Graham Hill | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hill at the1971 Dutch Grand Prix | |||||||
| Born | Norman Graham Hill (1929-02-15)15 February 1929 Hampstead, London, England | ||||||
| Died | 29 November 1975(1975-11-29) (aged 46) Arkley, London, England | ||||||
| Cause of death | Plane crash | ||||||
| Spouse | |||||||
| Children | 3, includingDamon | ||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Nationality |  British | ||||||
| Active years | 1958–1975 | ||||||
| Teams | Lotus,BRM,Walker,Brabham,Hill | ||||||
| Entries | 179 (176 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 2 (1962,1968) | ||||||
| Wins | 14 | ||||||
| Podiums | 36 | ||||||
| Career points | 270 (289)[a] | ||||||
| Pole positions | 13 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 10 | ||||||
| First entry | 1958 Monaco Grand Prix | ||||||
| First win | 1962 Dutch Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last win | 1969 Monaco Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 1975 Monaco Grand Prix | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 3 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 9th(1966) | ||||||
| First race | 1966Indianapolis 500(Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 1968Indianapolis 500(Indianapolis) | ||||||
| First win | 1966Indianapolis 500(Indianapolis) | ||||||
| |||||||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 1958–1966,1972 | ||||||
| Teams | Lotus,Porsche,NART,Aston Martin,BRM,Ferrari,Mann,Matra | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st(1972) | ||||||
| Class wins | 1(1972) | ||||||
Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a Britishracing driver,rower andmotorsport executive, who competed inFormula One from1958 to1975. Nicknamed "Mr. Monaco",[b] Hill won twoFormula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the time of his retirement—held therecord for mostpodium finishes (36); he won 14Grands Prix across 18 seasons. InAmerican open-wheel racing, Hill won theIndianapolis 500 in1966 withMecom. Upon winning the24 Hours of Le Mans in1972 withMatra, Hill became the first—and to this date, only—driver to complete theTriple Crown of Motorsport.[c]
Born and raised in London, Hill studied engineering before completingnational service in theRoyal Navy. He was a member ofLondon Rowing Club from 1952 to 1954, contesting twenty finals andstroking the Londoncrew in theGrand Challenge Cup. He made his racing debut inFormula Three aged 25. He initially joinedLotus in Formula One as a mechanic, before earning a driving debut with the team at the1958 Monaco Grand Prix and securing a full-time contract. Afternon-classified championship finishes in 1958 and1959 with Lotus, Hill moved toBRM in1960, scoring his maiden podium at theDutch Grand Prix. BRM fielded the competitiveP57 in1962, with Hill taking his maiden victory at the season-openingDutch Grand Prix and winning three further Grands Prix as he secured his maiden title, beating career rivalJim Clark andBruce McLaren. He finished runner-up to Clark thefollowing season, before losing the1964 title by one point toJohn Surtees.[d] Hill took multiple wins in1965 as he finished runner-up to Clark once more in the standings. After a winless1966 campaign, Hill returned to Lotus to partner Clark.
Helping develop theLotus 49 for the newCosworth DFV engines, Hill struggled with reliability throughout1967, with podiums inMonaco and theUnited States. Clarkwas killed after their1–2 finish at theseason opener in1968, leaving Hill in a close title battle withJackie Stewart, which Hill won at thefinal race of the season. In1969, Hill became a five-time winner of theMonaco Grand Prix, a record he held for24 years. During theUnited States Grand Prix, Hill was seriously injured in a crash, breaking both of his legs and ending his season prematurely. After recovering from his injuries, he returned as aprivateer in1970 before competing withBrabham for two further seasons, where he won thenon-championshipBRDC International Trophy in1971. Hill founded and competed forEmbassy Hill from1973 to 1975, retiring from motor racing after theMonaco Grand Prix to focus on team ownership and supporting his protégéTony Brise. In addition to his two championships, Hill achieved 14 race wins, 13 pole positions, 10 fastest laps and 38 podiums in Formula One.
