Just rewards for McNish

One doesn’t have to look around too much at F1B to know that I am a very big fan of Allan McNish. The Scot has been a revelation in the Le Mans series having won twice and taken a very crucial role alongside Mr. Le Mans himself, Tom Kristensen.

McNish was awarded the 2008 Segrave Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club for his ‘exceptional endeavour in motorsport’. McNish told http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76974:

“Jackie told me that this is probably the highest honour any racing driver could be given,” said McNish on receiving the award during a ceremony at the RAC Club, “and I am beginning to understand what he means.

“I didn’t expect or know very much about it until I received notification of it,” McNish said. “Then I looked into it and I realised what Segrave had done himself. The story that got me was that when he was [mortally] injured while trying to break his own water speed record, his last croak was to find out if he had beat it!

“When you see the people around the room, like Andy Green, who do things that are totally different to what we are trying to do, but whose achievements are nonetheless absolutely up there, that’s what I think makes it very special and very different.

“For me when I looked through the list and saw Donald and Malcolm Campbell and the whole…’She’s going, she’s going…’ all those words you hear from being a little boy. We all have to start somewhere and have an interest and mine came from hearing those stories and now to be on the bottom of a trophy with all of those people on it you think wow this is an honour.”

A deserving award for a truly exceptional driver. He has become a staple item of the Le Mans series and I hope Audi comes back to the US in ALMS so we have a chance to see the “wee Scot” drive again.

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