Alastair joins McLaren for his first Grand Prix in Monza, Italy. Despite beating the red tape at customs in France the McLaren car is unable to finish the race.

Bruce had a Formula 1 car with a V12 VRM engine that was going to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. We’d been racing Formula 1 all season but I hadn’t been involved yet. They asked if I’d like to go to Monza and I said: ‘Would I ever.' There was no warning, it was Tuesday afternoon and we were leaving in less than an hour so I rushed home and got my passport.

I drove the truck, this great big truck, across London and followed the chief mechanic Mike Barney. We were all excited, it was my first race, my first trip across Europe, and Bruce was starting on the front row. It was a 4:3 grid in those days. I learnt about Italian food, French food, stayed in the French hotels, learned how to bribe customs officials.

We didn’t have the right paperwork when we got to Dover so we couldn’t get across into France. In those days there were little men wearing RAC jackets when you got to Dover who came to see you. They told us we couldn't travel without the right paperwork. We obviously weren’t going to get there in time so I asked the RAC man: ‘How about bribing these guys?’ He said ‘Oh no no no, you can’t do that, that’s only in films.’

We spent the night in Dover and in the morning Mike went off early to call Bruce. I was in the customs shed with two French customs officers. I had the company wallet, no credit cards in those days so it was stuffed with cash. Italian and French notes were as big as pieces of A4 paper. I got two of these huge notes out and waved them around and showed ‘one to each of the officials. They looked very pleased as if to say: ’Yes, that's a good idea.’ There was a key on the wall (I’d already worked out what key was in French, clé ), which opened the impound where the truck was locked up. I said: ‘We get the clé… grand camion… tu droit..’ ‘Oui!’ they said and took the notes and carefully folded them up very small and put them in their top pockets. Then we walked, unlocked the shed and I drove the truck out into the cold morning air. Mike was on one the pay phones to Bruce telling him we couldn't get into France. I sounded the horn and he turned round to see me with the truck signaling him to get a move on. ‘Oh hang on,‘ he said to Bruce, ‘Alastair’s outside with the truck.’ And off we went. We made it to the Italian Grand Prix on time and, after all that, didn’t finish the race because the engine ran out of oil and blew up.

• 1943 Alastair's early years
• 1955 Licence to drive
• 1957 Alastair's High School years
• 1959 Evading the police
• 1960 Becoming a mechanic
• 1966 The Tasman series
• 1966 Leaving New Zealand
• 1967 Joining McLaren
• 1967 CanAm Door Catches
• 1967 Monza
• 1968 South Africa
• 1968 CanAm
• 1969 Driving the Formula 1 Cars
• 1973 Fittipaldi joins McLaren
• 1973 McLaren Team manager
• 1974 Montezemolo
• 1975 Hunt replaces Fittipaldi
• 1975 Hunt gets paid little
• 1976 Inventing the Air-Starter
• 1976 Six-speed Gear Boxes
• 1976 Misbehaving in Canada
• 1976 Japan
• 1977 Adidas Uniforms
• 1977 Changing Tyres
• 1977 Leaving McLaren
• 1979 Nelson Piquet
• 1980 Skirts on Formula 1 Cars
• 1981 Leaving Formula 1
• 1982 Making Lists
• 1982 Signing on
• 1982 Creating Space Station
• 1991 Highland Fling
• 1991 Classic Marathon
• 1992 Getting the Austin A35
• 1992 El Salvador
• 1993 Carerra Panamerica
• 1993 Centre of attention
• 1993 Nicest car in rally
• 1993 LeJog
• 2000 London to Sydney
• 2000 Porsche Racing
• 2000 Porsche Crashing
• 2001 Ferrari
• 2001 Inca Trail
• 2004 Berlin - Moscow - Berlin
• 2005 World Cup Rally
• 2007 Norway
• 2008 Liège-Brescia-Liège
• 2008 An Icelandic Odyssey
• 2008 North & West Africa
• 2009 West Coast America
• 2009 London to Casablanca
• 2010 New Zealand Festival of motor racing
• 2010 New Zealand Big Sky Adventure