Citroën UK managing director Eurig Druce and specialist race and rally car Darrian Cars have been presented with Welsh Motoring Writers’ top accolades, the Terry Davies Automotive Award and the Tom Pryce Memorial Trophy.
The presentation took place in a Covid-secure small gathering at Drivers Citroën of Prestatyn in a delayed presentation of the 2020 awards.
Eurig, who hails from Llanberis, Gwynedd, announced the Citroën Advance UK programme in October 2020, having been managing director since February 2020.
The customer-focused strategy brought about a realignment of prices, a simplified grade structure and action to reevaluate its sales channel mix and improve residual values. It also launched specific C-Series models for online purchase, with the reassurance of an extended five-year warranty as standard.
Darrian Cars, based in Llangybi, near Lampeter, Ceredigion, has been producing race and rally cars in Wales since 1976. The majority of its customers are in the UK and Ireland, although there are some in France and Italy, as well as further afield in Turkey, while one also competed in a race series in Angola.
The business is staffed by Tim Duffee, his wife, Val, their son, Rhodri and three workshop employees. During the last 30 years, the company has also had a regular throughput of motorsport engineering students, some of whom have gone on to work within the BTCC, for Aston Martin’s GT programme, Lotus Cars, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz Formula One teams.
Tim, who received an honorary fellowship of the University of Wales: Trinity St Davids in 2013 in recognition of his contribution to the motorsport sector and the university, said: “For our achievements at Darrian Cars to be recognised by Welsh Motoring Writers and to be presented with the Tom Pryce Memorial Trophy was indeed an honour.
“As contemporary of Tom Pryce (he was born just three days before me) I remember those days well and attended the British GP and Race of the Champions on a regular basis up until the 1979 Silverstone GP which saw a first win for the Willams Team.”
Eurig said: “As a proud Welshman, it gives me great pleasure to accept the 2020 Terry Davies Automotive Award from the association of Welsh Motoring Writers. However, this is not only my award. Everyone associated with the Citroën brand in the UK makes up ‘Team Citroën’ and we celebrate all our successes together.
“So on behalf of the entire Citroën family, across all four nations of the UK, a heartfelt thank you to Simon, Huw and all the members of the Welsh group for this recognition. You can expect to see even more from us in 2021 as we emerge energised from the pandemic, with the Advance UK plan delivering real benefits for our customers. Diolch yn fawr!”
Welsh Motoring Writers chair Simon Harris said:
“Citroën is currently undergoing a transformation in its product line-up and strategy, and we are certain the results will speak for themselves as we emerge from successive periods of lockdown that have been tremendously challenging for the entire automotive industry. We know everyone at Citroën is passionate about the brand and its heritage, and will be working together to achieve success, but Eurig has been a driving force behind it and has had a real impact as managing director of the brand in the UK in a relatively short period.
“Darrian Cars is one of the unsung heroes of the motorsport scene, and not only does it help keep Wales on the constructor map for race and rally cars, the company has also been a guiding light for the next generation of top motorsport engineers. We are delighted to highlight the excellent work of Tim and his small team.”
Simon Harris, Chair, Welsh Motoring Writers
Main Photo Credit: Tim Duffee (left) of Darrian Cars, with Eurig Druce, managing director of Citroën UK.
About the Awards
The Tom Pryce Memorial Trophy, from 1996, commemorates Wales’s greatest racing driver. During the 1977 South African Grand Prix, tragically, a fire marshal ran into his path and both were killed. It is awarded to a Welsh individual or undertaking with a relationship to Wales for an outstanding contribution in the world of transport: Land, Sea or Air.
The Terry Davies Automotive Award (formerly Automotive Achievement Award but renamed in memory of WMW’s co-founder and first Chairman who died in 2017) has, since 2010, recognised personal or corporate excellence in the automotive sector.
Click here for further details and a full list of past recipients
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