Bob Anderson (racing driver)

Robert Hugh Fearon Anderson (19 May 1931 – 14 August 1967)[1][2] was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racing driver. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1958 to 1960[3] and in Formula One from 1963 to the 1967 seasons.[4] He was also a two-time winner of the North West 200 race in Northern Ireland. Anderson was one of the last independent privateer drivers in Formula One before escalating costs made it impossible to compete without sponsorship.[1][5]

Bob Anderson
Born(1931-05-19)19 May 1931
Hendon, London, UK
Died14 August 1967(1967-08-14) (aged 36)
Northampton, UK
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years19581960
First race1958 350cc Isle of Man Junior TT
Last race1960 350cc Nations Grand Prix
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
13 0 3 N/A 1 35
Isle of Man TT career
TTs contested3 (19581960)
TT wins0
First TT win
Last TT win
TT podiums2
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Active years19631967
TeamsDW Racing Enterprises (non-works Brabham or Lola)
Entries29 (25 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points8
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1963 British Grand Prix
Last entry1967 British Grand Prix

Racing career

Motorcycle racing

Anderson was born in Hendon in the north of London and later lived in Haynes, Bedfordshire.[1][6] He trained as an agricultural engineer, though left after a year and got a job as a mechanic in a local machinery dealer.[5][6] He began his motorcycle racing career in 1953 competing on a 500cc Triumph Special at Cadwell Park.[6] By 1955 he was racing a Matchless G45 at circuits such as Crystal Palace and Castle Combe and placed 8th at the 1955 Senior Manx Grand Prix.[6] Switching to a Norton in 1956, he finished second to Jimmy Buchan at the Senior Manx Grand Prix and won the 500cc North West 200.[6]

Anderson established himself as one of the top national competitors in 1957 with victories at Cadwell Park, Crystal Palace, Snetterton, Brands Hatch and won the 350cc North West 200.[6] He finished second to world champion John Surtees at the 1958 Senior TT race at the Isle of Man, then considered the most prestigious motorcycle race on the world championship circuit.[7] Anderson began to compete in the Grand Prix world championships in 1958, scoring another second place result behind Geoff Duke at the 350cc Swedish Grand Prix.[3]

Switch to auto racing

At the end of 1960, Anderson sustained a back injury while racing in South Africa, which led him to switch to auto racing at the relatively late age of 29.[1][2] In 1961 he drove a Lola in a Formula Junior race at Snetterton. He continued to race cars and eventually competed as a Team Lotus driver in the Formula Junior championship, winning a race at Autodrome de Montlhéry and finishing second at Monaco.[8]

He entered Formula One in 1963 with his own Lola Mk4 car, under the guise of DW Racing Enterprises, a small team compared to other private outfits such as Scuderia Filipinetti or Rob Walker Racing Team. DW was actually only composed of Anderson and a small team of mechanics. Despite this hindrance he took the flexible little Lola to victory in the non-Championship Rome Grand Prix in that first year. In later years he ran private Brabham cars under the same banner, with his best result a third place in the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix. He was awarded the Von Trips Memorial Trophy as the most successful private entrant of 1964.[1]

In 1967 he suffered an accident while testing at Silverstone, in which he slid off the track in wet conditions and hit a marshal's post.[8] Anderson suffered serious chest and neck injuries and died later in Northampton General Hospital.[9]

Racing record

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6
Points 8 6 4 3 2 1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Points Rank Wins
1958 350cc Norton IOM
8
NED BEL GER
5
SWE
2
ULS NAT
4
11 5th 0
500cc Norton IOM
2
NED BEL
6
GER SWE ULS NAT 7 8th 0
1959 350cc Norton FRA
4
IOM
5
GER SWE ULS NAT 5 9th 0
500cc Norton FRA IOM
NC
GER NED BEL
6
ULS NAT 1 15th 0
1960 125cc MZ IOM
5
NED BEL ULS NAT 2 9th 0
250cc MZ IOM
NC
NED BEL GER ULS NAT 0 0
350cc Norton FRA IOM
6
NED
3
ULS
4
NAT
5
9 5th 0
500cc Norton FRA IOM
8
NED BEL GER ULS NAT 0 0
Source:[3][10]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Pts
1963 DW Racing Enterprises Lola Mk4 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 MON BEL NED FRA GBR
12
GER ITA
12
USA MEX RSA NC 0
1964 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 MON
7
NED
6
BEL
DNS
FRA
12
GBR
7
GER
Ret
AUT
3
ITA
11
USA MEX 11th 5
1965 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 RSA
NC
MON
9
BEL
DNS
FRA
9
GBR
Ret
NED
Ret
GER
DNS
ITA USA MEX NC 0
1966 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FPF 2.8 L4 MON
Ret
BEL FRA
7
GBR
NC
NED
Ret
GER
Ret
ITA
6
USA MEX 17th 1
1967 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FPF 2.8 L4 RSA
5
MON
DNQ
NED
9
BEL
8
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER CAN ITA USA MEX 16th 2
Source:[4]

Non-Championship Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1963 DW Racing Enterprises Lola Mk4 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 LOM
Ret
GLV PAU
Ret
IMO
3
SYR
4
AIN INT ROM
1
SOL
8
KAN
8
MED
6
AUT OUL
Ret
RAN
1964 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 DMT NWT SYR AIN INT
Ret
SOL
3
MED RAN
3
1965 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 ROC
Ret
SYR
6
SMT
DSQ
INT
NC
MED RAN
1966 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FPF 2.8 L4 RSA
DSQ
SYR
DNS
INT
7
OUL
Ret
1967 DW Racing Enterprises Brabham BT11 Climax FPF 2.8 L4 ROC
Ret
SPR
7
INT
8
SYR OUL ESP

References

  1. "Driver: Anderson, Bob". Autocourse Grand Prix Archive. Archived from the original on 20 December 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
  2. Galpin, Darren. "Bob Anderson". Darren Galpin. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  3. "Bob Anderson career statistics at MotoGP.com". iomtt.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  4. "Bob Anderson F1 Statistics & Profile". gpracingstats.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  5. "Bob Anderson". f1forgottendrivers.com. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  6. Pereira, Chris (2019), "Whatever happened to...? Bob Anderson", Classic Racer, Mortons Motorcycle Media Ltd, ISSN 0959-7123
  7. "1958 Isle of Man Senior TT results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  8. "Bob Anderson profile". grandprix.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  9. Autocar, 17 August 1967, Page 50: Obituary.
  10. "Bob Anderson Isle of Man TT results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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