28 replies to this topic

[Richard Jenkins]

Apologies for choosing a morbid subject, but whilst browsing the net, I saw the message about the missing driver's birthday's & I was wondering if anyone can help me with the opposite; that being driver's deaths.
Firstly, all these drivers have died in the last 10 years & I have no full death-date for them, can anyone help?:
Willi Heeks, Dorino Serafini (3rd or the 5th of July - there seems to be some confusion), Guy Tumner, Brian Shawe-Taylor, John Cannon, Heitel Cantoni, Alfredo Uria & Giorgio Scarlatti.
Secondly, are the following drivers still alive? I would imagine the vast majority are but after finding out about some of the above & Emilio Zapico's death on this site & the spate of young-ish deaths recently (ie Shelly, Cannon, Tumner & Zapico), I would like to know if anyone knows if these drivers are dead, so I can update my database on them:
NON-QUALIFIERS: 55 in all & Alain de Changy, Frank Dochnal, Ludwig Fischer, Tom Jones, Kurt Kuhnke, Harry Merkel, Karl Oppitzhauser, Gunther Seiffert, Bill Moss, Luigi Taramazzo, Asdrebal Bayardo, Gimax (Carlo Franchi), Tino Brambilla, Alberto Colombo, Otto Stuppacher, Willie Ferguson, Giovanni de Riu, Hiroshi Fushida, Andre Testut, Brian Gubby, Alan Rollinson, Carlo Facetti, Clive Puzey, Phil Cade, Ken RIchardson, Ted Whiteaway.
INDY 500 1950-1960: 28 in all & Pat Flaherty, Red Amick, Art Cross, Bill Cantrell, Danny Kladis, Bayliss Leverett, Mike Magill, Ernie McCoy, Duke Nalon, Don Freeland, Chuck Weyant, Bob Christie, Chuck Arnold, Jim McWithey, Jim Rathmann, Len Duncan, Len Sutton, George Connor, Johnny Boyd, Bill Homeier, Jackie Holmes, Don Edmunds, Paul Goldsmith, Ray Crawford, Bob Veith, Eddie Russo & Wayne Weiler.
F1 QUALIFIERS: 390 in all & Tony Settember, John Barber, Alfonso Thiele, Oscar Gonzalez, Bob (Robert) O'Brien, Andre Simon, Brausch Niemann, Mario Cabral, Luki Botha, Giorgio Bassi, Luis Bueno, John Riseley-Prichard, John Campbell-Jones, Heinz Schiller, Bruce Johnstone, Xavier Perrot, Roger Laurent, Julio (jesus) Iglesias, Robert (La)Caze, Oswald Karch, Jack Fairman, Peter (Piet) de Klerk, Fred Gamble, Eugene Martin, Arthur Owen, Fritz d'Orey, Renato Pirrochi, Paul England, Consalvo Sanesi, Dick Gibson, Basil von Rooyen, Jean Lucas, Gus Hutchinson, Mike Taylor, Desmond Titterington, Bob Said, John James, Rob Schroder, Peter Broeker, Sergio Mantovani, Mike Harris, Eppie Wietzes, Mike Sparken, Paul Pietsch, Robin Montogmerie-Charrington, Chris Irwin, Adolfo Schwelm-Cruz, Ian Burgess, Ernie Pietersie, John Cordts, Heini Walter, Jackie Pollet, Christian Goethals, Gerino Gerini, Leslie Marr, Sam Tingle, Charles Pozzi, Lance Macklin, Clemar Bucci, Josef Peters, Neville Lederle, Roberto Bonomi, Roberto Bussinello, Bernd Collomb, Nello Pagani, Al Pease, Roberto Lippi, Hans Klenk, Kurt Aldoff, Alan Brown, Gaetano Starabba, Ken Downing, Ottorino Volontero, Andre Milhoux, Doug Serrurier & Jay Chamberlain!
Phew! I know that's a lot - but any help would be much appreciated - I have checked Forix (and although it's superb, it's still missing a lot of deaths that I know of) -these drivers are the only that I cannot trace, so although I think the vast majority (99 per cent) are alive - if anyone knows different, I would be very grateful
Thanks!

