Ivor Bueb

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Ivor Bueb bigraphy, stories - British racing driver

Ivor Bueb : biography

6 June 1923 – 1 August 1959

Ivor Léon John Bueb (6 June 1923, East Ham, London – 1 August 1959, Clermont-Ferrand, France) was a sports car racing and Formula One driver from England.

Bueb started racing seriously in a Formula 3 500cc Cooper in 1953, graduating to the Cooper works team in 1955 when he finished second in the British championship. He made occasional starts in Grands Prix in 1957 with a Connaught and a Maserati run by Gilby Engineering. The following year he raced Bernie Ecclestone’s Connaught at Monaco, and drove a Formula Two Lotus at the German Grand Prix. In 1959 he had two outings for BRP, firstly a non-qualification at Monaco, then another Formula Two entry at the British Grand Prix. He participated in 6 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix in all, but scored no championship points. He also participated in numerous non-Championship Formula One races.

He is best known for sharing the winning works Jaguar D-type with Mike Hawthorn in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans; a success he repeated with Ron Flockhart in the ex-works Ecurie Ecosse car in 1957.

Bueb suffered serious injures in 1959 when he crashed his BRP Cooper-Borgward Formula Two car at the Charade Circuit near Clermont-Ferrand, France. He crashed at Gravenoire, a multiple apex-section at the very far end of the circuit, and was thrown out of his Cooper. He died six days later at a hospital near the circuit.

Complete World Championship Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points
1957 Connaught Engineering ConnaughtType B Alta Straight-4 ARG MONRet 500 FRA NC 0
Gilby Engineering Ltd. Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 GBRNC GER PES ITA
1958 BC Ecclestone ConnaughtType B Alta Straight-4 ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBRRet NC 0
Ecurie Demi Litre Lotus 12 Climax Straight-4 GER11 * POR ITA MOR
1959 British Racing Partnership Cooper T51 Climax Straight-4 MONDNQ 500 NED FRA NC 0
Borgward Straight-4 GBR13 * GER POR ITA USA

* Formula 2 entry.