What our Principal gets up to for fun!

A car that spawned a deluge of playground jokes in Britain may be gaining kudos in Marlborough motoring circles.

Burgeoning rallying driver David Taylor said he isn't keen to put the brakes on his motoring career after a crash in the unlikeliest of speed machines - a humble Lada.  The Russian-made car proved a laughing point in Britain with the familiar pub joke: What do you call a Lada with a sunroof?  A skip...  But David proved there is still strength in Soviet steel after escaping unscathed following a crash during the Marlborough Car Club gravel sprint.  He took a spill while negotiating a corner in Reserve Road in Seddon during a race meet on Sunday.  "I went too quickly around a corner," he said.  "I nudged the bank and gently rolled on to the roof." 

David was the only person in the car and was not injured.  It is only the third time that David, a Blenheim Business Mentor and the Chairman of Marlborough Primary Health Organisation, has been rallying.  He sees the funny side of racing in a Lada.  "The Lada is a bit of a laughing stock as Britain's worst-ever car," the Scotsman said.  "It used to get flak that its best feature was the heated rear windows because you have to push it so often.  I have probably garnered it a bit more respect."

A video of the crash posted on the club's website is entitled "Taylor fails in his attempt at a full barrel roll at the Reserve Road Sprint".  David said his exit strategy from the car proved ungainly.  "I had never experienced being upside-down in a car before.  You have your harness belt on and once you release that belt, you fall and hit your head off the roof.  I am sure there will be a few jokes."

This is an extract from an article in the Marlborough Express on July 8th 2014.