[MoMurray]

Jim Rathman is definitely alive and well. He attends indy every year and own a large auto dealership in Melbourne, Florida.

[Boniver]

I have no death data of the 55 NG F1 drivers
but of
de Changy
Dochnal
Fischer
Jones
Kuhnke
Merkel
Seiffert
Moss
Taramazzo
Bayardo
De Riu
Puzey
Cade
Whiteaway
are in life ????

Is Willi Heeks and Scarlatti death

[Richard Jenkins]

To MoMurray - thanks for that - anybody else know what any of the other guys I mentioned are up to now - that will help too.
To Boniver: Apparently, all those I mentioned are "alive". All I know is that Willi Heeks died in 1996 & Scarlatti passed away in 1992. (Courtesy of Grand Prix Who's Who 3)but not the months!!

[Eagle104]

Alive:

Pat Flaherty

Art Cross

Duke Nalon (in his mid '80s)

Len Sutton

Johnny Boyd

Paul Goldsmith

[Boniver]

Richie,
Thank you
for the "sad news"
Boniver


And why there was no info in the press ????

In the past there was a whole page in the periodical automobil pers when a driver death , and now .........
the journalist see only to TV and internet ........


poor sport jounalist of 1990 !!!

thank you Richie

[Marcor]

I read in Auto Passion that Jacques (Jacky) Pollet died on August 16, 1997, at Paris.
It was a reader who wrote to announce the sad news which was published in the number n°121 of June 1998. The reader was astonished that nobody had announced the news.

[Richard Jenkins]

Re:Pollet. I guess he was overlooked as Luigi Villoresi died a few days afterwards & then someone infinitely more famous died in Paris just after that... Still, I am surprised that no books at all seem to have these deaths.
Tony Crook is alive & very well - he is still head of Bristol Cars, London. Crossley, Fitch, Gaze, Thompson McAlpine, Mieres & Jimmy Stewart are well, fine, which is why I didn't include them on my list.
Peter Hirt died 26/6/1992, Riess d. May 1991, Wacker d. 16/6/1998

[Falcadore]

Jones? As in 1980 World Champion Alan Jones?

Alive well and still racing. 2nd fastets in an early wet practice session and a crap car at the Bathurst 1000 on Friday.

yours
Mark Jones

[Richard Jenkins]

Boniver - Seems like I'm doing more work for you & than getting the info I hoped! Still, glad to help all I can:
All those I didn't mention in my original list are alive & well - the following are dead:
Antonio Creus: b. 1924 d. 19/2/1996
By 'Shebby' I presume you mean Tony Shelly: d.8/10/1998
I'm also going to pre-empt you by saying that no-one who raced since 1961 is dead, to my knowledge, apart from those I've already mentioned.
Might be a good idea to check Forix (www.forix.com) as by all accounts they are almost bang-up-to-date but just for info:
Retired but fine: Ashmore, Daigh, Davis, Gamble, Halford, Kling, McDowell, Munaron, Ruby, Ward
Still fiddling with cars: de Tomaso
Keith Greene is still involved in club racing, I think;
Andre Guelfi... Well where do I start? Basically, he was involved in the Mitterand-Kohl scandal, has been in prison but done almost everything a man can do on earth in the meantime
Jim Hall's closed his Champ Car's outift down a few years back
Pete Lovely & Tony Marsh (the latter;when well) are still racing!
Massimo Natili runs a BMW garage in Italy,
Whilst Nino Vaccarella is a living legend in Sicily - I hope that rounds it up for you!

[Boniver]

Richie,
Forix and GEL motorsport are good but not up to day
http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/

Serafini – d 3 july (info http://www.monzanet.it)


Your list is complete but conveniently arranged

If we take now the list with all driver , less all the drivers with death data and less all the driver who we know that she have in live, we have a small list with driver with no info
(a live or death)

from the drivers who start a GP race from 1950 to 1953 stay only 18 drivers

0'Brien ? no info
Adolff 79 no info
Barber 71 no info
Brown 81 no info
Fairman 87 no info
James 86 no info
Karch 83 no info
Klenk 81 no info
Laurent 87 no info
Macklin 81 no info
Mantovani 71 no info
Montgomerie 85 no info
Nuckey 71 no info
Pagani 89 no info
Peters 86 no info
Sanesi 89 no info
Schwelm 77 no info
Stewart I 71 no info

Who have info of this driver : are she still in live ?

