David Piper (racing driver)
David Piper in 2011 | |
| Born | 2 December 1930 |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality | British |
| Active years | 1959–1960 |
| Teams | non-works Lotus |
| Entries | 3 (2 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1959 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1960 British Grand Prix |
David Ruff Piper (born 2 December 1930)[1] is a British former Formula One and sports car racing driver from England. He participated in 3 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 July 1959. He scored no championship points.
Racing career
Early career and Formula One
Piper was born in Edgware, Middlesex[1] and began his career in the mid-1950s by competing in sprints and hill-climbs, before beginning circuit racing with a Lotus Eleven.[2] He then moved up to a Lotus 16 which he used in 1959 and 1960 to compete in both Formula One and Formula Two,[2] by means of changing engines as appropriate.[2] His best result with the car was a second place in the Lady Wigram Trophy, in 1960, behind Jack Brabham in a Cooper.[2]
In 1961, Piper competed in European Formula Junior alongside Jo Siffert but drove the Gilby F1 car in the Gold Cup.[2] He also competed in non-championship races in 1962, but had become disenchanted with single-seater racing and moved into sports car racing initially with a Ferrari 250 GTO.[2]
Later career
Between 1962 and 1970, Piper raced frequently in many locations worldwide using his personally owned Ferraris and, later, Porsches. He was moderately successful and gained a reputation for reliability and consistency.[2]
Piper's personal sport cars of the period are typically painted in bright green, originally from his BP sponsor which replaced Esso after the Suez Crisis; eventually Piper liked the color and made it his own, having never liked the classic British racing green.[3]
Piper crashed a Porsche 917 during the 1970 shooting of the film Le Mans and lost part of one leg.[4]
Piper later raced his personal, green, Porsche 917 and other cars in historic events.[2]
Racing record
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Dorchester Service Station | Lotus 16 (F2) | Climax 1.5l Straight-4 | MON | 500 | NED | FRA | GBR Ret |
GER | POR | ITA | USA | NC | 0 | |
| 1960 | Robert Bodle Ltd. | Lotus 16 | Climax 2.5l Straight-4 | ARG | MON | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA DNS |
GBR 12 |
POR | ITA | USA | NC | 0 |
Complete British Saloon Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Pts | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Pierre de Plessis | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | D | BRH DNS |
SNE 7 |
THR | SIL | CRY 2† |
SIL | SIL | CRO | BRH | OUL | BRH | BRH | 31st | 8 | 6th |
| 1978 | Ian Bracey | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | C | SIL | OUL | THR | BRH | SIL | DON | MAL Ret† |
BRH | DON | BRH | THR | OUL | NC | 0 | NC |
Source:[5]
| ||||||||||||||||||
† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | North American Racing Team | Masten Gregory | Ferrari 250 GTO/LMB | GT 3.0 | 312 | 6th | 3rd |
| 1964 | North American Racing Team | Jochen Rindt | Ferrari 250 LM | P 4.0 | 0 | DNF | DNF |
| 1965 | Maranello Concessionaires | Jo Bonnier | Ferrari 365 P2 | P 5.0 | 101 | DNF | DNF |
| 1966 | Maranello Concessionaires | Richard Attwood | Ferrari 365 P2 | P 5.0 | 33 | DNF | DNF |
| 1967 | JW Automotive Engineering | Dick Thompson | Mirage M1 | P +5.0 | 59 | DNF | DNF |
| 1968 | David Piper | Richard Attwood | Ferrari 250 LM | S 5.0 | 302 | 7th | 2nd |
| 1969 | SpA Ferrari SEFAC | Pedro Rodriguez | Ferrari 312P Coupé | P 3.0 | 223 | DNF | DNF |
| 1970 | AAW Racing Team | Gijs van Lennep | Porsche 917K | S 5.0 | 112 | DNF | DNF |
Gallery
-
Piper/Gardner, Porsche 917, 1969 ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring.
-
One of Piper's distinctive green cars; a Lola T70 Mk3B at Mallory Park
-
Piper's Porsche 917 which he has owned from new.
-
Piper's Porsche 917.
References
- ^ a b Jenkins, Richard. "The World Championship drivers - Where are they now?". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 292. ISBN 0851127029.
- ^ Widdows, Rob (August 2007). "David Piper: Forever green driving force". www.motorsportmagazine.com. No. 108. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Le Mans 24 Hours June 13, 1970 cont". www.a2zracer.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 3 October 2022.