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Vic Elford
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Vic Elford
Victor Henry Elford (10 June 1935 – 13 March 2022) was an English sports car racing, rallying, and Formula One driver. He participated in 13 World Championship F1 Grands Prix, debuting on 7 July 1968. He scored a total of 8 championship points.
Nicknamed "Quick Vic" by his peers, Elford was mainly a famous sports car competitor as well as a successful rally driver, associated often with Porsche.
Elford started as a co-driver, partnering David Seigle-Morris in a Triumph TR3A. By 1961, he had acquired the confidence to see himself as a potential driver in his own right: the confidence was not shared by team manager Marcus Chambers, and Elford purchased a race-tuned Mini which he rallied as a privateer with limited success before selling it at the end of the season. 1962 found him achieving success in several UK rallies driving a factory sponsored DKW Junior. The next year saw a return to Triumph, with Elford achieving fast times with the Triumph TR4s, although reliability of the cars in Elford's hands was disappointing, so Elford switched to Ford the following year: this was the beginning of a successful three-year rallying stint with the Ford Cortinas.
In 1967, Elford was European rally champion in a works Porsche 911S. Among other victories, he won the 1968 Rally Monte Carlo in a Porsche 911S and, only a week later, the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Porsche 907, Porsche's first ever overall win in a 24-hour race.
Later that year, he also won the Targa Florio teamed with veteran Umberto Maglioli in a famous come-from-behind race after he lost 18 minutes in the first lap due to a tyre failure. Elford then entered the French Grand Prix and finished fourth in his first F1 race – a wet one, too.
By finishing the 1969 Monaco Grand Prix despite troubles, he became the first driver to do well in both famous events in Monte Carlo since Louis Chiron.
Racing in the World Sportscar Championship for Martini Racing against the JWA Gulf team, he was clocked at over 380 km/h in the Porsche 917LH in practice for the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. He went on to win the 1971 12 Hours of Sebring in a Porsche 917K, as well as several 1000km Nürburgring races.
During the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans, when he saw a burning Ferrari Daytona in front of him, Elford stopped mid-race to save the driver. When opening the door, Elford found an empty cockpit, as the driver had already escaped. Elford then noticed the wreck of a Lola among the trees, with Jo Bonnier having been killed. Cameras caught the act and Elford was named Chevalier of the National Order of Merit by French President Georges Pompidou.
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Vic Elford
Victor Henry Elford (10 June 1935 – 13 March 2022) was an English sports car racing, rallying, and Formula One driver. He participated in 13 World Championship F1 Grands Prix, debuting on 7 July 1968. He scored a total of 8 championship points.
Nicknamed "Quick Vic" by his peers, Elford was mainly a famous sports car competitor as well as a successful rally driver, associated often with Porsche.
Elford started as a co-driver, partnering David Seigle-Morris in a Triumph TR3A. By 1961, he had acquired the confidence to see himself as a potential driver in his own right: the confidence was not shared by team manager Marcus Chambers, and Elford purchased a race-tuned Mini which he rallied as a privateer with limited success before selling it at the end of the season. 1962 found him achieving success in several UK rallies driving a factory sponsored DKW Junior. The next year saw a return to Triumph, with Elford achieving fast times with the Triumph TR4s, although reliability of the cars in Elford's hands was disappointing, so Elford switched to Ford the following year: this was the beginning of a successful three-year rallying stint with the Ford Cortinas.
In 1967, Elford was European rally champion in a works Porsche 911S. Among other victories, he won the 1968 Rally Monte Carlo in a Porsche 911S and, only a week later, the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Porsche 907, Porsche's first ever overall win in a 24-hour race.
Later that year, he also won the Targa Florio teamed with veteran Umberto Maglioli in a famous come-from-behind race after he lost 18 minutes in the first lap due to a tyre failure. Elford then entered the French Grand Prix and finished fourth in his first F1 race – a wet one, too.
By finishing the 1969 Monaco Grand Prix despite troubles, he became the first driver to do well in both famous events in Monte Carlo since Louis Chiron.
Racing in the World Sportscar Championship for Martini Racing against the JWA Gulf team, he was clocked at over 380 km/h in the Porsche 917LH in practice for the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. He went on to win the 1971 12 Hours of Sebring in a Porsche 917K, as well as several 1000km Nürburgring races.
During the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans, when he saw a burning Ferrari Daytona in front of him, Elford stopped mid-race to save the driver. When opening the door, Elford found an empty cockpit, as the driver had already escaped. Elford then noticed the wreck of a Lola among the trees, with Jo Bonnier having been killed. Cameras caught the act and Elford was named Chevalier of the National Order of Merit by French President Georges Pompidou.
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