TV presenter Craig Phillips (43) has been in the Island this week as the latest celebrity to take on the title of Mr Battle. But when the Liverpudlian is not riding down the Avenue on a floral float, he loves nothing more than chatting about cars.
When and where did you pass your test and how many times did it take you?
I passed first time in Liverpool when I was 17.
What was your first car?
My first vehicle was a little red Astrovan.
It was a butcher’s van because I worked for a butcher at the time and I ran around in that for a year and a half.
I always remember the registration plate was RTB 587Y
My second car was a silver Ford Escort XR3i.
What is your favourite car and why?
The LaFerrari. I compèred a supercar event at the Top Gear race track the other week and I went around the track in one.
Chris Evans has just bought one and it is the ultimate racing car.
It’s the closest thing to a Formula 1 car that you can drive on the road.
What is your worst car and why?
On the Top Gear track the other week I drove one of the smallest cars in the world.
I can’t remember it’s name but it was horrible – it was like being in a toy car.
Generally, there are no cars that really grate on me though.
What is your current car?
I have a black Volvo XC60 4×4 and I also have a black Mercedes CLS. And for work I drive a Mercedes Sprinter Van.
I spend a lot of time on the road and half of the time I’m in traffic jams, so I need practical and safe cars.
I also play a lot of golf so the CLS has a lot of storage space for that.
What would be your dream car and why?
Definitely the LaFerrari! But realistically I have got targets on upgrading my current cars.
I’d like to upgrade my 4×4 to a Range Rover Sport next year and I’d love to swap my Mercedes for a Bentley Continental – it’s a sporty but luxurious saloon.
What are your favourite drives?
I love driving on any race track.
I probably drive about 40,000 or 50,000 miles a year for work – half of that is in my Mercedes Sprinter Van because I do a lot of makeover shows and trade shows so I need to carry a lot of stuff with me and that’s the biggest Mercedes on the road.
Do you have any motorsport interests/heroes?
I like Formula One and Superbikes and I’m good friends with Suzi Perry who presents MotoGP and Formula One on the BBC.
Do you have any driving ambitions?
I’d love to drive a little more round Europe in the summertime – around Austria and France.
I do a lot of snowboarding and skiing so I’m used to driving those roads in the winter.
I’m friends with the brother of the Coronation Street and Red Dwarf actor Craig Charles and he asked me if I wanted to buy his Winnebago the other week and I’m thinking about it!
Do you think you are a good driver?
I like to think I am. I haven’t had any accidents in 25 years and I’ve got a clean licence, so I like to think I am doing okay.
When I was 13 I lost my Dad to a drink-driver, so I now support both regional and national road safety and anti-drink-driving campaigns.
What do you always carry with you on long journeys?
I always carry a breakdown kit with everything from warm socks to a first aid kit in it.
Who would be your preferred passenger on a long journey?
Richard Hammond would be fun – I raced him once on lawnmowers!
I was doing a TV makeover show and he turned up on an 11 cc lawnmower and we ended up racing.
He’s only a tiny little fella!
If I’m going to be driving long distance then we’re probably going to end up talking about cars, so I want someone who knows what they are chatting about!
What makes you angry when you are driving?
People being inconsiderate, lazy drivers.
When drivers are careless, not using their mirrors, or pulling out without looking.
I do a lot of motorway driving and I see a lot of that sort of thing, unfortunately.
Have you ever been involved in a crash?
About 16 or 17 years ago I was a passenger in a car that was driving off-road and I went through a windscreen.
I slid out of my seatbelt and the screen broke and I landed on the bonnet.
About three weeks ago I span off the Top Gear race track.
I drove seven or eight supercars during the course of the day and by the end of the day the tyres were very hot and I span.
Fortunately, there wasn’t any damage to the car!
What do you listen to when you are driving?
I tend to flick through the radio channels.
I don’t know if it’s as I’m getting older but I’m starting to listen to debates and politics shows now, unless my Mrs is in my car because she won’t allow that!
When she’s in the car with me we skip through the channels looking for music.
Do you clean your car, and how often?
I’m lazy so no, I don’t. For me, I don’t own vehicles to put them on show, they are a practical thing.
Every couple of weeks I go down to one of the hand car washes which are on the corner of every street in Liverpool and I pay a fiver.
There’s always someone who is happy to give it a good clean and they do a better job than me!
Driving ambitions on parade
Chantelle Mundy is usually seen on Jerseys roads driving a red Suzuki Alto however this week she swapped her car for a Battle of Flowers float, as the star of the show at the annual floral carnival. The 19-year-old was crowned Miss Battle of Flowers 2015 at a competition in April. A former Hautlieu head girl, she has spent the past year working as a video journalist at the Jersey Evening Post and will be heading to Canada later this year to study at Vancouver Film School
When and where did you pass your test and how many times did it take you?
I passed my test in Jersey when I was 17 years old, on my first attempt.
What was your first car?
My first car was a white Ford Fiesta that my Dad let me borrow to learn to drive. It was old and scary to drive.
What is your favourite car?
Well, I’ve only ever had two cars, but my favourite car that my family ever had was a silver Porsche 911.
Even though it wasn’t yellow – my favourite colour – it was still my favourite.
What is your worst car?
The Fiat Panda, because they are so box-like.
What is your current car?
A little red Suzuki Alto.
What would be your dream car?
A yellow Porsche
What are your favourite drives?
I’m yet to drive there, but I’d love to drive along the motorway in Portugal.
It’s usually empty and it goes through the mountains.
Do you have any motorsport interests/heroes?
I enjoy the Paperclix Jersey Rally.
Do you have any driving ambitions?
Of course – to sit on top of a flower-covered float while it travels along Victoria Avenue!
A road trip across America would also be pretty cool!
Do you think you are a good driver?
Yeah, I think so. I’m not awful!
What do you always carry with you on long journeys?
A sat-nav, because I always get lost!
Who would be your preferred passenger on a long journey?
My best friend, Francesca.
What makes you angry when you are driving?
People who don’t know how to use filter-in-turns.
Have you ever been involved in a crash?
Yes, I was the passenger and I ended up in A&E for hours the night before my A-level Performing Arts exam (It didn’t go well).
What do you listen to when you are driving?
I mix between Ben Howard, Daughter or BBC Radio 1.
How could Jersey’s roads be improved?
Less cars.
Do you clean your car, and how often?
I do, sometimes… but thankfully my dad ‘loves cleaning cars so much’ that he cleans mine too.
