Howden Ganley
James Howden Ganley ( born December 24, 1941 in Hamilton ) is a former New Zealand racing driver who participated in a total of 35 Formula 1 races.
Career
Howden Ganley came in 1961 with 50 pounds in his pocket with the ship from New Zealand to Britain. The goal of the young man was a career in motorsport. He took a low-paying job as a mechanic at a racing school to be able to finance the first activities as a racer can. The mid- 1960s he already drove in the British Formula 3 Championship and celebrated some successes there. In 1966 he moved to the U.S. and was chief mechanic in the CanAm team of Peter Revson.
Back in Europe Ganley was on his private McLaren M10B 1970 runner-up in the British Formula 5000 Championship, narrowly beaten by Peter Gethin. Finally, formula 1 teams were aware of him and Louis Stanley BRM presented him with a two year contract, the Ganley immediately signed.
Ganley played 35 Formula - 1 races and earned during the period 1971-1974 a total of ten championship points. He also participated in numerous Grand Prix, which were not officially counted for the World Cup.
In his period of service under B.R.M. Ganley showed solid performances, the highlight were two fourth places, however, he remained mostly behind his teammates. In the 1973 season he went to the team of Frank Williams Iso Marlboro at the start, thereby Ganley reached only once the points with a sixth place in Canada.
For John Wyer he drove a full season in the World Championship of the Mirage M6 as a partner by Vern Schuppan. Best position for the duo was the second overall at the 1000 km of Spa -Francorchamps.
In his last season as an active driver in 1974, he denied at first two Grand Prix for the team March before Ganley was committed from the new Japanese Maki Formula 1 team for the remainder of the season. A fatal decision. From the first appearance at the Grand Prix of Great Britain at Brands Hatch was not to think of a qualification. The car was clunky and way too hard. At the Grand Prix of Germany at the Nürburgring ended the experiment Maki. In training Ganley had broke a serious accident when the Maki the suspension at the section airfield. Ganley was taken to hospital with leg fractures, but was a full recovery in spite of complicated fractures. But the motor -racing career was over. Just one day later, Mike Hailwood crashed in the race almost at the same place, also for a fraction of the suspension. Also Hailwood was seriously injured and had to end his Formula 1 career.
Together with the Australian racing driver Tim Ganley Give founded in 1974 the motorsport business Tiga Race Cars Ltd. , Which existed until 1989.
Results
Le Mans results
- Formula 1 racing driver (New Zealand)
- New Zealanders
- Born in 1941
- Man
- Drivers in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
- World Sports Car Championship racer