John Fitch (racing driver)
Born | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | August 4, 1917
---|---|
Died | October 31, 2012 near Lime Rock, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 95)
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | American |
Active years | 1953, 1955 |
Teams | HWM-Alta, Stirling Moss Ltd. |
Entries | 2 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1953 Italian Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1955 Italian Grand Prix |
John Cooper Fitch (August 4, 1917 in
In the course of a driving career which spanned 18 years, Fitch won such notable sports car races as the Gran Premio de Eva Duarte Perón – Sport, 1953 12 Hours of Sebring, 1955 Mille Miglia (production car class), and the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy, as well as numerous SCCA National Sports Car Championship races. He was also involved in Briggs Cunningham's ambitious Le Mans projects in the early 1950s, and was later a member of the Mercedes-Benz sport car team. He also competed in two World Championship Grands Prix.
After retirement in 1964, Fitch was the manager of Lime Rock circuit, and a former team boss of Chevrolet's Corvette racing team. His biggest legacy is motor sport safety, as well as pioneering work to improve road car safety, and this has helped save countless lives. He had worked on advanced driver safety capsule systems. He was also a track design consultant, as well as inventing many other automotive devices. Even into his 90s, Fitch was still a consultant, and appeared at historic events.[1]
Early life
John Fitch was born in
World War II
His first passion was not cars, it was airplanes, so it was not surprising that when war broke out, he volunteered to become a pilot, whilst in England on an extended trip around the world (1939). In spring of 1941, he volunteered for the
Racing career
When Fitch returned to the U.S., he was among many young pilots who had developed the need for speed during the conflict. Fitch opened an
In 1950, Fitch raced his
In 1952, Fitch continued to race the Fitch-Whitmore as well as a Chrysler-engined Cunningham C4-R for the Cunningham team at several races (once again including Le Mans), a works Sunbeam at the Alpine Rally. Seven years after shooting at Germans, he was racing their cars - a Porsche 356 at a race at the legendary Nürburgring, and a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL prototype in the Carrera Panamericana. It was at Le Mans that Fitch came close to making Cunningham's dream of an all-American Le Mans victory come true, when, after setting the fastest lap in his C4-R, he was forced to retire late in the race as a result of 'bad fuel'. During the race, Fitch was impressed by the new Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs, while Mercedes' team chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who was impressed by Fitch's performance, offered Fitch the opportunity to test the car at Nürburgring. Advised by Mercedes's team manager, Alfred Neubauer, to take it easy, Fitch's agenda was more aggressive as he saw this as an audition to join the Daimler outfit. He drove his allotted two laps as if his career depended on it. Neubauer's response was to have Fitch do one more lap to prove they weren't flukes. Fitch shaved a few seconds off his previous lap and the session ended with the proverbial, "We'll be in touch if something comes up." He decided to make "something" happen, and persuaded Neubauer to send a team of 300 SLs to Mexico for the Carrera Panamaricana, a race that the German team weren't going to enter. Fitch's persistence won, and he was invited to Mexico City to pilot one of the team's trio of cars and drivers Hermann Lang and Karl Kling, two coupes of the Germans and a new, but untried, roadster for Fitch. Fitch's car kept throwing the treads off its tyres and he also experienced a high-speed blowout that took out one of the shock absorber mounts, which affected the front suspension. With Kling and Lang finishing first and second, putting Mercedes-Benz back on the map in North America, as for Fitch, the repairs on his car were illegal and he was disqualified. He may not have won the race, but he did win Nuebauer's respect.[3][4][7]
In his most notable year, 1953, Fitch and co-driver
