Tony Marsh (racing driver)
Encyclopedia
Anthony Ernest "Tony" Marsh (20 July 1931 – 7 May 2009) was a British
racing driver from England
. His Formula One
career was short and unsuccessful, but he enjoyed great success in hillclimbing
, winning the British Hill Climb Championship
on a record six occasions.
Having begun his hillclimbing career in 1953 with a Cooper
-JAP
that had previously been driven by Peter Collins
,
he won three successive championships in the car from 1955 to 1957. In the 1960s, he drove an ex-Formula One
BRM
for a time before constructing his own Marsh car. Inspired by Peter Westbury
's Ferguson P99, Marsh devised an unusual drivetrain which utilised four-wheel-drive while accelerating but rear-wheel-drive while cornering.
"Once again Tony Marsh established himself in 1965 as "King of the Hills" by scoring Best Time of the Day at eight of the nine first championship climbs he entered, and setting new course records at Shelsley Walsh
, Bouley Bay
and Longleat.
After winning another hat-trick of championships between 1965 and 1967, Marsh sold his car and left motorsport to concentrate on his engineering and farming interests, but in 1986 he returned at the wheel of the March-based Rovercraft. In 1993, his co-driver Simon Law was killed in the car during the Brighton Speed Trials
, a tragedy which affected Marsh considerably. He returned with the ex-David Render Toleman
TG191 Cosworth DFL, taking the Gurston
Top Six title that year, aged 62. He continued to compete in hillclimbs well into his seventies, driving on until 2008.
Marsh competed in circuit racing in his earlier years, driving in four Grands Prix, the last being the 1961 German Grand Prix
in which he drove the Lotus 18
he also campaigned in hillclimbs.
He also drove in the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours
, sharing a Lotus Elite
with John Wagstaff.
In 2007 Parley Books published his autobiography
: Tony Marsh: The great all-rounder: In and out of motorsport.
Marsh was born in Stourbridge
; he died aged 77 in May 2009 after having been admitted to hospital with breathing complications.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
racing driver from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
career was short and unsuccessful, but he enjoyed great success in hillclimbing
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
, winning the British Hill Climb Championship
British Hill Climb Championship
The British Hill Climb Championship is the most prestigious Hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. Hillclimbing in the British Isles has a rich history and this event has been held every year since 1947.All British Champions have been British...
on a record six occasions.
Having begun his hillclimbing career in 1953 with a Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
-JAP
JA Prestwich Industries Ltd
JA Prestwich Industries, was an English engineering company named after founder John Alfred Prestwich, which produced cinematographic equipment, internal combustion engines , and other examples of precision engineering.-History:J. A...
that had previously been driven by Peter Collins
Peter Collins (racing driver)
Peter John Collins was a Formula One driver from England. He participated in 35 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952. He won 3 races, achieved 9 podiums, and scored a total of 47 championship points....
,
he won three successive championships in the car from 1955 to 1957. In the 1960s, he drove an ex-Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
BRM
British Racing Motors
British Racing Motors was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion...
for a time before constructing his own Marsh car. Inspired by Peter Westbury
Peter Westbury
Peter Westbury is a British former racing driver from England. He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, scoring no championship points. In 1969 he raced a Formula 2 Brabham-Cosworth, driving in his first Grand Prix in the 1969 German Grand Prix. He finished ninth on the...
's Ferguson P99, Marsh devised an unusual drivetrain which utilised four-wheel-drive while accelerating but rear-wheel-drive while cornering.
"Once again Tony Marsh established himself in 1965 as "King of the Hills" by scoring Best Time of the Day at eight of the nine first championship climbs he entered, and setting new course records at Shelsley Walsh
Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb
The Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb is a hillclimb in Worcestershire, England, organised by the Midland Automobile Club . It is one of the oldest motorsport events in the world, and is in fact the oldest to have been staged continuously on its original course, first having been run in 1905...
, Bouley Bay
Bouley Bay Hill Climb
Bouley Bay is a speed Hill Climb venue in Trinity, Jersey, organised by The Jersey Motor Cycle and Light Car Club. The course on Les Charrières du Boulay was "first used for competition in 1921" and since 1947 has hosted a round of the British Hill Climb Championship...
and Longleat.
After winning another hat-trick of championships between 1965 and 1967, Marsh sold his car and left motorsport to concentrate on his engineering and farming interests, but in 1986 he returned at the wheel of the March-based Rovercraft. In 1993, his co-driver Simon Law was killed in the car during the Brighton Speed Trials
Brighton Speed Trials
The Brighton Speed Trials, in full The Brighton National Speed Trials, is commonly held to be the oldest running motor race. The first race was held July 19–22, 1905 after Sir Harry Preston persuaded Brighton town council to tarmac the surface of the road adjacent to the beach between the Palace...
