The fragility of life was so tragically displayed on Sunday, March 30, at Farnborough, England, when a Cessna Citation jet crashed killing all five occupants. The journey was to take them to the French circuit of Nogaro to continue the prelude of Apex Racings’ assault on the 2008 FIA GT Championship. Instead, the accident has left the families of the deceased in turmoil and robbed motor sport of two of the most decent men to grace it, Richard Lloyd and David Leslie.
After education, Richard Lloyd pursued a career in the music industry working for Decca records from 1964 to 1970, becoming part of the team that looked after such stars as Cliff Richard and Alvin Stardust. While working, he became interested in tracks of a different kind—motor racing—which led him to taking the wheel of a Triumph TR4A in his first competitive race at Brands Hatch in 1967. His racing continued and eventually became successful driving a Triumph Spitfire having many class wins and an overall win at Crystal Palace.
He entered the British Saloon Car Championship during the 1970s, successfully driving various vehicles such as a Chevrolet Camaro, an Opel Commodore, and finally became series runner-up in 1978 with a Volkswagen Golf GTi. While this driving career was in full swing, he dovetailed his time with his new PR agency, Motor Race Relations, representing Mike Hailwood, Peter Gethin, Chris Craft, and others.
In 1980, Lloyd tempted Sir Stirling Moss to drive an Audi 80 with teammate Martin Brundle; it was to be the start of a long relationship with Audi. By the mid-1980s, Richard Lloyd Racing was heading the privateer teams in the World Sportscar Championship with a Porsche 956, with drivers such as Jonathan Palmer, Jan Lammers, and James Weaver at the wheel. Victory came at Brands in 1984 when the RLR modified Porsche, driven by Palmer and Lammers, took the checkered flag. The year 1985 had Lloyd, Palmer, and Weaver taking 2nd place at Le Mans, a truly “David and Goliath” result. In 1986 and ’87 Lloyd had two victories at Brands and the Norisring. A world recession saw the demise of Group C racing and the end of RLR.
Lloyd was at the helm of the Audi team, which joined several of the major manufacturers in the British Touring Car Championship. Frank Biela took the 1996 honors and, despite a huge weight penalty, the runner-up spot in 1997. After acquiring the Bentley name, Audi ultimately thought the best PR was for the marque to conquer Le Mans, as it did in the late 1920s and 1930. Lloyd’s Apex Motorsport team was given the job of preparing and racing the cars in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, Team Bentley took away the reigns from Lloyd in the marque’s victorious year, but Lloyd’s hard work was a significant factor in their success.
Richard Lloyd and David Leslie were both modest men. It is only now, after their passing, that we will truly understand the contribution they both made to a sport they so dearly loved.
By Mike Jiggle
