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"After Roger it weren 't fair on any driver because he was so superior, nobody could take his place in my heart. He asked me for nothing in life."- Tom Wheatcroft |
Heroes and cowards |
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Roger
Williamson was a brilliant talent. Even then, in only his second
year of serious racing in the big league after seasons in karts,
Minis and terrorizing the British club scene in his famous Ford
Anglia, that much was obvious. |
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Roger Williamson was from Barkby Road, Leicester. At eight, Roger first drove in public a miniature stock car at Leicester Stadium during a speedway meeting. Four year later he had his first kart and gained his experience driving it in field off Narborourgh Road South, Breunstone. |
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Two years later at 14 he was old enough to start racing. In four years he progressed from junior kart to the top class and at one time in 1966 he was checked doing 114 m.p.h at Alton Parkm at that time the fastet speed a kart had ever been know travel. During this period he won 125 trophies and his last season he finished Class 4 champion of Britain. Class 4 was for karts fitted with 200 c.c engines and fourspeed gearbox. | |
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Roger
as "pusher" right
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1967
he switched to Mini racing and with friend Chris Randell prepared
an 850 saloon. During the season he had 18 races which resulted
in 14 wins, he held six track records, icluding both long and short
circuits at Malory. 1968 was very much down after his F3 racing
car caught fire. He was back at Snetterton with 1300 c.c. Mini which
has been loaned to him for rest of the season.
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1968
Roger was very much down after his Formula 3 racing car caught
fire. Changed to a Ford Anglia and had a win, two 2nds and a 3rd
at Mallory Park. He also tried a Cooper T72 but crashed and destroyed
the car at Cadwell Park
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Feb. 1968 : His father, Dodge Williamson, a former speedway
rider, built Roger's first car which was powered by a lawn mower
engine. This he used to drive around the, garden when he was four.
This is a far cry from the eight-year-old boy who drove round Leicester
Stadium in a miniature stock car. It will be a testing season for
him for if he can make the grade thenundoubtedly his sights must
be on Formula 2 and eventually Formula 1. During
the season /1967/ he held six track records, including both long
and short circuits at Mallory, which he still holds, and at the
end of the season he was awarded the John Aley 850 Championship
for gaining most points during the season in the East Midlands area. |
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1969
- further success came with the Anglia, winning at Mallory Park
(four times) and Thruxton once, plus two 2nds at Brands Hatch, 2nd
at Silverstone and 3rd at Snetterton, Castle Combe and Mallory Park.
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1970
- became the Hepolite Glacier Special Saloon Car Champion with his
Anglia. He had three wins and a 3rd at Oulton Park, two wins at Malory Park, three wins and a 2nd at Brands Hatch, two wins at Castle Combe, a win and 2nd at Mondello Park and wins at Crystal Palace and Thruxton. |
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Roger Williamson, Jody Scheckter and James Hunt |
Donington Collection |
Roger Williamson at Brands Hatch in his 713M |
Lotuses in a March sandwich, Roger Williamson leads Claude Bourgoignie, Dave Walker and James Hunt. |
A very close run thing, Williamson gets his March to the flag. Brands Hatch |
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Despite
this brake locking moment at the chicane early in the race Roger
Williamson drove superbly. Thruxton
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Roger
Williams (March 713) and François Migault (Martini MW7) during their
battle for fifth. Thruxton |
Roger
Williamson's March cruising to an easy victory in the Petonyer Trophy |
Roger Williamson debuted the new March 723. Brands Hatch |
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Roger's
transporter
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| 1971
- stepped into F3 with a March 713M and was immediately successful,
taking the Lombard Championship /90 points/and finishing runner-up
In the Shell series /56 points/. He won at Brands Hatch (four times),
Crystal Palace. Thruxton. Oulton Park and Crystal Palace. He added
four 2nds at Mallory Park. 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th al Thruxton, two
2nds, a 3rd and two 5ths at Brands Hatch, 2nd and 5th at Silverstone
and 2nd at Croft. Crystal Palace and Snetterton. He finished 3rd
at Cadwell Park and in the Empire Trophy, 4th at the British Grand
Prix meeting and Paul Ricard and 71h at Monaco.
