8 replies to this topic

[Richard Jenkins]

I'm very sorry to have to report that Lance Macklin has passed away in the last few days, just short of his birthday. He had been ill for some time. A nice obit follows in the Times below which more or less covers his life in some detail. I will try & find which area of Kent he passed away in if I can.


http://www.timesonli...-403105,00.html

[FEV]

sad news indeed. Thanks for the nice obit Richie - I fear we will come across some much less gentle and knowledgable these next days. Especially in French non-specialised newspapers.
Adieu Monsieur Macklin.

[marhal]

Sad news..................... The motorsport world lost a true gentleman driver. Such drivers only can deserve the Heaven.

[dmj]

Sad. Not the true story of Levegh name in the article, but it doesn't matter in such a sad occasion...

[VAR1016]

The Times obituary contained a couple of errors - first about Macklin himself - in the famous incident with Mike Hawthorn where it is well known that Mackiln had to brake very hard, not get out of his way as stated in the Times.

The second error was where the obituary stated that Levegh missed a gear and broke his crankshaft. This was not the case. Levegh drove the car himself for 23 hours because he knew that there was a failing crankshaft bearing from much earlier in the race and felt that he should nurse it home. Finally it packed up anyway. In afct the Times piece was rather harsh on Levegh I thought. Chris Nixon has analysed this very carefully in "Mon Ami Mate".

The Obituary in the Daily Telegraph was not as well written but was quite comprehensive

PdeRL

[Barry Boor]

Sad news indeed.

Another link to the heady days of 1950s motor sport is lost to us.

[VAR1016]

Several folk have said how sad is the passing of Lance Macklin.

why is this? He was 82 years old; he raced for eight years at one of the more hazardous times in motor-racing - without severely hurting himself and lived to tell the tale. I know little of his subsequent life, but all in all it doesn't sound as though it was too tragic.

He recalled that at Le Mans he felt Levegh's car "brush his helmet" as it launched itself over Macklin's Austin-Healey.

Many folk are not as fortunate as that!

PdeRL

[Richard Jenkins]

Further to my original post, Lance died in Bethersden, Kent.

The funeral will be held there on September 11th at 2.30pm. I have the details of the funeral arrangers if anyone was vaguely interested in going.

I never met Lance but in a roundabout way he rekindled my interest in historic motorsport. I remember there was a brilliant article in the new revamped Motorsport in 1997 (I think) & I was interested as Lance Macklin was not someone who got a lot of press coverage in this day & age. The impression I get of him is a sensitive & kind man & a thoroughly talented driver.

Why are we sad? Because these links are going - memories with them too, although poor Lance suffered from dementia in this case, stories, pictures, interest. Once they're gone, they'll never come back. It will be a very sad day when the last driver who raced in the 1950's (in any competition) dies.

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by Richie Jenkins
Why are we sad? Because these links are going - memories with them too, although poor Lance suffered from dementia in this case, stories, pictures, interest. Once they're gone, they'll never come back. It will be a very sad day when the last driver who raced in the 1950's (in any competition) dies.

Yes that indeed is a very valid point. And the dementia is very sad. I recall seeing him interviewed (about Le Mans of course) in the "Power and Glory" series shown on Channel 4 in the early 1990s. He was perfectly lucid then. I recall being quite surprised - he seemed very sensitive - artistic even - not what I expected (at the time anyway) from a rip-roaring 1950s racing driver.

Contemplating ageing is always poignant - especially when it is close to home...

We have to be grateful for memories - even if they are not always first-hand ones.

PdeRL