The Gentleman Magazine Issue 18 | December 2019 | Page 40

THE WINNERS OF THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB
HISTORIC AWARDS ARE REVEALED
The winners of the inaugural Royal Automobile Club Historic
Awards were announced last night (21 November) at a gala
evening at the Pall Mall clubhouse, hosted by TV Formula 1
and sports presenter Lee McKenzie. Launched earlier this year,
the Awards celebrate the diversity and people involved in the
British historic motoring and motorsport scene, continuing the
Club’s rich pedigree in celebrating motoring accomplishments,
which dates back more than 120 years.
Strong nominations from across the UK were assessed by
specialist panels of expert judges for each of the seven categories.
In addition, the Club presented the Royal Automobile Club
Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of an individual
who has, in the opinion of the Club, made an outstanding
contribution to the British historic motoring movement across
many years.
The inaugural Royal Automobile Club Lifetime Achievement
Award was presented to Allan Winn. A former motoring and
aviation journalist, Allan has driven and competed in an array
of vintage and historic cars for more than half a century, was
a Director of the Vintage Sports Car Club for 17 years and, as
Chairman of the Friends of Brooklands, was part of the team
that helped to raise funds for the museum to buy the 1933
24-litre Napier-Railton endurance record and track racing
car. From 2003-18 he was Director of Brooklands Museum,
where his most notable legacies are the re-opening of the
iconic Finishing Straight and the Brooklands Aircraft Factory
in 2017. Allan’s contributions to the world of historic motoring
- he is an active race marshal and a regular judge at concours
including Pebble Beach - and to Brooklands continue to this
day, following his appointment as the Museum’s first Vice
President in 2018.
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Nick Trott was the winner of the Outstanding Journalism
category for ‘Helter Skelter’, his 7,500-word, impeccably
researched and beautifully-written feature on the Porsche
Museum’s 917 that appeared in The Road Rat magazine. The
judges noted: “Nick Trott had to convince Porsche to allow
him access to confidential files before he could even start the
assignment. The combination of exhaustive research and fine
writing in this detailed examination of a seminal racing car is
simply breathtaking.”
The Chateau Impney Hill Climb took top honours in the
Competitive Event category (supported by Brewin Dolphin),
with the judges commending the winning combination of a
classic venue, excellent organisation, ‘proper’ competition from
a strong entry and great facilities and attractions for visitors.
The Race Series category (supported by A. Lange & Söhne) was
won by the Historic Sports Car Club’s International Historic
Formula 2 series, which has gone from strength-to-strength
this year, including a spectacular showcase at the Silverstone
Classic. The judges praised the “hard graft and inspired
leadership which has seen this charismatic series finally fulfil
its potential with sensational grids in 2019.”
The Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace was
the recipient of the Motoring Spectacle award (supported by
Footman James). The judges stated: “All three of our finalists
fulfilled the criteria for a true motoring spectacle, but only one
had the depth of content to continue to captivate long after the
initial impact has been forgotten. The Concours of Elegance
managed to gather an entry strong enough to live up to the
breathtaking venue, boosted this year by some exceptional
special displays.”
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