Richard Burns, who died during the weekend aged just 34, will always have a place in rally history as the first English winner of the world championship.
Burns was destined to compete right from the moment he drove a car for the first time, aged eight, despite not being able to see over the steering wheel.
That encounter with a Triumph 2000 set the ball rolling and soon enough, aged 15, he had an ambition in life, to be a rally driver.
Backed up by his father Alex and fellow driver David Williams, he took to serious competition and, at the age of 19, won his first title.
That was the start of a trail-blazing rise to the top and he wrote his first footnote in his sport's history when he became the youngest winner of the British championship in 1993.
At that time, Britain's interest in rallying was being reawakened by Scotland's Colin McRae, who would play a major part in the development of Burns' world championship career.
Life on the world stage, on a serious basis, began in 1997 at the wheel of a Mitsubishi but it would not be until 1999 with his move to Subaru that Burns truly emerged as a contender.
Blessed with two world-class talents, Britain lapped up the rivalry between Burns and 1995 world champion McRae, which was as strong on the stage as their friendship was off it.
Both were favourites among British supporters and Burns rewarded his fans with three consecutive Rally GB wins.
That winning streak ended in jubilant fashion in 2001 when third place on home ground earned him the world title. A move to Peugeot heralded harder times but Burns' characteristic determination and good humour remained.
They never left him, even when he passed out at the wheel of his Porsche in November 2003, showing the first signs of his brain tumour.
He passed away on Saturday night, on the fourth anniversary of his world title victory, after waging a typically brave battle against illness.