, a tragedy which affected Marsh considerably. He returned with the ex-David Render Toleman
Toleman
Toleman Motosport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and attended 70 Grands Prix.-Origins:In the 1970s, businessmen and motorsport fans Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge began their involvement in various car racing formulae in the UK. Ted was also noted...
TG191 Cosworth DFL, taking the Gurston
Gurston Down Motorsport Hillclimb
The Gurston Down Motorsport Hillclimb is a hillclimb in Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, England, organised by the South Western Centre of the British Automobile Racing Club. The first practice meeting was held on June 25, 1967, when Patsy Burt, driving a McLaren-Oldsmobile set a time of 39.90 sec...
Top Six title that year, aged 62. He continued to compete in hillclimbs well into his seventies, driving on until 2008.
Marsh competed in circuit racing in his earlier years, driving in four Grands Prix, the last being the 1961 German Grand Prix
1961 German Grand Prix
The 1961 German Grand Prix was the 23rd time the German Grand Prix motor race was held. The race also held the honorary designation of the 21st European Grand Prix. It was run to Formula One regulations as the sixth round of the 1961 World Drivers' Championship on 6 August 1961...
in which he drove the Lotus 18
Lotus 18
The Lotus 18 was a race car designed by Colin Chapman for use by Lotus in Formula Junior, Formula Two, and Formula One. It was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus and was a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only moderately successful front-engined formula cars, the 12 and 16. It was...
he also campaigned in hillclimbs.
He also drove in the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours
1960 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 28th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place over June 25–26, 1960. It was also the fifth and final round of the World Sportscar Championship.-Official results:-Not Classified:...
, sharing a Lotus Elite
Lotus Elite
Not to be confused with the Lotus Elise.The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.-1957:The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963....
with John Wagstaff.
In 2007 Parley Books published his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
: Tony Marsh: The great all-rounder: In and out of motorsport.
Marsh was born in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
; he died aged 77 in May 2009 after having been admitted to hospital with breathing complications.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 1957 Formula One season The 1957 Formula One season was the eighth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1957 World Championship of Drivers which commenced on January 13, 1957 and ended on September 8 after eight races. Juan Manuel Fangio won his fourth consecutive title, his fifth in total, in his... |
Ridgeway Managements | Cooper Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946... T43 Cooper T43 The Cooper T43 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1957 Formula One season, first appearing at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix in a factory entered car for Jack Brabham... F2 |
Climax Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H... Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1957 Argentine Grand Prix The 1957 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 January 1957 at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. It was the first round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... |
MON 1957 Monaco Grand Prix The 1957 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 19 May 1957 at Monaco. It was the second round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... |
500 1957 Indianapolis 500 The 1957 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Thursday, May 30, 1957 at Indianapolis. The event was the third round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship and the first round of the 1957 USAC Championship Car season.- Classification :- Notes :... |
FRA 1957 French Grand Prix The 1957 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 7 July 1957 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was the fourth round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.-Classification:-Notes:* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:21.5... |
GBR 1957 British Grand Prix The 1957 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 20 July 1957 at the Aintree Circuit, near Liverpool. It was the tenth British Grand Prix, and the fifth World Championship race of the 1957 Formula One season. The race was won by Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, who shared driving... |
GER 1957 German Grand Prix The 1957 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 August 1957 at Nürburgring. It was the sixth round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship. The 22 lap race was won by Juan Manuel Fangio, and is often cited as one of the greatest victories in racing history... 15 |
PES 1957 Pescara Grand Prix The 1957 Pescara Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 18 August 1957, at the Pescara Circuit near Pescara in Italy. The race was the seventh, and penultimate round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship. The race, which was the only Formula One race at the track, is best remembered for... |
ITA 1957 Italian Grand Prix The 1957 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 September 1957 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.-Classification:-Notes:* Pole position: Stuart Lewis-Evans - 1:42.4... |
NC | 0 | |||
| 1958 1958 Formula One season The 1958 Formula One season was the ninth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1958 World Championship of Drivers which commenced on January 19, 1958, and ended on October 19 after eleven races... |
Tony Marsh | Cooper Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946... T45 F2 |
