Roy Pierpoint (15 May 1929 – 12 January 2023)[1] was a British racing driver who drove in saloons and sports cars.

Roy Pierpoint
NationalityBritish
Born(1929-05-15)15 May 1929
Weybridge, Surrey, England
Died12 January 2023(2023-01-12) (aged 93)
British Saloon Car Championship
Years active19651971
TeamsWeybridge Engineering Co. Ltd.
Bill Shaw Racing
SRG
SCA Freight Ltd.
Starts61
Wins14 (2 in class)
Poles4
Fastest laps13
Best finish1st in 1965
Championship titles
1965
1965, 1969
British Saloon Car Championship
BSCC - Class D

Racing career

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His first race was in 1949, at a BARC meeting driving a Fiat 1100 special, which he built himself: "very neat was Pierpont's (sic) F.I.A.T. 1,100 with aerodynamic but not all-enveloping bodywork, two Amal carburetters, a neat silencer in its straight exhaust pipe and an oil-cooler ahead of the main radiator." He finished seventh in a 3-lap handicap.[2]

Pierpoint raced very little after that until 1961. In 1962 he drove in several events including the BRDC Trophy at Silverstone, the Guards Trophy and the Brands Six Hour Race where he finished third in his class alongside Bruce Halford. Also that year, he achieved some success at Hill Climb events. He continued in sports car racing in 1963 and 1964, again in the Guards Trophy. In 1968 he was in the Nürburgring 1000 km race in a Ford GT40, but did not finish. He competed in 1968 and 1969 at Denmark's Jyllands-Ringen, with two wins from four races.

Pierpoint was best known for his time driving in the British Saloon Car Championship, with a total of fourteen race wins. In his first year in 1965, he won the Championship for Alan Mann Racing, driving a V8 4.7-litre Ford Mustang: "After a struggle throughout 1965 against the Austin Mini-Cooper S of Warwick Banks,.."[3] The championship was won after a protest against the car of Jack Brabham, which was found to have illegal modifications. He raced a Ford Falcon the following year, which was not competitive enough to defend his title. He stuck with the Falcon for another three years. In 1968 he finished fifth on points and in 1969 he finished third in the championship. He spent two more years in the BSCC, but did not come close to winning the title in a Chevrolet Camaro.

Racing record

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Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

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

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos. Pts Class
1965 Weybridge Engineering Company Ltd. Ford Mustang D BRH
1
OUL
1
SNE
2
GOO
3
SIL
1
CRY
1†
BRH
2
OUL
3
1st 48 1st
1966 Roy Pierpoint Ford Falcon Sprint D SNE
Ret
GOO
Ret
SIL CRY
1†
BRH
1
BRH
Ret
OUL BRH 16th 16 5th
1967 Roy Pierpoint Ford Falcon Sprint D BRH
6
SNE
3
SIL
4
SIL
Ret
MAL
Ret†
SIL
Ret
SIL OUL
4†
BRH
16
15th 16 4th
Ford Mustang BRH
Ret
1968 Roy Pierpoint Ford Falcon Sprint D BRH
Ret
THR
Ret
SIL
2
CRY
3†
MAL
3†
BRH
Ret
SIL
3
CRO
1
OUL
2
BRH
1
BRH
Ret
5th 44 2nd
1969 Bill Shaw Racing Ford Falcon Sprint D BRH
1
SIL
2
SNE
1
THR
1
SIL
1
BRH
4
BRH
Ret
7th 44 1st
Chevrolet Camaro CRY
Ret†
MAL
Ret†
CRO
1
SIL
1
OUL
Ret
1970 Bill Shaw Racing Chevrolet Camaro Z28 D BRH
Ret
SNE
3
THR
3
SIL
Ret
CRY
Ret†
SIL
Ret
BRH
Ret
OUL BRH
Ret
BRH 31st 8 6th
SRG Ford Mustang SIL
36
CRO
1971 SCA Freight Ltd. Chevrolet Camaro Z28 D BRH SNE
5
THR SIL CRY SIL CRO SIL OUL BRH MAL BRH 41st 2 8th
Source:[4]

† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

References

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  1. ^ Notice of death – Roy Pierpoint (1929–2023)
  2. ^ Motor Sport, September 1949, Pages 351–353. See also: Crystal Palace Official Programme, National Car Race Meeting, Page 11, 5 September 1964.
  3. ^ Racing Car Show 1966, Official Catalogue and Guide, Page 11.
  4. ^ de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by British Touring Car Champion
1965
Succeeded by