We’re talking to John Cleland on this week’s episode of the V8 Sleuth Podcast. In the first part of a two-part chat, John talks about how he got into the sport in the first place and the deal he cut with his car dealer dad to go racing, watching his hero Jim Clark debut the iconic Lotus 49 and Ford Cosworth DFV at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix and what it means to him to have his name alongside Clark’s on the British Touring Car Championship trophy.

He also talks about how his long relationship with Vauxhall and General Motors first came about, the cheeky bit of gamesmanship that helped him win the 1989 BTCC, how he feels nowadays about that controversial 1992 title decider, which of his BTCC rivals was the most fun to wind up and the time BTCC chief Alan Gow squared him up for a prank.

John also talks about seeing the clear benefits of motorsport to the brands his car dealership sold, the ex-Peter Brock car that he now owns, and why he retired from racing full-time at the end of 1999.

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