20 BARRY LEE

The man who put Hot Rod racing on the map

Barry Lee might have won more Hot Rod races than anyone else – he would certainly have a claim.

He could equally be called Mr Versatility; there is very little that ‘Leapy’ has tried at which he hasn’t excelled.

He started out in show jumping and then turned his attention to riding speedway. Following involvement in a fatal accident, Lee decided four wheels was a safer option. Success in autocross brought him to the attention of Ford Motor Company and he was instrumental in the development of the Ford

Escort Mk1 for competitions.

From there he moved on to rallying, competing on the

RAC Rally several times, but found his true vocation when he tried Hot Rod racing in

1970. By the end of the decade, he’d won four World championships as well as multiple other titles, including National, British and European. He diverted into rallycross and won the ’78 BTRDA series.

After eventual retirement from oval racing, he went rally raiding, making three starts in the Paris-dakar. He won the Eurocar V6 championship in

’94 and ’95 but was equally at home in the British Truck Racing Championship and has even competed in the BTCC.

But it is not just his driving talents that make him a hero. Always flamboyant, with his gold and silver lame race suits, ‘Leo’ can be relied upon to say and do the outrageous, and has never been shy of giving an opinion whether as a TV commentator, author or after-dinner speaker.