August 1st is known as Yorkshire Day in the UK, a day to celebrate the best place in the land. As a proud Yorkshireman, I’d like to share some of our finest with you.
Our region can boast a Formula One world champion, a Formula E champion, two 24 hours of Le Mans winners, and more. Below is a list of drivers from ‘God’s own country’, so sit back, have a brew (Yorkshire Tea obviously), and enjoy the best we have to offer.
Mike Hawthorn
Coming out of the gates swinging, we have the first British Formula One world champion. Born in Mexborough, Hawthorn caught the eye of one Enzo Ferrari with his pure racing talent, and made his F1 debut in 1952 – scoring his first podium in a Cooper at Silverstone.
He won his first of three races in 1953, in a Ferrari at Reims, in what was known as the Race of the Century, defeating the great Juan Manuel Fangio. 1955 however saw Hawthorn involved in Motorsport’s darkest day. At Le Mans, Hawthorn slowed to enter the pits and refuel, Lance Macklin, following behind, swerved to avoid Hawthorn’s Jaguar, and collided with Pierre Levegh, whose Mercedes was launched into the air and into the stands, killing Levegh and 83 spectators. Hawthorn won the race, but was cleared of any blame.
1958 saw Hawthorn win the F1 world championship, despite only winning one race. Hawthorn’s title was somewhat aided by his rival, Stirling Moss, who sportingly came to the Yorkshireman’s defence when he was disqualified from the Portuguese Grand Prix. To Moss’ detriment, Hawthorn was reinstated, and won the title by a point – had his disqualification stood, Moss would’ve been champion.
Hawthorn retired at the end of the season, as champion, but was sadly killed in a road accident in January 1959.
James Thompson
Born in York, Thompson is a legend in touring car racing. A double BTCC champion, James was destined for a career in rallying, but turned his attention to road racing instead. He entered the BTCC in 1994 in a Peugeot 405 before securing a works drive with Vauxhall in 1995, partnering series legend John Cleland. He took his first win at Thruxton, and impressed with his raw speed.
He moved to Honda for 1997, finishing fifth in the standings, before placing third in 1998, behind winner Richard Rydell and Anthony Reid. The end of the Super Touring era in 2000 saw Thompson return to Vauxhall – who realistically were the dominant force in the early noughties. The next four years saw him finish in the top three every year. He was third in 2001 before winning the title in 2002 and 2004, both including fierce battles with teammate Yvan Muller.
He would then move on to the World Touring Car Championship in 2005, and finished third in the standings in 2007 behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 156.
Justin Wilson
Hailing from Rotherham, Wilson made a name for himself on both sides of the Atlantic. He made it to Formula One, winning the Formula Palmer Audi (1998) and the International Formula 3000 (2001) titles along the way. His one and only season in F1 in 2003 saw him race for Minardi, before catching the eye of Jaguar for the second half of the season. He was initially given a seat for 2004, but was dumped in favour of Christian Klien following pressure from Jaguar’s owners, Ford, to employ a pay driver.
He moved across to the Champ Car Series in 2004, and was twice runner up in 2006 and 2007. He finished fifth in the 2013 Indianapolis 500, before sadly passing away in a crash at the 2015 IndyCar ABC Supply 500 at Pocono.
Guy Smith
Smith is from Beverley, just outside of Hull, and is Yorkshire’s second Le Mans winner on the list. Smith won the famous 24 hour race driving the Bentley Speed 8 with Tom Kristensen and Ronaldo Capello – breaking Audi’s stronghold on the famed race. He also won the 2011 American Le Mans Series in a Lola, which he shared with Chris Dyson.
Dan Cammish
Yorkshire has a proud history of touring car pedigree, and Cammish, from Leeds, is one of the newer names on that list. Stupendously dominant in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB series, Cammish won the title three times, with 2015 seeing him win 11 of the 16 rounds, finishing second in the other five.
2019 saw him lose the BTCC title in heartbreaking circumstances. At the final round at Brands Hatch, Cammish was in position to win the title in his Honda Civic. Battling the BMW duo of Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan. With just one lap to go, Cammish suffered brake failure, spinning off into the wall and out, losing the title to Turkington.
Cammish still races in the BTCC, in a Ford Focus, and at time of writing, is third in the standings and in with a real shout of the title.
Senna Proctor
Son of former BTCC driver Mark, Senna followed in his father’s footsteps. From Rudston near Driffield, Senna made his touring car debut in 2017, where he secured the Jack Sears Trophy at a canter. He took his first win in the series at Brands Hatch in 2018, having started 27th, Proctor made the most of changeable conditions, to secure an unlikely win. It was Vauxhall’s first in the BTCC in a long time.
Senna still races in the BTCC, having recently returned to the series with Hyundai, and still exhibiting his incredible speed despite a few years away from racing.
Oliver Rowland
From Barnsley, Rowland has a wide array of single seater prowess. Winner of multiple Formula Renault series’, as well as third in GP2 in 2017 – behind champion Charles Leclerc and Artem Markelov. He was development driver for Renault and Williams, before embarking on a career in Formula E. Oliver won this season’s championship racing for Nissan.
Sam Tordoff
Another touring car driver from Yorkshire, Tordoff, born in Bradford, came within an inch of the championship in 2016. He led for the majority of the second half of the season, winning at Oulton Park and Rockingham while maintaining consistent points finishes. He was pipped to the post by Gordon Shedden, losing out by just two points. A stellar driver with lots of speed and ability.
Other notable touring car drivers from Yorkshire include Dan Lloyd, Bob Berridge, Paula Cook, Ian Heward, James and Richard Kaye, Tim Sugden, and Russell Spence.
Also, notable mention goes to Edward Ramsden Hall, born in Huddersfield, he is the only man to ever complete the 24 Hours of Le Mans solo. In 1950, Ramsden Hall drove 236 laps, nearly 2000 miles, to complete the race, despite having a teammate waiting in the pits for him. Hall finished eighth – an incredible feat of stamina and endurance, one likely to never be seen again.
We’re a proud bunch, and when it comes to motor racing pedigree, it’s fair to say Yorkshire has made a considerable contribution to the motorsports pantheon.
There are many more names that I haven’t mentioned, but their contribution to motorsports is no less worthy.
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