8 replies to this topic

[backfire]

I have just heard that my friend Roger Cowman has passed away this afternoon in the Royal Derby Hospital. Roger, originally from Asfordby, started work at his local BMC dealer in Melton Mowbrayin the '60s before moving to Derby to become Used Car Sales Manager at TC Harrison Ltd. After a stint as manager at Lotus Dealer Robert Else he went self employed to sell second hand racing spares.

Roger raced karts in his early days and contested the first season of FF1600 in a Macon. As his business grew he bought a Royale RP27 FF2000 and ran it for several drivers before running and rebuilding historic formula one cars.

He was the archetype wheeler dealer, specialising in 3 litre F1 cars and spares which led to him starting and promoting BOSS formula (later EuroBOSS), but prior to that he was best known for his RCR F3000 team. In the first year he ran Slim Borgudd in the Ken Moore owned Arrows converted to F3000. In 1986 he entered a Lola in F3000 for several drivers including David Hunt and Perry McCarthy who finished 7th at Spa.

The team was run on an absolute shoestring (I think Roger even borrowed the shoestring) and there's some amusing tales in Perry's book "Flat Out, Flat Broke". Roger then became Perry's manager and got involved with sportscar racing in the States.

Roger had been suffering from Parkinson's Disease for about 10 years but had recently deteriorated. He contracted pneumonia after breaking 3 ribs in a fall and failed to respond to treatment. He leaves his wife, Jackie and two daughters, Sophie and Lindy. 

[doc knutsen]

Very sad news! I had some business with Roger when I ran my Reynard 90D/BDT in some BOSS races in the mid-Nineties, and found him very friendly and most helpful. He took my team to his farm and showed us some of his cars, including the ex-Senna Toleman. He told us the wonderful story of how this car attempted to fire up, even after is new owner had removed four spark plugs...lovely memories!

Edited by doc knutsen, 17 March 2020 - 17:07.

[Charlieman]

Thanks backfire for your warm words whilst delivering sad news.

[Thundersports]

RIP Roger

Always had a smile and an interesting story. If I may add he was also the test driver for DeLorean.

[alansart]

That's sad news. I knew him from when when I was a marshal and then racer at Donington in the late 70's, early 80's. Although we had no business contact he always said hello and stopped for a chat and always seemed to be wheeling and dealing in racing cars.

[backfire]

RIP Roger

Always had a smile and an interesting story. If I may add he was also the test driver for DeLorean.

The DeLorean road test programme was run from his Derby garage, but was run by Rhoddy Harvey-Bailey. There were a team of drivers running two cars round the clock and Roger and I were on the rota. 

[backfire]

Very sad news! I had some business with Roger when I ran my Reynard 90D/BDT in some BOSS races in the mid-Nineties, and found him very friendly and most helpful. He took my team to his farm and showed us some of his cars, including the ex-Senna Toleman. He told us the wonderful story of how this car attempted to fire up, even after is new owner had removed four spark plugs...lovely memories!

Yes, The Toleman spark plug incident! I wasn't there (I had an interest in the car) but they took four spark plugs out of the Hart engine to turn it over before firing it, forgetting that the Hart had four more plugs in the side of the head. These four plugs fired the fuel and some underwear was soiled.

[Allen Brown]

I can imagine my old friend is up there right now, blagging his way through the Pearly Gates.  He'd be expressing great surprise about some amount of money that had never been paid, or that some spares had not been delivered, and would be telling St Peter he'll be able to get him tickets for the GP and he only really needs to nip in for a moment because he left his jacket somewhere...  His effortless charm will get him in, I'm quite sure.

 

Roger and I go back nearly 40 years.  When I was some irritating youth phoning up people who had advertised F1 cars in Autosport, Roger was a huge help, straightening out who had owned what - not just his own cars but any others he came across.  He joked years later that he hadn't needed to keep records, because I wrote down whatever he did, so he could just phone me later and ask.  The irony is that the Parkinson's meant he really needed to.  He became a solid friend and we talked very often.  Ten or so years later, I tracked down a long-lost F1 car, and he and I did a deal to buy and sell it and make some money out of it.  The first time my wife - then my fiance - met him was when he arrived at our house on his way back from the Netherlands where he had sold the car to a museum.  He slapped a briefcase on the table, opened it, and started counting out bundles of banknotes.  The look on Susan's face has stayed with me.  I can't remember my exact share now, but I remember it paid for our honeymoon.  

 

Inevitably we did another deal, and just as inevitably it turned sour and he has gone to his maker still owing me money.  He'd deny it of course.  I bear no grudge, because it's only money and you can't take it with you, and he hasn't.  I regret more that we didn't talk for over a decade, and I lost a good friend.

 

The last time I saw him was when I was asked to sort out who had the real Senna Monaco Toleman TG184 and who had the worthless spare.  On one side of the dispute was Nick Mason, a rock god who I had worshipped as a kid, and on the other side was Roger.  I must confess that I really didn't want it to work out the way it did.  Mason took it with good grace, and Roger still didn't pay me what he owed me.  But by then he had Parkinson's, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.  It's a terrible condition.  

 

I am really sorry that he's gone, and my sincere condolences to Jackie and their daughters.  I don't think I've seen them since 1996 when I came up to the farm to see the Brabham BT37 that had just arrived in five crates from Cyprus.  Happy memories.

Edited by Allen Brown, 17 March 2020 - 21:22.

[JacnGille]

Sad news