Tiff Needell
Tiff Needell is a well known face to “petrol heads” everywhere, and unlike many other motor show presenters, Tiff has a racing pedigree to support his views. Before embarking on his television career Tiff could be seen racing at all levels up to and including Formula One Cars.
Born Timothy Needell on October 29th 1952 in Havant, England, Tiff finished school in summer 1969 and attended the City University, London, where he achieved an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering. Tiff worked as a structural design engineer with George Wimpey & Co Ltd until turning professional racing driver in January 1977.
Born Timothy Needell on October 29th 1952 in Havant, England, Tiff finished school in summer 1969 and attended the City University, London, where he achieved an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering. Tiff worked as a structural design engineer with George Wimpey & Co Ltd until turning professional racing driver in January 1977.
Racing car
star presenter and writer
Having attended the Brands Hatch Racing Drivers School during 1969 and 1970, when money permitted, Tiff’s career began in a dream story when he won his first racing car - a Formula Ford Lotus 69F in a competition run by the weekly racing magazine ‘Autosport’. From this beginning he worked his way up through the national racing scene to become a Formula Ford Champion in 1975. In 1976 he then became runner-up in the Formula Ford 2000 Championship the same year as he was to receive the Premier Grovewood Award - he was selected by the panel as the most promising young driver of that year.
During 1977 Tiff was selected to drive for the ‘Unipart’ Formula Three Team and was able to turn professional racing driver. Fourth in the 1978 British Formula Three Championship, behind Nelson Piquet, Derek Warwick and Chico Serra he moved to the British Formula One Championship for 1979 and finished second in his first ever Formula One race.
A year later Tiff achieved the ultimate status of Grand Prix Driver with a couple of outings for Team Ensign. Although only joining the team while they waited for Jan Lammers to be free from his commitment to another team, Tiff’s results in a difficult car were every bit as good as the Dutchman’s.
Despite a great deal of interest, there were no Grand Prix seats free for 1981 so Tiff switched to Endurance Sportscar Racing to further his career and soon become established in the arena of motorship. His best results have been two thirds, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth in World Championship events while he has contested twelve Le Mans 24 hour races with a best result of 3rd place in 1990 from his six finishes.
As a ‘journeyman’ driver Tiff has raced all over the world with single seater outings not only in Europe, but also in Japan, Malaysia, Macau and India where he won the 1985 Bangalore Grand Prix. There have been sportscar events in the USA, including six starts in the Daytona 24 hours and drives in the British Rallycross Grand Prix in both Metro 6R4 and Ford Escort Cosworth.
In 1992 Tiff won his first ever rally in a one-off outing in the Ford RS2000 Rally Sport Series and then finished 30th in his second event - the slightly tougher RAC Rally. Further rally outings were in a Mini-Cooper in the ’93 Charrington’s Historic Event, the Scottish Rally in a Formula Two Vauxhall Astra and then the RAC again in 1996 in a works Skoda.
Now, Tiff Needell is one of four presenters for Channel 5's motoring programme 5th Gear. His television career started in the mid 1980s at the BBC as part of the motor racing commentary team for Grandstand where he worked alongside Murray Walker.
Tiff started writing track tests and feature stories for Autosport magazine in the early 1980's then Top Gear magazine and now he writes for Autocar magazine.
In the spring of 1987 he became part of the BBC2 Top Gear Team where he stayed until joining Channel 5. In the early 1990s he also hosted live studio coverage of NASCAR and Indycar for Sky.
Tiff is in great demand on the corporate circuit, where his skills as a host and hilarious speaker are highly valued.
During 1977 Tiff was selected to drive for the ‘Unipart’ Formula Three Team and was able to turn professional racing driver. Fourth in the 1978 British Formula Three Championship, behind Nelson Piquet, Derek Warwick and Chico Serra he moved to the British Formula One Championship for 1979 and finished second in his first ever Formula One race.
A year later Tiff achieved the ultimate status of Grand Prix Driver with a couple of outings for Team Ensign. Although only joining the team while they waited for Jan Lammers to be free from his commitment to another team, Tiff’s results in a difficult car were every bit as good as the Dutchman’s.
Despite a great deal of interest, there were no Grand Prix seats free for 1981 so Tiff switched to Endurance Sportscar Racing to further his career and soon become established in the arena of motorship. His best results have been two thirds, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth in World Championship events while he has contested twelve Le Mans 24 hour races with a best result of 3rd place in 1990 from his six finishes.
As a ‘journeyman’ driver Tiff has raced all over the world with single seater outings not only in Europe, but also in Japan, Malaysia, Macau and India where he won the 1985 Bangalore Grand Prix. There have been sportscar events in the USA, including six starts in the Daytona 24 hours and drives in the British Rallycross Grand Prix in both Metro 6R4 and Ford Escort Cosworth.
In 1992 Tiff won his first ever rally in a one-off outing in the Ford RS2000 Rally Sport Series and then finished 30th in his second event - the slightly tougher RAC Rally. Further rally outings were in a Mini-Cooper in the ’93 Charrington’s Historic Event, the Scottish Rally in a Formula Two Vauxhall Astra and then the RAC again in 1996 in a works Skoda.
Now, Tiff Needell is one of four presenters for Channel 5's motoring programme 5th Gear. His television career started in the mid 1980s at the BBC as part of the motor racing commentary team for Grandstand where he worked alongside Murray Walker.
Tiff started writing track tests and feature stories for Autosport magazine in the early 1980's then Top Gear magazine and now he writes for Autocar magazine.
In the spring of 1987 he became part of the BBC2 Top Gear Team where he stayed until joining Channel 5. In the early 1990s he also hosted live studio coverage of NASCAR and Indycar for Sky.
Tiff is in great demand on the corporate circuit, where his skills as a host and hilarious speaker are highly valued.