[Joe Fan]

Bob Said is alive and doing well. I got an e-mail from him several months ago.

I don't think Mike Sparken is living from my recollection.

[Boniver]

Joe

thanks for the good news

[Boniver]

Lance Macklin is still very much with us, and Eric Thompson too. I can certainly vouch for Thompson, as I spoke to him on Wednesday last - he sells motoring books, and he's currently selling Rivers Fletcher's archive - which means Brooklands material!

Tony Gaze was at Goodwood a couple of years back, but he wasn't in very good health then. Hope he's okay.

[Ray Bell]

Tony Gaze... I spoke to his wife a few weeks ago. They're building a new house... must plan to hang round for a while yet.

[Boniver]

Only 17 drivers……..

0'Brien ? no info
Adolff 79 no info
Barber 71 no info
Brown 81 no info
Fairman 87 no info
James 86 no info
Karch 83 no info
Klenk 81 no info
Laurent 87 no info
Mantovani 71 no info
Montgomerie 85 no info
Nuckey 71 no info
Pagani 89 no info
Peters 86 no info
Sanesi 89 no info
Schwelm 77 no info
Stewart I 71 no info

[Richard Jenkins]

Boniver - and anyone else interested in this kind of thing:
All the American Grand Prix Drivers I mentioned are still alive which includes Robert O'Brien as there was a celebration held in September for all the living 30 US Grand Prix drivers.
I also have the following updated births if it's any help:
Tony Settember b. 13/4/1930
Alfonso Thiele b. 5/4/1922
Alberto Uria b. 7/1/1924 - Died in the late 80's early 90's
Kurt Kunke b. 30/4/1910

Thanks!

[Richard Jenkins]

Another update - Roberto Bussinello died this year.

[Boniver]

Richie,
Thanks :)

[Richard Jenkins]

Originally posted by Boniver
Richie,
Thanks :)

That's quite alright - do you cover Indianapolis drivers? In which case - Ray Crawford d. 1/2/1996

[WGD706]

Originally posted by Eagle104
Alive:

Art Cross

Art Cross, the first-ever Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 1952 and a runner-up finisher in the 1953 race to Bill Vukovich, died April 15 in La Porte, Ind. He was 87. Cross, a native of Jersey City, N.J., made four career Indianapolis 500 starts, in consecutive years from 1952-55. He was the defending AAA National Midget champion when he made his first Indianapolis start in 1952. He finished fifth and entered the history books as the first Rookie of the Year Award winner.

In 1953, with temperatures soaring into the mid-90s on Race Day, Cross managed to finish second in a dirt-track car behind Bill Vukovich. Driver after driver entered the pit area seeking a relief pilot due to the heat, which helped Cross climb through the field. "Every time I came up to pass somebody," Cross said, "I would look over and think 'That's not Sam Hanks; that's Duane Carter,' or 'That's not Jim Rathmann; that's Eddie Johnson."

Vukovich became known as "The Iron Man" for winning the 1953 race without the aid of a relief driver, but only three-and-a-half minutes later came Cross, also unaided, in his dirt-track machine. A resident of Morristown, N.J., at the time, Cross immediately sunk the greater portion of his prize money of $27,297 into a farm in La Porte and participated in no further races that year.

In 1954, Cross, in another dirt-track car, moved from 27th to the lead in 51 laps. At 300 miles, he required relief. While the car finished 11th, it required four other drivers to reach the checkered flag - Johnnie Parsons, Sam Hanks, Andy Linden and Jimmy Davies. Another impressive run came in 1955 when Cross, finally in a "roadster," moved from 24th to third by 70 laps; led for 24 laps and was running second when a connecting rod broke after he completed 168 laps.

In a rare non-Indianapolis championship start, Cross competed in the August 1955 race at Milwaukee, which was extended that year from 200 miles to 250. He was leading at 200 miles and salvaged fourth place after a late race stop for fuel.

