Toby Vintcent served as an officer in the British Army 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers during the Cold War as part of the NATO Rapid Deployment Force. After this, he had a successful career at Merrill Lynch. He has been Director of International Affairs at the British Equestrian Federation. Toby Vintcent's lifelong passion for Formula One has resulted in the Matt Straker series, published by Arcadia. He lives in Oxford, the heart of F1 country, with his wife and son.