Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori – remembered
Roy Salvadori, who has died at the age of 90, was from “The Golden Age of Motorsport” in the 1950s and 1960s, along with names like Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks and Mike Hawthorne.
Roy Francesco Salvadori, was born in Essex, Great Britain of Italian parents, and made his Formula 1 debut in 1952 driving a private entry Ferrari. He went on to compete in 50 Grand Prix races with a variety of teams, achieving two podiums, although, a win escaped him.
His best season in Formula One racing was in 1958, when he finished in fourth position behind Hawthorn, Moss and Brooks – and in that order.
He was known as a good, reliable driver who’s most notable achievement was winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans with the hard-charging Carroll Shelby from the United States, driving an Aston Martin DBR1.
Regrettably, Shelby passed away just 23 days prior to Salvadori, while Chief Engineer Ted Cutting, who designed the DBR1, died earlier this year, in March.
Salvadori returned to Le Mans in 1960 in another Aston Martin, teaming up with another racing legend, Jim Clark, to finish a creditable third behind two Ferraris.
Salvadori retired from Formula One racing shortly after a bad crash at Warwick Farm, in Australia, at a reported 130mph (200km/h), but continued racing sports cars and touring cars until 1965.
He was lured back to Grand Prix racing in 1966, but this time as the Team manager for Cooper, which he continued to do until the end of the 1967 season.
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