Outside Formula One, Hill entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans 10 times between1958 and 1972, winning the latter alongsideHenri Pescarolo in theMatra-Simca MS670. He also entered the Indianapolis 500 three times from 1966 to1968, winning theBorg-Warner Trophy at his first attempt. Throughout his early years, Hill also competed in theBritish Saloon Car Championship, topping his class in1963, and entered six seasons of theTasman Series, finishing runner-up to Stewart in1966. In November 1975, Hill and five other Embassy Hill executives, including Brise,were killed when thePiper PA-23 Aztec aircraft Hill was piloting crashed in low-visibility conditions in north London whilst returning from a test session for theHill GH2 at theCircuit Paul Ricard. Embassy Hill subsequently shut down ahead of the1976 season. Hill's sonDamon went on to win the World Drivers' Championship in1996, becoming the first father-and-son World Drivers' Champions. Hill was inducted into theInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
Hill was born inHampstead,London, one of two sons of stockbroker Norman Herbert Devereux Hill, of Belsize Park, and his wife Constance Mary, née Philp.[2] He attendedHendon Technical College and joinedSmiths Instruments as an apprentice engineer. He wasconscripted into theRoyal Navy and served as anEngine Room Artificer (ERA) on thelight cruiserHMSSwiftsure, rising to the rank ofpetty officer. After leaving the navy he rejoined Smiths Instruments.[3]
Hill did not pass his driving test until he was 24 years old, and he himself described his first car as "A wreck. A budding racing driver should own such a car, as it teaches delicacy, poise and anticipation, mostly the latter I think!"[4] He had been interested in motorcycles but in 1954 he saw an advertisement for the Universal Motor Racing Club atBrands Hatch offering laps for five shillings. He made his debut in a Cooper 500Formula 3 car and was committed to racing thereafter. Hill joinedTeam Lotus as a mechanic soon after but quickly talked his way into the cockpit. The Lotus presence in Formula One allowed him to make his debut at the1958 Monaco Grand Prix, retiring with a halfshaft failure.[5]
In 1960, Hill joinedBRM, he won also in that year on 8 May 1960 theTarga Florio in the class Sports 1600 together with a German driverEdgar Barth in aPorsche 718, and won the world championship with BRM in 1962. He was known for his race preparation, keeping records of the settings on his car and working long hours with his mechanics.[6] Hill was also part of the so-called 'British invasion' of drivers and cars in the Indianapolis 500 during the mid-1960s, triumphing there in 1966 in aLola-Ford.[7]
At the same time, Hill along with his F1 contemporaries competed in theBritish Saloon Car Championship, scoring several outright wins. He achieved a best finish of sixth overall in 1961 driving aJaguar Mark 2.[8]
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In 1967, back at Lotus, Hill helped to develop theLotus 49 with the newCosworth-V8 engine. It fell to Hill to perform the initial testing of the new car and its engine. After the first shakedown run, Hill quipped "Well, it's got some poke! Not a bad old tool."[9] After teammatesJim Clark andMike Spence were killed in early 1968, Hill led the team, and won his second world championship in 1968. The Lotus had a reputation of being very fragile and dangerous at that time, especially with the new aerodynamic aids which caused similar crashes of Hill andJochen Rindt at the1969 Spanish Grand Prix. A crash at the1969 United States Grand Prix atWatkins Glen broke both his legs and interrupted his career. Typically, when asked soon after the crash if he wanted to pass on a message to his wife, Hill replied"Just tell her that I won't be dancing for two weeks."[10]
Upon recovery Hill continued to race in F1 for several more years, but never again with the same level of success.Colin Chapman, believing Hill was a spent force, placed him inRob Walker's team for 1970, sweetening the deal with one of the brand-newLotus 72 cars. Although Hill scored points in 1970 he started the season far from fully fit and the 72 was not fully developed until late in the season. Hill moved toBrabham for 1971–2; his last win in Formula One was in the non-ChampionshipInternational Trophy atSilverstone in1971 with the"lobster claw" Brabham. The team was in flux after the retirements ofSir Jack Brabham and thenRon Tauranac's sale toBernie Ecclestone; Hill did not settle there.
