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Hon. Richard Wrottesley


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#1 Paul Parker

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 12:35

Here's one for the British contingent.

Who remembers the Hon. Richard Wrottesley of 'flat iron' Lister Jaguar fame and other things? I hope I've spelt the name correctly as I'm running on the little grey cells, to quote Poirot.

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#2 Sharman

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 13:10

I think he was supposed to/did share the unsuccessful Elva at Le Mans with Lanfers, I remember the Lister Jag and perhaps a Lister Chev but I can't be sure

#3 bradbury west

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 13:19

John,

I suspect you will find the obit for his step mother entertaining.

http://forums.autosp...ight=Wrottesley

IIRC Richard was killed road racing in Ireland in the Lister. He was one of a certain group in the early 60s., the sort who had previously built the Empire, (wait for the Grauniad and Indy readers to come over all Polly Toynbee-ish.) He seems to have been outrageous in everything. I think the Lister was an everyday car for him. He was certainly quick in it. Perhaps others remember him.

KJJ may be able to turn up an obit.

Roger Lund.

#4 Mallory Dan

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 14:31

Re the Indy/Grauniad readers Roger, whoever could you have in mind? I certainly wouldn't want to come over Polly Toynbee ever...

#5 hipperson

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 14:42

I Remember him ..........other 'certain group' members were George Drummond and Viscount 'Rollo'
Fielding. Raffish fellows all.

#6 ReWind

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 15:39

I don't think that I ever heard of this driver.

Can anyone give a hint how old he was?

By googling I found a certain Hon. Richard Francis Gerard Wrottesley,
b. 16 August 1942, d. 06 November 1970.
Could this one be subject of this thread or would he have been too young?

#7 Paul Parker

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 15:56

Without wading through copious volumes of Autosport I don't think 'Rotters' was killed in the Lister in Ireland but I could be wrong.

I also thought that he died somewhat later, perhaps in a road accident, but he had a reputation for being let us say extrovert. There was also a Cresta Run connection I believe. Strangely enough I could not find an actual obit anywhere on the web.

Yes mama, and I presume this was she, was a pretty interesting sort of person and thanks for the response one and all. More contributions would be welcome.

#8 KJJ

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 16:01

That's the fellow Reinhard - although according to his Times death notice it was 9th November rather than the 6th. Only a two line obituary but it looks like a road, rather than a racing accident. Googling around it seems his son, that's Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdin Wrottesley, is following in his father's runner tracks - 4th place for Ireland in the 2002 Winter Olympic skeletons competition.

#9 bradbury west

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 16:29

My suggestion that he was road racing was something of a euphemism, trying not to give a dog a bad name being killed in a road crash, bearing in mind his reputation. He started racing early, as he had the Lister at Debden in Sept 62. Always a good thing to have a few extroverts about the place.

perhaps someone with a set of Autosports might find the obit, now that we know when.

The Cresta story seems to be true, and perhaps ties in with the Cortina demo which Jimmy Clark did in a Lotus Cortina down one of the bob runs. Did JC not fall/slip on the ice and hurt his back IIRC, or not?

RL

#10 Stoatspeed

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 16:30

Originally posted by KJJ
...... Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdin Wrottesley ......

You really couldn't make up a name like that, could you? It sounds like something from Monty Python ..... ah, the aristocracy! Where would British humour be without them? :lol:

#11 ReWind

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 16:41

Originally posted by KJJ
Taccording to his Times death notice it was 9th November rather than the 6th.

6th comes from here but the Times should be more reliable.

#12 Paul Parker

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 17:07

A bit more research reveals that Joyce Marion Wallace was in fact the second wife of Major Sir Richard John Wrottesley who she married in 1949. Her son was Mark Wrottesley.

The Hon. Richard's mother was Roshnara Barbara Wingfield-Stratton, Sir Richard's first wife. The preponderance of double barrelled names and royalty connections (Tudor I believe) is not so much Monty Python, rather Burke's Peerage.

#13 bradbury west

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 17:10

Looking further down one of the links, it appears that another son, a top investigative journo, was killed in a car crash in Cape Town. A series of sad events in one family.

RL

#14 Bjorn Kjer

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 18:57

THE HON.RICHARD WROTTESLEY,Gaddesby, Leicestershire

In 1965 Anglian Racing Developments fielded a number of cars with the Hon. Richard Wrottesley and Innes Ireland as drivers. This team has now been wound up but racing is continuing. The team started in 1962 and in that time E-type ,D-type ,Lister Jags ,HWM Jag Ferrari 250GT, TVR and Elva BMW cars have been raced. In the four years of racing the teams best achievements have included 3rd in the Autosport championship, fastest British car and driver at the Nurburgring , 15 placings incl. 9 victories

Colours and markings : Mettalescent turquoise with emblem on doors, this is a black and gold quarterd recangle wuth a white border-on Horseracing colours of the Wrottesley family. Wheels -black

From the MAP book : Motor Racing Team Colours & Markings by John Baxter 1967

#15 Alan Cox

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 21:52

Extracted from The Motor Racing Register of 1965:

The Hon. R F G Wrottesley - single (in 1965), Paratroop Officer. Interests: Bobsleigh, Cresta Run and mountaineering.
First race 1962 Rufforth Jaguar D-Type. Competed with D-Type, Lister Jaguar and Ferrari 250s in 19 events that year gaining three 1sts, two 2nds, four 3rds and was in winning Jaguar team at 6-hour relay.

The book cites similar successes in 1964, taking 3rd place in the unlimited class in Autosport championship.

Address: Park House, Gaddesby, Leicestershire. Tel: Gaddesby 206 (Those were the days!)

#16 bradbury west

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 22:11

Rotters and Innes must have been fantastic as team mates, imagine the extra curricular stuff.

RL

#17 bradbury west

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Posted 27 September 2006 - 22:17

Originally posted by Alan Cox
Extracted from The Motor Racing Register of 1965:

The Hon. R F G Wrottesley - single (in 1965), Paratroop Officer. Interests: Bobsleigh, Cresta Run and mountaineering.
First race 1962 Rufforth Jaguar D-Type. Competed with D-Type, Lister Jaguar and Ferrari 250s in 19 events that year gaining three 1sts, two 2nds, four 3rds and was in winning Jaguar team at 6-hour relay.


What a fantastic first season, cars and results, for a 20 year old. Absolute magic, or are the rose tinted lenses playing up again.. Talk about those being the days..........................

Not a motorhome, personal trainer, team manager, dietician, PR wallah etc etc in sight, and they drove the cars to the events I suspect.

RL

#18 Paul Parker

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Posted 28 September 2006 - 07:41

Again my thanks for the info to all and sundry and how right you are bradbury west.

None of the modern sanitised nonsense and as for training this was no doubt conducted with the aid of Louis Roederer.

#19 Allan Lupton

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Posted 28 September 2006 - 20:07

I certainly remember the D type, and I think I remember that very very shortly after the first stretch of the M1 motorway opened in 1959, The Hon. Richard used it to establish a record (unofficial, of course) for the (about) 60 miles end-to-end. Around the half hour IIRC :up: