Ron Flockhart (racing driver) facts for kids
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| Born | 16 June 1923 Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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| Died | 12 April 1962 (aged 38) Kallista, Victoria, Australia |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1954, 1956–1960 |
| Teams | Maserati, BRM, Connaught, Cooper, Lotus |
| Entries | 14 (13 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 5 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1954 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1960 United States Grand Prix |
William Ronald Flockhart (born June 16, 1923 – died April 12, 1962) was a brave British racing driver. He competed in 14 big Formula One races, which are called Grand Prix events. He even finished on the podium once, which means he was one of the top three drivers! Ron also won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race two times.
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Ron Flockhart's Racing Adventures
Ron Flockhart began his racing journey in 1951. He started by driving a JP Formula 3 car. Formula 3 cars are smaller, open-wheel racing cars, often used by drivers starting their careers.
Early Success in Racing
In 1953, Ron bought a very famous racing car called the ERA R4D from Raymond Mays. This car helped him have a super successful year. He even managed to beat one of the official BRM team cars at Goodwood. Goodwood is a famous racing track in England.
Ron earned podium finishes at several races that year. A podium finish means he placed in the top three. He achieved this at Goodwood, Charterhall, Snetterton, and Crystal Palace. He also had many wins in "hill climb" races, where drivers race cars up a steep hill as fast as they can.
Formula One Highlights
Ron Flockhart's best result in a World Championship Formula One race was finishing third. This happened at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix. He was driving a Connaught Type B car. Getting a podium finish in Formula One is a huge achievement!
In 1959, Ron was driving a BRM P25 car. He won the 1959 Lady Wigram Trophy race. This was a non-championship race, meaning it didn't count towards the main Formula One title. In the same year, he also won the 1959 Silver City Trophy. For that race, he started from the very front (called pole position) and also set the fastest lap time.
Winning at Le Mans
Ron Flockhart was incredibly successful in a different type of racing called sports car racing. He won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race twice! This race is held in France and involves teams of drivers racing for a full 24 hours. It's a true test of speed and endurance for both the cars and the drivers.
In 1956, Ron raced for a Scottish team called Ecurie Ecosse. He won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He shared a Jaguar D-type car with another driver named Ninian Sanderson.
The very next year, in 1957, he won again with the same team! This time, his co-driver was Ivor Bueb. They set a new distance record, covering about 2732.8 miles (4400 kilometers) in 24 hours. That's like driving across a huge country without stopping!
Ron's Record Flight Attempts
In the early 1960s, Ron Flockhart decided to try something different. He wanted to break the record for the fastest flight from Sydney, Australia, to London, England. This was a very long and challenging journey by plane.
First Flight Attempt
For his first attempt, Ron used a Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation-built P-51 Mustang. This was a type of fighter plane used in World War Two. He started his flight from Sydney on February 28, 1961. However, he faced many delays because of bad weather. He eventually had to stop his attempt in Athens, Greece, due to engine problems with the plane.
Second Flight Attempt and Sad News
Ron didn't give up. He bought another Mustang plane in Australia to try for the record again. On April 12, 1962, Ron was on a test flight to get ready for his second record attempt. Sadly, his plane crashed in bad weather near Kallista, Victoria, Australia. Ron Flockhart was killed in the accident.
Images for kids
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Ron Flockhart in his racing gear.
