9 replies to this topic

[Jim Thurman]

This is a strange one.

What I know...

Pat Pigott/Piggott was from Washington state, and from what I've read, a top amateur Sports Car racer in the Pacific Northwest. He didn't run too many professional races as far as I'm aware.

Was racing a Lotus 23 at the 1962 Times GP at Riverside International Raceway when suspension failure sent the car wedging under the guard rail at turn 9. He later died of injuries suffered in the crash.

He also was reportedly the stepson of the then CIA chief, John McCone.

All sources list him as 37 years old at the time of the crash.

Almost all sources list the spelling as Piggott, yet the Social Security death records list a Paul Pigott as dying in October of 1962, 37 years of age. It seems rather obvious that this is the driver who died at Riverside.

So, does anyone have a birthdate for him?


Jim Thurman

[Milan Fistonic]

Can't help with a birth date but have just come across a photo of Pat Pigott in a track test of a Lotus 20 in SCG of October 1961. According to the caption he was dominating West Coast Junior racing, including a win at Nassau in 1960. At the time of publication he was in England on a successful Junior outing.

[Barry Lake]

I don't remember where I got this, but I'm sure you recognise the author:


USAC Sports Car Race. Pat Pigott: October 1962, Riverside, Lotus 23 crashed at Turn 9 about 10 minutes prior to end of the race; heavily damaged, it took until 20 minutes after the checkered flag fell to free him, by which time he was in bad shape; died at March AFB 2 1/2 hours later -- I remembered this one since it was reported at the time. Don Capps.

14 October 1962

[Don Capps]

Pat Pigott was one of those mostly West Coast drivers that got my attention right after we returned from Europe, usually driving in FJ. I think he was almost among the first to campaign the Lotus 23 -- one of my favorite machines of the day. One reason I remember his death so vividly was that we had just made one of my first extended trips to the West Coast and watched him race (???? I'll have to check where since I don't recall exactly which race it was right now) and then chatted with him in the paddock. It was just the coincidence of speaking with him just weeks prior to that, seeing his name in SCG, and then his being killed at Riverside that still makes him stick in my mind.

[David Beard]

I've just been told that Pat Pigott may also have raced a Lotus 18 FJ, one of 5 brought into the States by Jay Chamberlain. Ring any bells?

[David McKinney]

Yes, he raced an 18 in FJ from Oct 1960, then a 20 from July 1961 (in Europe first, IIRC), and a 22 from June 1962

[teegeefla]

Here is some bio info on Pat Pigott from Motorsport Memorial:

http://www.motorspor...hp?db=ct&n=1525

Pat Pigott
Complete name: Pat Pigott
Birth date: 09.Apr.1925
Birth Place: Bellingham, WA, United States
Death date: 14.Oct.1962
Death Place: Riverside, CA (today March AFB, CA), United States
Nationality: United States
Gender: male
Age at death: 37

Accident date: 14.Oct.1962
Series: USAC Road Racing Championship
Race: 5th Riverside Grand Prix
Event: race
Country: United States
Venue: Riverside International Raceway (CA, United States)
Variant: 1957-1969 short circuit

Role: driver
Vehicle type: car
Vehicle sub-type: sportscar
Vehicle brand/model: Lotus 23 - Ford
Vehicle number: 34

Note:
Pigott crashed at Turn 9 about ten minutes prior to end of the race; the car dived under a crash barrier, and was heavily damaged. It took until twenty minutes after the checkered flag fell to free the driver, by which time his injuries had worsened. Pigott passed away at the March Air Force Base some two-and-a-half hours later.


Sources:
Book "The Road Atlas - United States, Canada & Mexico - '04", published by Rand McNally, Skokie, United States, ISBN 0528-90325-X, 2004, pages 108 to 110.
Website Canadian Motor Sports History Group, at Yahoo!Groups, posting by Michael Gee, page http://sports.groups...com/group/CMSHG, message number 3978, citing newspaper The Vancouver Sun, issue of 07 May 1962, article by Dick Beddoes, entitled "Dick Beddoes Column 2".
Website Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commercy & Industry, page http://www.bellingham.com.
Website World Sports Racing Prototypes, by Martin Krejci, page http://wsrp.wz.cz/usacrrc.html.
Website Racing Circuits, by Daniel King, page http://www.racingcir...rsideShort.html.
Website March Joint Powers Authority, page http://www.marchjpa.com.
E-mail by Hans-Hugo Boecker, dated 17 May 2004, citing book "The Story of Lotus - 1961-1971", by Doug Nye.
E-mail by Rick Kelly, dated 13 June 2004, citing "California Death Index, 1940-1997".
E-mail by Rick Kelly, dated 14 March 2005.


Also a column in Gus Vignolle's Motor Racing mentions that the previous August his mother married John McCone of the CIA.

[Frank S]

[...]
Pat Pigott
Complete name: Pat Pigott
Birth date: 09.Apr.1925
Birth Place: Bellingham, WA, United States
Death date: 14.Oct.1962
Death Place: Riverside, CA (today March AFB, CA), United States
[...]

What does "(today March AFB, CA)" mean?

"Same day"?

Riverside Raceway and March AFB were both arguably in Edgemont, CA, and certainly in Riverside County, CA, but not in Riverside (city), CA. Some folks assigned the raceway to Sunnymeade, CA.

Street map

--
Frank S

[bpratt]

I don't really have an authoritative way of spelling Pat Pigott's name. Came across another variation from the Seattle P-I, 1952. "Pat Piggot" won the B main at Aurora Stadium Speedway, September 15th. It was championship night for the "hard tops" -- a stock car variation that allowed beginning modifications.

Other names of interest racing that day were Cliff Spalding, who won 10 USAC midget mains in his career, and Ed Sneva, the patriarch of the Sneva racing family from Spokane, WA. The 100-lap Northwest championship race was won by Jack Conner.

Piggott's name -- spelled "Pigott" -- shows up in a Bellingham Herald story from 1955. He participated in a Mount Baker Motorcycle Club road run.

And, of course, he raced at Westwood from when it opened in 1959. And various airport circuits before that.

Martin Rudow's Long Straights and Hairpin Turns lists him as Paul J. (Pat) Pigott, Jr. His family owned Pacific Car & Foundry.

[Adam F]

Pat Pigott's name is definitely spelt "Pigott"

BTW His family own the Seattle-based truck manufacturer PACCAR, which builds Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF trucks. His brother Chuck was chairman/CEO for many years.