Hill was known during the latter part of his career for his wit and became a popular personality – he was a regular guest on television and wrote a notably frank and witty autobiography,Life at the Limit,[11] when recovering from his 1969 accident. A second autobiography, which covered his career up until his retirement from racing simply calledGraham was published posthumously in 1976.[12] A staunch campaigner for road safety, Hill presented a series forThames Television entitledAdvanced Driving with Graham Hill comprising six 30-minute programmes broadcast weekly in June and July 1974.[13] A book accompanying the series giving advice on safer and responsible driving was co-written by him.[14] Hill was also irreverently immortalized on aMonty Python episode ("It's the Arts (or: Intermission)" sketch called "Historical Impersonations"), in which a Gumby appears asking to "see John the Baptist's impersonation of Graham Hill." The head ofSt. John the Baptist appears (with a stuck-on moustache in Hill's style) on a silver platter, which runs around the floor making putt-putt noises of a race car engine.
Hill was involved with four films between 1966 and 1974, including appearances inGrand Prix andCaravan to Vaccarès, in which he appeared as a helicopter pilot.[15] During a Christmas Eve 1970 special ofBBC'sTomorrow's World Hill played againstRaymond Baxter on anearly computerracing game, with data centre workers Anne Norie and Margaret Watson manning the terminals for the game.[16]
Although Hill had concentrated on F1 he also maintained a presence insports car racing throughout his career (including two runs in theRover-BRMgas turbine car at Le Mans). As his F1 career drew to a close he became part of theMatra sports car team, taking a victory in the1972 24 Hours of Le Mans withHenri Pescarolo. This victory completed the so-calledTriple Crown of Motorsport which is alternatively defined as winning either:
Using either definition, Hill is still the only person ever to have accomplished this feat.
Hill set up his own team in 1973:Embassy Hill with sponsorship fromImperial Tobacco. The team used chassis fromShadow andLola before evolving the Lola into its own design in 1975. After failing to qualify for the1975 Monaco Grand Prix, where he had won five times, Hill retired from driving to concentrate on running the team and supporting his protegeTony Brise.
Along withStirling Moss, Hill put his name to and supported the Grand Prix Midget Championship, which started in 1975, with the aim of bringing low cost motor sport to people who wanted to try a new career.[22]
Hill's record of 176 Grand Prix starts remained in place for over a decade until being equalled byJacques Laffite.
Hill married Bette in 1955; because Hill had spent all his money on his racing career, she paid for the wedding. They had two daughters, Brigitte and Samantha, and a son,Damon, who himself later becameFormula One World Champion – the first son of a former world champion to emulate his father.
The family lived inMill Hill during the 1960s. The house now features anEnglish Heritage blue plaque.[23] During the early 1970s, Hill moved to Lyndhurst House inShenley inHertfordshire. The house is now owned by musicianJeff Wayne.[24] Well known for throwing extravagant parties at his houses to which most of the Grand Prix paddock and other famous guests attended, Hill was universally popular.[25]
Before taking up motor racing, Hill spent several years actively involved inrowing. Initially, he rowed at Southsea Rowing Club, while stationed inPortsmouth with the Royal Navy and atAuriol Rowing Club in Hammersmith. He met his future wife Bette at a Boxing Day party at Auriol and, while courting her, he also coached her clubmates at Stuart Ladies' Rowing Club on theRiver Lea.
In 1952 he joinedLondon Rowing Club, then as now one of the largest and most successful clubs in Great Britain. From 1952 to 1954, Hill rowed in twenty finals with London, usually as stroke of the crew, eight of which resulted in wins. He also stroked the London eight in the highly prestigiousGrand Challenge Cup atHenley Royal Regatta, losing a semi-final to Union Sportif Metropolitaine des Transports, France by a length.
Through his racing career he continued to support rowing and London. In 1968 when the club began a financial appeal to modernise its clubhouse, Hill launched proceedings by driving an oldMorris Oxford, which had been obtained for £5, head-on into a boundary wall. Hill made three runs to reduce the wall to rubble, and the car was subsequently sold for £15.[citation needed]
Hill felt that the experience gained in rowing helped him in his motor-racing. He wrote in his autobiography:
"I really enjoyed my rowing. It really taught me a lot about myself, and I also think it is a great character-building sport...The self discipline required for rowing and the 'never say die' attitude obviously helped me through the difficult years that lay ahead."
