25 replies to this topic

[Keir]

Anyone have any details on the career of Doug Revson?
I know it was a short one with him losing his life somewhere in a race in Denmark.

[Felix Muelas]

Keir

Very scarce details, I am afraid. I think he was the brother of Peter and that in 1967, just arrived in Europe as the proud owner of a Brabham BT21 that he intended to race in F3 meetings, died in an accident at the Grenaa (it that spell correct?) F3 Grand Prix, at DjurslandRing. He was trying to overtake another competitor and became involved in a crash. As both cars were leaving the track, a spectator was caught in the middle of the mess and was also killed.
The spectator was the owner of the track, Christian Legarth.

Willing to know more, of course...
Felix

[David M. Kane]

I would love to know more. I didn't realize he had a brother.

[Dave Ware]

The event is alluded to briefly in Peter Revson's biography but details were scarce. Older brother Peter was racing in the United States at the time. He drove in a Trans Am race the day after or the day of receiving the news. It's staggering to try to imagine how he must have felt that day. And I've always felt bad for his family, losing two sons to the cruel sport.

I'd also like to know more about Doug, not so much about the crash but about his racing history.

Dave

[David M. Kane]

Like I said, I didn't even know he had a brother. I've always admired those who traveled to Europe to do their learning years correctly. Many a New Zealander, Aussie, South American and Americans have done that. That's why its
so encouraging to see what Phil Hill's and Dan Gurney's sons
are doing.

[Felix Muelas]

Originally posted by Dave Ware
I'd also like to know more about Doug, not so much about the crash but about his racing history.

Yes, Dave, I think Keir, David and myself were also on that tune.

Felix

PS : This is the list of sources that I have in my notes. I am unlikely to find easy access to them, but maybe Marcor or someone else could do it...
L´Automobile: Sept 1967, pg. 73; Aug 1972, pg. 83; Oct 1972 (Gérard Flocon), pg. 112; Apr 1974, pg. 95
Sport-Auto: Sept 1967, pg. 5; Sept 1977, pg. 14

[Keir]

Sadly, Doug had the "rich kid" tag placed upon him just like Peter. And when rich kids get themseves killed they don't always make the news. Such was Doug's case.

[Marcor]

Hello,

I'm still on Journey but I've read this thread. Yes I've got the 1967 Automobile. I clearly remember the little article about his crash and his career. Please, can you wait when I will be back at home, tomorrow or the day after...

[Keir]

Marcor,
Looking forward to it.

[Don Capps]

The 1967 Under-2 Litre USRRC champion received the Doug Revson Memorial Trophy for whom the U2 series was then named. Pete Revson put up the trophy.

The Doug Revson Throphy series was run over five events:
Mid-Ohio
Road America
Mont Tremblant
Laguna Seca
Riverside

The champ for 1967 was Joe Buzzetta by one point over Scooter Patrick, 19 to 18 points, with Chuck Dietrich and Mak Kronn tied for third with 15 points. The Porsche 906 was the car of choice....

[jarama]

Originally posted by Felix Muelas


PS : This is the list of sources that I have in my notes. I am unlikely to find easy access to them, but maybe Marcor or someone else could do it...
L´Automobile: Sept 1967, pg. 73; Aug 1972, pg. 83; Oct 1972 (Gérard Flocon), pg. 112; Apr 1974, pg. 95
Sport-Auto: Sept 1967, pg. 5; Sept 1977, pg. 14
[/B]

"Sport-Auto", september '77: In the column "Il y a 10 Ans" -10 Years Ago- there's a little quote on Douglas Revson, stating only he was killed at the Roskildering.

[Felix Muelas]

Thank you, Jarama

I don´t really think any of the articles quoted will contain much more info than the one I wrote. But just in case...

Un abrazo

Felix

[Marcor]

The reading of the article in L'Automobile september 1967 is a little bit disappointing.

Felix had said all. About the crash it was also said that the two cars bumped and somersaulted. Doug Revson was killed instantly.

L'Automobile said they didn't really know Doug Revson. They had noticed him at Rouen where he was the best private driver on practice, but retired prematurely during the race.

The Danish F3 GP was held in the Djursland circuit near Grenaa. It had to be run in three heats (20 laps, 10 laps and 30 laps). JP Jabouille won the first two races. The fatal crash occured during the 17th laps of the third race which was stopped.

On the same obituary column there was 2 young talented drivers and one of the best F1 privateer: Eric de Keyn (from Belgium), Wim Loos (Netherlands) (killed during the 24-H of Spa) and Bob Anderson (killed at Silverstone, on practice).

[Morten Alstrup]

Originally posted by Marcor
The Danish F3 GP was held in the Djursland circuit near Grenaa. It had to be run in three heats (20 laps, 10 laps and 30 laps). JP Jabouille won the first two races. The fatal crash occured during the 17th laps of the third race which was stopped.

