Eric Thompson (racing driver)

Eric Thompson
Born(1919-11-04)4 November 1919
Ditton Hill, Surbiton, Surrey, England, UK
Died22 August 2015(2015-08-22) (aged 95)
Guildford, Surrey
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Active years1952
TeamsConnaught Engineering
Entries1
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points2
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1952 British Grand Prix
Last entry1952 British Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1949–1955
TeamsHRG
Aston Martin
Lagonda
Connaught Engineering
Best finish3rd (1951)
Class wins2 (1949 & 1951)

Eric David Thompson (4 November 1919 – 22 August 2015)[1][2] was a British racing driver, book dealer and insurance broker. He participated in sports car racing between 1949 and 1955 taking his greatest success by finishing third in the 1951 Les 24 Heures du Mans and took part in the 1952 RAC British Grand Prix.

Thompson worked as a broker for Lloyd's of London. His racing career started in 1948, racing cars for HRG. He won the 1.5-litre class in the Les 24 Heures du Mans in 1949 and drove for Aston Martin driving a DB2 to third place in the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also drove in Formula Libre, RAC Tourist Trophy and Formula Two achieving minor success. He took part in his only Formula One race in the 1952 RAC British Grand Prix finishing fifth, and later spent more time working at Lloyd's. He retired from motor racing at the end of 1955. Thompson resigned from Lloyd's in the 1980s and became a dealer of rare books on motorsport.

  1. ^ "Obituary: Eric Thompson 1919-2015". Other News. Autosport.com. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  2. ^ "In Memoriam: Eric Thompson (1919-2015)". Le Mans (in French). Endurance-Info.com. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.