Ian Burgess facts for kids
| Born | 6 July 1930 London, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 19 May 2012 (aged 81) Harrow, London |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1958 – 1963 |
| Teams | Cooper (inc. non-works), Scirocco Non-works Lotus |
| Entries | 20 (16 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1958 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1963 German Grand Prix |
Ian John Burgess (born July 6, 1930, died May 19, 2012) was a British racing driver from London. He competed in 20 Formula One World Championship races, starting his first one on July 19, 1958. He also raced in many other Formula One events that weren't part of the official championship. Even though he was a skilled driver, he didn't score any championship points during his Formula One career.
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Ian Burgess's Racing Journey
Starting Out in Racing
Ian Burgess began his racing adventure in 1950. He started with a Cooper Formula Three car. Formula Three is a type of racing for smaller, lighter cars, often a stepping stone for new drivers. He had a great year in 1951, even winning a race at the famous Nürburgring track in Germany! After that, he moved on to sports cars and Formula Two racing, which is another step up from Formula Three. He didn't have as much success in these categories at first.
Working with Cooper and Big Wins
Ian also worked for the Cooper company. He helped out in their factory and at their special school for drivers at Brands Hatch. In 1957, he got to race one of Cooper's own Formula Two cars. He did very well, finishing fourth in the Oulton Park Gold Cup race.
This success led him to drive for Tommy Atkins' team in 1958, using a similar car. He won races at Crystal Palace and Snetterton. He also earned fourth places at Reims and Montlhéry. However, his season ended early when he broke his leg at AVUS. Before this injury, he made his very first Formula One appearance for Cooper at the British Grand Prix.
Formula One Challenges
Ian returned to racing in 1959. He drove a Cooper T51 car with a Maserati engine for the Scuderia Centro Sud team. His best result that year was finishing sixth in the German Grand Prix. He continued with the same team in 1960, but he didn't have much success.
In 1961, Ian joined the American Camoradi International team. He took part in five Grand Prix races, starting three of them. His best finish was 12th in the German Grand Prix. In 1962, he moved to the Anglo American Equipe team and competed in three Grand Prix races, but he didn't finish higher than 11th. The year 1963 was his last in racing. He competed in two Grand Prix races for the Scirocco-Powell team, but had to retire from both.
Ian Burgess passed away in Harrow when he was 81 years old.
