Member company news: Morson International contractor has a need for speed
An Electrical Services Engineer, Ady Stimpson, from global recruiter Morson International, has a lifelong passion for petrol that has brought him competition success across Europe and even a stint on the BBC’s Top Gear programme…
Married father of four, Ady Stimpson, has long harboured a passion for adrenaline-fuelled racing competitions, and over the years has notched up an impressive list of tournaments and races at some of Europe’s best-known tracks.
Ady’s talent has led him to work on Channel 5’s ‘Fifth Gear’ programme, providing assistance along with other drivers at Trac Mon Anglesey during 2005, and he has also been called upon to work with the BBC programme, Top Gear, along with a group of similarly skilled drivers – though he remains tight-lipped on whether he donned the famous white ‘Stig’ suit whilst there.
As a contractor for the UK’s No.1 specialist and technical recruitment company, Morson International, Ady has been able to consistently work on various engineering projects throughout his working life whilst retaining the flexibility needed to seize racing opportunities that come his way. Morson is adept at matching contractors to projects that provide the best fit for both parties.
From competing in races including the FIA Historics Championships and French Peugeot Sports Diesel Cup to the AVO Ginetta Championship, Lamborghini Tropheo Cup and more recently the Classic and Sports Car Historic Series, Ady is no stranger to high-level competitions.
His most memorable competition so far, he says, was winning the BRDC Silverstone Six Hours in 2006 – this race was a far cry from his stint at Brands Hatch, when he crashed out on the first corner of the first lap at the MR2 Championship.
Ady’s passion for petrol began at the age of 19; his first official race was in 1981 and he’s never looked back.
Ady explains: “Since my first race in 1981 I have had the fantastic opportunity to take part in some of the best races and championships in Europe. My two eldest sons competed in karts when they were younger and still come to support me at my races today.”
Now working as an Electrical Services Engineer for the Manchester-based global specialist personnel supplier, Morson International, Ady attributes his career to his racing ambitions.
He says: “I took an apprenticeship into Engineering back in 1979 as a way to fund my racing. Later I realised I should have studied Mechanical Engineering rather than Electrical and Electronics! Nevertheless, it enabled me to embark on a successful career within the industry whilst still allowing me to pursue my racing ambitions.
“What does racing mean to me? Blind fear, heart-stopping terror and bloody great fun!”
Ady hails from the family behind the iconic Bentley model, the Blower No.1. His Great-Great-Uncle was Sir Henry Ralph Stanley ‘Tim’ Birkin, a racing driver and one of the ‘Bentley Boys’ of the 1920s.
Such was his influence that Bentley Motors built a car to honour ‘Sir Tim’ in 2000 – the Birkin Arnage – and an original 1929 racing Bentley owned by Birkin is estimated to raise in the region of £4million when it is auctioned later this month in Chichester.
No wonder, then, that Ady has experienced great success in his racing endeavours, and continues to compete today. When asked whether he has incurred any physical injuries over the years, Ady replies: “Well – a broken neck, broken ribs, broken sternum, ruptured spleen and a few head injuries. Otherwise, not a scratch!”
For more information about opportunities with Morson, please visit www.morson.com
Morson Group PLC (Morson) operates through two main subsidiaries, Morson International, providing specialist engineering and technical personnel and Morson Projects Limited, which provides outsourced engineering and project management design services.
Nuclear, Aerospace, Rail, Automotive and Power are the core markets that Morson operates within; however a wide range of ancillary engineering and design markets also draw on the Group’s engineering talent. Other areas which include Telecommunications, Oil and Gas and Marine provide good opportunities for growth.