The Milwaukee race proved to be his final start. He never announced his retirement but just stopped going to races, instead spending time with his family. For several years thereafter, the highly regarded Cross was courted by car owners seeking his services, but he never relented, not even for the legendary Novi car. Cross was a decorated military veteran of World War II, earning a Purple Heart after being wounded in Belgium when the tank he was driving was bombed just days before the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. Funeral arrangements are incomplete for Cross, whose wife, Margaret, died just a few days ago.

[Barry Boor]

Brought this one back to see if there is any further news about John James. He would be 96 this year if still going. Does anyone know anything?

If he is still alive he would appear to be the oldest living Grand Prix driver, albeit with but one race to his name.

Edited by Barry Boor, 17 October 2010 - 07:14.

[David McKinney]

...plus four non-championship F1 races

But I don't know if he's still with us

[ReWind]

Don't tell Richard Jenkins that you don't look at WATN first.
John James (1914 - 2002)

[David McKinney]

Silly me - I presumed Barry would have checked...

[Richard Jenkins]

Brought this one back to see if there is any further news about John James. He would be 96 this year if still going. Does anyone know anything?

If he is still alive he would appear to be the oldest living Grand Prix driver, albeit with but one race to his name.

Dead over 8 years, Barry and besides, Paul Pietsch, now 99, is the oldest living former Grand Prix driver.


The first post in this thread was my first post ever on TNF - obviously since then, ALL of these drivers have been accounted for, both living and dead.

Edited by Richie Jenkins, 17 October 2010 - 22:27.

[Barry Boor]

I feel suitably castigated, everyone!

The thing is, I use Darren Galpin's site so often, for circuits or race information, so I naturally go there to check up on drivers too. His listing for John James shows no date of death.

I rest my case, m'lud.

[Loren Lundberg]

Brought this one back to see if there is any further news about John James. He would be 96 this year if still going. Does anyone know anything?

If he is still alive he would appear to be the oldest living Grand Prix driver, albeit with but one race to his name.

I'm sorry, but this is the perfect example of why posts should be allowed to die and expire - it is almost exactly TEN YEARS since this question was asked - answers in 2000 are NOT valid in 2010 and I believe you would be astonished by how little attention is paid to the reply dates, resulting in a grand array of false information.
In 2010, Nalon is gone; Goldsmith, Gamble and Settember are still with us.

[Richard Jenkins]

Twinny,
Would it be possible to please lock this thread due to it being no longer required? As you can imagine, I and the rest of us don't need posts telling me someone is dead or alive when I know about it already. Should anyone require it, I've listed who's still with us from the original question asked... sadly, not as many as liked.

Barry,
If you'd like to know the wherabouts of any driver, please feel free to send me a PM if you don't get chance to check the site that Rewind provided a link to.

STILL ALIVE:
NON-QUALIFIERS: Tom Jones, Karl Oppitzhauser, Gunther Seifert, Gimax (Carlo Franchi), Tino Brambilla, Alberto Colombo, Hiroshi Fushida, Brian Gubby, Alan Rollinson, Carlo Facetti, Clive Puzey

INDY 500 1950-1960: Chuck Weyant, Jim Rathmann, Don Edmunds, Paul Goldsmith, Eddie Russo

F1 QUALIFIERS: Tony Settember, John Barber, Andre Simon, Brausch Niemann, Mario Cabral, Giorgio Bassi, Luis Bueno, John Campbell-Jones, Bruce Johnstone, Robert (La)Caze, Peter (Piet) de Klerk, Fred Gamble, Fritz d'Orey, Paul England, Dick Gibson, Basil von Rooyen, Gus Hutchison, Mike Taylor, Rob Schroeder, Mike Harris, Eppie Wietzes, Mike Sparken, Paul Pietsch, Chris Irwin, Adolfo Schwelm-Cruz, Ian Burgess, Ernie Pietersie, John Cordts, Gerino Gerini, Leslie Marr, Clemar Bucci, Neville Lederle, Bernd Collomb, Al Pease, Roberto Lippi, Kurt Adloff, Gaetano Starabba, Andre Milhoux