# Vicki Butler-Henderson
**Vicki Butler-Henderson** (Victoria Jemma Butler-Henderson) is a British racing driver and television presenter known for motoring programs on British television, principally the original run of *Top Gear* on [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two) and the long-running *Fifth Gear*, and for a parallel career as a motoring journalist and competitive driver.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/142638/vicki-butler-henderson)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Victoria Jemma Butler-Henderson, known as Vicki or VBH[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/142638/vicki-butler-henderson) |
| Racing start | Raced 100cc karts from age 12; began racing cars at 17[2](https://www.theguardian.com/p/2yb5f/tw) |
| First TV role | Presenter on the original-format *Top Gear* (BBC2) before its cancellation in 2001[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) |
| Signature program | *Fifth Gear*, from its launch in 2002 onward[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) |
| Racing landmark | In 2004 became the first woman to win a Maserati race in the Italian marque's history[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) |
| Other wins | Two GT Cup podiums at Brands Hatch in a Ferrari F430 (2009); top-10 Mini Challenge finishes 2016–2019[4](https://iol.co.za/motoring/2009-10-28-vicki-vicktorious-in-ferrari-gt-cup-finale/) • [3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) |
| Journalism | From 1990: What Car?, Auto Express, the Max Power launch team, and The Sunday Times car section[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) |
## Early life and entry into racing
Motorsport ran in the family. Her grandfather raced a Frazer Nash at [Brooklands](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooklands) in the 1930s, and her father was a member of the British karting team.[5](https://fbhvc.co.uk/uploads/files/%2B%2BFBHVC%20NHVS%20Report%202025%2010_2025%20Single%20Pages%20FINAL.pdf) She began racing 100cc karts at the age of 12, competing every weekend around the UK, and at 17 moved up to car racing at circuits including [Brands Hatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/brands-hatch) and Silverstone.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/p/2yb5f/tw) • [3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/)
Her first job came while she was still doing her A-levels: a Saturday position as a motor racing instructor at Silverstone. She described the recruitment in a 2010 Guardian interview: about 40 applicants, an interview in which she demonstrated her driving, and pay of £70 a day. The work involved strapping customers into a Peugeot 309 GTI with a roll cage, coaching them along the racing line, and then showing them how it was done from the driver's seat. The school was headed by John Watson, the former [Formula One](https://www.edgepedia.org/formula-one) driver.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/p/2yb5f/tw) Her own CV records eleven years as an ARDS-approved racing instructor at Silverstone Racing School and at most UK racing circuits, from 1989 to 2000.[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/)
## Television career
Butler-Henderson became a presenter on the original format of *Top Gear* on BBC Two. Her own CV lists the period as 1998 to 2002,[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) while her booking agent's profile says she joined the program in 1994 and stayed until its original cancellation in 2001.[6](https://greatbritishpresenters.co.uk/talents/hire-vicki-butler-henderson/) When *Top Gear* was canceled in 2001, she moved to Channel 5 for *Fifth Gear*, which began airing in 2002 alongside presenters including [Tiff Needell](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiff-needell); her CV lists the show as running from 2002 to the present on the Discovery and Quest channels.[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) • [6](https://greatbritishpresenters.co.uk/talents/hire-vicki-butler-henderson/) Later seasons of *Fifth Gear* featured a team of Jason Plato, Jonny Smith, and Jimmy De Ville alongside her.[7](https://www.freecarmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Free-Car-Mag-Issue-77.pdf)
