Tony Brooks (racing driver)

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Tony Brooks
BornCharles Anthony Standish Brooks
(1932-02-25)25 February 1932
Vanwall, Ferrari and non-works Cooper
Entries39 (38 starts)
Championships0
Wins6
Podiums10
Career points75
Pole positions3
Fastest laps3
First entry1956 Monaco Grand Prix
First win1957 British Grand Prix
Last win1959 German Grand Prix
Last entry1961 United States Grand Prix

Charles Anthony Standish Brooks (25 February 1932 – 3 May 2022) was a British

Vanwall and second in 1959 with Ferrari. He also scored the first win by a British driver in a British car in a Grand Prix since 1923, driving a Connaught at Syracuse in 1955 in a non-championship race. After the death of Stirling Moss
in 2020 and before his own death in 2022, Brooks was the last surviving Grand Prix winner from the 1950s.

Career

Brooks was born on 25 February 1932, in

Crystal Palace and finished fourth.[2] Later in 1955, Brooks made his first Formula One start at the non-championship Syracuse Grand Prix, winning the race. This was the first international Grand Prix win for a British car since 1924 at the San Sebastián Grand Prix.[3]

Vanwall VW5 with Stirling Moss to win the 1957 British Grand Prix
.

In 1957, Brooks claimed the first victory for a British-constructed car in a World Championship race in the British Grand Prix at Aintree, which he shared with Stirling Moss. Along with Moss, Brooks is considered one of the best drivers never to have been World Champion and both Moss and three-time World Champion Jack Brabham were known to have thought highly of his ability.[4]

In 1959, Brooks, together with Brabham and Moss, had a chance to win the title due to the retirement and subsequent death in a road accident of

Vanwall at the British Grand Prix, which he drove due to Ferrari workers in Italy being on strike, he won the only German Grand Prix of Formula One to be held at AVUS. The race was split unusually into two heats, and he won both. He had a slow car in Portugal, qualifying 10th and finishing five laps down. He retired shortly after the start at Monza but was still in contention to win the championship. At the first ever United States Grand Prix for Formula One at Sebring, he was hit by German teammate Wolfgang von Trips and pitted to check for any damage, losing two minutes. It proved to be a waste of time but still finished in third place. He finished second in the championship with 27 points, seven behind Brabham, and one-and-a-half ahead of Moss.[5]

Brooks parked outside the 1957 Le Mans Aston Martin base, the Hotel de France, at the wheel of his DBR1 race car.

Brooks won six races for

1000 km Nürburgring and the 1958 RAC Tourist Trophy, with co-driver, Moss, racing an Aston Martin DBR1.[6] He was less successful at Le Mans in 1957 due again to an accident which occurred while racing an Aston Martin DBR1 at that year's 24-hour race, which brought about a change in his racing philosophy. A crash in the 1956 British Grand Prix and the subsequent Le Mans crash both occurred in cars with mechanical problems, of which he was aware, and Brooks, being a devout Catholic, vowed he would never again risk his life in a car that was in less than sound condition.[7] He had fewer qualms when it came to his own condition, saying: "I was lucky in the Le Mans shunt in that I didn't break anything, but I did have very severe abrasions – there was a hole in the side of my thigh I could literally have put my fist into."[7] It was with these injuries that he went on to race in the 1957 British GP with Moss, and win. In 2007, Brooks was honoured by his home town. The Dukinfield District Assembly, part of Tameside Council, held a dinner in his honour and unveiled a plaque outside his former home on Park Lane.[citation needed
]

Brooks died aged 90 on 3 May 2022.[8][9][10] As a result, in addition to Brooks becoming the last surviving Grand Prix winner from the 1950s after the death of Moss in April 2020, three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart (who first raced in the 1960s) was now the oldest Formula One Grand Prix winner.[11]

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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

