“The Bugatti Type 35C was so amazingly tactile it felt alive”
ALAMY
Sue rates the Applecross Road in western Scotland as being among her favourite drives
demonstrate my commitment I took my first IAM advanced test in the 1970s. Since then I have passed another advanced test and also repeated the IAM test. I am proud to have been an IAM RoadSmart member for 40 years.
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a driver? I am good at taking a responsible attitude on the road, continually assessing what I am doing and striving to maintain a high standard. I try to be a considerate driver.
I am sometimes tempted to stray over the speed limit.
What would you say is your favourite drive? A long-distance trip through great scenery on twisty country roads. Favourites include local lanes in Kent, the wonderfully dynamic roads of north Wales around the ‘Evo Triangle’ and the fabulous Applecross Road on a peninsula in western Scotland. But every drive is a favourite, because I’m always in different cars, experiencing roads with a fresh perspective.
Have you had any accidents? Fortunately I have a pretty clean record, although I once drove under a railway bridge and met a huge lorry full of prams filling the road because that was the only way he had height room. We collided, and the front wing and headlight of my Citroen Maserati test car were impaled on the front of the truck.
Of the vehicles you’ve had, what was your favourite? Memorable cars I’ve driven include a Bugatti Type 35C that was so amazingly tactile it felt alive, a Jaguar XJ220 that was thrilling around the Austrian Grand Prix circuit and a Formula Ford that was exhilarating because it was the first open-wheeled car I’d ever tried. I also have fond memories of an early Volkswagen Golf GTI Convertible I owned, because it was quick and a drop-top, and I was young. I drive around 150 different cars a year and have done so for more than 40 years, so I reckon I’ve driven around 6,500 in total.
What car would you buy if money were no object? An early Jaguar E-Type because it’s the most fabulously sexy car ever made, although they’re silly money now. For a modern alternative, I’d go for an Audi R8 V10. » IAM ROADSMART TRACK
And any embarrassing driving experiences?
Left: As a motoring correspondent for the London Evening News, Sue learned about F1 machinery from world
champion John Surtees. Above: Perched on her own Lotus Elan talking cars with fellow Evening News reporter Tony Frost
Driving an unwieldy dune buggy on a West Country estate during my time on Top Gear and almost running over the cameraman, who had to jump out of the way! Then, when we were filming in Japan, I took a wrong turn and drove for miles hopelessly lost in a rural part of the country with no signs in any recognisable (to me) language. That took some unravelling.
TRAINING COURSES
Our circuit-based Skills Days are an additional place to learn skills that you can put into practice while driving your car or riding your motorcycle on the road. Circuits offer a controlled environment without the hazards faced on our roads, which enables the participant to concentrate on the skills being taught. To find out more see www.iamroadsmart.com/ skillsdays.
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