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The Man Himself Donald didn’t start out to race side cars, he stood in for his brother. After the first race he was hooked. He has raced all over Britain from Knockhill to Brandshatch and Ireland to the Isle of Man. He raced against Jock Taylor, then the World Champion, and finished second at Knockhill in 1983. At the Isle of Man TT he had finishing positions of 21 and 23 out of a grid of over 90. He eventually gave up racing in 1987 following a fatal accident at Knockhill when his driver was killed and he was seriously injured, not for the first time. Just 4 months before he had come out of hospital after a bad accident at Oulton Park, having finished 3rd in the first race, they were lying second in the next race, set the fastest lap in the wet – which has still to be broken and then at 500 yards before the finish, outbreaked Des Founds and passenger to take the lead but in doing so the throttle stuck open, they aquaplaned on water and went straight into the crash barrier. At this point he was pronounced dead at the side of the track. Thankfully the track marshals brought him back to life. Sidecar racing’s loss was Scottish crystal engraving’s gain as it was while lying in his hospital bed following the second accident that he made the life changing decision to give up racing and redirect his energies into setting up his own crystal engraving business. Donald is the father of two grown up children, Stevie and Jeni, and lives in Ayr and now the proud Granda of Caitlyn and Josh.
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