In 1954, Fitch drove for Cunningham in a Cunningham C4R, and also Ferraris, and again a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. For 1955, Fitch raced for the Daimler-Benz AG sports-car team alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling, and Stirling Moss, arguably the most formidable racing team ever, dominating all levels of competition from Formula One to diesel-engined production cars. That year, Fitch won the Gran Turismo oltre 1300 class in the Mille Miglia in at the wheel of a stock production Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, coming in fifth overall behind his team-mates Moss and Fangio in their Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racers. Fitch reported that the suspension was so bad, "we had to stop and tie down the axle with our belts." Yet he was only beaten by dedicated race cars. Fitch also played a hand in Moss's victory, when he conceived and built the famous "scrolling map in a box" device use by Moss's navigator Denis Jenkinson, to guide their 300 SLR through the treacherous course. Later that season, he partnered with Moss to win the RAC Tourist Trophy at the Dundrod Circuit, in Northern Ireland. He found the narrow circuit to be dangerous and unfit for motor racing, as did other drivers; and the Tourist Trophy moved to the Goodwood Circuit in England. Meanwhile, he took ninth in his final World Championship Grand Prix at Monza, driving a Maserati 250F in the Gran Premio d'Italia.[3][4][5][8][9][10]
Prior to Tourist Trophy, Fitch was paired with Pierre Levegh in a 300 SLR, at the Le Mans. It was Levegh driving at the time of the worst accident in racing, killing 83 spectators, and, in the initial confusion, had Fitch's family in the United States notified he had crashed. At the time of the accident, Fitch was in the Mercedes trailer after a coffee with Madame Levegh, just behind the pits. When they heard the explosion, Fitch told Madame Levegh, "Wait here, I'll see what's happened." Finding everything in chaos, he helped some injured gendarmes and journalists. Then he returned to the trailer. "I suppose my grim face must have told it all, for I didn't have to speak. Madame Levegh nodded slowly. 'I know, Fitch. It was Pierre. He is dead. I know he is dead.'" The incident sparked his lifelong interest in safety innovations for racing and highways.[3][5][11][12]
When he returned from racing in Europe at the end of the '55 season, Fitch was chosen by Chevrolet Chief Engineer
In 1959 he drove a factory
In 1960, Fitch re-joined the Briggs Cunningham team to race once again at Le Mans. The Cunningham-prepared Corvettes had been tested and refined at Bridgehampton, then raced in the 12 Hours of Sebring. With Bob Grossman as co-driver, the production Corvette of the Cunningham team placed 1st in Grand Touring 5000 class (and 8th overall) at Le Mans, a Corvette record which stood for over 40 years.[3][13]
After that, Fitch and Cunningham teamed up to race a two-litre Maserati at endurance events at Sebring and Road America through 1961, and a Jaguar E-Type at Sebring in 1962 and again in 1963. Fitch also raced a Genie BMC in 1963, then returned to Cunningham to drive a Porsche 904 at Sebring in 1965 and 1966. The poignant tale of his last race begins at the 1966 Sebring event. Fitch, Cunningham, and Dave Jordan were sharing a Porsche. Well into the race, a valve broke and the car was out of contention. By this time, Fitch and Cunningham were no longer enthusiastic about competing to win; according to Fitch, "The thought that this would be our last race never occurred to us. There was a feeling, though, that we weren't really planning to win. In the past, we usually tried to work out a strategy to win, but not this time. I think we were there because we just liked to drive. And at Sebring we could, for 12 hours! Besides, it was the best place to watch the race." So, when a valve broke on the car in 1966, it marked the end of their racing careers for both of them.[3][14]
Fitch continued to drive in
Fitch did, however, return to official automotive competition at 87 years of age in 2003 and again in 2005, when he was once again teamed up with a now 50-year-old Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR owned by Bob Sirna, this time at Bonneville Salt Flats in an attempt to break the land speed record for the class, a novel venue for both car and driver. The attempts failed due to the fuel injection pump which limited the top speed to only 150 mph, but the team vowed to return the next year. With characteristic self-deprecating humour, Fitch noted that he had driven those cars faster than that in the rain, at night, on a road with 60 other cars. The extraordinary event is documented in a film by Chris Szwedo entitled A Gullwing at Twilight: The Bonneville Ride of John Fitch. For few years earlier, Fitch did set a speed record – for driving backwards, reaching 60 mph, set at Lime Rock.[15][16][17]
Engineering
Car design
Racing specials
Fitch designed a total of five cars.
In 1950, Fitch built and raced a
Fitch Sprint
As a road-racer, Fitch was particularly interested in the
Fitch Phoenix
Fitch went on to design and build a prototype of the Fitch Phoenix, a
Other cars
Fitch's company, John Fitch & Co., Inc., went on to manufacture and market the Fitch Firebird and Toronado Phantom, but garnered less attention than the Sprint.
