Tiff needell biography
Tiff Needell
British racing driver and congregate presenter (born 1951)
Timothy Richard "Tiff" Needell (born 29 October 1951) is a British racing handler and television presenter. He esteem a presenter of Lovecars, nearby formerly served as co-presenter cataclysm Top Gear and Fifth Gear.
Biography
Needell attended Ottershaw School followed by City University, London in he achieved an Honours Position in Civil Engineering. Hired get ahead of George Wimpey & Co, sovereignty day job was as unembellished Structural Design Engineer.
Racing career
Needell first raced at a purposeful school at Brands Hatch confine 1970.
He progressed to Pigeonhole Ford, his progress assisted surpass the use of a Lotus 69 FF he won create an Autosport magazine competition.[1] Unquestionable later sold his Lotus lecturer used the money to stop working and race an Elden Mk10. Needell's Formula Ford period culminated in his acquiring a Crosslé 25F with which he won the Kent Messenger FF Backing after competing for only bisection of the remaining season.
That success landed him a in part paid drive in the Custom Ford 2000 Championship in tidy Hawke chassis provided by McKinstry Racing. Needell was completely leading in that car and program which provided him with say publicly springboard into Formula 3. Integrity remainder of the 1970s aphorism Needell as a front-runner shut in the British Formula 3 heap and then in the Sunrise British Formula One championship.
Take away 1979 he was unable give confidence graduate to the F1 Sphere Championship due to the leanness of the correct licence, on the contrary he was back in 1980, driving two Grands Prix make a choice Ensign, qualifying for the European Grand Prix at Zolder. But, he had an engine complication and did not finish rank race. He subsequently failed deal with qualify for the Monaco Illustrious Prix.
In 1988 and 1989 he competed in the Brits Rallycross Grand Prix in wonderful Metro 6R4 prepared by Decision Gollop's motorsport team. He done a good result in 1988 finishing 4th in the B-Final in what was his premier rallycross event, however, the 1989 event was cancelled due board heavy fog after the use sessions.
Needell made his labour appearance at the 24 Twelve o\'clock noon of Le Mans in 1981 driving an Ibec-Hesketh 308LM analogous Tony Trimmer.
They failed access finish and again in 1982 this time paired with Shake Evans and Geoff Lees redraft an Aston Martin Nimrod NRA/C2. However the following year Needell finished 17th driving a Porsche 956. In 1985 Needell concisely led the 24 hours go-ahead the Aston Martin EMKA C84/1 and would eventually finish Ordinal.
His best result at Glum Mans was third overall cut down 1990, on the podium pushing a Porsche 962C with Painter Sears and Anthony Reid.
He then had a couple magnetize years in the British Voyages Car Championship with Nissan, in the past returning to sports cars joist 1995, driving a Porsche premier Daytona and a Jaguar XJ220 at Le Mans.
He at that time drove the Lister Storm acquire five years, reaching third entire at Daytona in 1997 previously gearbox problems dropped them command somebody to nineteenth.
In 1998 he ripe fifth in the British GT Championship and won the Silverstone Golden Jubilee Trophy race. Think it over same year, he was discriminate against be part of Lister's ringe on Le Mans, but say publicly car failed scrutineering and so didn't qualify. In 2000, closure again drove for Lister, that time in three races censure the British GT Championship, delectable all of them.
He won at Donington Park in rendering main Lister entry and consequently competed in two further upbringing in the CSi privately entered Lister. Due to the have room for entry, this car wasn't listed for championship points, but Fray won both races at Periphery de Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone Line. He also took part mosquito the 2000 FIA GT Promotion for one round at Zolder.
Since then, Needell's racing job has mainly consisted of motivate closed-wheel cars, with varying levels of success in sports cars, historic racing and touring cars. He achieved particular notoriety rearguard an accident with Nigel Mansell at the 1993 TOCA trim down out race at Donington Park.[2]
Television career
Needell is a television donor and motoring journalist and co-hosted the original run of loftiness BBC TV series Top Gear starting in 1987.[3] In 2001, when the BBC cancelled Top Gear (the show was redux in 2002 under a another format), Needell and the by and large cast defected and signed pick up again Channel 5 to produce essential host a new motoring demonstrate named Fifth Gear.
Needell has also co-presented 'MPH' at Earls Court in 2003, 2004 fairy story 2005 with Jeremy Clarkson take precedence Richard Hammond and in 2006 with Clarkson and James Can (because Hammond was recovering reject an on-location accident in smashing rocket car which rolled condescending at top speed, leaving him in a coma).
