19 replies to this topic

[Michael Clark]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news twice in one week but the great Lotus entrant Ian Walker passed away 7 July.

[Peter Horsman]

Oh dear. Ian was the first owner of my Lotus 17, and Johnny the second owner of my 18/21. Both were very nice guys to me as I found out more about the cars, and neither need have taken the trouble.

[David Force]

Very sad news, Ian was such a lovely man and was undoubtedly one of the very first to embrace the 'new way' of the professional teams with matching livery of cars and trucks, team wear etc.

His association with Chapman and Lotus was extensive, I imagine many of the best stories may not now be told...

Our thoughts should be with Mavis and Sean at this time.

A real legend has passed

[Cirrus]

I met Ian many times when Sean was karting at Blackbushe. As David says, he was a lovely man, and a true gentleman.

[hipperson]

This is so sad...I was with him at his fabulous home in Sawbridgeworth a few months ago getting things signed for our upcoming charity auction.We chatted for an hour.. it was just brilliant.
But he did appear very frail.
He then donated ,totally unexpectedly ,a wonderful piece of memorabilia....signed by Colin Chapman and Graham Hill.

PM me a bid if you wish !



The inscription by ACBC to Ian .....'Walker the Talker'
This is remark about the banter that occurred each January as Ian sought the best price for the purchase of his yearly supply of Lotus' from Colin.

The remark from Graham Hill is very rude !
Whether our auctioneer this year ,John Whitmore, will read it out I know not !

Condolences to his family

Michael
THAXTED
Essex

[ReWind]

Obituary from "The Independent" by David Tremayne

[Bjorn Kjer]

Thanks Rewind.

[raceannouncer2003]

"...so his Merit Kits company could make scale models..."

Did Ian Walker own J & L Randall, who made the Merit kits?

Vince H.

[Tweddell]

remember his famous lotus elan version, which was sadly scrapped in its very first lap by mike spence at nurburgring 1000 km race practice.
pictured in web at p-3 motorsport photos
http://www.p-3motors...10/display/1368

[cedricselzer]

I think Ian's company was called "Westway Models" They made model aircraft that you could see in travel agencies windows.

[richard bohnet]

I was privileged to know Ian Walker, affectionately known in the early days as 'Little Rob' in the days when he ran 'Ian Walker Racing' from the linked lock up garages behind a Garage in Temple fortune, Golders Green. As a young racing enthusiast he allowed me to, firstly stand in the doorway just looking, to getting to know the team consisting of Johny Pledger, head mechanic, the late Paul Hawkins, (Hawkeye) his retained driver, Frank Gardner, Micheal Spence and may other famous racing folk. His ever present 'Accountant' Ken, I think that was his name, was a man who drove his company ford consul, bench seat model, with arms at full stretch, just like any racing driver. Quite fast though.
I accompanied them to Snetterton for a racing weekend without any preperation whatsoever. i.e. I had left work at Speedwell conversions; The company that Graham Hill was a director of, in Finchley, at luch time and had not returned, again, and as an expected friend did not turn up I shared a room with the late Bruce Johnston, the South African B.R.M. driver. At the end of the weekend I asked Ian, how much I owed him for the Hotel food etc. "Thanks for your help" Was his reply. Heady days. There were many 'one offs' Back then and Ian was up there with the best of them. My sympathies to his family.
If anyone should know the whereabouts of Johny Pledger I would love to get back in touch with him.

[richard bohnet]

CEDRICSELZER
Yes his company was called Westway Models and he did make the planes that one saw in travel agency window. He also used to take the Lotus and latter Brabham bodywork for the sports cars and formula junior racers to the workshop for their final touches. Oh, they looked wonderful when his model-makers had finished with them. The model making workshop was like a fairy tale land for anyone who liked planes. they were all over the place in different stages of completion. I only went there once with Ian. Un-forgettable.

[richard bohnet]

DAVID FORCE
His transporter in the early days was a converted commer coach, I think it was a coach, with one of those flat double bank of three cylinders engines that compressed inwards, Not sure if it was the supercharged model. It also towed a double decker trailer.`It was fitted with old airliner seats in the front, one for the driver and a long one for the passengers, Tres comfortable.
Returning from meeting sometime late at night Johny Pledger would roll down a hill into a village with the engine (petrol) turned off and when in the middle of a completely blacked out village, turn on the ignition again with the resulting huge bang as the petrol that had accumulated in the exhaust system ignited. I was always suprised that the silencers lasted as long as they did.

[Bjorn Kjer]

Thanks for those lovely inputs. Especially for me ,the info on his transporter. I could not help laughing about the exhaust "trick" , I did that often in my fathers old Austin sedan around 1965 , in those days it was not the superfast driving or burn-outs that flourished , but other small tricks. I would believe the reason for things lasting better then , simply was they where more solid. Another little piece in my own team story , but it would be great to see the actual transporter(s) or support vehicles. Thanks again richard bohnet , and welcome on the TNF.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by richard bohnet
The company that Graham Hill was a director of, in Finchley, at luch time and had not returned, again, and as an expected friend did not turn up I shared a room with the late Bruce Johnston, the South African B.R.M. driver.

No, Bruce Johnstone is not "the late"...

[richard bohnet]

HIERONYMUS
I am very please to hear that Bruce Johnston is not dead. I am sure that I heard that he was killed in an accident. Or, I have remembered the wrong name, also a possibility. He was driving for B.R.M and was to drive a car for Ian Walker at Snetterton. That is what I remember. I looked up the names of B.R.M drivers and that one was the only one that rang a bell.

[Hieronymus]

Bruce is 100% OK and lives near Cape Town, South Africa.

[Bjorn Kjer]

And he can be contacted.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by Bjørn Kjer
And he can be contacted.

Yes, send me an email, since I do not wish to distribute private contact details on the net.

[Bjorn Kjer]

Ian Walker Racing started in 1962 but when did he close down , please ?

Edited by Bjørn Kjer, 25 February 2011 - 16:49.