NICHOLLS' EMOTIONAL SPLIT

Writing in Sliding Through Life, he revealed: “I was emotionally spent when the time came to tell dad that I didn’t want him to do my engines anymore because my elevation to the Grand Prix meant I needed a professional. “It was horrible – like ending a relationship – and I knew it would hurt him as it did me. I cried. There I was telling the bloke who had given me everything I’ve got in my life that I didn’t need him anymore. I was stepping up to a bigger stage and he wouldn’t be part of it. “Of course I wanted him there at my side, but I also knew that he couldn’t be. That feeling stayed with me for a long, long time, but I guess sometimes doing the best for someone you care about means letting them go. “On the positive side, I’d like to think that this experience has better prepared me for the day that my children may seek the guidance of someone who is better equipped to help them achieve their goals. “Since my dad had never experienced that dilemma before, he found it much harder to get his head around.”