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He also partnered Steve Thompson in the British Team to 5th in the F3 European Cup. And had his talent recognised in the Grovewood Awards at the end of the year. Williamson , who rocketed into international prominence through winning 14 races in onlu his first season of single seat racing. He received award B.P. Man of 1971, Grovewood Award and Driver of the Year from British Racing and Sports Car Club. |
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12
Nov 1971 : Williamson, who rocketed into international prominence
through winning 14 races in only his first season of single seat
racing, was presented with a Dexter Brown oil painting of himself
in his March car, by the Honourable Gerald Lascelles, President
of the . British Racing Drivers' Club and a cousin of the Queen. Earlier this month, Williamson, who is 23, received Ł1,000 as the top Grovewood Award winner, being the country's most promising young driver. During an outstanding season, the Leicester man, who works in his father's garage, has won- the Lombank championship and finished second in both the Shell Motor Sport and Forward Trust Formula Three series. Tonight he receives a third award - this time as the Midland Driver of the Year - from the British Racing and Sports Car Club. |
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- British F3: Won Forward Trust Championship (50 points) and ShellChampionship
(78 points), double F3 Champion in the Forward Trust and Shells
Oils Championships, starting the year with his March, before changing
to a GRD. He had wins at Oulton Park (twice), Cadwell Park (twice)
Thruxton (twice) and at Silverstone, La Chatre, and Anderstorp.
Clermont Ferrand, Mallory Park, Snetterton and in the British Grand
Prix support race. He finished 2nd and 4th at Brands Hatch, took
two 4ths at Mallory Park, 3rd and 5th at Silverstone, 2nd at Snetterton
and Zandvoort. 4th at Thruxton and 5th at Crystal Palace.
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His other results included 6th in a Brands Hatch Formula Atlantic
race in a GRD, 7th at Oulton Park in F2 with a March 722 and 7th
at Oulton Park in F5000 in a Kitchmac. These are made by the British
Racing Drivers Club, and Willaimson gets his for being the best
British driver, and Tom Wheatcorft as the most successfull British
private entrant. |
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1972 F3 Champion, Roger Williamson |
Roger
Williamson powers his GRD on to another impressively easy victory.
Brands Hatch |
Williamson's GRD heads. |
Roger
Williamson and Tony Brise. La Charte |
One-two
on the track, one two in the race, Roger Williamson leads Mike Walker
(Ensign). Thruxton
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Roger Williamson flies his
GRD over the Mountain. Cadwell Park.
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The
GRD of Roger Williamson leads the Ensign of Mike Walker. Anderstorp
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Patrick
Depailler's Alpine heads Roger Williamson. Thruxton
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Roger
Williamson leads Jacques Coulon, José Dolhem and Claudio Francisci
during the second heat. Monaco
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The
heat one battle for the lead, Pryce leads Walker and Williamson.
Zandvoort
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They
don't come any closer than this, the two GRDs cross the line with
Williamson on the right just getting the verdict over Brise to the
left. Snetterton
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Castle
with Hunt No.8
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A few races in GRD 273 Hockenheim |
Hockenheim |
Mallory Park |
Rouen |
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Misano ? |
Donington |
Mallory Park |
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1973 - F2: after a few early season F3 races he started racing in F2 with a Wheatcroft-backed GRD 273, before changing to a March 732. He won the Monza Lotteria and took 7th at Pau, 8th at Thruxton, 9th at Mallory Park and 11th at the Nurburgring /results/ |
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Last win at Monza |
After
winning a dramatic Monza, Roger easily ledat Misano Adriatico until
electrical failure
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Roger's last win in Monza: 3 Roger and 9 V.Brambilla |
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1973
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F
1
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In
February 1973, Louis Stanley asked Roger Williamson to help
BRM with their test programme under the premise that team leader
Clay Regazzoni couldn't make it. This was no more than a smokescreen
in order to evalute Roger at close quarters...
