Graham Hill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Graham Hill
At the 1968 German Grand Prix
Nationality  Flag of the United Kingdom British
Formula One World Championship career
Active years 1958 - 1975
Teams Lotus, BRM, Brabham, Hill
Races 178 (175 starts)
Championships 2 (1962, 1968)
Wins 14
Podium finishes    36
Career points 270 (289)[1]
Pole positions 13
Fastest laps 10
First race 1958 Monaco Grand Prix
First win 1962 Dutch Grand Prix
Last win 1969 Monaco Grand Prix
Last race 1975 Monaco Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Participating years 1958-1966, 1972
Teams Team Lotus
Porsche AG
NART/Rob Walker
Aston Martin
BRM
Maranello Concessionaires
Alan Mann Racing Ltd
Equipe Matra-Simca Shell
Best finish 1st (1972)
Class wins 1 (1972)
Graham Hill driving a Lotus 49 at the Nürburgring in 1969
Graham Hill driving a Lotus 49 at the Nürburgring in 1969

Norman Graham Hill (February 15, 1929November 29, 1975) was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He was born in Hampstead, London.

Graham Hill is the only driver to win the so-called Triple Crown of Motorsport.

Contents

After serving in the military, Hill became a mechanic at Smiths Instruments, and then joined Team Lotus as a mechanic in the mid 1950s. At the unusually late age of nearly 30, he started racing, and due to Lotus' presence in Formula One, he quickly got a chance to race there, debuting at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, retiring with a halfshaft failure.

In 1960, Hill joined BRM, and won the world championship with them in 1962. Hill was also part of the so-called 'British invasion' of drivers in the Indianapolis 500 during the mid-1960s, triumphing there in 1966 in a Lola-Ford.

In 1967, back at Lotus, Hill helped developing the Lotus 49 with the new Cosworth-V8 engine. After team mates Jim Clark and Mike Spence were killed in early 1968, Hill led the team, and won his second world championship in 1968 . The Lotus had a reputation of being very fragile and dangerous at that time, especially with the new aerodynamic aids which caused similar crashes of Hill and Jochen Rindt at the 1969 Spanish Grand Prix. A crash at the 1969 United States Grand Prix broke his legs and interrupted his career.

Hill continued to race in F1 for several more years, with little success. His last win in Formula One was in the non-Championship International Trophy at Silverstone in 1971 with the "lobster claw" Brabham BT34. Hill was known during the latter part of his career for his wit and endurance. With Henri Pescarolo he won the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans for Matra. This victory completed the so-called Triple Crown of motorsport which is alternatively defined as winning either:

Using either definition, Hill is still the only person ever to have accomplished this feat.

After failing to qualify for the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix, where he had won five times, Hill retired to concentrate on running his team. With sponsorship from Embassy a tobacco company, Hill set up his own racing team in 1973: Embassy Hill. The team used chassis from Shadow and Lola before introducing its own design in 1975.

Hill married Bette, in 1955. They had two daughters, Brigitte and Samantha, and a son, Damon who later became Formula One World Champion, the only son of a former champion to do so.

In November 1975, Graham was killed when his Piper Aztec aeroplane (which he was piloting at the time) crashed in foggy conditions over Arkley Golf Course in North London. The crash resulted in not only the death of Hill but team manager Ray Brimble, mechanics Tony Alcock and Terry Richards, up-and-coming driver Tony Brise and designer Andy Smallman; all from the Embassy Hill team.

As Hill was uninsured his wife was prosecuted by the families of the other victims. Settling the claims wiped out Hill's estate.

Hill at the 1971 Race of Champions.
Hill at the 1971 Race of Champions.

Before taking up motor racing, Hill spent several years actively involved in rowing. Initially, he rowed at Southsea Rowing Club, while stationed in Portsmouth with the Royal Navy and at Auriol Rowing Club in Hammersmith. He met Bette at a Boxing Day party at Auriol and, while courting her, he also coached her clubmates at Stuart Ladies' Rowing Club on the River Lea.

In 1952 he joined London Rowing Club, then as now one of the largest and most successful clubs in Great Britain. From 1952 to 1954, Hill rowed in twenty finals with London, usually as stroke of the crew, eight of which resulted in wins. He also stroked the London eight in the highly prestigious Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, losing a semi-final to Union Sportif Metropolitaine des Transports, France by a length.

Through his racing career he continued to support rowing and London. In 1968 when the club began a financial appeal to modernise its clubhouse, Hill launched proceedings by driving an old Morris Oxford, which had been obtained for £5, head-on into a boundary wall. Hill made three runs to reduce the wall to rubble, and the car was subsequently sold for £15.

