TRIBUTES were paid today to former British Touring Car Championship driver David Leslie who was among the five victims of yesterday's plane crash in Kent.
Figures from the motor racing world said Mr Leslie's death at the age of 54 would be a great loss.
Former Formula One driver David Brabham, who raced with Mr Leslie, said: "David was a great guy. He was a very good driver and a distinguished gentl
eman. It is the saddest news, for his family and for the racing community."
Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart said Mr Leslie's death was "a great loss to Scottish motorsport". He said: "Scotland has been sorely hit over the last 12 months with the deaths of Colin McRae and now David Leslie.
"David was a highly skilled and talented racing driver who was also an excellent engineer and technical expert within the sport."
Mr Leslie, who was born in Dumfriesshire, was best known for his nine wins in the British Touring Car Championship during the ultra-competitive Super Tourer era in the 1990s. He won five Scottish karting titles before graduating to car racing.
Bernard Buss, of the Scottish Motor Racing Club, of which Mr Leslie was an honorary member, said: "He was just one of the greatest lads and he helped so many of the young drivers today, such as David Coulthard."
Investigators today began sifting through wreckage to find out what caused the tragedy.
The twin-engined Cessna crashed into a house in Farnborough, Kent, and burst into flames but nobody on the ground was injured as the couple who lived there were away on holiday.
Eyewitnesses said it was a "miracle" more people had not been killed but said the pilot appeared to make a desperate bid to avoid houses in the cul-de-sac.
Also among the dead were pilot Mike Roberts and Richard Lloyd, 63, the boss of Apex Motorsport, who was also a former touring car champion. Mr Roberts, who lived in Effingham, Surrey, was director of Flight Consultancy Services, based at Biggin Hill.
The business flight had taken off from Biggin Hill Airport and was heading to Pau, in south west France. It was only around five miles from the airport when the pilot put out a mayday call and it was around two miles north of the airport when it crashed.
Chief Superintendent Charles Griggs said the process of investigating the site could take another two to three days.
Commenting on the pilot's actions, Mr Griggs said: "Everybody will see there were some heroic efforts to reduce the number of casualties."
The full article contains 439 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
