I was truly stopped in my tracks when I got your message, and absolutely
delighted to have been given such a wonderful PistonHeads award. It's no
exaggeration to say that it is every bit as valuable to me as winning a motor
race - and it's a long time since I did that!
Let me explain in more detail. When I discovered PistonHeads I found myself
among people who thought the same way I think, and I was surprised, not simply
because I was feeling a bit lonely speedwise, but because I believed I was the
only person left on the planet who hadn't been brainwashed.
Compare my situation with the situation of PistonHeads enthusiasts. I had
twenty years driving without speed limits - effectively thirty years because
no-one paid any attention to the limits when they were first introduced -
whereas you; nearly all of you, surely, never had that advantage, and never had
the opportunity to drive naturally without restriction as and when you pleased.
And yet despite that artificial handicap you have somehow managed to ignore
the numpty propaganda, and understand real driving for driving's sake. I think
that's a fantastic achievement, against all the odds, against Politcal
Correctness, against endless Government preaching and against the element of
society who cannot and will not understand that it is natural for mankind to
have spirit.
In other words I had it easy, and it came naturally to me. You have had a
battle in comparison, but it came naturally to you nevertheless. To my mind that
speaks volumes for character and determination, and I salute you all
wholeheartedly for being so delightfully normal, and for your belief in the
well-driven fast car. Speed does indeed matter!
To Ted, my unreserved admiration. For inspiration at the outset, for bravery
in persevering, for unstinting hard work in keeping up such a very hight
standard, and for giving us all something of great value. Call it freedom - in a
straight-jacketed world. I think PH is beyond price, and I am proud to have had
the opportunity to participate in it. Little wonder then that I am equally proud
of this award.
Thank you Ted, and thank you all for being what you are - it has been a
pleasure and a privilege to be one of you. With very best wishes now, and for
the future,
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