As a schoolboy, Robert Reid stood gripped by the ear-splitting spectacle of rally cars powering through the forests of Perthshire.
It lit the fire which saw the farmer’s son become World Rally Champion in 2001 as co-driver to Englishman Richard Burns.
And now, the lad who climbed the tracks of Dunkeld’s Craigvinean Forest for that first taste of action is on the brink of completing the ascent to the role of global motorsport’s top official.
The 55-year-old is bidding to become Deputy President for Sport in the Federation de l’Automobile (FIA).
It is the world governing body for world motorsport, including Formula One.
Edinburgh-based Reid is a lead figure in Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s FIA presidency bid.
If successful, the Scot’s new role would deliver what he says will be an unprecedented opportunity to showcase his home nation’s heritage and potential on the global stage.
But that is only part of an ambitious manifesto he has been working on round-the-clock.
And with elections now little over a fortnight away, Reid is on the verge of another illustrious milestone in his motorsport career.
Triumph and tragedy
When he and Burns crossed the finish line of Rally GB in 2001 to take the world crown, the stratospheric rise to the pinnacle of motor racing officialdom never crossed Reid’s mind.
And, as fate would have it, the official documentation to the FIA was submitted exactly 20 years to the day from that momentous achievement.
But November 25 will forever be the most bittersweet of days for Reid and a generation of British rally fans.
For it was also the day Richard Burns tragically lost his greatest fight.
Exactly four years on from WRC glory, Burns succumbed to brain cancer at the age of just 34.
UK and world motorsport roles
In those intervening decades, Reid, whose family home is in Murthly, has worked in various roles in both UK and Scottish motorsports.
Those include performance director of the UK Motor Sport Association.
And he was an adviser on the Scottish Closed Roads Group which brought rallying back to Scotland.
He is also currently the president of the FIA’s Closed Road Commission.
And his far-reaching manifesto proposals include doubling participation in motorsport worldwide within four years.
He is also supremely focused on strengthening diversity and inclusion.
Role models
Robert said: “This is a huge opportunity to showcase Scotland and the UK’s motorsport heritage.
“As a young boy, my dream was always to be part of team whose purpose was to work together on a shared passion – and that drive has never left me.
“If you would have asked me in 2001 what my plan was for the next 20 years, my answer would have been to make a positive difference in the sport.
“And by that, I mean making it accessible so that more young people can experience it.
“Motorsport brings people together and that’s what makes it special.
“Our manifesto is strong, and our team is focused on making the sport more accessible to youngsters who through circumstance have not have been able to participate.
“That must change.
“And one of the first things I will be doing is driving forward with our diversity and inclusion plan.
“I believe that diversity and inclusion in motorsport serves to make it stronger.
“And I will be putting in place scholarships for developing countries to fast track talent from those regions.
“Through research we know that role models and local heroes are critical.
“But currently no scheme exists to elevate these people to where they should be.
“This will be my legacy.
“If elected, I will strip down these barriers.
“Because the only barriers this sport needs are the physical ones on the tracks that are there to keep us safe.”
The FIA elections outcome will be known on December 17.
Former rally driver Ben Sulayem hopes to success Jean Todt, the one-time Ferrari F1 team principal who took up the FIA presidency in 2009.