1989 DAVID COULTHARD

OTHER FINALISTS Everyone and no-one! (selected for Award without tests) He says: “I’d done my first year in Formula Ford, entered 32 races and won 22 I think. It was a great first year and I’d already been to see Jackie Stewart about doing Formula Vauxhall Lotus in 1990.

“I was at the Autosport Awards and when they started talking about the new award I thought they were talking about Allan Mcnish. When they mentioned my name it was a big surprise.

“It was all about the chance to test an F1 car [below]. I got to find out that it was only a car, just a bloody quick one. The Award got me in front of Ron Dennis, got me down to Mclaren, and

I met a lot of the guys I ended up working with later.

“There’s no question it makes a difference. I don’t have many trophies at my Monaco apartment, but I have the Mclaren Autosport BRDC Award, which was given to me years later.

That shows my affection for what the Award meant to me.” WHAT HAPPENED NEXT Made it all the way to F1, winning 13 GPS and finishing as title runner-up in 2001 with Mclaren