How Prentice rekindled his love of motor racing

But subsequent relocations meant the driver lost touch with his four-wheel fancy before rediscovering his passion with a move back to Edinburgh.

Now based in St Boswells, he’s loving life behind the wheel again.

“I was brought up in Fife,” Paul explained. “I served my apprenticeship at Jimmy Moodie’s garage and my journeyman was Kenny Graham.

“I used to go to the racing a lot but, when I was in my mid-20s, I moved to the Borders and kind of lost touch with the racing.

“When I got a job in Edinburgh, I met up with Aidan Scrimgeour. We got talking about the stock cars and I got hooked again. It was only after I got a job with David Philp Commercials that I decided to get a car. To start with, I got a Prostock. It was relatively inexpensive to buy one – that was in 2008.”

Since then, Paul has not looked back. Operating on a budget, he drives for the love of it and is hoping the long-distance relationship owing to the coronavirus doesn’t last too long.

“I remember my first race very well,” he said. “I thought it was going to be easy but I got run into left, right and centre. It certainly gave me a different perspective of racing.

“I didn’t take too well to contact racing so, at the end of the season, I decided to try the Stock Rods, which is a non-contact formula. It was certainly different and I had to get used to a totally different set up and I didn’t have a lot of spares in my Corsa.

“But I began to get more confident as the season went on. Over the years, I have had one or two cars, a lot of good results and a few wins. I tend to keep between the yellow and blue grade. I am basically a budget racer and can’t stretch to as expensive engine as the star drivers.

“I bought a Corsa C rolling shell from Martin Rankine and had spent time getting it ready for the start to the season. I used parts from the car I had been racing and was hoping for a good season.

“The car had been running alright and I was looking forward to the European Championship. Unfortunately, it was a disaster.

“Three laps into my first qualifying heat, my engine blew itself to bits. What a time for it to go, and it was the first time I had blown an engine. I didn’t have a spare and I didn’t go to Ireland for the World Final. I don’t do too much travelling because of costs. The only other track that I have raced is Barford, in the north of England.”

“I have rebuilt the car for this season and it’s ready to race. I had it to the Racewall for the practice session and, despite the track being greasy, it ran well. Let’s hope we get back racing soon.”