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R O A D
T R A C K
R A C E
S U M M E R 2 0 1 6
007
MARK BLUNDELL HAS A RICH HISTORY
IN MOTORSPORT AND MOST WILL KNOW
HIM FROM HIS TIME IN FORMULA ONE,
BUT HIS CAREER ACTUALLY STARTED
ON TWO WHEELS WHEN HE WAS 14.
HE TALKS TO MSD ABOUT THE STATE
OF THE SPORT TODAY AND WHAT HE’S
DOING TO HELP RACING DRIVERS.
I N T E R V I E W W I T H M A R K B L U N D E L L
T
he switch from bikes to
cars came aged 17 when
Blundell went into
Formula Ford and eventually on to
Formula One. He has three podi-
ums to his name and 32 champi-
onship points in the sport, but his
most impressive achievements
have to be in the Le Mans 24-
hour races he competed in. He
was the youngest driver to
achieve pole position at Le Mans
and won the prestigious race in
1992 with Peugeot.
Blundell’s path to Formula One
was a convoluted one and he
started his career racing motor-
bikes around his rural home town.
He says: “My dad was a second
hand car salesman so my love for
four wheels came from an early
age but the local sport was mo-
tocross and there were plenty of
fields nearby, so that’s where my
love for two wheels came from.
“Working on the bikes was a
good excuse not to go to school,
not that I’m proud of that. If I’d
known what I know now, things
might have been different.
The guys in the cockpit of
the race car are the best
in the world and when
they make a mistake they
should pay the price.