Safety inventions
In the aftermath of the Le Mans disaster of 1955, Fitch devoted a great deal of effort to the task of increasing the safety of motorsports and driving in general, resulting in his company, Impact Attenuation Inc. His innovations were characterized not only by their effectiveness, but also by their real-world practicality, as affordable and easily installed and maintained solutions.[3]
Inspired by sand-filled fuel cans which he used to protect his tent from
Other impact absorbing systems designed by Fitch are the Fitch Compression Barrier, suited for
As vehicular modifications for racing safety, Fitch also engineered the Fitch Driver Capsule, an easy to install seat incorporating a seatback which pivots integral with the seatbelt in order to reduce the inertial force experienced by the driver. He later extended the principle with the Fitch Full Driver Capsule, by anchoring the helmet to the seatback to prevent basilar skull fracture and hyperextension of the neck, in a manner similar to the function of the HANS device.[21]
Other inventions
Fitch also developed other automotive innovations, including the Evans Waterless Engine Cooling System, a
Fitch was active in crusading for increased safety on racetracks and highways, joining with medical experts such as
Companies
During his life, Fitch founded or was associated at a high level with several companies, including John Fitch & Co., Inc., Advanced Power Systems International, Race Safety, Inc., Impact Attenuation, Inc., Impact Dynamics, LLC., Roadway Safety Service Inc., DeConti Industries Inc., Consulier Industries, Inc., Highway Safety Research Corp., as well as Lime Rock Park.
Career awards
In addition to receiving a Presidential Citation, Theater Awards, Air Medals, a Purple Heart, and a POW Medal for his wartime service, Fitch was awarded the Stonex Roadside Safety Award in 1998 and was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame (2000) for his contributions to the early Corvette racing team. In addition, Fitch was inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame (2002), the Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame (2005), and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America[25] (2007). In 2009, Fitch became the first full-time sports car driver inducted in the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame.[3][26]
In 1998, Fitch received the Kenneth Stonex Award from the
Personal life
Fitch was an amateur sailor. He was married to his wife Elizabeth until her death in 2009. He resided in Connecticut, near Lime Rock Park.
John and Elizabeth had three sons, John, Christopher (Kip) and Stephen.
Fitch died on October 31, 2012, of
Racing record
Career highlights
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | HW Motors Ltd | HWM | Straight-4
|
ARG | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA Ret |
NC | 0 |
1955 | Stirling Moss Ltd. | Maserati 250F | Straight-6
|
ARG | MON | 500 | BEL | NED | GBR | ITA 9 |
NC | 0 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1951 | B. S. Cunningham | Phil Walters | Cunningham-Chrysler C2-R | S8.0 | 223 | 18th | 1st |
1952 | B. S. Cunningham | George Rice | Cunningham-Chrysler C4-R | S8.0 | DNF (engine) | ||
1953 | Briggs Cunningham | Phil Walters | Cunningham-Chrysler C5-R | S8.0 | 299 | 3rd | 1st |
1954 | Briggs Cunningham | Phil Walters | Ferrari 375 MM | S5.0 | 120 | DNF (transmission) | |
1955 | Daimler-Benz AG
|
Pierre Levegh | Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR | S3.0 | 32 | DNF (fatal accident - Levegh) | |
1960 | B. S. Cunningham | Bob Grossman | Chevrolet Corvette C1 | GT5.0 | 281 | 8th | 1st |
Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | B. S. Cunningham | Phil Walters | Cunningham-Chrysler C4-R | S8.0 | 0 | DNS (withdrawn) | |
1953 | Briggs S. Cunningham | Phil Walters | Cunningham-Chrysler C4-R | S8.0 | 177 | 1st | 1st |
1954 | Briggs S. Cunningham | Phil Walters | Ferrari 375 MM | S5.0 | 104 | DNF (engine) | |
1956 | Raceway Enterprises | Walt Hansgen | Chevrolet Corvette Special | S8.0 | 176 | 9th | 1st |
1957 | Lindsay Hopkins | Piero Taruffi | Chevrolet Corvette SS | S5.0 | 23 | DNF (rear suspension) | |
1958 | Harry Kullen | Ed Hugus | Ferrari 250 TR
|
S3.0 | 85 | DNF (engine) | |
1959 | Porsche Auto Co. | Edgar Barth | Porsche 718 RSK | S1.5 | 181 | 5th | 2nd |
1961 | Momo Corporation | Dick Thompson | Maserati Tipo 61 | S3.0 | DNF (transmission) | ||
1962 | Briggs Cunningham | Briggs Cunningham | Jaguar E-Type | GT4.0 | 176 | 14th | 1st |
1963 | Briggs Cunningham | Briggs Cunningham | Jaguar E-Type | GT4.0 | 112 | DNF (clutch) | |
1965 | Briggs Cunningham | Briggs Cunningham Bill Bencker |
Porsche 904 GTS | GT2.0 | 173 | 20th | 4th |
1966 | Briggs Cunningham | Briggs Cunningham Dave Jordan |
Porsche 904 GTS | S2.0 | 148 | DNF (valve spring) |
Complete 12 Hours of Reims results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | B. S. Cunningham | Phil Walters | Cunningham-Chrysler C5-R | S+2.0 | DNF (accident) |
Complete Mille Miglia results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | Nash Healey Inc. | Raymond Willday | Nash-Healey Spider | S+2.0 | DNF (brakes) | |
1955 | Daimler Benz AG
|
Kurt Gesell | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | GT+1.3 | 5th | 1st |
Complete Carrera Panamericana results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1951 | E. Carl Kiekhaefer | John Fitch / Dick Williams | Chrysler Saratoga Special - Race No. 32 | S | DISQ | |
1952 | Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft
|
Eugen Gieger | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Spyder Race No. 6
|
S | DISQ (illegal repairs) | |
1953 | E. Carl Kiekhaefer | John Fitch /Bob Boile | Chrysler New Yorker Special | S+1.6 | DISQ (over time limit) |
Complete Monte Carlo Rally results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | Rootes Motors | Peter Collins John Cutts |
Sunbeam-Talbot 90 | DNF Gearbox |
Indianapolis 500 results
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | Kurtis Kraft | Offenhauser | DNQ | Verlin Brown |
References
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- ^ "Welcome to nginx!". Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2012-11-01.
