How Did I Get Here? recounts a series of memories by the author, Peter Wright, of his six decade career in motorsport. It ranges from his upbringing in the Sudan and education at boarding schools, to his interest in cars, and racing cars in particular, which led him to the world of Formula 1 at BRM and Team Lotus, before joining the FIA following Ayrton Senna’s fatal accident at Imola in 1994. At the FIA he worked on motorsport safety research and regulations, and road car safety (Euro NCAP) until retirement at the age of 75.
The book tells of the life and career decisions that plotted this path, and the many vehicles and technologies he has been involved with, from ground effect and the World Championship winning Lotus T79 to Active Suspension HANS and Halo, and the foundations of the current Formula 1 Technical Regulations. Along the way he met many inspiring engineers, racing car drivers, and influential personalities, and recounts how they affected his thinking and life.
Another passion is flying, and since he first took to the air as a pilot, in primary gliders and Britain’s first jet fighter (whilst still at school), he has fitted in the rebuild of a crashed Tiger Moth, the conversion of a glider to a novel self-sustainer configuration, and flying with Burt and Dick Rutan at Mojave.
Eight restored or new-build houses, three marriages, numerous car restorations, and an ever-increasing concern with the effects of climate change later, Peter now lives off-grid on the England–Wales border.
First and foremost, this is a book about the development of Formula 1 from the 1960s to the 1990s, and of motorsport safety and regulation since 1994. In the final chapters, Peter reflects on the future of the planet, how climate change will affect his children and grandchildren, and how motorsport will be changed by electrification. The memoir of Peter’s life is described in 360 pages and is illustrated with over 75 black and white, and full colour images.
