Michael John Clifford Taylor (24 April 1934 – 4 April 2017) was a British racing driver. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 July 1959. He scored no championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races. His racing career effectively ended when his steering column weld failed on his Lotus 18 in the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix at 160 mph (260 km/h). He was thrown from the car, cutting down a tree with his body and broke several bones (Alan Stacey and Chris Bristow were killed and Stirling Moss was also injured at the event, crashing his Lotus 18 in practice). He was paralysed,[1][2] but after therapy was able to regain the ability to walk.[1]
| Born | 24 April 1934 |
|---|---|
| Died | 4 April 2017 (aged 82) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1959 – 1960 |
| Teams | privateer Cooper, Lotus |
| Entries | 2 (1 start) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1959 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1960 Belgian Grand Prix |
Because of his car failure Taylor later sued Lotus successfully, one of the few successful actions against the makers of a racing car.[3]
After his accident, Taylor sporadically competed in long distance rallying, finishing third in the London–Sydney Marathon in 1977 in a Citroën CX with Paddy Hopkirk and Bob Riley. Taylor also had a career in property speculation.[3] He died on 4 April 2017 after a battle with cancer.[4]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
edit(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Alan Brown Equipe | Cooper T45 F2 | Climax Straight-4 | MON | 500 | NED | FRA | GBR Ret |
GER | POR | ITA | USA | NC | 0 | |
| 1960 | Taylor-Crawley Racing Team | Lotus 18 | Climax Straight-4 | ARG | MON | 500 | NED | BEL DNS |
FRA | GBR | POR | ITA | USA | NC | 0 |
Sources
edit- ^ a b "On This Day / April 24". ESPN. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ "The 50th Anniversary Of The Original Black Weekend". Bleacher Report. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ a b Steve Small. The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. p. 379. ISBN 0851127029.
- ^ "Notice of Death – Michael JC Taylor". BRDC. Retrieved 22 June 2017.