Lance Macklin

Lance Macklin

Born	2 September 1919(1919-09-02)
Died	29 August 2002(2002-08-29) (aged 82)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1952 - 1955
Teams	HWM, privateer Maserati
Races	15 (13 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	1952 Swiss Grand Prix
Last race	1955 British Grand Prix

Lance Noel Macklin (2 September 1919 – 29 August 2002) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952.

Macklin's father was the automotive entrepreneur Noel Macklin, founder of both the Invicta and Railton car companies, as well as Fairmile Marine, a manufacturer of motor gun and torpedo boats during World War II. Macklin was born in Kensington, and educated at Eton College. He volunteered for service with the Royal Navy in 1939 and (in line with his father's business) was assigned to work on motor gun boats. On demobilisation, Macklin decided to follow his early ambition and become a racing driver, although an early attempt to enter a race on the Isle of Man was refused on grounds that he had no experience.

During his Formula One career, Macklin scored no championship points, principally due to his uncompetitive HWM cars. His best career result came when he won the non-Championship BRDC International Trophy, at Silverstone in 1952.

In the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans he was caught up in the accident which killed Pierre Levegh and 80 spectators when he made a defensive move to avoid hitting Mike Hawthorn, and moved into the path of Levegh's car causing it to clip his. Although Macklin's car crashed, he was uninjured. Following a later incident in the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod, in which Macklin crashed his Austin-Healey 100S avoiding an accident in which Jim Mayers and William T Smith were killed, Macklin retired from motor sport at the urging of his then girlfriend.

Macklin then joined Facel Vega in Paris, running the export division; however the company failed in 1963. Afterwards Macklin worked for London car dealership H R Owen, and later moved to Spain. He returned to Britain when he became ill, and died in Tenterden, Kent.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Points
1952	HW Motors Ltd	HWM	Alta Straight-4	SUI Ret	500	BEL 11	FRA 9	GBR 15	GER	NED 8	ITA DNQ		NC	0
1953	HW Motors Ltd	HWM	Alta Straight-4	ARG	500	NED Ret	BEL Ret	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	GER	SUI Ret	ITA Ret	NC	0
1954	HW Motors Ltd	HWM	Alta Straight-4	ARG	500	BEL	FRA Ret	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA	ESP	NC	0
1955	Stirling Moss Ltd	Maserati 250F	Maserati Straight-6	ARG	MON DNQ	500	BEL	NED	GBR 8	ITA			NC	0

References

• "Obituaries: Lance Macklin". Telegraph.co.uk (London). 4 September 2002. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1406160/Lance-Macklin.html. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 

Sporting positions
Preceded by Reg Parnell	BRDC International Trophy winner 1952	Succeeded by Mike Hawthorn