Leslie, Lloyd deaths 'accidental'
The deaths of former British Touring Car Championship stars David Leslie and Richard Lloyd have been ruled as 'accidental' by an inquest jury in Kent
The pair were among five people killed on March 30, 2008 when the private jet they were travelling in to a test at Nogaro crashed shortly after take-off from Biggin Hill airfield.
The inquest heard that the Cessna aircraft's pilot, Michael Roberts, reported engine vibrations shortly after take-off and asked for permission to return to the airport. Shortly afterwards, it crashed into a house in Farnborough, killing all on board.
Mark Javis, a senior engineering inspector at the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, said that the vibration was probably caused by a failure of the air pressurisation system on board.
The jury said that the presence of a black box recorder would have helped with the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Leslie, who was 54, was the BTCC runner-up in 1999 for Nissan and also achieved numerous successes in the World Sportscar Championship in the 1980s.
Lloyd, 63, was also a multiple race-winner in the BTCC as well as a class champion. His Richard Lloyd Racing and Apex Motorsport teams also achieved success in sportscars and touring cars, the latter squad running the Audi UK operation that won the BTCC in 1996.
Killed along with Leslie, Lloyd and Roberts were Apex team member Christopher Allarton and co-pilot Michael Chapman.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
Horner: Red Bull faces "significant handicap" with F1 aero testing restrictions
Red Bull faces a “significant handicap” for 2023 due to the aerodynamic testing restrictions imposed after winning the Formula 1 world championship and exceeding the cost cap, says team boss Christian Horner.
Bathurst 12 Hour: SunEnergy1 Mercedes wins after dramatic late crash
The SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes defended its Bathurst 12 Hour crown despite Jules Gounon being spun by fellow Mercedes driver Maro Engel inside the last hour.
Tickets for F1 Italian Grand Prix and F1 Imola Grand Prix 2023 now on sale
Such is the clamour for Formula 1 in Italy the country sees two races take place inside its borders each year.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test
Expectations were high for the start of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid power era, and despite nerves and problems to solve prior to its debut the new rules gained widespread approval. Here’s how the first test at Donington Park was passed and the thorough examinations that are to follow
The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions
Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Porsche Carrera Cup GB victor Dan Cammish form a potent line-up at the Motorbase-run NAPA Racing team as the series adopts hybrid power. With Sutton bringing the key components of his title-winning Laser Tools Racing set-up, and Cammish eager to prove a point on his return, their dynamic is set to be one of the season's major talking points
The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on
Veteran team manager Marvin Humphries and former Tech-Speed team boss has worked not only with stars of the British Touring Car Championship, but legends including Gil de Ferran, Hans Stuck and Tom Sneva in a long and varied career that has spanned five decades across tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
Having started out in club-level competitions alongside his own university engineering studies, Josh Cook's journey to becoming an established frontrunner in the British Touring Car Championship is atypical. But it's these experiences that have moulded the 30-year-old into a humble star, respected throughout the paddock
Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Autosport picks out the best performers
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The much-loved tin-top superstar bowing out at 59
OPINION: It's not often that a driver achieves widespread affection for their personality, as well as their on-track performances. One such individual is Gabriele Tarquini, who will soon bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that has yielded touring car titles on the European and global stage - and, famously, in Britain too
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.