Ron Flockhart (racing driver) explained

Ron Flockhart
Nationality: British
Birth Date:16 June 1923
Years:, –
Races:14 (13 starts)
Championships:0
Wins:0
Podiums:1
Points:5
Poles:0
Fastest Laps:0

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

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 2732.8miles.[5] [6]

Record flight attempts and death

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. A Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation-built Mustang World War Two fighter was purchased in Australia and Flockhart was engaged to make the attempt. 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. Flockhart subsequently entered the London-Cardiff Air Race to be held in June that year but withdrew because G-ARKD was still in Athens. 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. 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

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011WDCPts
1954Prince BiraMaserati 250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6ARG500BELFRAGBR
GERSUIITAESPNC0
1956Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P25BRM P25 2.5 L4ARGMON500BELFRAGBR
GER14th4
Connaught EngineeringConnaught BAlta GP 2.5 L4ITA
1957Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P25BRM P25 2.5 L4ARGMON
500FRA
GBRGERPESITANC0
1958R.R.C. Walker Racing TeamCooper T43Climax FPF 2.0 L4ARGMON
NED500BELFRAGBRGERPORITANC0
Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P25BRM P25 2.5 L4MOR
1959Owen Racing OrganisationBRM P25BRM P25 2.5 L4MON
500NEDFRA
GBR
GERPOR
ITA
USANC0
1960Team LotusLotus 18Climax FPF 2.5 L4ARGMON500NEDBELFRA
GBRPORITA25th1
Cooper Car CompanyCooper T51USA
* Shared drive with Prince Bira

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLaps
1955 Lotus Engineering Colin ChapmanLotus Mark IXS1.199DNF
(Reversed on track)
1956 Ecurie Ecosse Ninian SandersonJaguar D-TypeS5.03001st1st
1957 Ecurie Ecosse Ivor BuebJaguar D-TypeS5.03271st1st
1959 Ecurie Ecosse John ‘Jock’ LawrenceTojeiroS3.0137DNF
(Overheating)
1960 Ecurie Ecosse Bruce HalfordJaguar D-TypeS3.0168DNF
(Crankshaft)
1961 Border Reivers Jim ClarkAston Martin DBR1/300S3.0132DNF
(Clutch)

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Italy 1956. 13 March 2023.
  2. Web site: New Zealand Motor Racing 1959. 13 March 2023.
  3. Web site: IV Silver City Trophy 1959. 13 March 2023.
  4. News: Scottish win in Le Mans Grand Prix. Sanderson and Flockhart Defeat Moss and Collins . The Herald. Glasgow. 30 July 1956 . 5 . 11 October 2017.
  5. News: Scots win at Le Mans. Jaguars in First Four Places . The Herald. Glasgow . 24 June 1957 . 7 . 11 October 2017.
  6. The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, 12 June 1961, p. 34.
  7. Anderson, Peter N. Mustangs of the RAAF and RNZAF. A. H. & A. W. Reed Pty. Ltd. Terry Hills, Sydney, NSW 1975.