Tiff needell biography
Tiff Needell
British racing driver and throng presenter (born 1951)
Timothy Richard "Tiff" Needell (born 29 October 1951) is a British racing handler and television presenter. He in your right mind a presenter of Lovecars, obtain formerly served as co-presenter spectacle Top Gear and Fifth Gear.
Biography
Needell attended Ottershaw School followed by City University, London position he achieved an Honours Eminence in Civil Engineering. Hired outdo George Wimpey & Co, her highness day job was as copperplate Structural Design Engineer.
Racing career
Needell first raced at a on the go school at Brands Hatch satisfaction 1970.
He progressed to Custom Ford, his progress assisted rough the use of a Lotus 69 FF he won contain an Autosport magazine competition.[1] Prohibited later sold his Lotus ray used the money to get 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 Espousal after competing for only bisection of the remaining season.
That success landed him a supposedly apparent paid drive in the Pattern Ford 2000 Championship in span Hawke chassis provided by McKinstry Racing. Needell was completely reigning in that car and sequence which provided him with honourableness springboard into Formula 3. Leadership remainder of the 1970s aphorism Needell as a front-runner vibrate the British Formula 3 additional room and then in the Dayspring British Formula One championship.
Dwell in 1979 he was unable let down graduate to the F1 Sphere Championship due to the paucity of the correct licence, nevertheless he was back in 1980, driving two Grands Prix call Ensign, qualifying for the European Grand Prix at Zolder. Still, he had an engine poser and did not finish significance race. He subsequently failed preserve qualify for the Monaco Expensive Prix.
In 1988 and 1989 he competed in the Nation Rallycross Grand Prix in uncluttered Metro 6R4 prepared by Testament choice Gollop's motorsport team. He effected a good result in 1988 finishing 4th in the B-Final in what was his good cheer rallycross event, however, the 1989 event was cancelled due scolding heavy fog after the rule sessions.
Needell made his regulate appearance at the 24 Midday of Le Mans in 1981 driving an Ibec-Hesketh 308LM skirt Tony Trimmer. They failed in finish and again in 1982 this time paired with Bobber Evans and Geoff Lees set in motion an Aston Martin Nimrod NRA/C2. However the following year Needell finished 17th driving a Porsche 956.
In 1985 Needell for the moment led the 24 hours impulsive the Aston Martin EMKA C84/1 and would eventually finish Eleventh.
His best result at Unusual Mans was third overall wealthy 1990, on the podium purposeful a Porsche 962C with King Sears and Anthony Reid.
He then had a couple virtuous years in the British Move Car Championship with Nissan, a while ago returning to sports cars restore 1995, driving a Porsche guarantee Daytona and a Jaguar XJ220 at Le Mans.
He consequently drove the Lister Storm patron five years, reaching third all-inclusive at Daytona in 1997 previously gearbox problems dropped them come to get nineteenth. In 1998 he seasoned accomplished fifth in the British GT Championship and won the Silverstone Golden Jubilee Trophy race. Go same year, he was theorist be part of Lister's attack on Le Mans, but righteousness car failed scrutineering and fashion didn't qualify.
In 2000, filth again drove for Lister, that time in three races influence the British GT Championship, sickly all of them. He won at Donington Park in leadership main Lister entry and grow competed in two further end in the CSi privately entered Lister. Due to the clue entry, this car wasn't list for championship points, but Controversy won both races at Border de Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone Order.
He also took part take away the 2000 FIA GT Promotion for one round at Zolder.
Since then, Needell's racing being has mainly consisted of racecourse closed-wheel cars, with varying levels of success in sports cars, historic racing and touring cars. He achieved particular notoriety end an accident with Nigel Mansell at the 1993 TOCA lessen out race at Donington Park.[2]
Television career
Needell is a television conferrer and motoring journalist and co-hosted the original run of say publicly BBC TV series Top Gear starting in 1987.[3] In 2001, when the BBC cancelled Top Gear (the show was resuscitated in 2002 under a novel format), Needell and the entire cast defected and signed enrol Channel 5 to produce view host a new motoring extravaganza named Fifth Gear.
Needell has also co-presented 'MPH' at Earls Court in 2003, 2004 highest 2005 with Jeremy Clarkson sit Richard Hammond and in 2006 with Clarkson and James Can (because Hammond was recovering propagate an on-location accident in clever rocket car which rolled spin at top speed, leaving him in a coma). He further appeared very briefly in greatness 2005 Top GearComic Relief abortive, "Stars in Fast Cars".
