A BLACK United States president for the first time. A black Formula 1 world champion for the first time. A historic, momentous era for the world and the world of sport.

President-elect Barack Obama called his landslide election a defining moment. Observers recalled the fateful words of the late Reverend Martin Luther King, whose dream was to one day see a man in his country of America be judged, not by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character.

Turn now to Lewis Hamilton. His victory in no way bears the same significance as that of Obama. This was not sport after all. Hamilton’s conquest neither was by so wide a margin – in fact, only one point and sealed on the last corner of the final lap of the ultimate Grand Prix of the season. Indeed for 38 seconds before Hamilton’s final surge, his nearest rival Felipe Massa was the world champion. How brief a reign.

Hamilton’s eventual triumph at Interlagos in Brazil confirmed him as the youngest world champion and the first black title-holder in a sport that for eons of engineering and high-octane excess has been exclusively white in patronage and preserve.

The 23-year-old Hamilton was instantly acclaimed as a role model, not just for all aspiring drivers, but for young black men.

Such a tag is onerous for anyone to bear, let alone a virtual rookie sportsman. Nevertheless, Hamilton, both before and since his glorious ascent, has conducted himself impeccably, graciously and, above all, with dignity.

Celebrations aplenty therefore across the political and sporting spectrum. Then, with the latter, and in the same sport at which Hamilton has excelled so eminently, there is one Bernie Ecclestone. Just as F1 undergoes a transformation to A1 status – and I don’t mean the great trunk road traversing the length England along an Eastern highway – Ecclestone brings it down to the gutter.

Inexplicably, the supremo of the F1 cavalcade described racist abuse directed at Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the year as a “joke”. Fans who blacked up their faces and donned curly wigs accompanied by a sign describing themselves as “Hamilton’s family” were seemingly thought nought but a jape by Ecclestone. In his questionable wisdom the racing chief reckoned the incident was “blown out of proportion”.

Well, not if you are Lewis Hamilton or his maligned family. The new king of the tracks, while declining to rail at Ecclestone’s extraordinarily crass assertion, tersely declared the Spanish trolls’ behaviour not to be a laughing matter.

If our new champion has the good grace not to dwell on Ecclestone’s asinine comments, let this column take up his case. Mr Ecclestone, such odious behaviour by so-called motor racing fans is not humorous in the least. It is rank racist abuse – venomous, spiteful and injurious. And it is behaviour that should not be countenanced anywhere in sport, including at a racetrack.

As the effective leader of the sport you should be outlawing such disgraceful deeds. High-profile sports are scrutinised by so much media coverage nowadays – cameras, television, internet, podcasts, blogs etc – that the guilty can be easily identified. Therefore the offensive offenders should be named, shamed and jettisoned like so much trash.

The same should go for all sport. You cannot call yourself a sport that is designed to encompass all, regardless of race, creed, religion or colour, if you have followers who stain it with vile racism.

In a week when races and race conjoined, you have to reflect there is little so uplifting and galling at the same time as the human race.

Cloughie returns to take centre stage

ONE member of the human race who was rightly feted this week was the late Brian Clough.

The best manager England’s national team never got the privilege to have had, though the FA mandarins had the chance before they went supine at the spine and bottled out, had a bronze statue to him unveiled in Nottingham city centre.

As manager of Nottingham Forest, he brought two European Cups in successive seasons after guiding them to domestic title triumph. He had earlier led Derby County to top-flight championship glory.

It is a feat that in these days of big-four domination and Champions League saturation will NEVER, NEVER again be achieved by an English club.

That is the measure of Brian Clough.