Fans mourn Richard Burns

Burns passed away at the age of 34 after succumbing to a two-year fight against a brain disease.

Major names form the rallying world have been quick to pay their respects to Burns, but fans of the first English driver to win the World Rally Championship have also responded promptly by signing an on-line memorial on his official website.

At the time of writing, 11,818 people had posted messages dedicated to Burns.

Example of the memorials left include: "Richard was a fantastic driver and totally deserving of the world title," said David Lewis.

"He was always an absolute joy to watch and his very friendly manner with TV crews and spectators alike made him a first-class ambassador for the sport. He will be very sadly missed and Rallying has lost one of the true greats."

Alex Keep said: "A true champion in every sense of the word. His bravery behind the wheel was only matched by his bravery in fighting his illness. His death is a great loss to us all in the same way that his life is an example to us all."

The online petition has also allowed many international fans to pay their respects.

Niklas Ojman from Sweden said: "This comes as a total shock for me. One of the greatest rally drivers of all time and a very charming person has left us. My deepest condolences to Richard Burns' family and friends."

German Philipp Wolf from Germany wrote: "Dear Richard- respect for your will to fight the unfightable. Respect for the goal you've reached. Respect to a great person and a great sportsman. Rest in peace Richard, we won't forget you!"

Colin Hilton, chief executive of the Motor Sports Association, the governing body of UK motor sport, also paid tribute to Burns today.

"Richard will always be remembered not only as one of this country's finest motor sport champions but also as a huge inspiration to others in his sport," Hilton said. "But for the cruel intervention of illness, he would surely have added to his ten WRC rally wins and almost certainly have lifted further major championship honours."

Burns' family are planning a private funeral, but have invited anyone wishing to donate flowers to the service to instead contribute to Cancer Research. Details of Memorial Service will be announced soon.