Then I retired for good…”

And a Lotus “Bob Montgomery, a very good journalist in Ireland, bought a Lotus 2-Eleven to race with his son in 2008, but his son didn’t have the necessary race licence. So he asked if I’d fill in until his son got his licence. We did very well and finished third in the Lotus Cup Europe. Then I retired for good…”

A chance offer tempted him back “Paul Mcmorran, who owns Crossle, asked me if I would drive a 12F in the 50th birthday event at Kirkistown. I didn’t know what a 12F was but it was a lovely car and I raced it as a one-off and, of course, that gave me the bug again.”

Now he’s in Classic Racing Cars “I came across this Crossle 19F for sale in America. I remembered the car because I’d raced against it in period. It’s a lovely car to drive with no great vices and it is nicely balanced. I’m doing the Classic Racing Cars with it this year.”