Steve Parrish

The career path of this Cambridge-born Briton was extremely unusual. Before driving a two-track vehicle in motorsport competition for the first time at the age of 34, he already had a successful career as a motorbike racer that spanned more than ten years.

Parrish turned professional in 1976 and secured the national championship title in his first year on Suzuki. Together with his compatriot Barry Sheene, he was one of the first riders in the 500 cc class the following year and took fifth place in the world road championship. From 1978 to 1980, he won one title each in the national motorbike king's class.

Parrish subsequently entered 4-stroke superbike racing and became British champion in 1981. He remained in top motorbike sport until 1986, mainly in the superbike category, but still occasionally took part in Grand Prix races in the top category.

After completing his active time on two wheels, Parrish shaped his professional future in two-track vehicles from 1987 onwards. As the boss of a Yamaha factory team in the British Superbike Championship, he remained connected to motorbike racing on the one hand. On the other hand, he embarked on a triumphant driving career in truck racing, which was flourishing at the time.

He won the British Open Truck Racing Championship in his first year. From 1990 onwards, he embarked on a legendary series of successes in national and European truck racing. With Mercedes-Benz, he secured no less than five European championship titles up to and including 1996 and a second place overall in the 1995 season. On top of that, he won four British championships in a row.

Until his retirement from active sport, which he announced in 2002 at the age of 47, the Briton remained one of the protagonists of the truck racing scene and was never placed worse than eighth in the drivers' standings in the European championship.