Born in Twynholm in Dumfries, where the
David Coulthard Museum is run by his father, Coulthard has been a phenomenally successful Formula One driver. He has had 13 Grand Prix victories in a career that goes back to 1994, and is currently 6th in the
all-time points-scoring table. Coulthard is one place behind the English racing legend
Nigel Mansell, but closing the gap fast and could also overtake the great Nelson Piquet.
The David Coulthard Museum is an example of one of those
specialist museums that makes travelling in the UK and Ireland so fascinating. I love them! There are museums devoted to pencils, to lawn-mowers, to Beatrix Potter and to Laurel and Hardy. Twynholm, which is about 8 miles southwest of Castle Douglas, is a little village and its main claim to fame is probably the fact that David Coulthard was born there. He's a real local hero.
Because the museum is owned by David Coulthard's father, it has of course a mass of
personal material that will fascinate any fan. Coulthard started go-karting at a very early age, and those go-karts are part of the collection. By the age of 18 he was the winner of the very first McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award, and then it was a steady climb to the top. Coulthard's long career is one reason he's accumulated so many Formula One points.
The museum has one of Coulthard's
Formula One cars on display, from back in 1995 when he finished 3rd in the Drivers' Championship. Just about every prize that David Coulthard has won is also here, in the museum that opened in 1999. Prior to that the cars were kept in a local sugar store, with hardly anyone knowing they were there. It can be hard to keep these small museums going, as they don't attract a mass of tourists, but they're kept going by the dedication of a few people, often volunteers. Yet to the people who do want to visit, it can be the highlight of the day. Let's hear it for specialist museums, I say, and let me know via the
Discussions if there are any others you want to shout about.
Further details of the David Coulthard Museum can be found at the
official website.
