Ask Goodwin - Which racing driver would you like to see running our country?
With the election well and truly upon us, Goodwin offers his thoughts
Carlos Reutemann was governor of a province in Argentina and Ari Vatanen is an MEP. Which racing driver would you like to see running our country? Euan Laurie, Wimbledon
Blimey, this is a good one. The first name that comes to mind is Sir Stirling Moss. Turned down a drive with Ferrari because he wanted to drive for a British team (although he did go to Mercedes) so no one one can doubt his patriotism. Also, I very much like his attitude to health and safety. Could be a bit old though.
There’s another knight of course, Sir Jackie Stewart. This could really pour petrol on the fire with the SNP and the whole Scottish independence issue, but Sir Jackie is certainly a man who gets things done.
Without his brave stance on safety in the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association in the late 1960s many more drivers would have died and his performance at the ‘Ring in the wet and foggy 1968 German GP was positively Churchillian. Also, Stewart is one of the country’s most staunch monarchists and is famed for his love of our royal family. That said, Jackie does bang on a bit and I think the Queen might find the weekly chats over tea a bit wearing.
Nigel…er, no. Silly thought. Jenson Button is too young, but then politicians are getting younger these days. Derek Bell would be cool but he spends a lot of his time in Florida and sitting in the chamber would bleach his perma-tan.
Would you allow me to spread the net a bit wider and choose someone from the motor racing world who isn’t a driver? I am thinking of Ron. Now Dennis can sort anything out. He’s struggling with this year’s McLaren but I’m sure he’ll crack it. Trouble is, like Derek Bell, the Ronster is going to struggle with sitting for hours on end in the house of commons. That old furniture must carry a lot of dust and that would drive Ron mad. He’d not be able to keep his mind on the matters of state.
No, the answer is obvious: Sir Frank Williams in a coalition with Martin Brundle from the Independent East Anglia Party.
Ask Goodwin is a weekly column on evo.co.uk by Colin Goodwin, one of the UK's most popular motoring journalists – and one of the early contributors to evo magazine.
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