The 2025 Award Winners

The  Royal Automobile Club Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an  individual who has, in the opinion of the Club, made an outstanding  contribution to British motoring history and heritage, or to the British  historic motoring and motor racing movement, across many years. This is  the only category which could not be nominated and is the only category  recognising achievement beyond the previous twelve months. 

In the world of motorcycle sport, few names have had an impact as deep or as long-lasting as Sammy Miller. Over the course of more than seven decades in the saddle, in the workshop, and at the heart of the sport’s evolution, Sammy has shaped motorcycle trials in ways that are still felt across the globe today.

His journey began during the Second World War, when he was evacuated to the countryside and first learned to ride off-road – scrambling across waste ground and bomb sites, and laying the foundations of the skills that would make him a legend. At 17 he built his first motorcycle around a Villiers engine, and almost immediately began winning trials across the Belfast area.

That ambition took him beyond Northern Ireland, and in 1953 he entered his first Scottish Six Day Trial, riding from Belfast to Edinburgh just to get to the start. He finished sixth, took home the Ben Nevis Newcomer’s Award, and began what would become a lifelong relationship with the SSDT – a relationship that saw him win the event no less than five times. 

Sammy quickly proved he could race on tarmac as well as he rode on rock and mud. At 20 he won the Cookstown 100 at one of the fastest average speeds ever recorded at the time. Soon after, he joined Ariel’s works trial team in England and developed the machine that would become forever associated with his name: the 500cc Ariel HT5. 

It was only upwards from there: between 1956 and 1958 he claimed the North West 200 and Leinster 200 three years running – beating none other than Mike Hailwood in the former in 1958 – and also secured a third-place finish at the Monza Grand Prix.

But Sammy eventually turned away from road racing, becoming disillusioned with racing’s increasing dependence on machinery rather than rider skill. The decision proved to be the making of him. His 1962 Scott Trial victory – won in conditions so bad the course was described as ‘porridge’ – remains one of his proudest achievements, one of seven wins in the event.

In 1965 Sammy helped create the Bultaco Sherpa T in just 12 days – a motorcycle that transformed trials completely, ending the dominance of four-stroke machines and ushering in the two-stroke era. He went on to win the European Trials Championship in 1968 and 1970, with riding so remarkable one journalist wrote that spectators roared ‘like a football crowd.’

He won nine gold medals in the International Six Days Trial – a particularly impressive feat as riders were responsible for maintaining their own machines. Sammy also later helped Honda develop their first trials machines, carrying his expertise around the world.

Alongside all of this, Sammy built his business – Sammy Miller Equip – and eventually a museum. What began as a few restored bikes grew into the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, one of the finest and best-known motorcycle collections anywhere, created simply out of passion.

And, incredibly, in 1983, just shy of his 50th birthday, Sammy took his 1000th trials victory.

His contribution to the sport is immeasurable. His devotion to motorcycling is total. And his legacy will continue to inspire generations of riders yet to come.

Judges' Comment

In 2021, Samantha Ruff achieved her ambition of a career working on historic cars when she joined Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery as a trimmer. With no previous upholstery experience, she enrolled herself on a sewing machine course to master the basics. Now aged 29, Sammy is regarded as one of the most talented in the business. Despite early setbacks in her determination to carve a career in the classic car world, when a golden opportunity was lost to the Covid pandemic, she persisted in pursuing her dream. Her career to date - and her exciting future - is exactly the contribution to historic motoring from a young person that the judging team were looking for.

Finalists in this category

·  Will Marsh

·  Jack Rawles

·  Samantha Ruff

Judges' Comment  

The Equipe Super Sprint format turned the idea of a race meeting on its head to create a schedule that provides a day of competitive action and better value for money – every driver gets the full amount of track time. It's about lap times not machinery, meaning you never know who you’ll be up against as drivers are continually reshuffled into groups matching their pace. The three finals are closely contested, and drivers that have never previously been in contention for a podium finish have a chance of glory. This fresh, competitor-focused format is an exciting addition to historic racing and a reminder that there’s always an opportunity to think outside the box. 

 Finalists in this category 

·  Bridge Classic Cars Kids 

·  Equipe Super Sprint

·  ifindautoparts

Judges' Comment

This year was the most competitive yet for this category, largely thanks to the number of exciting new events battling for top honours, yet our judges were won over by a familiar name. Salon Privé refuses to sit on its laurels and this year grew again. This 20th anniversary edition was a celebration of motoring culture, bringing together collectors, restorers, manufacturers, and enthusiasts from across the globe. The introduction of the new Automotive Gallery - a spectacular glass structure built from 1,206 panes of glass and covering 4,460 square metres - set a new benchmark for presentation in the automotive event world. 

Salon Privé has evolved into the very definition of a Motoring Spectacle. 

Finalists in this category 

·  The Royal Tunbridge Wells Festival of Motoring

·  Salon Privé

·  The Jim Clark Trust celebration of Jim Clark's 1965 season

The judges agreed that this was perhaps the most exceptional restoration they’d ever seen. The result is the complete rebirth of a massive, elegant 8-litre sports saloon which, in its day, was one of the fastest cars on the road. It revives an extraordinary motorcar which was built to the order of a rich, dashing young adventurer, money no object, 100 years ago. The seven-year restoration involved massive research to recreate the original Hooper coachwork, down to details like making up correct door handles from reclaimed ivory and sourcing the right silk for the upholstery cushions. The total mechanical rebuild ranged from fabricating a new crankshaft and drive gears to creating the material to create the correct braided wiring. 

Finalists in this category  

·  1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C ‘Boulogne’ - Simon Kidston/Jonathan Wood Ltd

·  1926 Rally Grand Sport Type S - David Foster/Bob Thredder

·  1953 Jaguar C-type – Anthony Purnell, Pendine Historic Cars & CKL Developments