Her other television credits span motoring and general programming: the [British Touring Car Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-touring-car-championship) on ITV1 (2002–2006), *The Car Years* on ITV4 from 2019, *Speed Sunday* live on ITV1 (2004), Formula Four Stroke Powerboat Racing on [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) (2000–2002), and non-motoring shows including *The Biggest Loser UK* (2005–2006), *Wrecks to Riches* (2006), *Formula Woman* (2006), and *Date My Daughter* (2005). She has also contributed to *A League of Their Own*, *The World's Greatest Cars*, and *The One Show*.[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) • [6](https://greatbritishpresenters.co.uk/talents/hire-vicki-butler-henderson/)
## Journalism
Butler-Henderson's print career began in 1990. She worked as news editor and road tester at *What Car?* magazine, road tester at *Auto Express* and *Carweek*, was on the launch team of *Max Power* and then a staff writer, contributed to *The Sunday Times* car section, and wrote a column for *The Sunday Mirror*; she holds an EMAP diploma in journalism.[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) In a 2000 interview with the motorcycle site Visordown she described the resistance she met as a female road tester, saying it took a couple of years on car magazines for people to accept that she could really drive.[8](https://www.visordown.com/features/interviews/vicky-butler-henderson)
## Racing record
Butler-Henderson has raced competitively throughout her broadcasting career, though she has never competed in a complete series.[4](https://iol.co.za/motoring/2009-10-28-vicki-vicktorious-in-ferrari-gt-cup-finale/) Her most successful single result was a win in the Maserati Trofeo in 2004, making her the first woman to win a Maserati race in the manufacturer's history.[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) • [4](https://iol.co.za/motoring/2009-10-28-vicki-vicktorious-in-ferrari-gt-cup-finale/) In October 2009 she raced a [Ferrari F430](https://www.edgepedia.org/ferrari-f430) for the Silverstone-based FF Corse team in the GT Cup at Brands Hatch, qualifying as the quickest Ferrari in the rain and taking second place in the first 25-minute race and third in the second.[4](https://iol.co.za/motoring/2009-10-28-vicki-vicktorious-in-ferrari-gt-cup-finale/) From 2016 to 2019 she took top-10 finishes in the Mini Challenge in a 255bhp Mini JCW.[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/)
## Radio and podcasts
Her radio work includes the Virgin Radio Breakfast Show in 2002, Absolute Radio's breakfast show in 2008, and co-hosting the afternoon show on TalkRadio in 2018. Since 2020 she has presented the weekly Auto Express Podcast.[3](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/) She has also appeared as a guest on other automotive podcasts, including Ford's *A Barrier Breaker with Petrol In Her Veins* in 2025, which discussed her grandfather's 1930s racing and her role as a pioneer for women in the industry.[9](https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/eur/en/articles/2025/vicki-butler-henderson---a-barrier-breaker-with-petrol-in-her-ve)
## References
1. [Vicki Butler-Henderson, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/142638/vicki-butler-henderson)
2. [Vicki Butler-Henderson: my Saturday job, The Guardian (27 November 2010)](https://www.theguardian.com/p/2yb5f/tw)
3. [Vicki Butler-Henderson full CV, butler-henderson.com](https://butler-henderson.com/cv/)
4. [Vicki vicktorious in Ferrari GT Cup finale, IOL Motoring (28 October 2009)](https://iol.co.za/motoring/2009-10-28-vicki-vicktorious-in-ferrari-gt-cup-finale/)
5. [National Historic Vehicle Survey 2025, Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs](https://fbhvc.co.uk/uploads/files/%2B%2BFBHVC%20NHVS%20Report%202025%2010_2025%20Single%20Pages%20FINAL.pdf)
6. [Automotive Presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson, Great British Presenters](https://greatbritishpresenters.co.uk/talents/hire-vicki-butler-henderson/)
7. [Free Car Mag Issue 77 (2019)](https://www.freecarmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Free-Car-Mag-Issue-77.pdf)
8. [Vicky Butler-Henderson interview, Visordown](https://www.visordown.com/features/interviews/vicky-butler-henderson)
9. [Vicki Butler-Henderson | A Barrier Breaker with Petrol In Her Veins, Ford](https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/eur/en/articles/2025/vicki-butler-henderson---a-barrier-breaker-with-petrol-in-her-ve)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Cycling and motor sport*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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