Jaguar Driver Le Mans 1955

[buster bram]

I Meet A Ex Works Jaguar Driver At The Launch Of The Bently Gt In Monte Carlo October 2003. He Said He Was In The Crash In 1955 Behind Hawthorn (also He Said He Was A God Son Of The Queen Mother Born At Sandringham) His Parents Were Neuro Surgeon To The King And Mother Gyne To The Queen

The Point Carnt Remember His Name

Some Body Please Help

[vfj]

hope you get a result amigo could be interesting

[buster bram]

Originally Posted by vfj

hope you get a result amigo could be interesting

THANKS BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN

TRYED RESCEARCH

IT AINT LANCE THINGY HE IS DEAD

[lj79]

Try Tony Rolt???

[buster bram]

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-rolton.html

TRYED I AM NOT SURE

[Vitesse]

Norman Dewis perhaps? He's a fixture at most Jaguar events.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/inde...0&article=1066

http://www.jcna.com/library/news/2001/jcna0028.html

Neither of those says anything about Norman's childhood, but Tony Rolt was born in Ireland, so I doubt it's him.

[ensign14]

I think it is Dewis, Don Beauman (with whom he was sharing a D Type) had just pulled into the pits for a fuel change (and perhaps a driver change?) when the accident happened.

[D-Type]

Originally Posted by ensign14

I think it is Dewis, Don Beauman (with whom he was sharing a D Type) had just pulled into the pits for a fuel change (and perhaps a driver change?) when the accident happened.

I agree, it must be Norman Dewis. According to Higham, Tony Rolt was born in Bordon, Hampshire and Duncan Hamilton, who died in 1994, was born in Cork.
And the remaining three works Jaguar drivers, Mike Hawthorn, Don Beauman and Ivor Bueb were all killed on accidents many years ago.

I never realised that Norman Dewis ever actually raced the D-types until I read Vitesse's links.

[Anuauto]

Surely Duncan Hamilton in Bordon??

[D-Type]

No, read Touch Wood - his parentage was English but he grew up in Ireland.

[Vitesse]

My mistake. Rolt was indeed an 'Ampshire 'Og. 'Twas Hamilton, the man with the English parents and Scots name who was born in Ireland.

[buster bram]

Thanks for the help But I forgot to add that he said he ended up in hospital after the crash for a while Dereck Bell (Digger) was there and he knew him

[D-Type]

Well he can't have been in a Jaguar and in the crash as the crash involved Levegh's Mercedes and Lance Macklin's Austin Healey. It can't have been Lance Macklin as his parents owned the Invicta car company. And he died in 2002.

[emjaya]

Norman Dewis was working in a greengrocery at age 14 in Coventry,not sure but I don't think it was him you met.

[Vitesse]

Well, the only other driver I can think it might be would be Dick Jacobs, who was in an MG and retired due to an accident at round about the same time as Levegh's crash.

[buster bram]

Originally Posted by D-Type

Well he can't have been in a Jaguar and in the crash as the crash involved Levegh's Mercedes and Lance Macklin's Austin Healey. It can't have been Lance Macklin as his parents owned the Invicta car company. And he died in 2002.

He didn,t say what can he was in when he crashed. only that he had been a ex works jaguar driver hope that clears it up a little

[Vitesse]

Jacobs was driving a prototype of the MGA, EX182/38 when he crashed on lap 28, "inflicting terrible damage on himself and the car."

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccmga/history/history1.htm

I saw a reference on a German site that Jacobs' accident was at about the same time as Levegh's: there are a number of books on this race, so that shouldn't be hard to confirm.

But I cannot find any reference to Jacobs ever driving a works Jaguar - he was very much an MG man over a number of years.

[D-Type]

Jacobs's crash was about the same time as the Macklin/Levegh one. In Champion Year Mike Hawthorn describes how he had overshot the Jaguar pits and he was sent round to do another lap by Lofty England. He describes coming upon the burning MG and momentarily thinking he was back at the pits already.

As to our mystery driver, we have
1. Ex Works Jaguar Team driver. Is this definite? Or was he possibly someone who had raced jaguars but not necessarily in the works team?
2. Son of a surgeon
3. Godson of the Queen Mum with a Sandringham connection
3. Was at Le Mans in 1955
4. Was probably a driver in the race, but not necessarily in a Jaguar
5. May have seen the accident from the pits
6. May have seen the accident or its aftermath from a competing car. He could have been 'in the accident' in the sense that he had to take evasive action avoiding the aftermath.

Any other clues?

[Peter Mallett]

The race entires and resuts are HERE

[lj79]

Originally Posted by D-Type

Jacobs's crash was about the same time as the Macklin/Levegh one. In Champion Year Mike Hawthorn describes how he had overshot the Jaguar pits and he was sent round to do another lap by Lofty England. He describes coming upon the burning MG and momentarily thinking he was back at the pits already.

As to our mystery driver, we have
1. Ex Works Jaguar Team driver. Is this definite? Or was he possibly someone who had raced jaguars but not necessarily in the works team?
2. Son of a surgeon
3. Godson of the Queen Mum with a Sandringham connection
3. Was at Le Mans in 1955
4. Was probably a driver in the race, but not necessarily in a Jaguar
5. May have seen the accident from the pits
6. May have seen the accident or its aftermath from a competing car. He could have been 'in the accident' in the sense that he had to take evasive action avoiding the aftermath.

Any other clues?

Favourite food - steak and chips
Favourite drink - lager and lime
Dislikes - bad sports and smoking

Ah, the innocent days of 70's footy mags

[buster bram]

Originally Posted by D-Type

Jacobs's crash was about the same time as the Macklin/Levegh one. In Champion Year Mike Hawthorn describes how he had overshot the Jaguar pits and he was sent round to do another lap by Lofty England. He describes coming upon the burning MG and momentarily thinking he was back at the pits already.

As to our mystery driver, we have
1. Ex Works Jaguar Team driver. Is this definite? Or was he possibly someone who had raced jaguars but not necessarily in the works team?
2. Son of a surgeon
3. Godson of the Queen Mum with a Sandringham connection
3. Was at Le Mans in 1955
4. Was probably a driver in the race, but not necessarily in a Jaguar
5. May have seen the accident from the pits
6. May have seen the accident or its aftermath from a competing car. He could have been 'in the accident' in the sense that he had to take evasive action avoiding the aftermath.

Any other clues?

All the above you know what these old boys are like (if only I had gone a bit faster I would have won the race and the championship and if I had MORE money and MORE talent I COULD HAVE BEEN A CONTENDER)

[Vitesse]

I picked up a book called "The Works MGs" by Mike Allison and Peter Browning today. Jacobs' accident was actually career-ending (although he continued as an entrant after his recovery). He crashed at White House at high speed, possibly having been distracted by the pall of smoke over the pits straight ahead of him.

He had raced MGs since buying his first Midget in 1937, also running TC, TD, YB, ZA and MGA cars at various times, plus many MG specials. He was also a successful MG dealer.