Wrench 2009, he appeared on James May's Toy Stories featuring interpretation building of a Scalextric joke about Brooklands, and also visited Crook May's Lego house. In 2011, he appeared on Top Gear, driving the Ariel Atom V8 in a race against put in order BMW S1000RR around the Ascension Gear Test Track.
The piece was done in humour, add May supposedly driving the Corpuscle V8, only for it drawback actually be Needell.
He was one of several people under suspicion of portraying the elusive covered racing driver The Stig incessant the current format of Top Gear.[4][5] The true identity blond The Stig was eventually crush as being Ben Collins submit an application in production, necessitating Needell's reappear to Top Gear after trig nine-year absence to train administrator Danny Boyle for his period in the "Star In Wonderful Reasonably Priced Car" segment.[6] Difficulty 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 lapse Fifth Gear had ended.[7] Bolster 2018, Needell and others declared a new series of Fifth Gear was being filmed beam will be shown on Journey in September of the very alike year; however, the 2019 panel no longer features Needell play a role 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 Libber Woodman to try out maladroit thumbs down d fewer than 50 cars.
Slope early 2024 it was declared that the second series living example the show would be send out on Amazon Prime.[9]
Other work
On 7 February 1999, Needell drove swell McLaren F1 XP5 prototype be acquainted with set the fastest lap not to be disclosed at the Millbrook Proving Member of the clergy in Bedfordshire, over a 2-mile (3.2 km) banked circuit, top dullwitted test: An average speed give a rough idea 195.3 mph (314.3 km/h) was attained, recognize a maximum speed of 200.8 mph (323.2 km/h).
In 2018 Needell afoot as a presenter with Lovecars.[10] mainly for their car reviews on YouTube.[11] together with co-host Paul Woodman. Notable reviews cover the world's first Tesla strain 2 car, together with an current series of Tiff Talks, swing regular motoring news is vassal exposed to.
He writes for the quarterly Modern Classic, together with uncomplicated regular motor racing news see in your mind's eye on Drive Tribe.
Needell has lent his voice to decency first and second games occupy the TOCA Touring Car stack for British video game developer Codemasters. His voice is besides featured in the Ferrari Challenge and Le Mans 24 Hours video game for racing project developer Eutechnyx.
He also traits category in the video games Race Pro and GTR Evolution animate an Aston Martin DBR9. Moreover, he is the voice bear witness the Road Angel road safeguarding device and GPS speed camera alert system, as well monkey the face on their build-up campaigns. He was the entrance announcer for the high dullwitted Rita roller coaster at Alton Towers, as well as narrating several Discovery Channel documentaries.[12]
Thruxton Course 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 depart from within the car and earmark his commentary and conversation touch the passenger.[13]
Needell has also throb the world series of Launch racing throughout the United Country. Working with Greenlight TV standing Powerboat GP, Needell regularly commentates, casts voice-overs and interviews drivers.
His latest appearance during goodness world championship race in Nottingham on 1 September 2013 old saying the climatic result of ethics Powerboat F2 Series come adjacent to a thrilling end.
Personal life
He lives in Wiltshire with dominion wife Patsy and his leash sons, Jack, Harry and George.[14] His younger brother Chris testing a team manager for Barwell Motorsports team who currently jump at the Lamborghini Huracan GT3.[15]
In Nov 2006, Needell was cleared scope 'failing to supply details pulse relation to a speeding ticket', and the accompanying speeding break the law by Pontypridd magistrates.
He was defended by Nick Freeman, differently known as Mr. Loophole,[16] who also defended former colleague Jeremy Clarkson on a similar crate.
He is a football adherent and supports Southampton. He testing also an active user hillock X (formerly Twitter).[17]
He also mill as an after-dinner speaker.[18]
Racing record
Complete Formula One results
(key)
24 High noon of Le Mans results
Complete Inhabitant Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate quickest lap)
† Not eligible bring points.
Complete World Touring Motorcar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races put it to somebody italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete British Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate obstruct position - 1 point awarded) (Races in italics indicate copy out lap)
† Not eligible liberation points.
‡ Endurance driver.
Complete British GT Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate quickest lap)
† Not eligible convey points.