Yr Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points
1956
Owen Racing Organisation
BRM P25
Straight-4
 ARG MON
DNS 		500 BEL FRA GBR
Ret 		GER ITA NC 0
1957
Vandervell Products
Vanwall
Straight-4
 ARG MON
2 		500 FRA GBR
1* 		GER
9 		PES
Ret 		ITA
7** 		5th 11
1958
Vandervell Products
Vanwall
Straight-4
 ARG MON
Ret 		NED
Ret 		500 BEL
1 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
7 		GER
1 		POR
Ret 		ITA
1 		MOR
Ret 		3rd 24
1959 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246
V6
 MON
2 		500 NED
Ret 		FRA
1 		GER
1** 		POR
9 		ITA
Ret 		USA
3 		2nd 27
Vandervell Products
Vanwall
Straight-4
 GBR
Ret
1960 Yeoman Credit Racing Team Cooper T51
Straight-4
 ARG MON
4 		500 NED
Ret 		BEL
Ret 		GBR
5 		POR
5 		ITA USA
Ret 		11th 7
Vandervell Products
Vanwall
Straight-4
 FRA
Ret
1961
Owen Racing Organisation
P48/57
Straight-4
 MON
13 		NED
9 		BEL
13 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
9 		GER
Ret 		ITA
5 		USA
3 		10th 6
Source:[12]

* Brooks won the 1957 British Grand Prix sharing his car with Stirling Moss. Both were awarded half points for their victory (4 instead of 8).
** Brooks was also awarded one point in the 1957 Italian Grand Prix and 1959 German Grand Prix for recording the fastest lap.

Non-championship results

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

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1955 Equipe Endeavour Connaught Type A
Straight-4
 BUE VLN PAU GLV BOR INT NAP ALB CUR CRN LON
4 		REC RDX TLG
4 		OUL AVO
5
Connaught Engineering Connaught Type B
Straight-4
 SYR
1
1956
Owen Racing Organisation
BRM P25
Straight-4
 NZL BUE GLO
Ret 		SYR BAR
2 		INT NAP AIN
Ret 		VAN CAE SUS BRS AUS
1957
Vandervell Products Ltd.
Vanwall
Straight-4
 BUE SYR
Ret 		PAU GLV
6 		NAP RMS MOR
Ret
Tony Brooks Cooper T43
Straight-4
 CAE
Ret 		INT
Ret 		MOD
1958 Tony Brooks Cooper T45
Straight-4
 BUE GLV SYR AIN
3 		INT
Ret 		CAE
1959 Scuderia Ferrari
246
 Ferrari V6 GLV AIN
2 		INT
Ret 		OUL SIL
1960
G.A. Vandervell
Vanwall
Straight-4
 GLV
7 		INT
DNA
Yeoman Credit Racing Team Cooper T51
Straight-4
 SIL
Ret
Vandervell Products Ltd.
 Lotus 18
Straight-4
 LOM
DNS 		OUL
1961
Owen Racing Organisation
P48/57
Straight-4
 LOM GLV
Ret 		PAU BRX VIE AIN
7 		SYR
Ret 		NAP LON SIL
3 		SOL KAN DAN MOD
6 		FLG OUL
4 		LEW VAL RAN NAT RSA
Source:[13]

References

  1. ISBN 0851127029
    .
  2. ^ "Tony Brooks Profile". Grandprix.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  3. ISBN 1897632150
    .
  4. ^ Benson, Andrew (10 April 2012). "BBC Sport – Formula 1's greatest drivers. Number 18: Jack Brabham". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  5. ^ Deschenaux, Jacques (1983). Marlboro Grand Prix Guide 1950–82. Brentford UK: Charles Stewart & Company (Kirkcaldy). p. 93.
  6. ^ "Tony Brooks (GB) – All Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b Roebuck, Nigel (September 2003). "Legends Tony Brooks". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 26. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Morto a 90 anni Tony Brooks, gareggiò anche in Ferrari" (in Italian). ANSA. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  9. ^ Williams, Richard (4 May 2022). "Tony Brooks obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  10. ^ Benson, Andrew (3 May 2022). "Formula 1 pioneer Brooks dies aged 90". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  11. ^ Frankel, Andrew (6 May 2022). "What did Tony Brooks think of Stirling Moss? | GRR". Goodwood. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  12. ISBN 0851127029
    .
  13. ^ "Tony Brooks – Involvement Non World Championship". StatsF1. Retrieved 4 May 2022.

External links

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