David Hobbs (racing driver)
David Wishart Hobbs ( born June 9, 1939 in Leamington Spa) is a former English racing driver.
Career
David Hobbs was the classic " stand-ins " in motorsport. Wherever a race driver was needed, Hobbs was promptly on the spot. So it is hardly a race series between the 1960s and 1980s, in which Hobbs has not left his mark. He drove touring cars and single-seater, took part in the CanAm series, drove in the IMSA, Formula 5000 and ended in 1974, the 500 miles of Indianapolis in fifth place. In 1976, the even two rounds at the 500 miles of Daytona and was one of the few Europeans who went in NASCAR at the start. He drove seven Grand Prix of the Formula 1 World Championship and was three decades one of the best sports car drivers of each era. Since the end of his racing career he has worked as a television commentator in the United States
Junior year
Hobbs began his career in the early 1960s in the British sports car scene on Jaguar and Lotus. He drove in Formula Junior, Formula 2 and was from 1965 factory rider in the World Championship of the sports car. His debut in Formula 1, he gave in 1966.
Formula 1
Hobbs drove his first race in this class in 1966 in Sicily. When not on the World Cup scoring race in Syracuse he binned with a BRM of Bernard White Racing Team as a third party and thus managed to an outstanding start. A year later, he drove his first world championship race, again for Bernard White, at Silverstone. With three laps behind the winner Jim Clark he arrived at the Grand Prix of Great Britain in eighth place. There were other sporadic inserts. In 1968, he came for a race in the team from Honda. After the death of Jo Schlesser in fall of Rouen, he drove the Italian Grand Prix in Monza for the Japanese team. After a stint with Penske in 1971, he was again a cockpit in Formula 1 again as a replacement (Mike Hailwood was at the Nürburgring serious accident ) he drove two races for McLaren in 1974. At the Grand Prix of Austria and he was seventh in the Grand Prix of Italy, again in Monza, he finished ninth. His eighth place in 1968 at Silverstone was his best finish in the highest class of motor sport.
Sport car
Hobbs was. 1962-1989 20 times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the start In 1969 he was on a Ford GT 40 by John Wyer third parties together with Mike Hailwood; he could repeat in 1984 on Porsche 's success. A year before he won the 1000 km of Monza, also on a Ford GT 40 He went on many different vehicles such as a Triumph Spitfire in the 1960s, the BMW M -1 / C in the IMSA GTP series and the Porsche 962 at the end of his long career. The list of his teammates ranged from John Surtees up to Damon Hill, who drove in his early years at the side of Hobbs in the group -C.