Trevor Taylor

This article is about the British racing driver. For the Canadian politician, see Trevor Taylor (politician).
Trevor Taylor
Born (1936-12-26)26 December 1936
Died 27 September 2010(2010-09-27) (aged 73)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality United Kingdom British
Active years 1959, 19611964, 1966
Teams Lotus (incl. non-works), BRP, Shannon, non-works Cooper
Entries 29 (27 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 1
Career points 8
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1959 British Grand Prix
Last entry 1966 British Grand Prix

Trevor Taylor (26 December 1936 – 27 September 2010) was a British motor racing driver from England.

Early career

Trevor Taylor was born in Sheffield, the son of a garage owner from Rotherham. He began his racing career in 500 cc (30.5 cu in) Formula Three racing, initially in a Staride and later a Cooper-Norton. Ten victories in 1958 earned him the British Formula Three Championship. After a frustrating year in 1959 spent with his own Formula Two Cooper, he received an invitation to run his Lotus 18 as a second works car for 1960. He finished equal first in the Formula Junior championship with Jim Clark, although he competed in two more races that counted towards the championship than Clark[1] who was already driving regularly for Team Lotus in Formula One. Taylor went on to win the title on his own account in 1961.[1] At the end of 1961 Taylor got a regular Formula One drive with Team Lotus and proved competitive with Clark and Moss in the South African series in December 1961.

Formula One career

Taylor participated in 29 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, qualifying for 27 of them.[1] He made his debut on 18 July 1959, in the British Grand Prix held that year at Aintree, driving a privately entered 1.5-litre Cooper T51 but did not qualify.[1] In 1961 he was thirteenth at that year's Dutch Grand Prix, his only World Championship drive that year. He was second in the 1962 Formula One season opening Dutch Grand Prix,[1] his only World Championship podium finish.

At the end of 1962 Taylor had a win and a second place at two non-championship events in South Africa. He continued with Team Lotus in 1963, but after a handful of top three finishes in non-championship events, his best World Championship result was sixth place in the opening race at Monaco, and thereafter he was rarely competitive, not helped by two serious accidents at Spa and Enna-Pergusa. Team owner Colin Chapman suggested Taylor take a sabbatical after the end of the 1963 season. After an unsuccessful season with the British Racing Partnership in 1964, Taylor withdrew from Formula One competition.

During his career he achieved one podium finish, and scored a total of eight championship points. He also participated in numerous non-Championship Formula One races during this time and won three, including one shared with Clark, in 1962 and 1963. Taylor is credited with inventing the yellow stripe that ran down the middle of Team Lotus cars during the 1960s.[2]

After 1964 Taylor enjoyed lesser forms of racing, and tested a Cosworth Formula One car in 1969 which was entered for Grands Prix but did not race.In that the opening year of F5000, Trevor Taylor was a strong contestant in the Guards Championship winning F5000 rounds in a Surtees TS5 in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Ireland and finished runner up to Peter Gethin in the 1969 F5000 series.

Taylor died at the age of 73 after contracting cancer.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 WDC Points
1959 Ace Garage (Rotherham) Cooper T51 Climax Straight-4 MON 500 NED FRA GBR
DNQ
GER POR ITA USA NC 0
1961 Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax Straight-4 MON NED
13
BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA NC 0
1962 Team Lotus Lotus 24 Climax V8 NED
2
MON
Ret
BEL
Ret
GBR
8
GER
Ret
10th 6
Lotus 25 FRA
8
ITA
Ret
USA
12
RSA
Ret
1963 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax V8 MON
6
BEL
Ret
NED
10
FRA
13
GBR
Ret
GER
8
ITA USA
Ret
MEX
Ret
RSA
8
17th 1
1964 British Racing Partnership BRP 1 BRM V8 MON
Ret
NED AUT
Ret
ITA
DNQ
22nd 1
BRP 2 BEL
7
FRA
Ret
USA
6
MEX
Ret
Lotus 24 GBR
Ret
GER
1966 Aiden Jones / Paul Emery Shannon Climax V8 MON BEL FRA GBR
Ret
NED GER ITA USA MEX NC 0

Non-Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1959 Ace Garage (Rotherham) Cooper T51 F2 Climax Straight-4 GLV AIN
NC
INT OUL SIL
9
1961 Team Lotus Lotus 18 Climax Straight-4 LOM GLV PAU
Ret
BRX
Ret
VIE AIN
19
SYR NAP LON SIL
9
SOL
9
KAN DAN MOD FLG OUL
Ret
LEW VAL
Lotus 21 RAN
2
NAT
Ret
RSA
Ret
1962 Team Lotus Lotus 21 Climax Straight-4 CAP
1
BRX
10
LOM
Ret
LAV GLV
Lotus 24 Climax V8 PAU
11
AIN
5
INT
10
NAP MAL CLP
Ret
RMS
Ret
SOL
3
KAN MED
Lotus 25 DAN
6
OUL
Ret
MEX
1
RAN
2
NAT
1
1963 Team Lotus Lotus 25 Climax V8 LOM
DNA
GLV PAU
2
IMO
9
SYR
WD
AIN
3
INT
3
ROM SOL
Ret
KAN
2
MED
Ret
AUT OUL
Ret
RAN
10
1964 British Racing Partnership Lotus 24 BRM V8 DMT
Ret
NWT
3
SYR
BRP 1 AIN
Ret
INT
Ret
SOL MED
Ret
RAN

Win shared with Jim Clark, who took over the car after being disqualified for a push start.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Steve Small. The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. pp. 380–381. ISBN 0851127029.
  2. Trevor Taylor dies aged 73 Autosport.com
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