|
BTCC STATEMENT:DAVID LESLIE & RICHARD LLOYD |
|
|
|
|
Monday, 31 March 2008 |
British Touring Car Championship
Series Director Alan Gow pays tribute to David Leslie and Richard Lloyd who it
is now understood lost their lives in yesterday’s air crash near Biggin Hill in
Kent.
“It was my privilege to know both David and Richard, which
began during their
“David of course was
a great competitor within the BTCC for many years - always exciting to watch,
fiercely competitive and incredibly passionate about his
sport.
“Richard I never knew as a driver, but as the team owner of Audi Sport
UK – and he was a thoroughly likeable person, of real integrity and
determination.
“The BTCC is a close-knit
community and we mourn the tragic loss of both David
David Leslie contested the
BTCC from 1990-2003. In that time he rose to become one of the BTCC’s top
drivers, achieving nine race wins and in 1999 he finished championship runner-up
to Nissan team-mate Laurent Aiello. Among the other cars he drove were BMW M3s,
Vauxhall Cavaliers (famously, as a Scot, under the Ecurie Ecosse banner),
Mazdas, Honda Accords and Proton Impians.
Richard Lloyd’s
involvement with the BTCC stemmed back to the early 1970s when he achieved 12
race wins in Chevrolet Camaros. In 1978, running his own team, he achieved the
second of three straight class titles in a Volkswagen Golf GTi to finish
outright championship runner-up. In 1980 his team ran a pair of Audi 80s for
Stirling Moss and Martin Brundle.
In 1996, as team
principal, Richard oversaw Audi Sport UK’s first attempt at the BTCC and
successfully won the championship with German driver Frank Biela and the Audi A4
quattro. He remained in charge of the team until Audi withdrew from the BTCC in
1998.
Motors TV made the following statement:
involvement in the BTCC and continued throughout the ensuing
years. and Richard. However our
sense of loss is nothing compared to those of their families and our thoughts go
out to them at this terrible time.”
Motors
TV would like to express its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of David
Leslie, who was killed yesterday in a plane crash near Biggin Hill,
Kent.
Leslie, along with four other passengers and crew, lost
their lives when the plane they were travelling in went down shortly after
take-off.
David was a key member of Motors TV’s commentary team and had
provided stimulating, expert analysis for the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2006 and 2007,
as well as being one of the voices of the channel’s Le Mans Series coverage. His
loss has left his friends and colleagues at the channel
devastated.
Motors TV Head of Programming Fred Viger said: “We are
deeply saddened by the tragic news of David’s death. He was a valued member of
our commentary team, but much more than that, he was a gentleman and one of the
nicest guys you could ever have the pleasure of meeting.
“All our
thoughts and prayers are with David’s family and friends and with those of
Richard Lloyd, pilot Mike Roberts and the other two victims of this terrible
tragedy.”
|
