Ken Tyrrell | |
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 Tyrrell at the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix | |
| Born | Robert Kenneth "Ken" Tyrrell 3 May 1924 East Horsley, Surrey, England |
| Died | 25 August 2001 (aged 77) |
| Occupation | Founder of Tyrrell Racing |
| Spouse | Nora Isobel Tyrrell |
| Children | 2 |
Robert Kenneth Tyrrell (3 May 1924 – 25 August 2001) was a British Formula Two racing driver and the founder of the Tyrrell Formula One constructor. [1]
Born in East Horsley, Surrey, [2] Tyrrell served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. After the war he became a timber merchant; as a result, he was sometimes known as "Chopper". In 1952, at 28, he began racing a Norton-powered Cooper in 500 cc (31 cu in) Formula 3. In 1958, he advanced to Formula Two in a Cooper-Climax, joining Cecil Libowitz and Alan Brown. [1] He achieved a number of good placings and the occasional win.
Realising, however, that he was not going to reach the top and recognising that his talents were better suited to team management, Tyrrell stood down as a driver in 1959 and began to run the works Cooper Formula Junior team, using the woodshed owned by his family business, Tyrrell Brothers, as a workshop. By 1961 he was also managing the Mini Coopers, as well as deputising for an injured John Cooper in Formula One. [1]
Tyrrell was responsible for discovering Jackie Stewart, whom he contracted to race for his Formula Junior team, after a test in 1964. [3] Along with numerous lesser lights, he also approved Jody Scheckter and motorcycle racing ace John Surtees. [1] Recognizing the value of the new Cosworth DFV, after a Lotus win at Zandvoort in its debut in 1967, with financial help from Elf, Dunlop and Ford, Tyrrell achieved his dream of moving to Formula 1 in 1968, as team principal for Matra International, a joint-venture established between Tyrrell's own team and the French auto manufacturer Matra. He persuaded Matra that a DFV was good insurance against the possible failure of Matra's V12 and thus the Matra MS10 was the result. [3]
Stewart helped the new team to place second in the Constructors' Championship for 1968. The success led to Matra's Gérard Ducarouge and Bernard Boyer creating the DFV-powered Matra MS80 for 1969, driven by Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Stewart, who won his first World Drivers Championship. [3] Matra insisted on focusing on their V12, leading Tyrrell to secretly employ Derek Gardner, then at Ferguson (whom he had encountered in trials with a four-wheel drive Matra) [3] to build what became the Tyrrell 001. [4] It was quick, if a trifle unreliable, and spawned the much better Tyrrell 003 for 1971. [5] This, in the hands of Stewart and newly hired François Cevert, took eight wins during 1971 and 1972 and gave Stewart the 1971 World Drivers' Championship. [5]
For 1972, Gardner tried inboard brakes on the 005 but proved unable to work out their problems. [5] [6]
During his early years in F1, "Uncle" Ken, as he was often known, reached the peak of his career. The 006, with its tall airbox, appeared in 1973 and was better than the 005. [7] However, Tyrrell was profoundly affected by the death of Cevert in practice for the 1973 US Grand Prix, leading to Stewart announcing his retirement, the World Championship already his. [8]
With the death of Cevert and the departure of Stewart, Tyrrell in 1974 hired Scheckter and Patrick Depailler and Gardner designed the less-twitchy 007. [7] It was good enough for Scheckter to place third in the World Championship and for Depailler to be ninth in his rookie season and for the team to continue to campaign the car during 1975. [7] In the following years, the Tyrrell team slipped down the rankings to mid-field, despite having employed natural talents such as Scheckter, Depailler and Ronnie Peterson, as well as lesser lights like Jean-Pierre Jabouille, in a third 007 in 1975. [7]
Still, Tyrrell found the time to introduce new concepts for F1. In 1976, the Tyrrell team created the six-wheeled P34, with four front wheels. The Gardner-designed single-seater achieved a race victory but it was abandoned after Goodyear refused to develop the small tyres needed exclusively for the car as it would detract from the efforts in the ongoing tyre war with other tyre manufacturers.
In the early 1980s Tyrrell's fortunes declined to the point where he had to run his team without sponsorship. Tyrrell still retained his eye for talent, bringing Michele Alboreto, Stefan Bellof and Martin Brundle to F1, but was not able to retain them. Without the proper funding, Tyrrell was the only entrant with the Cosworth DFV at a time when all other teams had switched to turbocharged engines. Alboreto scored the engine's last win in 1983, but in 1984 the team was excluded from the championship after being found to have run underweight cars before adding ballast during pit stops. Tyrrell denied this and felt his team was being singled out for refusing to run more expensive turbos.
In the early 1990s Tyrrell relinquished much of the company's control to his sons and to Harvey Postlethwaite, who was the first to introduce the high-nose concept in the 1990 Tyrrell. Jean Alesi scored two-second places in the car and the team led a lap for the last time. Their final podium finish was in 1994 with Mark Blundell and their final points at the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix, with 5th position from Mika Salo.
In 1997 the Tyrrell F1 team was bought by British American Tobacco and Craig Pollock to create British American Racing. Tyrrell did not stay with the team for its last year under the Tyrrell name (1998), after Pollock insisted on hiring Ricardo Rosset, whom Tyrrell regarded as less capable than the also-available Jos Verstappen. Tyrrell also approached Norberto Fontana and had even drafted a contract, but this was also vetoed by British American Racing.
On 25 August 2001 Ken Tyrrell died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 77.
Media related to Ken Tyrrell at Wikimedia Commons
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Jody David Scheckter is a South African business proprietor and former motor racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980, winning the Drivers' Championship in 1979 with Ferrari. Scheckter is the first and, as of 2024, only driver from the continent of Africa to have won a Formula One race or the World Drivers' Championship.