Roger was firstly sent out in a P180 and, in spite of the cold weather, equalled the lap record before an upright broke. Not bad for his first run in an F1 car, and the BRM management were understandably excited so they then strapped him in a P160. He lapped consistantly below the lap record in that chassis, on various sets of tyres. Williamson was duly offered a contract (to take what became Lauda's drive) which was vetoed by his mentor Tom Wheatcroft, who wanted him in a Cosworth-powered team. As we all know, a deal with March was done mid-season which saw Britain's hottest up-and-comer in as stand-in for when Jarier was busy winning the F2 title. However, a Tyrrell contract was also being discussed for 1974, which would also have seen Roger in the third car for Canada and Watkins Glen at the end of 1973. Ultimately that contract was never signed, as Williamson and Wheatcrof had decided to run their own McLaren M23 for 1974, such was the loyalty between the pair. Remembering these things amplifies the tragedy of what happened in Holland all the more..
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1973 GP Dutch GP, Zandvoort: tragically in the next race, the Dutch at Zandvoort, he crashed and died needlessly as the marshals failed to control what started as a minor fire.. At
Zandvoort Roger was killed. He and David
Purley were running their similar March 731Gs in close
company when the left front tyre on Roger's car exploded on their
eighth lap at the section of the track where Piers Courage had
crashed three years earlier. They had just negotiated the left-right
flick called Hondenvlak and were in the first of two fast fifth-gear
right-handers when the incident occurred. The March struck the
outer guardrail, the supports of which, incredibly, had only been
set in the soft sand that is such a feature of the seaside track.
It bent back with the weight of the car, before flipping it back
on to the track, where it landed upside-down, right on the apex
of the second right-hander. The left-hand fuel tank had been damaged,
and a small fire started. David
Purley : Through
his tears he said, "I just couldn't turn it over. I could
see he was alive and I could hear him shouting, but I couldn't
get the car over. I was trying to get people to help me, and if
I could have turned the car over he would have been alright, we
could have got him out." Denny
Hulme / Autosport
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of the problems may have been that the drivers were unaware of
the seriousness of the accident; I certainly never knew that anyone
was still in the burning car until after I had retired in the
pits. When I came past the first time I saw the car on fire and
David Purley brushing flames off himself and my initial reaction
was that he had crashed and had managed to get out of the car
OK, but when he was still there struggling two laps later I started
to wonder. It never occurred to me that it was his car stopped
on the other side of the road. I just presumed that there had
been a two-car accident and that David had climbed out of the
burning car, Initially the fire was small and the flame was low,
blowing sideways as though a petrol line had severed and with
the pump still on it was feeding flame out sideways like an acetylene
torch. If Purley had had assistance as soon as he arrived, Roger
could probably have been rescued. As it turned out, it was a complete
disaster. The first truck took some eight minutes to arrive after
driving round most of the track while the other truck stood 150
yards away and did nothing. I simply fail to understand it. Ian Philips - journalist and friend : "Purley actually had a conversation with him. David was hying to turn him over and told me afterwards how Roger had said to him, For God's sake, David, get me out of here', and he just couldn't get him out. The circumstances were just appalling. Berger's thing at Imola in 1989 proved just how much things have changed over the years.
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A
statue of Roger Williamson has been unveiled to mark the 30th anniversary
of his death.