Actually, the meeting was planned to have five heats - two on Saturday and three on Sunday. Jabouille had won the two on Sunday and was leading the first one on Sunday, when the accident occured. The two remaining Sunday heats were not held, but the rest of the meeting continued.

Here is a picture of Douglas Revson (#4) and Jean Pierre Cassegrain (#9) earlier in the fatal heat.



I am in the process of preparing a manuscript for a book on Ring Djursland, but alas I do not know much about Douglas Revson other racing career.

[Bonde]

Morten,

The car in the background, no. twenty-something, what is it? It looks a bit like a Lotus 27 with an enlarged nose intake...

[Morten Alstrup]

Originally posted by Bonde
Morten,

The car in the background, no. twenty-something, what is it? It looks a bit like a Lotus 27 with an enlarged nose intake...

Anders

Honestly, I am not good at indentifying 60s F3 chassis, but Jöran Hedberg's faboulous research have recorded the following drivers with twenty-ish numbers for that event:

20 Roland Binder D Lotus 41
21 Terry Oglivie-Hardy GB Alexis Mk5
22 Adam Potocki PL Brabham BT21
23 Ian Ashley GB Merlyn Mk10
24 Dieter Bentz D Brabham BT15
25 Andrew Page GB Lotus 35
26 Ray O'Connor USA Cooper T83
27 Ole Bjørn Damm DK Cooper
28 Max Bonin F Brabham BT1
29 Kurt Ahrens D Brabham BT21

From another picture taken that weekend a white-ish car with a driver in dark helmet is seen following Revson and Cassegrain, and it has #25 on it and looks very much like car in the picture, so a Lotus 35 is my best guestimate.

[Bonde]

Morten,

I agree - it's got to be a Lotus 35, which was essentially the 1965 F3 derivative of the 27. The odd nose job is probably the legacy of a minor shunt somewhere - or was that car raced previously in Monaco?

[Gerard Gamand]

It's obviously a Lotus, and not a 41 so the only one is the 35 of Andrew Page

[grimeheel]

Doug Revson did participate in various USRRC races. In 1964 he ran an Elva-BMW at Road America/DNF; In 1965 he DNF'd at Watkins Glen and Road America and finished 5th at Mid-Ohio in a Lotus 23; In 1966 he ran at Kent/7th, Laguna Seca/9th, Bridgehampton/18th and DNF'd at Riverside, Watkins Glen, and Mid-Ohio, while he and brother, Peter, were disqualified from the Road America race. I think he also raced Formula Junior in the States in the '63-'65 timeframe, but that needs verification.

[szautke]

Not sure how much this will help...

I spoke to David Hobbs about the Revson's last year. He mentioned in his opionion, that Douglas was much more personable than Peter. Margaret (his wife) and he had Douglas stay with them when he traveled in the UK. They were truely saddened when he was killed.

IIRC, I do remember seeing a picture of the crash, it shows both cars with their wheels interlocked headed towards an embankment. Not sure if you could see the bystander. It could had been a wire-photo?

[gerard BARATHIEU]

Did he drove PORSCHE CARRERA 6 with his brother ?

[Morten Alstrup]

Originally posted by szautke
I do remember seeing a picture of the crash, it shows both cars with their wheels interlocked headed towards an embankment. Not sure if you could see the bystander. It could had been a wire-photo?

As far as I have seen through my research of the accident, I don't think such a picture has been taken.

First of all, if there had been an interlocking of wheels - which I doubt - it must have a very quick one as the cars got onto the grass on the inside of the corner at different angles (my guess is 30 degrees). Ray O'Connor's car got onto the grass somewhat earlier than the car of Douglas Revson, which hit a big concrete tube situated close to the tarmac and which had been used by the starter. The circuit owner Jens Christian Legarth had been standing nearby, but as he ran away from the area, where Douglas Revson was heading to, he ran into the path of Ray O'Connor.

Secondly, there was no embankment on the inside of the circuit.

Thirdly, if it had been a picture of the accident, you would not have missed spotting the bystander. I have counted a group totalling 12 persons within a radius of 10 metres. That was also the reason why Jens Christian Legarth's wife, the starter, the deputy clerk of the course as well as two others persons were also hit by Ray O'Connor's car and all got terribly wounded.

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by gerard BARATHIEU
Did he drove PORSCHE CARRERA 6 with his brother ?

Yes he did. Doug ran a Porsche 906 in the 1966 USRRC, as mentioned by Grimeheel. Peter co-drove at the Road America 500.

[zoff2005]

He drove a Porsche 906 in the first CanAm race at St. Jovite in 1966 – here (I hope) is a photo I took:




I think he won the 2 litre class

Marcus

[Gramps3]

This is Doug Revson's Porsche at Mid Ohio in 1966.

[Phigr7]

Two pics from the '66 Can-Am

Bridgehampton

Copyright Robert Bohl

Riverside

Unkown copyright