Elder brother of the late Gerry. Still lives in Scotland, near Edinburgh. Varied racer who quit in 1971 due to financial reasons and to concentrate on his car dealership. He also ran a motor racing accessories shop whilst acting as a manufacturer's agent and also ran a performance tuning business. Away from the sport, he also ran a business selling babies' prams in London for a while. Continues to keep links with the sport and visits many historic events. Birrel started his career in 1960 at Charterhall in an Austin A40, and also drove in hillclimbs and sprints. He won the 1964 Scottish Saloon Car Championship in a Wylies Ford Escort entered by Wylies Ford dealership of Glasgow, and between 1968 and 1971, was a strong competitor in Formula Libre and sportscars. Birrell took up racing with Gerry in 1964, when they bought a Lotus XI, with Birrell having a few sprints to his name as experience. He later became a test driver for Ecurie Ecosse, graduating to works driver soon afterwards. His wife Jennifer (née Nadin) raced Formula Vee.

Biography last updated 4 Oct 2022