Climax Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H... Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1958 Argentine Grand Prix The 1958 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 19 January 1958 at Buenos Aires. It was the first round of the 1958 Formula One season.The race was won by Stirling Moss in Rob Walker's privately-entered Cooper T43... |
MON 1958 Monaco Grand Prix The 1958 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 18 May 1958 at Monaco. It was the second round of the 1958 Formula One season.- Race report :... |
NED 1958 Dutch Grand Prix The 1958 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 May 1958 at Zandvoort. It was the third round of the 1958 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Stuart Lewis-Evans - 1:37.1* Fastest Lap: Stirling Moss - 1:37.6... |
500 1958 Indianapolis 500 The 1958 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Friday, May 30, 1958 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the fourth round of the 1958 World Drivers' Championship.... |
BEL 1958 Belgian Grand Prix The 1958 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 15 June 1958 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was the 19th Belgian Grand Prix and it was held over 24 laps of the 14 kilometre circuit for a race distance of 339 kilometres.... |
FRA 1958 French Grand Prix The 1958 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 6, 1958. The race was marred by Scuderia Ferrari driver Luigi Musso's fatal accident at the Muzione hairpin. His Ferrari hurtled off course and crashed into a ditch... |
GBR 1958 British Grand Prix The 1958 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 19 July 1958 at Silverstone.- Classification :* replacing Bernie Ecclestone - Notes :* Pole position: Stirling Moss - 1:39.4* Fastest Lap: Mike Hawthorn - 1:40.8... |
GER 1958 German Grand Prix The 1958 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 3 August 1958 at Nürburgring.To increase participation, the organizers opened the field to Formula 2 cars. Also, the race distance was shortened to 15 laps from 22 previously... 8 |
POR 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuito da Boavista, Oporto on 24 August 1958.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Stirling Moss - 2:34.21*Fastest Lap: Mike Hawthorn - 2:32.37-Standings after the race:... |
ITA 1958 Italian Grand Prix The 1958 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 7, 1958.- Classification :* No points awarded for shared drive- Notes :*Pole position: Stirling Moss - 1:40.5*Fastest Lap: Phil Hill - 1:42.9... |
MOR 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix The 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Ain-Diab Circuit, Casablanca on October 19, 1958.- Classification :- Notes :* Hawthorn and Moss came into this race with a chance for the championship.** Hawthorn needed 2nd.... |
NC | 0 |
| 1961 1961 Formula One season The 1961 Formula One season was the 12th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1961 World Championship of Drivers and the 1961 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, which were contested concurrently from May 14 to October 8 over an eight race series... |
Tony Marsh | Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... 18 Lotus 18 The Lotus 18 was a race car designed by Colin Chapman for use by Lotus in Formula Junior, Formula Two, and Formula One. It was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus and was a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only moderately successful front-engined formula cars, the 12 and 16. It was... |
Climax Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H... Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
MON 1961 Monaco Grand Prix The 1961 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 14, 1961 on the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the first round of the 1961 World Championship of Drivers, and the first World Championship race under the new 1.5 litre engine regulations.- Qualifying :The erratic... |
NED 1961 Dutch Grand Prix The 1961 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 22 May 1961 at Zandvoort.Taking place one week after the Monaco GP there was not time for Innes Ireland to heal from his injury in the previous race so he was replaced by Trevor Taylor. The front row was taken up by three Ferraris. Von Trips... |
BEL 1961 Belgian Grand Prix The 1961 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 18 June 1961 at Spa-Francorchamps.The organizers of the race invited 25 entries, but were only going to pay starting money to 19: sixteen pre-selected cars plus the 3 fastest of the remaining 9. Three of the cars without starting money... DNS |
FRA 1961 French Grand Prix The 1961 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 2 July 1961 at Reims-Gueux.By winning the race, Giancarlo Baghetti became only the third driver to win his first World Championship race, the other two being Nino Farina, who won the first World Championship race and Johnnie Parsons, who... |
GBR 1961 British Grand Prix The 1961 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 15 July 1961 at the Aintree Circuit, near Liverpool. It was the fifth race of eight in the 1961 World Championship season... Ret |
GER 1961 German Grand Prix The 1961 German Grand Prix was the 23rd time the German Grand Prix motor race was held. The race also held the honorary designation of the 21st European Grand Prix. It was run to Formula One regulations as the sixth round of the 1961 World Drivers' Championship on 6 August 1961... 15 |
ITA 1961 Italian Grand Prix The 1961 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 10 September 1961 at Monza.The race was marked by one of the most terrible accidents in the history of Formula One, when on the end of lap 2 at the approach to the Parabolica the German driver Wolfgang von Trips lost control of his Ferrari... |
USA 1961 United States Grand Prix The 1961 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 8, 1961 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.... |
NC | 0 |
External links
- Tony Marsh - Daily Telegraph obituary