![]() But more usefully for Ridgeley, Price also had a footprint on the continent, especially in France, where Ridgeley had taken up residence after the initial success of Wham!. His racing started at Donington Park, which was then managed by former motorsport journalist Robert Fearnell.įearnell advised Ridgeley to contact David Price, who was then one of the leading entrants in F3 and had recently taken Johnny Dumfries to the British title. At the time, I was simply interested in pursuing my interest in motor racing.” ![]() “I had no ambition to go on to do anything. Wham! was about being young and in a band and, in that sense, it was limited. “Girls throwing their bras and knickers on stage, was always memorable,” Ridgeley recalled in an interview with celebrity magazine Hello! in 1997. He quickly set about trying to replace the buzz of being a popstar and made the seismic step from bit part Renault 5 fun to full-on F3 driver in one move. The very next day Ridgeley attended a Jackie Stewart organised clay pigeon shoot on the eve of the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch and immersed himself in the racing culture that he believed would become his next profession. On a sold out night at Wembley stadium 72,000 adoring fans bade farewell to their lavishly coiffured heroes. The rollercoaster of success ended, as quickly and as memorably, as it had begun. I was simply interested in pursuing my interest in motor racing” :: Andrew Ridgeleyīut by early ’86 George Michael had announced the end of Wham! to millions of startled teenagers, saying “I think it should be the most amicable split in pop history.” Ridgeley had already caught the racing bug with some Renault 5 UK races in 1985, the same year Wham’s historic 10-day touring visit to communist China played out. As leftfield racing stories go, the true story of how one-half of a legendary 1980s pop group attempted a second career as a racing driver in the relative backwaters of French Formula 3 is pretty out there.īut the little known tale of Andrew Ridgeley – of hairspray intoxicated soul/pop sensation Wham! – sharing a grid with the likes of Jean Alesi, Yannick Dalmas, Perry McCarthy and Eric Bernard is much more than just a careless whisper in the pantheon of celebrity sports odysseys.
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