Michael Cotton, one of the world's foremost motorsport journalists of his or any era, has died at the age of 86.
His career began in the 1960s, spanned six decades and coincided with the majority of sportscar racing's greatest eras. This included BPR in the mid-1990s and its successor, the FIA GT Championship, where he became a media centre regular and friend to many at SRO.
He held editorial roles with Motorsport News and Motor Sport Magazine but is best known for his sportscar coverage, which included the duel between Porsche and Ferrari in the early 1970s and continued through Group C's halcyon days a decade later.
Between those two eras Michael turned his hand to PR by becoming press manager for, appropriately, Porsche Cars GB. He would go on to write 10 books about the manufacturer.
His son and long-time Racecar Engineering editor, Andrew, followed his father into the sport and remains a regular at SRO events. The company's thoughts are with him and Michael's family at this time.