in France; Tico Martini; Andrew Green, a private sponsor of mine from Jersey; and Masters International, in Formula Renault with Martello Racing – but it was tough going.
I started at the back of the grid at Thruxton and knew there was only one way I could go from there. True enough, I did get better, but it was a very slow process. There were accidents, bills and rising costs. Then Jim Gillespie, the manager of The Mallard hotel in Guernsey, began to help and we borrowed money for the second half of the season when I switched to Startline Racing. That was when my father stepped in as well. My teammate was Malaysian driver Alex Yoong, who later raced in Formula One. He drove the new car while I had the older model. But it was not long before Jim lost interest and I was left to make the payments on my own. It was very tough but I managed to run in the Formula Renault winter series and produce my first strong finish in a championship before all the money ran out. It was then myself and Mike O’Brien had our first talks about possible Formula Three deals.
I had dreamt about all this but I hardly did anything to prove I might be the next Nigel Mansell. I had tried to reach Formula Three, thinking I was ready for that next step. I had been handling Formula One engines in hillclimbing so I figured I should be able to drive Grand Prix cars on circuits. That was the mentality I had. Looking back, it did not matter one jot because I did not have the money to make it work. In hindsight, what I should have done was win the British Hillclimb Championship with ex-Formula One engines and then start at the very bottom of the circuit-racing ladder in Formula Ford. That way I could have progressed steadily, and built up both a reputation and those all-important sponsors.
It is easy to see now what I should have done now but at that time it was not so clear. So, in 1997, I tried to do some B-class Formula Three races. It was not a successful venture, however. I ran out of money, found some sponsors, paid for a few races…and ended up being nowhere. It was tough. I was learning everything the hard way.
That said, one positive thing did come out of the year. I built up some good friendships and, through one, I had a race with Speedsport at Silverstone. Mike O’Brien gave me the chance and, as luck would have it, it was held on the full Grand Prix circuit.
It was not the British Grand Prix support event, but it was still a decent race. I qualified nowhere and looked doomed to struggle again. But fortune smiled on me when it rained heavily throughout the race. I just got that car moving and cut right through the pack.
In fact, I think I might still hold the Speedsport Formula Three record for the most positions made up in a single race. From almost last on the grid I finished tenth. It was quite a large grid with some big players including Formula One-quality guys like Mark Webber, Enrique Bernoldi, Nicolas Minassian and Darren Manning. And I was able to catch these guys because it was wet and I was sliding the car around. I outbraked Guy Smith to take one position. At that time he was winning races and had a reputation far superior to mine, but there he was disappearing behind me.
In the rain, it’s less about what car you are in and what you know about driving, and much more about raw instinct. And I had plenty of that. The result made me think I might just be getting somewhere again. The whole team was very pleased. Mike was happy for me but did not want to seem too impressed because that would have meant my not having to 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.
‘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
