“What a day – actually, what a year. This time last year was also ‘Festival’ time, The Silverstone Festival – I had a hell of a race then, in the forty-car televised ‘Roadsports’ grid – a forty minute affair which saw me run as high as fourth, before eventually taking fifth at the flag …”

2024, and after the excitement and drama of our European ‘sortie’ - the ‘Spetacollo Sportivo’ weekend at Zandvoort, where following qualifying and three red-hot races, we took second on the track, catching the leader – which became third after my 20 second penalty for accidentally clipping a car I was lapping … We reconvened at Brands Hatch for the UK’s premier Italian Car Festival. I managed a total of twenty laps of testing at the circuit I last raced at 26 years before – then, unceremoniously, I dumped it in the Paddock Bend gravel!

Ludicrous – I gave myself and the hard-working team a lot of work to do before qualifying, and the two races on Sunday. Everyone had warned me this one would be tough, all the big guns of the Alfa racing community turned out for Italia – and so it proved. We had everything from the 700 BHP Quadrifoglio through to the 455 BHP TCR to contend with …

In testing I had been quick – before the spin – managing a 51.29 – but the excursion tore up a tyre – completely, it disintegrated – forcing us to rim our only well-used spare from the workshop, and this tyre didn’t have enough life left in it for me to under 52.5 in qualifying, ending us up 3rd on the grid for race 1. We got lucky, taking the win after a fierce opening battle with Lee Penn who drove exceptionally well in the opening laps, never letting me breathe for a moment. R2 was a matter of just conserving what remained of the rubber – and bringing the car home unscratched. Well almost. Sorry Jamie … J

Off-track the road-going Alfaworkshop 4C starred at The Broadway Car Show, whilst the race car was on display at the National Alfa Day at Bicester Heritage. Great events both – and new sponsor SAGE joined the party, eating up the rapidly diminishing space on the little 4C’s bodywork.

In amongst all of this, I headed East for Lexus Europe, taking the superb new GX to Kazakhstan – discovering a wonderful country and people along the way – then upon returning, straight into Volvo at MIRA – followed by a 24hr ‘sortie’ to Mousehole to road-test and write about the new Triumph Rally Pro for Pure Triumph. That was an absolute blast, brilliant bike, beautiful day.

Next up planning the ‘Present to Win’ course I will deliver for a Senior Leadership Team in the Southwest in October/November. My signature course has been somewhat neglected with my return to racing, it’s time to put it back centre stage – the pusses need to eat, plus its my chance to make a difference in the World. I love presenting this training – I’m known for my technical, dynamic and product expertise, but empowering people is also what I love to do. This is my arena.

The weekend after next I will be hosting garage tours for Ferrari at Silverstone, then a week later, the plan is back in the Alfaworkshop 4C development car at Oulton Park for the final round of the British Championship.

Meanwhile, I can reveal one all-new adventure for 2025: I am in negotiation to host and present talks onboard a cruise liner – bringing motorsport to a whole new globe-trotting audience. Come to think about it, I’ve been doing that all of my life …

Steve Deeks – September 2024