Hill felt that the experience gained in rowing helped him in his motor-racing. He wrote in his autobiography:

"I really enjoyed my rowing. It really taught me a lot about myself, and I also think it is a great character-building sport...The self discipline required for rowing and the 'never say die' attitude obviously helped me through the difficult years that lay ahead."

Famously, Hill adopted the colours and cap design of London RC for his racing helmet - dark blue with white oar-shaped tabs. Damon Hill later adopted these same colours.[7]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 WDC Pts.[1]
1958 Team Lotus Lotus 12 Climax L4 ARG
MON
Ret
NED
Ret
500
- 0
Lotus 16 Climax L4 BEL
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret*
POR
Ret
ITA
6
MOR
16
1959 Team Lotus Lotus 16 Climax L4 MON
Ret
500
NED
7
FRA
Ret
GBR
9
GER
Ret
POR
Ret
ITA
Ret
USA
- 0
1960 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P25 BRM L4 ARG
Ret
15th 4
BRM P48 BRM L4 MON
7
500
NED
3
BEL
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
POR
Ret
ITA
USA
Ret
1961 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P48/57 Climax L4 MON
Ret
NED
8
BEL
Ret
FRA
6
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
ITA
Ret
USA
5
16th 3
1962 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P57 BRM V8 NED
1
MON
6
BEL
2
FRA
9
GBR
4
GER
1
ITA
1
USA
2
RSA
1
1st 42 (52)
1963 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P57 BRM V8 MON
1
BEL
Ret
NED
Ret
GBR
3
GER
Ret
USA
1
MEX
4
RSA
3
2nd 29
BRM P61 BRM V8 FRA
3
ITA
16
1964 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P261 BRM V8 MON
1
NED
4
BEL
5
FRA
2
GBR
2
GER
2
AUT
Ret
ITA
Ret
USA
1
MEX
11
2nd 39 (41)
1965 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P261 BRM V8 RSA
3
MON
1
BEL
5
FRA
5
GBR
2
NED
4
GER
2
ITA
2
USA
1
MEX
Ret
2nd 40 (47)
1966 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P261 BRM V8 MON
3
BEL
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
3
NED
2
GER
4
5th 17
BRM P83 BRM H16 ITA
Ret
USA
Ret
MEX
Ret
1967 Team Lotus Lotus 43 BRM H16 RSA
Ret
7th 15
Lotus 33 BRM V8 MON
2
Lotus 49 Ford V8 NED
Ret
BEL
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
CAN
4
ITA
Ret
USA
2
MEX
Ret
1968 Team Lotus Lotus 49 Ford V8 RSA
2
1st 48
Gold Leaf Team Lotus Lotus 49 Ford V8 ESP
1
Lotus 49B Ford V8 MON
1
BEL
Ret
NED
9
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
2
ITA
Ret
CAN
4
USA
2
MEX
1
1969 Gold Leaf Team Lotus Lotus 49B Ford V8 RSA
2
ESP
Ret
MON
1
NED
7
FRA
6
GBR
7
GER
4
ITA
9
CAN
Ret
USA
Ret
MEX
7th 19
1970 Rob Walker Racing Team Lotus 49C Ford V8 RSA
6
ESP
4
13th 7
Brooke Bond Oxo Racing - Rob Walker Lotus 49C Ford V8 MON
5
BEL
Ret
NED
NC
FRA
10
GBR
6
GER
Ret
AUT
Lotus 72C Ford V8 ITA
DNS
CAN
NC
USA
Ret
MEX
Ret
1971 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT33 Ford V8 RSA
9
21st 2
Brabham BT34 Ford V8 ESP
Ret
MON
Ret
NED
10
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
9
AUT
5
ITA
Ret
CAN
Ret
USA
7
1972 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT33 Ford V8 ARG
Ret
RSA
6
15th 4
Brabham BT37 Ford V8 ESP
10
MON
12
BEL
Ret
FRA
10
GBR
Ret
GER
6
AUT
Ret
ITA
5
CAN
8
USA
11
1973 Embassy Racing Shadow DN1 Ford V8 ARG
BRA
RSA
ESP
Ret
BEL
9
MON
Ret
SWE
Ret
FRA
10
GBR
Ret
NED
NC
GER
13
AUT
Ret
ITA
14
CAN
16
USA
13
- 0
1974 Embassy Racing with Graham Hill Lola T370 Ford V8 ARG
Ret
BRA
11
RSA
12
ESP
Ret
BEL
8
MON
7
SWE
6
NED
Ret
FRA
13
GBR
13
GER
9
AUT
12
ITA
8
CAN
14
USA
8
18th 1
1975 Embassy Racing with Graham Hill Lola T371 Ford V8 ARG
10
BRA
12
RSA
DNQ
ESP
- 0
Hill GH1 Ford V8 MON
DNQ
BEL
SWE
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
USA

* Hill entered the 1958 German Grand Prix in a Formula Two chassis.

