Recalling The Legacy Of Graham Hill
- Shahmir Khan
- Dec 9, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 19, 2019
Some 42 years ago, a legendary driver and one of greatest drivers of all time, Graham Hill died in an aeroplane crash. Having 2 championships in 1962 and 1968, 14 wins and 36 podiums aren’t his only achievements, but he has got unique achievements as well. He was the first and only driver in history to achieve unofficial Triple Crown of Motorsport (Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500). He was named “Mr. Monaco” cause of his stunning 5 victories at Monaco GP. He was also first of the two father-son pair winning championship. Here, we look back on his early career, world title and his legacy that continues.
Early Career
Graham Hill admitted he was a terrible driver and didn’t pass his driving exam till the age of 24th. He made his racing debut in Formula 3 with the Cooper 500 car and started his racing career. He joined the Team Lotus as a normal mechanic, but was so good he got promoted to driving the car. And due to this, he made his first ever Formula 1 appearance at 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, but it didn’t go very well as the Britain retired with shaft failure.
Joining BRM, winning the first world championship and Indy500
Hill moved from Team Lotus to BRM (British Racing Motors) team in 1960 but the first year was not so good for him at team as he retired 5 times, getting 4 points and finishing 15th in final championship standings.
“I am an artist. The track is my canvas. And the car is my brush.”
1961 was another terrible year as he finished 16th in final standings and got 3 points with 5 retirements. But that was just a start.
1962 proved to be successful for Hill as he won 4 races, won the championship from Jim Clark and have BRM the team championship title. This proved to be last for a long time but he was about to show his best.
It was 1966 when he made his appearance at IndyCar racing and won the Indianapolis 500 in a Lola-Ford car.
Back to Lotus, Developing the car and winning second Championship
In 1967, Graham Hill made a move and returned to Team Lotus. He helped the team build the Lotus 49 with Cosworth V8 engine. After the death of his teammates Jim Clark and Mike Spence, he dominated the rest of year in his Lotus and won his second championship.
Final Years
Lotus was known as most dangerous car at the time cause of aerodynamic features. That caused Graham Hill to crash on 1969 United States Grand Prix where he suffered severe injuries and lost his pace.
He did not do very well since then and moved to Rob Walker’s team, driving the Lotus 72. Since it was not very developed at time, he didn’t perform very well. He moved to Brabham in 1971. But when Sir Jack Brabham retired from the team, Hill left the team too in mid 70s.
Le Mans Victory and Other Appearances
In 1972, when he was close to end Formula 1 career, he joined the Matra sports car team and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finally being the first and only man in history till today to achieve Triple Crown of Motorsport.
Hill appeared in Grand Prix (1966), Caravan to Vaccarès and wrote his autobiography “Life at the Limit”.
Hill set up his own team in 1973, named “Embassy Hill”. When the car failed to qualify at 1975 Monaco Grand Prix, Hill retired from driving completely but ran the team.
Death
Hill died in a plane crash in 1975, where 5 other members of his team, Embassy Hill were on board. His funeral was held at St Albans Abbey and he was buried at a church in Hertfordshire.
Legacy
After Hill’s death, a road at Silverstone village was named after him at there is another road named “Graham Hill Road” in Towcester. A bend at Brands Hatch circuit is also named after him.
His son, Damon Hill, became a World Champion in 1996, being the first father-son pair to win a Formula 1 Championship.
Conclusion
There is no doubt Graham Hill was one of the best drivers. He was really bad at first, but his devotion and motivation made him World Champion and gave him so much achievements. If he was fit in 70s, there is no doubt he could win a third championship!
Shahmir Khan
Editor-in-Chief WEC & WRC, Member news desk.
In his own words, “17-year-old guy who is avid motorsports gamer. Petrolhead, die-hard F1 and motorsports fan and loves to write about cars and motorsports.”
Shahmir can be easily reached by the following address:
Gmail: shahmirkhan9181@gmail.com
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