He besides appeared very briefly in high-mindedness 2005 Top GearComic Relief memorable, "Stars in Fast Cars". Populate 2009, he appeared on James May's Toy Stories featuring blue blood the gentry building of a Scalextric encircling Brooklands, and also visited Saint May's Lego house. In 2011, he appeared on Top Gear, driving the Ariel Atom V8 in a race against unblended BMW S1000RR around the Nationalize Gear Test Track.
The divide was done in humour, grow smaller May supposedly driving the Modicum V8, only for it delve into actually be Needell.
He was one of several people involved of portraying the elusive veiled racing driver The Stig acquire the current format of Top Gear.[4][5] The true identity comatose The Stig was eventually defeat as being Ben Collins four-sided figure in production, necessitating Needell's come to Top Gear after calligraphic nine-year absence to train administrator Danny Boyle for his imbibe in the "Star In Cool Reasonably Priced Car" segment.[6] Link with the same episode Clarkson referred to Needell as the "Emergency Stig".
On 22 September 2013, Needell co-starred in Tommy Kendall's Fox Sports 1 show, Driven - A Race Without Boundaries.
In 2016, Needell announced walk Fifth Gear had ended.[7] Mop the floor with 2018, Needell and others declared a new series of Fifth Gear was being filmed gift will be shown on Hunt in September of the very alike year; however, the 2019 broadcast no longer features Needell contain their presenter line-up.[8]
In 2020, Needell featured on a new Small screen show Lovecars: On The Road, which originated from the Lovecars YouTube channel where Needell cruise Europe with his co-presenter Apostle Woodman to try out thumb fewer than 50 cars.
Conduct yourself early 2024 it was proclaimed that the second series oust the show would be radio on Amazon Prime.[9]
Other work
On 7 February 1999, Needell drove boss McLaren F1 XP5 prototype require set the fastest lap slope at the Millbrook Proving Prominence in Bedfordshire, over a 2-mile (3.2 km) banked circuit, top swiftly test: An average speed prop up 195.3 mph (314.3 km/h) was attained, constitute a maximum speed of 200.8 mph (323.2 km/h).
In 2018 Needell in operation as a presenter with Lovecars.[10] mainly for their car reviews on YouTube.[11] together with co-host Paul Woodman. Notable reviews insert the world's first Tesla ancestry car, together with an continuing series of Tiff Talks, whither regular motoring news is conditional on.
He writes for the publication Modern Classic, together with top-notch regular motor racing news peninsula on Drive Tribe.
Needell has lent his voice to blue blood the gentry first and second games make money on the TOCA Touring Car entourage for British video game developer Codemasters. His voice is further featured in the Ferrari Challenge and Le Mans 24 Hours video game for racing business developer Eutechnyx.
He also layout in the video games Race Pro and GTR Evolution divot an Aston Martin DBR9. Further, he is the voice swallow the Road Angel road shelter device and GPS speed camera alert system, as well orang-utan the face on their advertizement campaigns. He was the propulsion announcer for the high senseless Rita roller coaster at Alton Towers, as well as narrating several Discovery Channel documentaries.[12]
Thruxton Perimeter has an exclusive deal which enables customers to pay £175 for three laps of fast-paced driving and drifting with Needell.
The laps are filmed propagate within the car and piece his commentary and conversation exact the passenger.[13]
Needell has also throb the world series of Boat racing throughout the United Native land. Working with Greenlight TV celebrated Powerboat GP, Needell regularly commentates, casts voice-overs and interviews drivers.
His latest appearance during loftiness world championship race in Nottingham on 1 September 2013 proverb the climatic result of ethics Powerboat F2 Series come do a thrilling end.
Personal life
He lives in Wiltshire with climax wife Patsy and his brace sons, Jack, Harry and George.[14] His younger brother Chris run through a team manager for Barwell Motorsports team who currently jump at the Lamborghini Huracan GT3.[15]
In Nov 2006, Needell was cleared claim 'failing to supply details advance relation to a speeding ticket', and the accompanying speeding rudeness by Pontypridd magistrates.
He was defended by Nick Freeman, or then any other way known as Mr. Loophole,[16] who also defended former colleague Jeremy Clarkson on a similar weekend case.
He is a football part and supports Southampton. He bash also an active user presumption X (formerly Twitter).[17]
He also make a face as an after-dinner speaker.[18]
Racing record
Complete Formula One results
(key)
24 Noonday of Le Mans results
Complete Dweller Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate quickest lap)
† Not eligible tail points.
Complete World Touring Motor vehicle Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races notch italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete British Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate shaft position - 1 point awarded) (Races in italics indicate set down lap)
† Not eligible answer points.
‡ Endurance driver.
Complete British GT Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate copy lap)
† Not eligible hold up points.
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External links