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With Clare Lawrence Vicki Butler-Henderson is a well-known television presenter on Fives Fifth Gear and she has been with the show since 2002. Vicki also presented the BBC show Top Gear from 1998 to 2002. She has appeared on the radio too; on the Absolute Radio Breakfast Show, Steve Wright’s Radio 2 show and the Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. Vicki has been involved in racing since the age of 12 and she holds a Race International C Licence. Hi Vicki! Thank you for taking up the offer of an interview with the Costa Car Trader. Not only do you appear on the television, with your presenting, you also host driver training days with the Porsche Driving Centre at Silverstone. Were you approached to do these? Porsche had just built a purpose-built facility near Silverstone which offered new Porsche owners the chance to explore the limits of their car. At the same time I wanted to help improve the standard of driving for all drivers, not just Porsche owners, so between us we developed the training days which are called 'YouDrive@Porsche'. I co-host the theory session which is great fun and interactive, as well as being educational. What do you enjoy the most about being a well-recognised TV personality? I'm not that big a fan of being recognised because that is not what I do the job for. I just enjoy driving fast cars and making entertaining TV for people who love cars.
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Do you think you may have gone into racing full time if you had not started a career in television?
It must be hard to fit everything in at times, since you do a variety of work. Are you very organised? I am quite organised, yes, as I have to be! I am a big fan of efficiency wherever possible throughout my work. What would you say has been the highlight of your career to date?
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Your hobbies include clay pigeon shooting; I remember this sport from when I was younger (since my Dad used to do it). Does it help to release any pent up frustration you may have? (If you have any that is!)
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I am a farmer's daughter and have been surrounded by clay pigeon shooting most of my early life. I really enjoy it but do it purely for fun.
T E .N
In January this year, in your blog on your site, you mentioned that you have been involved in a children’s animation, where your voice was recorded, for the TV, called: “Olly the Little White Van.” This must have been so much fun and such an exciting project to be part of. Can you tell me more about it?
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Being the first woman in the world to win a Maserati race in the history of Maserati; it happened in 2004 in a Maserati Trofeo race at Silverstone and it was a support race for the British Formula One race, so the crowd was fabulous.
T R
Vicki Butler-Henderson
It is such a thrill for me to have been made into a cartoon character for one of the episodes for Olly the Little White Van. It's a children's cartoon on British TV and I did it so my baby daughter can watch it when she's a bit older! Who did you look up to in the world of racing when you were younger? I was a massive fan of Ayrton Senna because he was a perfect racing driver. Once again, thanks for your time Vicki and best wishes for all you do in the future!
You can see more about Vicki by visiting her website: www.butler-henderson.com
I wanted to be a Formula One driver and that is what I aimed to do. But by the age of 18 I realised I did not have the money and the right timing to progress through the formulas to the very top. There are just 24 F1 drivers in the world - and for every one of them I can name a dozen drivers who are talented enough to be there on the grid, but just did not have the right ingredients at the right time. Did the magazine writing that you do evolve from your knowledge of cars and the contacts that you have in the industry? That is correct. I started working as an Editorial Assistant on a magazine called Car Mechanics and then got my dream job as a Road Tester for Auto Express and then What Car? a few years later.
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