MARCH 31, 2008

David Leslie and Richard Lloyd

It is with great sadness that we must mark the passing of Richard Lloyd and David Leslie in a plane crash in Kent on Sunday afternoon.

Although neither was involved in Formula 1 they were both wellknown and highly-respected members of the motor racing fraternity.

"It is a tragedy that David and Richard, along with the two pilots and a young technician, perished in such terrible circumstances," said Damon Hill. "It was my great pleasure and privilege to have known both men, and Richard generously gave me an opportunity to drive one of his cars at Le Mans in 1989 at a time when I had no money and no prospects."

After kart championship and single seater success, David Leslie became successful in sportscar racing, finishing second in the C2 class of the World Sportscar Championship for Ecurie Ecosse in 1987. David enjoyed a 13-year British Touring Car Championship career, winning nine races and finishing second in the championship behind Frenchman Laurent Aiello in 1999. The 54-year-old Scot raced for six teams - BMW, Vauxhall, Mazda, Honda, Nissan and Proton - before retiring from top line racing in 2003 and had since worked as a commentator for Eurosport. He still found time to win in the Britcar Series and was en route to France to test Apex Motorsport™s Jaguar XKR GT3.

David leaves a wife, Jane, and two sons.

Lloyd career in racing began as a driver in 1967. His personal successes include the British Touring Car Championship, famously with Sir Stirling Moss and Martin Brundle driving for him in 1980, before winning the title for Audi in 1996. His team Apex Motorsport, which began as GTi Engineering in 1977, had enjoyed successes in the Brands Hatch 1000km and under the name of Richard Lloyd Racing, at Le Mans. The team scored a second place at the race in 1985, in which Richard himself shared the driving with Jonathan Palmer and James Weaver.

His biggest success was at the helm of the re-named Apex Motorsport, as the architects of Bentley™s Le Mans comeback, culminating in a brilliant win in 2003.

Richard leaves a wife, Philippa, and three daughters.