Every time I hear of a private business jet crash my heart sinks. Many people I know in the motor racing world I live in, frequently use this mode of transport and my fears were confirmed by Sky news last night. Not for the first time.
I knew David Leslie since 1977. Back then he had only just started racing cars, having been scottish karting champion 5 times before this. He lived in Carlisle at the time, every Friday night he would hook up the racing car on it's trailer to the back of the camper van and he and his father, David Sr, would set off to a race track, often much further down south to Brands Hatch in Kent or Thruxton in Hampshire. Sometimes it would be two circuits in one weekend, then back to Carlisle for work Monday morning. The next Friday night same again, it did not matter in the journey meant going all the way down south again. Totally dedicated.
David was brilliant in single seaters, beating Nigel Mansell in Formula Ford and battling with Ayrton Senna in Formula 3. He never got the backing or the breaks to go to F1. Despite this he carved out a great career in sportscar and touring car racing. One of the nicest blokes I've ever met in motorsport ( he owned two of my pictures) and well respected by EVERYBODY which is rare in that world! He was already a race winner this season, winning a saloon car race at Silverstone over Easter.
Richard Lloyd the team owner of the Jaguar GT team David drove for, also died in the crash along with two pilots and a yet unidentified passenger. I first saw Richard racing a Triumph Spitfire at Snetterton in 1968. A huge name in the sport who has master-minded many racing successes for Bentley, Audi, Porsche and his own successful driving career in saloon cars.
It all brings back the devastation I felt back in 1975 hearing about Graham Hill's fatal air crash on the news. A very sad day in the motor sport world. They take all of those risks on the track and it ends like this.
RIP gentlemen and condolences to the families.
