Phil de Banks

[dereklola]

Anyone know where Phil de Banks is today?

He prepared my race car in Aylesbury in the mid 60's - Aylesbury Racing or Aylesbury Tuning - a one-man band. He was known at the time for his Lotus-Anglia [yellow?] in club racing usually coming second to the F1-engined Anglia of [can't remember his first name] Hewitt of Luton. I bought a new Anglia which he raced in Group 2 at the Martini Trophy and at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix race in 1965 (I think). The plan was for me to race the same car with one of his Lotus engines in club races but it only happened twice. I totally lost touch with him after that - and I now live in Canada.

Mr Google lists him in a Cooper S in several international races in 1966 - but nothing else.

A letter in the February issue of MotorSport mentions he was running a B&B in or near Polperro in Cornwall a couple of years ago - and apparently had a picture of himself in a Lotus Cortina leading Jim Clark! I found an address and telephone number for a de Banks (pretty unusual name) in Looe but the number seems to be 'unobtainable' now.

He would be in his early 70's by now.

Anyone got any leads?

Derek Harling

[ghinzani]

Derek PM me the address and I will have a look see next time I am down home in Cornwall if you want.