Hill adopted the colours and cap design of London Rowing Club for his racing helmet – dark blue with whiteoar-shaped tabs. His son Damon and grandson Josh later adopted the same colours with permission from the club.[26]
Hill died on 29 November 1975 at the age of 46 when hisPiper PA-23 Aztec twin-engine light aircraft crashed nearArkley in theLondon Borough of Barnet, while on a night approach toElstree Airfield in thick fog. On board with him were five other members of the Embassy Hill team who all died: manager Ray Brimble, mechanics Tony Alcock and Terry Richards, driver Tony Brise, and designer Andy Smallman. The party was returning from a car-testing session at thePaul Ricard Circuit in southern France.[27][28][29]
The subsequent investigation revealed that Hill's aircraft, originallyregistered in the US as N6645Y,[30] had been removed from theFAA register and at the time of the accident was "unregistered and stateless", despite still displaying its original markings. Furthermore, Hill's American FAA pilot certification had expired, as had hisinstrument rating. His UKIMC rating, which would have permitted him to fly in the weather conditions that prevailed at the time, was also out of date and invalid. Hill was effectively uninsured.[31] The investigation into the crash was ultimately inconclusive, but pilot error was deemed the most likely explanation.[29]
Hill's funeral was held atSt Albans Abbey, and he is buried at St Botolph's graveyard, Shenleybury. The church has since been deconsecrated so the tomb now sits in a private garden.
After his death, Silverstone village, home to the track of the same name, named a road, Graham Hill, after him[32] and there is a "Graham Hill Road" on The Shires estate in nearby Towcester. Graham Hill Bend at theBrands Hatch racing circuit is also named in his honour. Ablue plaque commemorates Hill at 32 Parkside, in Mill Hill, London NW7.[33]
InBourne,Lincolnshire, where Hill's former teamBRM is based, a road called Graham Hill Way is named in his honour. Also a nursery school inLusevera, Italy, was named in his honour.[34][35]
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | Pos | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | TRE | INDY DNQ | MIL | LAN | TRE | SPR | MIL | DUQ | ISF | TRE | SAC | PHX | – | 0 | [40] | ||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | PHX | TRE | INDY 1 | MIL | LAN | ATL | PIP | IRP | LAN | SPR | MIL | DUQ | ISF | TRE | SAC | PHX | - | 0 | [41] | ||||||||||||
| 1967 | PHX | TRE | INDY 32 | MIL | LAN | PIP | MOS | MOS | IRP | LAN | MTR | MTR | SPR | MIL | DUQ | ISF | TRE | SAC | HAN | PHX | RIV | - | 0 | [42] | |||||||
| 1968 | HAN | LVG | PHX | TRE | INDY 19 | MIL | MOS DNQ | MOS | LAN | PIP | CDR | NAZ | IRP | IRP | LAN | LAN | MTR | MTR | SPR | MIL | DUQ | ISF | TRE | SAC | MCH | HAN | PHX | RIV | - | 0 | [43] |
| 1969 | PHX | HAN | INDY Wth | MIL | LAN | PIP | CDR | NAZ | TRE | IRP | IRP | MIL | SPR | DOV | DUQ | ISF | BRN | BRN | TRE | SAC | KEN | KEN | PHX | RIV | - | 0 | [44] | ||||
|
|
| Year | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Brabham BT4 | LEV | PUK | WIG | TER | SAN | WAR 4 | LAK | LON 1 | 6th | 12 |
| 1965 | Brabham BT11A | PUK 1 | LEV | WIG | TER | WAR 5 | SAN Ret | LON 4 | 7th | 14 | |
| 1966 | BRM P261 | PUK 1 | LEV | WIG | TER | WAR 2 | LAK 1 | SAN (3) | LON 2 | 2nd | 30 (34) |
| 1967 | Lotus 48 | PUK | WIG | LAK | WAR Ret | SAN | LON | NC | 0 | ||
| 1968 | Lotus 49T | PUK | LEV | WIG | TER | SUR 2 | WAR 2 | SAN 3 | LON 6 | 4th | 17 |
| 1969 | Lotus 49T | PUK Ret | LEV Ret | WIG 2 | TER 2 | LAK 4 | WAR 11 | SAN 6 | 5th | 16 | |
Source:[6] | |||||||||||
| Year | Team | Co-driver | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Team Lotus | Cliff Allison | Lotus XV-Climax | S 2.0 | 3 | DNF | DNF |
| 1959 | Team Lotus |  Derek Jolly | Lotus XV-Climax | S 2.0 | 119 | DNF | DNF |
| 1960 |  Porsche KG |  Jo Bonnier | Porsche 718/4 RS | S 2.0 | 191 | DNF | DNF |