Year[8] Car
number
Start Qual.
speed
Speed
rank
Finish Laps
completed
Laps
led
Race
status
Chassis
1966 24 15 159.243 23 1 200 10 Running Lola-Ford
1967 81 31 163.317 21 32 23 0 Piston Lotus-Ford 42/B1
1968 70 2 171.208 2 19 110 0 Crash T2 Lotus - Pratt&Whitney 56/3
Starts 3
Poles 0
Front Row 1
Wins 1
Top 5 1
Top 10 1
Retired 2
  • Hill's 1966 victory marked the first win by a rookie driver since Frank Lockhart's 1927 win and the last until Juan Montoya's visit to Victory Lane in 2000.
  • Hill entered the 1969 Indianapolis 500, but his car (Lotus-Ford Chassis 64/2) was withdrawn during practice along with those of Mario Andretti and Jochen Rindt due to delays rectifying problems associated with hub failure on Andretti's car.

"I'm an artist, the track is my canvas, and the car is my brush."[citation needed]

"Time is of the essence and I don't have much essence left." [Quote from his biography published after his death][citation needed]

Hill's easy wit and charm helped him become a television personality, notably on the BBC show Call My Bluff with Patrick Campbell and Frank Muir. For a number of years in the early 1970s he appeared as one half of a double act, with Jackie Stewart, as an insert within the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show.

In 1990, Hill was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

  • Hill was irreverently immortalized on a Monty Python episode ("It's the Arts (or: Intermission)" sketch called "Historical Impersonations"), in which a Gumby appears asking to "see John the Baptist's impersonation of Graham Hill." The head of St. John the Baptist appears on a silver platter, which runs around the floor making putt-putt noises of a race car engine.
  • Silverstone village, home to the track of the same name, has a road Graham Hill named for him.
  • Graham Hill bend at Brands Hatch is named in his honour.
  • Hill was involved with four films between 1966 and 1974, including appearances in Grand Prix and Caravan to Vaccarès, in which he appeared as a helicopter pilot.[9]

  1. ^ a b Up until 1990, not all points scored by a driver contributed to their final World Championship tally (see list of pointscoring systems for more information). Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
  2. ^ Dan Knutson (2003-06-03). Points Race Stays Tight; Montoya Joins Elite Company With Victory. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
  3. ^ Henri Boulanger. Monaco Grand Prix Glitz Draws Rising Stars. IntakeInfo.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  4. ^ Tribute to Graham Hill. lastingtribute.co.ok. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  5. ^ Bette Hill with Neil Ewart (1978). The Other Side of the Hill. Hutchison/Stanley Paul, p87. ISBN 0-09-134900-1. 
  6. ^ Oliver Irish (2007-06-15). Stick to the day job, Jacques. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  7. ^ Dodd, Christopher (2006). Water Boiling Aft: London Rowing Club The First 150 Years 1856-2006. The London Rowing Club. ISBN 0 9552938 0 4. 
  8. ^ Graham Hill Indy 500 Race Stats [1]
  9. ^ Caravan to Vaccarès: Cast & Crew movies.msn.com. Retrieved on July 14, 2007.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Stirling Moss
BRDC International Trophy winner
1962
Succeeded by
Jim Clark
Preceded by
Phil Hill
Formula One World Champion
1962
Succeeded by
Jim Clark
Preceded by
Jim Clark
Indianapolis 500 Winner
1966
Succeeded by
A. J. Foyt
Preceded by
Denny Hulme
Formula One World Champion
1968
Succeeded by
Jackie Stewart
Preceded by
Chris Amon
BRDC International Trophy winner
1971
Succeeded by
Emerson Fittipaldi
Preceded by
Helmut Marko
Gijs van Lennep
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1972 with:
Henri Pescarolo
Succeeded by
Henri Pescarolo
Gérard Larrousse
Records
Preceded by
Jack Brabham
128 entries, 126 starts
(1955 - 1970)
Most Grand Prix entries
178 entries, 175 starts
(1958 - 1975),
129th at the 1971 Dutch GP
Succeeded by
Jacques Laffite
180 entries
(177 starts),
179th at the 1986 French GP
Awards
Preceded by
Stirling Moss
Hawthorn Memorial Trophy
1962
Succeeded by
Jim Clark
Preceded by
Denny Hulme
Hawthorn Memorial Trophy
1968
Succeeded by
Jackie Stewart
Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.