Donington owner Tom Wheatcroft, who sponsored Williamson throughout his career, revealed the tribute 30 years to the day after the 25-year-old was killed at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. Williamson's sister Barbara Upton attended the ceremony at the Leicestershire circuit. |
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SADDEST
DAY OF MY LIFE - TOM WHEATCROFT
BY
GEORGE DRYDEN
The 80-year-old Donington Park owner, who provided moral and financial support to Williamson during his career, said that the driver was "like a son". And he explained that the day Williamson died had been "so strange" with an occurrence of number 13s. "The day he died was so strange, just lots of little things," said Wheatcroft. "The car should have been number 13, but it was changed at the last minute, the race was 13 minutes late starting and when he crashed, he was in 13th position. "He was like a son to me - such a big part of my life. "It was the saddest day of my life, but I have so many good memories of him. "He was a wonderful fellow in every way - his character, integrity, honesty and determination. He never asked me for anything and we never argued. After that, I tried to work with two other drivers, but I couldn't replace him. There will never be anyone like him, either as a friend or a driver." Wheatcroft remembers: "I first met Roger driving a Ford Anglia at Mallory Park. I thought what a marvellous effort he was making as he went round the track. "I was going to offer to help him with any equipment, but he had a few friends around him and had people queuing up for autographs, so I didn't butt in. "Then I saw him at Monte Carlo. He had a poor engine and the smoke was pouring out, but he still kept passing the cars. "I went and found him afterwards. He was sitting there with the engine out on the pavement, trying to mend it. "I said 'Oh, no, lad, that won't do', so I found out the engine supplier and bought him a new engine. "I never really expected to see him again, but a while later, I was just about to go to bed and there he was on my doorstep, covered in grease because he'd been working on his car. He gave me two tickets to Silverstone to say thank you. "I got him sorted out after that with equipment and sponsorships and I went to every race in his career after that, except one. "He had an offer to go on Tyrrell's team, and I'd got the contract all sorted for him when he just turned to me and said he wanted to stay with me." |
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next about Roger
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Taken
from http://www.doningtoncollection.com/news.html
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Other
pages about Roger Williamson: Matthew
Lawrenson 1, 2
, 8w.forix.com,
Forix |
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The new book from david Tremayne
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Memories of fans: |
I will tell of another unknown test Roger did. In 1973 He tested the Trojan T101 that Jody Scheckter was to drive in the coming L&M Series in the States. Tom Wheatcroft had brought him to Silverstone to try the car. Tom treated Roger like a son. To say Roger drove the car beautifully would be an under statement. Sid Taylor told Tom we could run a second car for Roger if they wished. I wish they would have come to the states with us. Instead they decided to go to Formula One. Much to the loss of the racing world. |
Around that time - three weeks later, in fact - I attended the F5000 race there with Steve Thompson's father and future father-in-law. As we waited to drive over the track and into the paddock, Roger and his father 'Dodge' wandered over to the NSU Ro80 we were in and chatted through the front passenger window. The previous January at the Racing Car Show (at Ally Pally?), I'd spent something like fifteen minutes talking to Roger (remember, he was pretty much the coming-man for British motorsport at the time) who was just brilliant with myself and my pal by signing our autograph books and the like... |
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The
document from Holland TV about Zandvoort 1973 |
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| The interview with Ben Huisman in English | ||||
| The interview with Herman Brammer in English | ||||
Chronology of Sunday 29th of July 1973 from interviews with Ben Huisman, race director Zandvoort Grand Prix in 1973, Herman Brammer, track official Post #10 and Gijs van Lennep, driver at the Grand Prix at Zandvoort in 1973. |
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Many thanks for Ed Kiers from Holland for translating the interviews edkiers2002@hotmail.com |
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Photos
taken from Forix,
Motor
Racing Retro, Danny, Marchives.com,
Carlos
Ghys, David
Beard, Stuart Dent , www.f3classic.co.uk,
Rob
Ryder, tbk.fameflame.dk,
Atlas F1 Forum: The Nostalgia Forum, me and unknown. Many thanks for infos about
Roger to 
HOMEI have the approval for photos from Rob Ryder, David Bears http://www.dabgp.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html , Carlos Ghys http://home.scarlet.be/%7Emathiasg/rechts.htm , Gerald Swan http://www.f3history.co.uk/, Cor Mooij Sportphotography http://www.artinsport.nl/ If anything at bios breaches your copyright, please let me know and I will remove the offending material immediately. Alternatively, please contact me and I will gratefully acknowledge the rightful owner. |