 Irish-born, British-raised and California-domiciled, Neil’s love of motorsport came from his father, himself a former grasstrack motorcycle racer. He attended his first Group C race, the 1985 Brands Hatch 1000 km, at the age of nine and from that point on became a scholar of sports car racing and its history. In 1994 he moved to the United States, but not before making the first of many trips to the Le Mans 24 Hours, traveling alone on a charter flight with a small backpack containing nothing more than a few clothes and a hat. After kicking off a career in the technology industry, he began writing a motorsport-focused blog called The Fastest Lap, which led to work covering IMSA and Grand-Am for the predecessor of Sportscar365, one of the top sports car racing news websites. A continued fascination with Group C and IMSA GTP was the catalyst for the research that led to On the Prowl: The Definitive History of the Walkinshaw Jaguar Sports Car Team, Neil’s debut book.
He has participated in numerous racing and track activities, including as a co-driver in the US National Rally Championship, a team owner and driver in the ‘24 Hours of Lemons’ and at numerous track days behind the wheel of cars such as a Porsche 944, Subaru STI and various Alfa Romeos.
Neil lives in Northern California’s Sonoma region with his wife Kristin, teenage daughter Poppy, an introverted terrier and some aloof chickens. When not following motorsport, he can often be found playing guitar in a 90s tribute band.
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