Roy Salvadori | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Salvadori at the 1958 12 Hours of Sebring | |
| Born | Roy Francesco Salvadori 12 May 1922 Dovercourt, Essex, England, |
| Died | 3 June 2012 (aged 90) Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Spouse |
Susan Hindmarsh (m. 1960) |
| Relatives |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1952–1962 |
| Teams | Privateer Ferrari, Connaught, Gilby, Maserati, BRM, Vanwall, Cooper, privateer Cooper, Aston Martin, Parnell |
| Entries | 50 (47 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Career points | 19 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1952 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1962 South African Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1953–1963 |
| Teams | Aston Martin, Border Reivers, Jaguar |
| Best finish | 1st (1959) |
| Class wins | 2 (1959, 1962) |
Roy Francesco Salvadori (12 May 1922 – 3 June 2012) was a British racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1952 to 1962. In endurance racing, Salvadori won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 with Aston Martin.
Born in Dovercourt to parents of Italian descent, Salvadori began competing in Grand Prix motor racing after World War II. His early career successes at tracks such as Silverstone and Snetterton earned him the nickname "King of the Airfields". He graduated to Formula One by 1952 and competed regularly until 1962 for a succession of teams including Cooper, Vanwall, BRM, Aston Martin and Connaught. Also a competitor in other formulae, he won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans in an Aston Martin with co-driver Carroll Shelby.
In 47 starts he achieved two F1 Championship podium finishes: third place at the 1958 British Grand Prix and second place at that year's German Grand Prix, and won non-championship races in Australia, New Zealand and England. In 1961 he was lying second in the United States Grand Prix when his Cooper's engine failed. At the end of 1962 he retired from F1, and stopped racing altogether a couple of years later to concentrate on the motor trade. He returned to the sport in 1966 to manage the Cooper-Maserati squad for two seasons, and eventually retired to Monaco.