New York to Charlotte, Route 95 and 85

When I did the Global RallyCross series in America in 2014, we did a road trip in a rental car from New York to Charlotte, North Carolina, down Route 95 and 85. It was a big freeway, and so scenic. I recall crossing the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson (pictured) early on in the trip and, for me, it was exactly how I had pictured America to look, with all that endlessly rolling land, greenery and trees – it was such a beautiful place to travel through.
Car of choice: GMC Yukon
Soundtrack: ‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac

Wanaka to Omarama, the Lindis Pass

It was late on New Year’s Eve in New Zealand and my friends invited me over to come and celebrate with them. So I got in my car and started driving from Wanaka to Omarama over the Lindis Pass. It was a summer evening, so still light. I drove about 100 miles and only passed a couple of cars – it was as if I had the whole place to myself. Some of the roads in New Zealand haven’t been straightened out yet and are great fun to drive, with lots of camber and corners. It was so memorable just for the fact that I had so much fun driving.
Car of choice: Mitsubishi Evolution IV
Soundtrack: ‘Song 2’ by Blur

Oamaru to Dunedin, State Highway 1

This is the drive where I got my first speeding ticket! I was home in New Zealand and had my parents in the car. I was quite young at the time, and driving at night down the coast from Oamaru back home to Dunedin. It’s a route that follows the east coast down the South Island, with rolling hills on one side and sea on the other. It was dark until, suddenly, the night sky started flashing red and blue and I was pulled over and given my speeding ticket. My dad had always encouraged us to be good drivers, but, hey, I was behind the wheel of a Porsche 928!
Car of choice: Porsche 928
Soundtrack: ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen

Queenstown to Wanaka, Crown Range Road

One of New Zealand’s best drives is the Crown Range Road – the country’s highest road between Queenstown and Wanaka. When I was younger, it used to be a gravel road but more recently it’s been asphalted. It’s 70km of really twisty hill climb and has quite a bit of motorsport history to it. Before I was a rally driver, I was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser here and picked up a friend and a few of their mates. They all jumped in the car and I just took off, driving how I drive. By the time we got to the other side, I think they were all grateful that they’d made it out alive! I think it all made sense years later when they saw that I became a rally driver.
Car of choice: Toyota Land Cruiser
Soundtrack: ‘Brothers in Arms’ by Dire Straits

Cagliari to Teulada, SS195

One the best drives I’ve done in Europe was when I went to the Extreme E race in Sardinia last year. After landing at the airport in Cagliari we drove along some of the most amazing roads to the race track in Capo Teulada, which is at the very south of the island. They were just the most amazing asphalt roads – like the ones you see in the World Rally Championship –with smooth tarmac and amazing twists and turns. Added to that, the scenery is stunning along the way, ranging from dry and dusty farmland to views over the sea and the surrounding, rolling hills. Although I was driving in a rental car, it was still a spectacular experience.

Car of choice: Skoda Octavia
Soundtrack: ‘All Fired Up’ by Pat Benatar