Masten Gregory
| Best finish | 1st (1965) |
|---|---|
| Class wins | 2 (1961, 1965) |
Masten Gregory (February 29, 1932 − November 8, 1985) was an American
Career
Known as the "Kansas City Flash",
Coming to Europe
Throughout 1954 and 1955, Gregory competed in European races, usually driving Ferraris.[3] His record includes the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (although his co-driver Mike Sparken retired before Gregory got a chance to drive). He also won the inaugural Nassau Trophy at the Bahamas Speed Week in 1954.[4] Moving back to America in 1956, Gregory entered several SCCA races, often winning. In 1957, he had another attempt at the Argentine 1000 km race, this time winning. This performance got him a drive with Guglielmo Dei's Scuderia Centro Sud, a privateer Formula One team using the Maserati 250F. His first race was the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix, where he scored an impressive third-place finish, the first podium for an American in an F1 Grand Prix. He followed this with a string of good results, coming eighth in the German Grand Prix, and fourth in both the Pescara and Italian Grands Prix. Despite only competing in half of the races, Gregory ended the 1957 season in sixth place in the championship.
Gregory only competed in four Grands Prix in the 1958 season, due to injuries sustained through one of his trademark bailouts when his car was set to crash, this time in a sports car race at Silverstone in England. He did manage a fourth place at the Italian Grand Prix, and a 6th in the last race of the year, this Moroccan Grand Prix. Moving to Cooper-Climax for the 1959 season alongside Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren, he scored two podium finishes - a third place at the Dutch Grand Prix, and a career-best second at the Portuguese Grand Prix. However, he missed the final two races of the season, again due to injuries sustained jumping from a car moments before it crashed. He finished eighth in the Championship, and with teammate Brabham winning the World Championship, Cooper won their first Constructor's Championship. Gregory scored a pole position and set a course record at the non-Championship race at Aintree, but his contract with Cooper was not renewed for the following year.
Gregory's early years of competition were marked by many crashes, often the result of pushing sub-par machinery past its ability. He flipped a thankfully rollbar-equipped Maserati at the
Gregory continued in Formula One until 1965, but mainly with uncompetitive independent teams. He was unable to reproduce the results he obtained early in his career, his best being a sixth at the
After Formula One
After his release from Cooper, Gregory also went back to competing in sports car races, setting the overall fastest lap at the
Gregory then began to wind down his motor racing career, continuing to compete in international sports car races with some good results including a second-place finish at the 1966 1000 km race at
Gregory is in a distinct club of motorsport being only one of nineteen drivers to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown of Motorsport (Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix) and to have won at least one of those events. The others are: Louis Chiron, Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Graham Hill (who won all three), Dan Gurney, Jochen Rindt (who won two), Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue, Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme, Danny Sullivan, Vern Schuppan, Stefan Johansson, Michele Alboreto, Eddie Cheever, Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya (who has won two) and Fernando Alonso (who has won two).
Racing record
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
* Shared drive with Carroll Shelby therefore no points awarded.
Complete Formula One Non-Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
References
- ^ "The Formula One Archives". Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ Cox, Michael. ""The Kansas City Flash": The Lives & Times of Masten Gregory". Atlas F1. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ Johansson, Lars-Erik (September 1962). "Möt Masten Gregory" [Meet Masten Gregory]. Illustrerad Motor Sport (in Swedish). No. 9. Lerum, Sweden. p. 12.
- ISSN 0192-9674.
- ^ Johansson, p. 13
- ^ Masten Gregory at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
- ^ "Masten Gregory, United States". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ no points awarded for shared drive in the 1958 Italian Grand Prix
- ISBN 0851127029.
- ^ "Maten Gregory- Involvement Non World Championship". statsf1.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- Cox, Michael (2000) "The Kansas City Flash" - The Life & Times of Masten Gregory. Retrieved Jun. 25, 2005.
- Grand Prix.com > Masten Gregory. Retrieved Jun. 27, 2005.
- Hartwell, Andrew S. (2005) Through the Esses - Masten Gregory - Totally Fearless. Retrieved Jun. 27, 2005.
- Cox, Michael J. (2000) 8W - Who? Masten Gregory. Retrieved Jun. 27, 2005.
- Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved Jun. 27, 2005.