The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell (1924–2001) which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three Drivers' Championships and one Constructors' Championship with Jackie Stewart. The team never reached such heights again, although it continued to win races through the 1970s and into the early 1980s, taking the final win for the Ford Cosworth DFV engine at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix. The team was bought by British American Tobacco in 1997 and completed its final season as Tyrrell in the 1998 Formula One season. Tyrrell's legacy continues in Formula One as the Mercedes-AMG F1 team, who is Tyrrell's descendant through various sales and rebrandings via BAR, Honda, and Brawn GP.
Vanwall was a British motor racing team and racing car constructor that was active in Formula One during the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London. Originally entering modified Ferraris in non-championship races, Vanwall constructed their first cars to race in the 1954 Formula One season. The team achieved their first race win in the 1957 British Grand Prix, with Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks sharing a VW 5, earning the team the distinction of constructing the first British-built car to win a World Championship race. Vanwall won the inaugural Constructors' Championship in Formula One in 1958, in the process allowing Moss and Brooks to finish second and third in the Drivers' Championship standings, each winning three races for Vanwall. Vandervell's failing health meant 1958 would be the last full season; the squad ran cars in a handful of races in the following years, but finished racing in 1961.
Albert François Cevert was a French racing driver who took part in the Formula One World Championship. He competed in 48 World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one win, 13 podium finishes and 89 career points.
The 1971 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 4 July 1971. It was race 5 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 55-lap race was won by Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart after he started from pole position. His teammate François Cevert finished second and Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi came in third.
The 1972 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 8, 1972, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 12 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 59-lap race was won by Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart after he started from pole position. His teammate François Cevert finished second and McLaren driver Denny Hulme came in third. This was the debut race of the future world champion Jody Scheckter.
The 1973 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 7, 1973 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 15 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.
The 1974 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Buenos Aires on 13 January 1974. It was race 1 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 53-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after he started from tenth position. Niki Lauda finished second for the Ferrari team and his teammate Clay Regazzoni came in third.
The 1974 Formula One season was the 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October. The season also included three non-championship races.
The 1973 Formula One season was the 27th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series that commenced on 28 January and ended on 7 October. The season also included two non-championship races which were open to both Formula One and Formula 5000 cars.
The 1971 Formula One season was the 25th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 22nd World Championship of Drivers, the 14th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and a number of non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over eleven races between 6 March and 3 October.
Patrick André Eugène Joseph Depailler was a racing driver from France. He participated in 95 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 2 July 1972. He also participated in several non-championship Formula One races.
The Matra MS80 was the fourth Formula One car produced by Matra. The Ford Cosworth DFV-powered car took Jackie Stewart to the Formula One World Championship title in 1969.
The Tyrrell 003 is a Formula One (F1) racing car which was designed by Tyrrell's chief designer, Derek Gardner and used in the 1971 and 1972 F1 seasons. It was driven by Jackie Stewart to the 1971 World Drivers' Championship.
Eric Harrison Broadley MBE was a British entrepreneur, engineer, and founder and chief designer of Lola Cars, the motor racing manufacturer and engineering company. He was arguably one of the most influential automobile designers of the post-war period, and over the years Lola was involved with many high-profile projects in Formula One, IndyCar, and sports car racing. Broadley sold Lola to Martin Birrane in 1997.
The Tyrrell 006 was a Formula One car designed and built by the Tyrrell Racing Organisation. It was introduced towards the end of 1972. In the hands of Jackie Stewart it won the Drivers' Championship for the 1973 Formula One season, Stewart's third and final title. The car was first raced at the 1972 Canadian Grand Prix with Stewart's teammate and protégé François Cevert at the wheel. The 006 was a very slightly reworked version of the preceding Tyrrell 005 car, but in contrast it was the first Tyrrell-built models to be replicated, the number 006 becoming a model- rather than chassis-number; previous Tyrrells were one-off constructions. In total there were three Tyrrell 006 chassis built: 006; 006/2; and 006/3. The 006 model was gradually phased out in the early part of the 1974 Formula One season as Tyrrell constructed the succeeding Tyrrell 007.
The March 701 is a Formula One racing car model, designed by Robin Herd with Peter Wright, and built by March Engineering. The 701 was March's first Formula One design – following their one-off March 693P Formula Three prototype of 1969 – and was designed and built in only three months. The March 701 made its race debut a month after its public unveiling, at the 1970 South African Grand Prix. In total, eleven 701s were constructed, with March supplying many privateer entrants as well as their own works team. The 701's career started well, March drivers taking three wins and three pole positions from the car's first four race entries, but lack of development through the 1970 Formula One season resulted in increasingly poor results as the year wore on. The 701 was superseded by the March 711 in 1971, and made its last World Championship race appearance at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix.
The Matra Company's racing team, under the names of Matra Sports, Equipe Matra Elf and Equipe Matra Sports, was formed in 1965 and based at Champagne-sur-Seine (1965–1967), Romorantin-Lanthenay (1967–1969) and Vélizy-Villacoublay (1969–1979). In 1979 the team was taken over by Peugeot and renamed as Automobiles Talbot.
The Tyrrell 001 is a Formula One racing car which was designed by Tyrrell Racing's chief designer, Derek Gardner and used at the end of the 1970 and the beginning of the 1971 Formula One season. The car competed in five Grands Prix, retiring on four occasions and achieving one second-place finish.
The Tyrrell 007 is a Formula One racing car, designed by Tyrrell's Chief Designer, Derek Gardner. It was used in the 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977 Formula One seasons.
