Scottish motorsport legend and three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Allan McNish, who turns 44 on 29 December, decided to hang up his helmet yesterday and end a racing career that spanned 32 years.
McNish started karting in his native land and, after much success that included six Scottish championships and three British championships, he quickly progressed through the single-seater ranks of Formula 3000 and Formula 3. After knocking on F1’s door through testing with McLaren and Benetton, McNish got a seat with Toyota’s F1 team in 2001 but was replaced after failing to score points in the 17 races of the 2002 season.
McNish first won the world’s greatest endurance race in 1998 with Porsche’s 911 GT1 alongside Laurent Aïello and Stephane Ortelli, and after a stint with Toyota’s endurance racing effort joined Audi. After narrowly missing out on victory in 2007, he took the title in 2008 and 2013, partnering Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen, and Loïc Duval and Kristensen again, respectively.
After winning the American Le Mans Series in 2000, 2006 and 2007, McNish finally managed to win the World Endurance Championship in 2013 with Kristensen and Duval.
Other racing highlights include four victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, four victories at Petit Le Mans, six Silverstone 1 000 km wins and a single victory at the Nurburgring 1 000 km.
“It’s just the right moment to end my career in sports prototype racing. Together with my teammates Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval, I’ve just enjoyed my best season ever in this branch of the sport capped by my victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. I couldn’t hope to better what we’ve achieved this year,” McNish stated.
