Vic Elford
Vic Elford ( born June 10, 1935 in London, England as Victor Henry Elford ) was in the 1960s and 1970s a British automobile racing driver and Formula 1 driver.
Racing career
Due to its manifold activities and achievements Elford is considered one of the greatest all-rounder of motorsport history. He played his first race in 1961 with a mini- BMC, his first rally in 1962 in a DKW. From 1968 up to and including 1971 he participated in the Formula 1 Grand Prix in 13 part. He made his debut on July 7, 1968 at the Grand Prix of France, his last appearance was the Grand Prix of Germany 1971. Overall, "Quick Vic" for the teams of Cooper, McLaren and BRM collect eight championship points. Some years later the Briton was once again in the F1 World Championships active in 1979 as manager of the German ATS Formula 1 teams. Within just three months succeeded Elford to make ATS and its pilot Hans -Joachim Stuck to competitors for World Championship points after the team had previously not had trouble at all to qualify for the race.
Vic Elford was a known quantity in the sports car scene and was often used inter alia by Porsche as a factory driver. In the U.S., he took the early 1970s both TransAm and CanAm race to participate successfully. In addition, the Briton was a victorious rally driver, especially as factory driver for Porsche. One of his outstanding achievements in the dance of the Wild Riders troupe was the overall winner of the Monte Carlo Rally of the year 1968. Besides numerous other activities on racetracks and rally courses Vic Elford was on 4 February 1967, the Lydden Hill Race Circuit in Kent with a Porsche 911, which came directly from the showcase of British Porsche importer AFN, win the first Rallycross race car racing history.
In Steve McQueen's movie Le Mans Vic Elford is to experience several times as a driver of a Porsche 917 with close- up shots in action. In the movie The Speed Merchants by Michael Keyser, the Briton will be heard as principal narrator, so the most important narrator and commentator. After Elford had left at the 24 Hours of Le Mans once in front of cameras his own vehicle and rescued a driver colleagues from his burning Ferrari, the then French President Georges Pompidou gave him courage and proven heroics the title Chevalier de l' Ordre National du Mérite.
Vic Elford lives as retirees in South Florida (USA).