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Ron Flockhart (racing driver)

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Ron Flockhart
Born(1923-06-16)16 June 1923
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Died12 April 1962(1962-04-12) (aged 38)
Kallista, Victoria, Australia
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Active years1954, 1956–1960
TeamsMaserati, BRM, Connaught, Cooper, Lotus
Entries14 (13 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points5
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1954 British Grand Prix
Last entry1960 United States Grand Prix

William Ronald Flockhart (16 June 1923 – 12 April 1962) was a British racing driver. He participated in 14 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, achieving one podium finish and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race twice.

Racing career

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Flockhart started competing in 1951 in a JP Formula 3 car. He purchased the famous ERA R4D from Raymond Mays and in 1953 had a very successful season, beating one of the works BRMs at Goodwood. He achieved podium finishes at Goodwood, Charterhall, Snetterton and Crystal Palace, as well as several hill climb successes.

Flockhart's best World Championship result was third place at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix in a Connaught Type B.[1] In 1959, driving a BRM P25, he won the Lady Wigram Trophy,[2] and qualified on pole, set fastest lap and won the non-championship Silver City Trophy.[3]

In 1956, driving for the Scottish team Ecurie Ecosse, he won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans, sharing an ex-works Jaguar D-type with Ninian Sanderson.[4] The following year he won again for the same team, this time sharing with Ivor Bueb, setting a distance record of 2,732.8 mi (4,398.0 km).[5][6]

Record flight attempts and death

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In the early 1960s, the United Dominions Trust made plans to break the record for the time taken to fly from Sydney to London in order to gain publicity for its UDT Laystall racing team.[7] A Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation-built Mustang World War Two fighter was purchased in Australia and Flockhart was engaged to make the attempt.[7] Flockhart departed Sydney in the Mustang, registered G-ARKD, on 28 February 1961 and after several delays due to bad weather finally ended the attempt at Athens due to engine problems.[7] Flockhart subsequently entered the London-Cardiff Air Race to be held in June that year but withdrew because G-ARKD was still in Athens.[7] G-ARKD was abandoned and another CAC Mustang, registered VH-UWB, was bought in Australia for Flockhart to make a second attempt at the Sydney-London record.[7] On 12 April 1962, while on a test flight in preparation for the record attempt, Flockhart crashed VH-UWB in poor weather near Kallista, Victoria, and was killed.[7]

Racing record

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Complete Formula One World Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Pts
1954 Prince Bira Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR
Ret* 		GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0
1956 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 ARG MON 500 BEL FRA GBR
Ret 		GER 14th 4
Connaught Engineering Connaught B Alta GP 2.5 L4 ITA
3
1957 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 ARG MON
Ret 		500 FRA
Ret 		GBR GER PES ITA NC 0
1958 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Cooper T43 Climax FPF 2.0 L4 ARG MON
DNQ 		NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA NC 0
Owen Racing Organisation BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 MOR
Ret
1959 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 MON
Ret 		500 NED FRA
6 		GBR
Ret 		GER POR
7 		ITA
13 		USA NC 0
1960 Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 ARG MON 500 NED BEL FRA
6 		GBR POR ITA 25th 1
Cooper Car Company Cooper T51 USA
Ret

* Shared drive with Prince Bira

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1955 United Kingdom Lotus Engineering United Kingdom Colin Chapman Lotus Mark IX S1.1 99 DNF
(Reversed on track)
1956 United Kingdom Ecurie Ecosse United Kingdom Ninian Sanderson Jaguar D-Type S5.0 300 1st 1st
1957 United Kingdom Ecurie Ecosse United Kingdom Ivor Bueb Jaguar D-Type S5.0 327 1st 1st
1959 United Kingdom Ecurie Ecosse United Kingdom John ‘Jock’ Lawrence Tojeiro S3.0 137 DNF
(Overheating)
1960 United Kingdom Ecurie Ecosse United Kingdom Bruce Halford Jaguar D-Type S3.0 168 DNF
(Crankshaft)
1961 United Kingdom Border Reivers United Kingdom Jim Clark Aston Martin DBR1/300 S3.0 132 DNF
(Clutch)

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1958 United Kingdom Ecurie Ecosse United States Masten Gregory Jaguar D-Type S3.0 55 DNF
(Engine)

References

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  1. ^ "Italy 1956". Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. ^ "New Zealand Motor Racing 1959". Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  3. ^ "IV Silver City Trophy 1959". Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Scottish win in Le Mans Grand Prix. Sanderson and Flockhart Defeat Moss and Collins". The Herald. Glasgow. 30 July 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Scots win at Le Mans. Jaguars in First Four Places". The Herald. Glasgow. 24 June 1957. p. 7. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  6. ^ The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, 12 June 1961, p. 34.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Anderson, Peter N. Mustangs of the RAAF and RNZAF. A. H. & A. W. Reed Pty. Ltd. Terry Hills, Sydney, NSW 1975. ISBN 0-589-07130-0
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1956-1957
With: Ninian Sanderson (1956) & Ivor Bueb (1957) 		Succeeded by
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