| 1961 |  North American Racing Team | Stirling Moss | Ferrari 250 GT SWB | GT3.0 | 121 | DNF | DNF |
| 1962 | David Brown Organisation | Richie Ginther | Aston Martin DP212 | Exp 4.0 | 78 | DNF | DNF |
| 1963 | Owen Racing Organisation | Richie Ginther | Rover-BRM | ACO Prize | 310 | (8th)* | (1st)* |
| 1964 | Maranello Concessionaires | Jo Bonnier | Ferrari 330P | P 4.0 | 344 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 1965 | Owen Racing Organisation | Jackie Stewart | Rover-BRM | P 2.0 | 284 | 10th | 2nd |
| 1966 | Alan Mann Racing | Brian Muir | Ford GT Mk.II | P 7.0 | 110 | DNF | DNF |
| 1972 |  EquipeMatra-SimcaShell | Henri Pescarolo | Matra-Simca MS670 | S 3.0 | 344 | 1st | 1st |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Pts | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Speedwell Stable | Austin A35 | A | BRH | BRH | MAL | BRH | BRH | CRY | BRH | BRH Ret | BRH | NC | 0 | NC | ||
| 1960 | Team Speedwell | Jaguar Mk II 3.8 | +2600cc | BRH | SNE | MAL | OUL | SNE | BRH Ret* | NC | 0 | ||||||
| Austin Mini Seven | BRH Ret | BRH | |||||||||||||||
| 1961 | Equipe Endeavour | Jaguar Mk II 3.8 | D | SNE | GOO 2 | AIN | SIL 1 | CRY | SIL 2 | BRH | OUL 2 | SNE | 6th | 28 | 3rd | ||
| 1962 | John Coombs | Jaguar Mk II 3.8 | D | SNE 3 | GOO 1 | AIN 1 | SIL 1 | CRY | AIN | BRH Ret | OUL 1 | 4th | 32 | 2nd | |||
| 1963 | John Coombs | Jaguar Mk II 3.8 | D | SNE 2 | OUL 1 | GOO 1 | AIN 1 | SIL Ret | CRY 3† | SIL | BRH 2 | BRH | 3rd | 49 | 1st | ||
| John Willment Automobiles | Ford Galaxie | OUL 2 | SNE | ||||||||||||||
| 1967 | Team Lotus | Ford Cortina Lotus | C | BRH 2 | SNE 4 | SIL 3 | SIL Ret | MAL | SIL | SIL | BRH Ret | OUL Ret† | BRH | 10th | 24 | 2nd | |
| 1968 | Alan Mann Racing | Ford Escort TC | C | BRH | THR | SIL | CRY | MAL | BRH | SIL | CRO | OUL Ret | BRH | BRH | NC | 0 | NC |
Source:[50] | |||||||||||||||||
† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Team Surtees | Lola T70 Mk.2 | Chevrolet | MTR | BRI | MOS | LAG | RIV 3 | LVG | 9th | 4 |
Source:[51] | |||||||||||
Hill's easy wit and charm helped him become atelevision personality, notably on theBBC showCall My Bluff withPatrick Campbell andFrank Muir. For a number of years in the early 1970s he appeared as one half of a double act, withJackie Stewart, as an insert within theBBC Sports Personality of the Year show. In June 1975 he appeared alongside his son,Damon Hill, on the popular television programmeJim'll Fix It.[52] His appearance was later rebroadcast as part of the twentieth anniversary celebrations of the programme in January 1995, with Damon presenting a new segment at the end.[53]
Hill was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1968 Birthday Honours for services to motor racing.[54] In 1990, he was inducted into theInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame.
A one-offBBC Four documentary calledGraham Hill: Driven was first broadcast on 26 May 2008.[55]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | BRDC International Trophy Winner 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Formula One World Champion 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Winner 1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Formula One World Champion 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | BRDC International Trophy Winner 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1972 With:Henri Pescarolo | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Hawthorn Memorial Trophy 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hawthorn Memorial Trophy 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by Jack Brabham 128 entries, 126 starts (1955 –1970) | Most Grand Prix entries 179 entries, 176 starts (1958 –1975), 129th entry at the1971 Dutch GP 127th start at the1971 Monaco GP | Succeeded by |
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