Ron Flockhart (racing driver) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ron Flockhart

Born	(1923-06-16)16 June 1923 Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Died	12 April 1962(1962-04-12) (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 (16 June 1923 – 12 April 1962) was a British racing driver. He participated in 14 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, achieving one podium finish and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race twice.

Racing career

Flockhart started competing in 1951 in a JP Formula 3 car. He purchased the famous ERA R4D from Raymond Mays and in 1953 had a very successful season, beating one of the works BRMs at Goodwood. He achieved podium finishes at Goodwood, Charterhall, Snetterton and Crystal Palace, as well as several hill climb successes.

Flockhart's best World Championship result was third place at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix in a Connaught Type B. In 1959, driving a BRM P25, he won the Lady Wigram Trophy, and qualified on pole, set fastest lap and won the non-championship Silver City Trophy.

In 1956, driving for the Scottish team Ecurie Ecosse, he won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans, sharing an ex-works Jaguar D-type with Ninian Sanderson. The following year he won again for the same team, this time sharing with Ivor Bueb, setting a distance record of 2,732.8 mi (4,398.0 km).

Record flight attempts and death

In the early 1960s, the United Dominions Trust made plans to break the record for the time taken to fly from Sydney to London in order to gain publicity for its UDT Laystall racing team. A Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation-built Mustang World War Two fighter was purchased in Australia and Flockhart was engaged to make the attempt. Flockhart departed Sydney in the Mustang, registered G-ARKD, on 28 February 1961 and after several delays due to bad weather finally ended the attempt at Athens due to engine problems. Flockhart subsequently entered the London-Cardiff Air Race to be held in June that year but withdrew because G-ARKD was still in Athens. G-ARKD was abandoned and another CAC Mustang, registered VH-UWB, was bought in Australia for Flockhart to make a second attempt at the Sydney-London record. On 12 April 1962, while on a test flight in preparation for the record attempt, Flockhart crashed VH-UWB in poor weather near Kallista, Victoria, and was killed.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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

* Shared drive with Prince Bira

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1955	Lotus Engineering	Colin Chapman	Lotus Mark IX	S1.1	99	DNF (Reversed on track)
1956	Ecurie Ecosse	Ninian Sanderson	Jaguar D-Type	S5.0	300	1st	1st
1957	Ecurie Ecosse	Ivor Bueb	Jaguar D-Type	S5.0	327	1st	1st
1959	Ecurie Ecosse	John ‘Jock’ Lawrence	Tojeiro	S3.0	137	DNF (Overheating)
1960	Ecurie Ecosse	Bruce Halford	Jaguar D-Type	S3.0	168	DNF (Crankshaft)
1961	Border Reivers	Jim Clark	Aston Martin DBR1/300	S3.0	132	DNF (Clutch)

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1958	Ecurie Ecosse	Masten Gregory	Jaguar D-Type	S3.0	55	DNF (Engine)