From farming to claiming 24-hour racing Grand Slam

Nick Tandy's thirst for speed began when he was barely a teenager, driving a combine harvester around an open field on his father's farm.

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LONDON -

The only driver to have won every 24-hour endurance race - a Grand Slam of Le Mans, Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps and Daytona - the Briton was honoured on July 29 with the Royal Automobile Club's Segrave Trophy for outstanding exploits on land, sea or air.

The award was named after Sir Henry Segrave, a trailblazer who held both land and water world speed records simultaneously. Past winners include Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell.

Speaking to Reuters at the London club, and slightly stunned to be there, the Porsche factory driver accepted his path was perhaps not the typical one.

Driving the harvester had certainly made him want to go faster, though.

"You just wanted to get the job done so you could go out and play with your friends," he said.

Tandy still helps out when he can, going from 250kmh around a racetrack to the wheel of a tractor at walking pace with a harrow on the back.