Piers Courage facts for kids
Piers Courage (1968)
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| Born | 27 May 1942 Colchester, Essex, England, UK |
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| Died | 21 June 1970 (aged 28) Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1967–1970 |
| Teams | Lotus, BRM, Brabham, De Tomaso |
| Entries | 29 (27 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Career points | 20 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1967 South African Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1970 Dutch Grand Prix |
Piers Raymond Courage (born May 27, 1942 – died June 21, 1970) was a British racing driver. He competed in 29 Formula One Grands Prix. His first race was on January 2, 1967. He finished on the podium twice and earned 20 championship points during his career.
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Piers Courage's Life and Racing Career
Piers Courage was the oldest son of Richard Courage. His family was well-known for owning the Courage brewing company. Piers went to Eton College, a famous school. He started his racing journey in his own Lotus 7 car.
Early Racing Days
In 1964, Piers raced in F3 in Europe with a Lotus 22. He did well, which made him want to race full-time in 1965. That year, he drove a Brabham car for Charles Lucas. This is when he first worked with Frank Williams, who later became a very important person in Formula 1. Piers won four big races, which caught the eye of Colin Chapman, who ran the Lotus team.
In 1966, Piers joined Lotus to race in F3. Even though his car wasn't as good as the Brabhams, he still managed to beat them sometimes. This helped him move up to F2 racing.
Moving to Formula 1
In 1967, Piers joined the BRM Formula 1 team. His driving style was very aggressive, and he often crashed. Because of this, BRM let him go after the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix. For the rest of that year, he focused on F2 racing with John Coombs's McLaren car. He finished fourth in the F2 championship.
After doing well in the winter Tasman Series (a racing series in Australia and New Zealand), Piers got a chance to drive for Tim Parnell's BRM team in 1968. He scored points in some F1 races that year. He also continued to race for his friend Frank Williams's F2 team.
Success with Frank Williams
When Frank Williams Racing Cars decided to enter Formula 1 in 1969, Piers Courage was their top choice as a driver. Piers drove Williams's dark-blue Brabham BT26 car. This car was very competitive. He finished second in the Monaco Grand Prix and the US Grand Prix.
One of his best races was at the 1969 Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Even with an older car and less power, he stayed with the leading cars for most of the race. He finished fifth. Another fifth-place finish at the 1969 British Grand Prix helped him end the season in eighth place overall.
Piers Courage's Accident and Death
For the 1970 Formula 1 season, Frank Williams's team started using a new car from Alejandro de Tomaso. This De Tomaso car was heavy and often broke down. Piers did manage to get a third-place finish in a non-championship race, but the season was tough.
At the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix at the Zandvoort Circuit, things seemed to be going a bit better. Piers qualified in ninth place. During the race, while he was in the middle of the pack, something went wrong with the De Tomaso's front suspension or steering. The car went straight off the track at a fast corner called Tunnel Oost. It crashed into an embankment and broke apart. The engine came off and the car caught fire. The car used a light metal called magnesium in its parts, which burned very intensely.
During the crash, one of the front wheels hit Piers's head. It is believed that this impact caused his death instantly. Piers Courage was survived by his wife, Lady Sarah Marguerite Curzon, and his two sons, Jason and Amos.
Piers was buried in St Mary the Virgin churchyard in Shenfield, Essex. Sadly, just three years later, another driver named Roger Williamson also had a fatal crash at the same spot on the Zandvoort track.
Racing Achievements
Piers Courage competed in many different types of races. He raced in Formula 1, Formula 2, and the Tasman Series. In the Tasman Series, he had a very successful run in 1968, finishing third overall with a win at the Longford Circuit. He also finished third overall in the 1969 Tasman Series, winning at Teretonga Park. In Formula 2, he achieved several podium finishes and was a strong competitor. He also raced in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, where he finished 8th overall and 1st in class in 1966, and 4th overall and 2nd in class in 1969.
Images for kids
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Courage's family owned Edgcote House for many years.
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