Lance Macklin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lance Macklin
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| Born | 2 September 1919 Kensington, London, England
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| Died | 29 August 2002 (aged 82) |
| Children | 3 |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1952 – 1955 |
| Teams | HWM, privateer Maserati |
| Entries | 15 (13 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1952 Swiss Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1955 British Grand Prix |
Lance Noel Macklin (born September 2, 1919 – died August 29, 2002) was a British racing driver from England. He took part in 15 Formula One World Championship races. His first race was on May 18, 1952. He is remembered for his part in the terrible 1955 Le Mans disaster. This accident started a chain reaction of events.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Lance Macklin was born in Kensington, London. His father, Noel Macklin, was a successful businessman. He started car companies like Invicta and Railton. He also built boats for the World War II effort.
Lance went to Eton College, a famous school. In 1939, he joined the Royal Navy. He worked with motor gun boats, just like his father's business.
Racing Career Highlights
After World War II, Lance decided to become a racing driver. He had always dreamed of it. At first, he was not allowed to race because he had no experience.
First Races and Successes
In 1948, he got to race in the Grand Prix des Frontières. He practiced by driving his Invicta car very fast on public roads. He even learned to slide his car around corners in London. His driving impressed people, and he soon joined Aston Martin.
He became a reserve driver for the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He also raced at the Spa 24 Hours, finishing fifth. In 1950, he finished fifth at Le Mans with his teammate George Abecassis.
Joining HWM and Formula One
George Abecassis owned a team called HWM. He invited Lance to race for them. Lance won the BRDC International Trophy in 1952. This was his biggest win in motor racing.
HWM also gave Lance his first chance in the Formula One World Championship. However, the HWM team was small. They could not compete with bigger, richer teams. Lance did not score any championship points. While at HWM, Lance became good friends with a young driver named Stirling Moss.
Return to Le Mans and Challenges
Lance went back to Le Mans with Aston Martin in 1951. He finished third overall. He also won his class for the second time. Class wins were not celebrated much back then.
In 1952, he left Aston Martin. He joined the Bristol team the next year. This new team did not have much success. Lance was known for being very confident and friendly. Sometimes, he was more interested in meeting people than in racing. His teammate George Abecassis once said that Lance "never cared whether he started in a race or not."
The 1955 Le Mans Disaster
In 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, Lance was involved in a very sad accident. It was one of the worst crashes in racing history. The accident killed driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators. It is known as the "1955 Le Mans disaster".
Lance was driving his car when Mike Hawthorn suddenly braked hard. Hawthorn was trying to enter the pit lane. To avoid hitting Hawthorn's car, Lance swerved. This put him in the path of Levegh's car. Levegh's car clipped Lance's car. Lance's car crashed, but he was not hurt.
This event deeply affected Lance. He felt that people were trying to blame him for the accident. He also felt that Hawthorn was trying to avoid responsibility.
Retirement from Racing
Lance continued to race for a short time. But another sad event happened soon after. At the RAC Tourist Trophy race, Lance crashed his Austin-Healey 100S. He was trying to avoid another accident where two drivers, Jim Mayers and William T. Smith, were killed.
After these two terrible experiences, Lance's girlfriend asked him to stop racing. He decided to retire from motor sport.
Life After Racing
After leaving racing, Lance Macklin started a new career. He joined a company called Facel Vega in Paris. He managed their export division. When the company closed in 1963, he began working for a car dealership in London called H.R. Owen.
Personal Life and Later Years
Lance Macklin was married two times. He had two children from his first marriage and one from his second.
Later in his life, he moved to Spain. However, he returned to England when he became ill. Lance Macklin passed away on August 29, 2002. He died in Tenterden, Kent, just a few days before his 83rd birthday.
