Such sad news. Pete was not just one of the early pioneers of Off-Road and TC racing, he was also one of the world's great characters. Here's a typical bit of Pete mischief...
As some may know, Pete's trade was as a carpenter, and he made a living at one time fitting kitchens in posh houses in London. He agreed to do me a bespoke kitchen for my house in Watford, and spent a week in the house. One day, the 'phone goes, and my wife answers it. Could the caller speak to Pete? No problem...
The caller is Mike Drescher. He asks Pete what he's doing there, and Pete infers he is having an affair with my wife. When I get home that night we all have a great laugh over a drink and some dinner, and wonder what Mike will do next. At the next National, we overhear Mike telling someone else, so we both bowl into the tent and Pete lets fly with a stream of invective telling Mike that he was supposed to keep it a secret. I then let fly with another stream of invective telling Mike I though he was my friend and would have told me, and then at Pete for being a snake in the grass. Mike has no idea where to put himself, and Pete spends the rest of the meeting making Mike's life a total misery!!
I am not sure if Mike ever got to know the truth, but it was the best any of us could do to keep a straight face whenever he had another go at Mike.
It's a sad day for me, as Pete was often my passenger on the way to Nationals, and a good friend. To Paul, our deepest sympathy. To his great friend Nino, I hope you are OK. My life is better for having known Pete, who was even more awesome than his products!
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