Two Major Awards For TKS
After A Great Year Tom Kimber-Smith has been voted the UK Guild of Motoring Writers Driver of the Year, after his Le Mans performances during 2011. The 26-year old from Ascot joins such luminaries as Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill in winning the prestigious award, which was given at the Guild's annual dinner in London last Thursday. In recent years the focus has been on British, rather than international drivers, and the selection panel of Mark Cole, Ian Wagstaff and Jeff Bloxham singled out Tom for his extraordinary record of four wins and a second place in six endurance starts with Greaves Motorsport, included LMP2 victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. He finished the year as the Le Mans Series LMP2 champion with Karim Ojjeh and Olivier Lombard, and becomes the first endurance racer since Derek Bell in 1985 to scoop the Guild title.
"Tom's outstanding season has put sportscar racing firmly back in the spotlight," said Le Mans commentator Mark. "We had some very talented drivers on the shortlist, including several British single-seater champions, but Tom has consistently delivered on his early promise, when he was the 2002 British Formula Ford Champion, before winning the GT2 category at Le Mans 24 Hours with Panoz in 2006."Four days later, Tom had to don the DJ again for the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) awards, which were attended by motor racing stars of the past and present at the stunning Grand Connaught Rooms, Great Queen St, London. The annual ceremony recognizes the achievements of drivers and other key individuals from all areas of the sport, and the BRDC Woolf Barnato Trophy won by Tom is awarded to the highest-placed finishing British and/or Commonwealth driver, in a British car, in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race.  |
“After working hard all year it is very nice to be recognised for my efforts," said Tom. "The Guild of Motoring Writers Driver of the Year Award is very special as there are many great previous winners, and I couldn’t have imagined before that I would win a trophy that was once held by so many incredible names. The BRDC Woolf Barnato Trophy is another great award and one of the oldest trophies in the Club. The BRDC is the best motorsport club in the world and to pick up the - seriously heavy! - trophy in front of all my fellow members and guests was a great feeling. I’m now looking forward to picking up my LMS championship trophy in January next year.” |