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- ^ a b c d e f g "Racing legend John Fitch dies at 95". Autoweek. 30 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d Alan Henry (22 November 2012). "John Fitch obituary". the Guardian.
- ^ a b c "500cc Formula 3". The 500 Owners Association. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ "John Cooper Fitch Mercedes-Benz's Big Yank - Features - European Car Magazine". SuperStreetOnline. 20 November 2002.
- ^ a b Edd Straw (November 2012). "Legendary sportscar racer John Fitch dies aged 95". Autosport.com.
- ^ "Mille Miglia". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ Art Evans (28 February 2012). "Tourist Trophy - Race Profile, History, Photos". Sports Car Digest - The Sports, Racing and Vintage Car Journal.
- ISBN 978-0-9705073-6-5, 2005)
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- ^ "Le Mans 24 Hours". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
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- ^ "Racing Safety - John Fitch 2005 Bonneville Record Attempt". www.racesafety.com. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ "A Gullwing at Twilight - The Bonneville Ride of John Fitch". Chris Szwedo Productions. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (31 October 2012). "John Fitch, Glamorous Racer With a Flair for Danger, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Hunting, Benjamin (30 August 2019). "John Fitch's Chevrolet Corvair Obsession: The Fitch Phoenix, the Fitch Sprint and What Might Have Been". Driving Line. Nitto Tire. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ Burgeson, John (June 4, 2014). "The Fitch Phoenix to remain in Connecticut". Connecticut Postings. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ http://www.racesafety.com/pdf/saltlaketribune.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b "Racing Safety - Race Legends, Inc". www.racesafety.com. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ "New braking system: It's cool man - liquid-cooled secondary braking Ward's Auto World - Find Articles". Archived from the original on 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
- ^ "Fitch Fuel Catalyst - Technical Information". Fitch Fuel Catalyst. Archived from the original on May 18, 2006. Retrieved June 8, 2006.
- ^ Grant, Gary (2 November 2012). "Racer and innovator John Fitch dies at 95". wheels.ca. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ John Fitch at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
- ^ Zanardi, Pete (2008). "NEAR Hall of Fame Names Class of 2009". New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ "John Fitch, Race Legend and Safety Pioneer, Dead at 95". Automobile. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c "SCCA Nationals - final positions and tables". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ "Buenos Aires National". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
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- ^ "Watkins Glen Grand Prix - Seneca Cup". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
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- John Fitch Biography
- Background of John C. Fitch
- DRIVEN[dead link], Hartford Courant, August 13, 2006
- WorldCat entry for John Fitch: Racing Through Life
- John Fitch's obituary
Further reading
In addition to numerous articles in magazines as well as the
- Art Evans. The Amazing Life of John Cooper Fitch. Enthusiast Books. ISBN 978-1583883297
- James Grinnell. Racing Through Life: John Fitch – The Authorised Biography. Bookmarque Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1870519212
External links
- John Fitch at IMDb
- Lunch with John Fitch at Motor Sport magazine
- Fitch's race history, chronologically ordered
- Fitch's race history, ordered by car make and model
- Fitch Phoenix 1:43 model by Automodello
- A short bio in Jalopnik auto blog
- A series of 30 video interviews with Fitch by filmmaker, Chris Szwedo.