Andy Priaulx: The Autobiography of the Three-time World Touring Car Champion. Andy Priaulx

provide as much sponsorship money for the team the following year!

      At the end of the year, I became involved with TOMS Toyota in Formula Three. Basically, they were looking for somebody to pay for a drive – that was all. They did not come to me because I was good – they did so because I sounded like I was desperate and they needed money. So my dad borrowed some funds, I found some sponsors, other people chipped in and I managed to buy two races.

      I was thrilled, but – what a surprise – things did not work out. The car had too much downforce and I was just doing the odd race. I was competing against people who had been in the car all year so I didn’t really stand a chance.

      By now, aged 24, I was engaged to Jo and we were looking forward to a Christmas wedding. I was delighted about that, but my so-called professional life was nothing like as happy as my personal one. The races with TOMS had gone ‘pear-shaped’ and the accompanying tests had not fared well either. I really needed to impress in my last test with TOMS following the final race of the season. So I hired a driver coach, a guy called John Pratt. It was the best thing I could have done.

      The two-day test at Croft in November, ahead of the classic end-of-season Macau race, was for all the top Formula Three runners from the British Championship. It would give me a real benchmark of where I stood. I needed some straightforward unbiased feedback, an honest opinion and some good advice. John was great for me. He pointed out some basic errors in my circuit driving technique – all due to a lack of experience – and helped me fix them. The next thing I knew I was going faster and faster. I rediscovered my speed. My lap times were good, certainly comparable with the leading pack of British Formula Three drivers and my confidence was restored. The decision to hire John and attend the test had been vindicated. It was a good day and almost deserved a celebration. The only other good news we had around that time came when Jo got promoted from the ticket office to BRDC race admin thanks to Mike O’Brien. It paid the grand rate of £4 an hour!

      The boost I gained from that test gave me the lift that, after months of living in the caravan, I badly needed. But I knew it would not signal the end of my problems. Jo and I were planning our wedding, but we still did not have any money. Around Silverstone I was still ‘Pikey Priaulx’ and would stay like that until I moved out. I felt as if I could compete at a high standard but just didn’t have the money to go any further. So, unless something dramatic happened, I could see it would be difficult to start the 1998 season as we packed up our life at Silverstone and went home. However, we left all those worries behind us briefly once we were back in Guernsey where Jo and I were married on 27 December 1997 at St Martin’s Parish Church, with our families all around us.

       4 A GUERNSEYMAN FOREVER

      ‘Fear is something you have to live with but something you learn to ignore. I tell myself that f-e-a-r stands for “false evidence appearing real”’

      WHO CARES ABOUT MONEY? Jo and I certainly did, but not so much that it ruled our lives. We were determined to make a success of our life together and I don’t think we would have cared had we been forced to live in that caravan for another season. For me, marrying Jo was the best thing ever. And tying the knot with her at the end of that crazy first year at Silverstone gave me the sense of purpose and responsibility that I needed just when it appeared I was right up against it. It did me the world of good to go home and get married, and our wedding has been the most important thing in my life.

      It was a big signal, too. It grounded me and confirmed that with Jo I was now all set for the future I wanted and that, together, we could climb any mountain. Racingwise I knew it would be a battle, but I was confident and still believed in myself. And, importantly, both of our families believed in me.

      My Guernsey roots have always been a source of pride to me. I love the place, its way of life, its unique, independent island history and the myriad idiosyncrasies that set it apart not just from Jersey – a place we refer to as ‘the other island’ – but everywhere else. My family name is entwined with the history of the island and there are many references to the Priaulx name in and around Guernsey – such as the library and one of the football leagues, to mention just two. But we are not the only family with a special association with Guernsey and I am not the only guy to have left the island and achieved success. Nor am I the first person living on the island to write a book.

      The island has produced countless people who have done well in many different walks of life. These include the Dotrice family – Roy and his daughters, Michele and Karen – who all became well-known actors; Gerald Edwards, who was the author of the highly-rated novel The Book of Ebenezer Le Page; Matthew Le Tissier, who played football for Southampton and England; and many more. Oliver Reed, the famous actor, lived in Guernsey for many years as did John Le Mesurier of Dad’s Army fame. And Guernsey has supplied the BBC with several presenters, including Dawn Porter and Sarah Montague. Clearly Guernsey is a place where people with talent can flourish.

      It is a place with history, too. Of course, we are part of Britain, being a British Crown dependency, but we have our own anthem, coat of arms and flag along with our own recognised regional language. Guernsey has its own quirks, too. For example, our head of state is, for historic reasons, always known as the Duke of Normandy – in other words, Queen Elizabeth II. And it has been that our head of state is the British monarch since 1204.

      Before that the French – the Normans – believed they were in charge of Guernsey. So we have been greatly influenced by both the French and the English. Later, of course, the Bailiwick of Guernsey – the correct name for the islands including Alderney, Herm and Sark and many other smaller islands and islets – was occupied by German troops in the Second World War. In the First World War, more than 3,000 Guernsey men fought for the British forces, many in the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry.

      A lot of the old fortifications from 1940–45 remain around the island as does the famous old Hauteville House, now a museum run by the city of Paris in St Peter Port and where the great French writer Victor Hugo lived after being banished from France. It was there that he wrote Les Miserables, one of his greatest works.

      Like Hugo I draw inspiration from Guernsey and believe it is an important part of what makes me tick. On a Saturday night on the island, there is a local meat draw when fishermen and local folk come in to buy and sell their fish. It has its own, absolutely wonderful atmosphere. You are there with the guys who are growing vegetables and flowers and with people who go out fishing and work physically every day of their lives.

      One of my favourite places to visit is our local pub, The Imperial. We call it ‘The Imp’ and the nickname suits the place – laid-back, natural and genuine Guernsey. I like it there. Very few people talk to me about motor racing and they just let me enjoy a beer. And I have to say that is a real luxury for me! One particular story perfectly illustrates the warmth of the place. In 1999, fellow racing driver and close friend Darren Manning flew over from Las Vegas to visit. And I took him down to The Imp. He had not been in the pub for long before he exclaimed: ‘Wow, this is just fantastic…this tops Vegas!’

      The pace of life is also idyllic. Guernsey is not a crowded island so if I have to wait for more than five minutes in traffic it would upset me – never mind the long, slow delays many people live with in London or other big cities. My family loves the place, too. We all have a very natural way of life there. My kids play football outside all day long and we will then have a barbecue. The weather is pleasant and that helps us all lead an active, outdoors lifestyle. My family means more to me than anything else. I am lucky because I usually cannot wait to go to a race or a test, but as soon as it is over I can’t wait to get home. It’s like having a perpetual enthusiasm for life and I do appreciate it.

      I would hate to have got to the top of the mountain and have to live there on my own, unable to share it with anybody. That is why Jo is so important to me, as are the kids, Seb and Dannii, who have given me my values and goals. Sometimes, I might get a phone call from Seb when I am away racing on the other