Richard Lloyd (racing driver) facts for kids
| Nationality |  British |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 February 1945 |
| Died | 30 March 2008 (aged 63) Farnborough, London, England |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1982–1985 |
| Teams | GTi Engineering, Richard Lloyd Racing |
| Best finish | 2nd (1985) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Richard Hugh Lloyd (born February 18, 1945 – died March 30, 2008) was a British race car driver. He was also famous for starting many successful racing teams. He competed in different types of car races, like the British Saloon Car Championship and the World Endurance Championship.
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Richard Lloyd's Racing Journey
Richard Lloyd first worked at a music company called Decca Records from 1964 to 1970. During this time, he became very interested in car racing. He started racing a Triumph TR4A car in 1967.
In 1971, he started his own business called Motor Race Relations. This company helped promote car races and drivers. While running his business, he kept racing and won many events in the British Saloon Car Championship.
Building Racing Teams
In 1978, Richard Lloyd created a racing team called GTi Engineering. This team raced popular cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTIs and Audi 80s. His team grew and in 1985, it became Richard Lloyd Racing. At this point, they started racing in the World Sportscar Championship with powerful Porsche 956s and 962s.
After his team closed in 1990, Richard Lloyd went back to racing himself. He drove and won races in the Porsche 924 Championship. In 1995, he started a new team called Audi Sport UK. This team raced in the British Touring Car Championship with support from the Audi car company.
Richard Lloyd returned to sports car racing in 1999 with the Audi R8C car at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Later, another car company, Bentley, chose him to run their EXP Speed 8 racing program in 2001.
Later Racing Years
His team, Audi Sport UK, changed its name to Apex Motorsport while working with Bentley. Later, Apex Motorsport became the team that helped develop the XKR car for racing. Richard Lloyd stopped racing professionally in the 1990s. However, he continued to race in special events for older, classic race cars until he passed away.
Richard Lloyd's Passing
Richard Lloyd passed away on March 30, 2008. He was traveling on a private jet that crashed shortly after taking off from Biggin Hill Airport in England. The investigation into the crash found that problems with the plane's engines caused them to stop working. The pilots could not restart them in time to prevent the crash.
Racing Highlights
Richard Lloyd had a successful career as a racing driver. He competed in many races, including the British Saloon Car Championship. He won several races in this championship, especially in the Class B and Class D categories.
He also raced in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race multiple times. His best finish at Le Mans was an impressive 2nd place in 1985, driving a Porsche 956 GTi.
