Keith Greene

5/1/1938 - 8/3/2021

Record updated 13-Mar-23

Growing up in the environment of his father Syd's Gilby Engineering concern, it was natural for young Keith to want to try his hand. Entered by his father in handicaps and similar events soon after his 18th birthday, Keith soon got to grips with a Cooper-Climax sports car, replacing this with a Lotus XI for the 1958 season.

It was 1959 which saw the start of his single-seater career and a splendid second place in the F2 Aintree 200. Greene continued with the Cooper until the 1961 season, when Gilby ambitiously built their own chassis for the 1.5-litre formula. It found no success at the very highest level, but did gain modest placings when fitted with a BRM V8 engine in 1962, Keith taking the car to third place in the Naples GP behind the works Ferraris of Mairesse and Bandini, and a trio of fourths at Brussels, Snetterton and Goodwood.

When the Formula 1 project was abandoned, Keith turned to sports and GT racing for the rest of the sixties.

After retiring from driving, Greene became a team manager in Formula 5000 and sports car racing. He worked for Hexagon of Highgate in London running their newly formed motorcycle business in the mid 1970s. At that time he also managed Alain de Cadenet's Le Mans racing team. He died from cardiac arrest on 8 March 2021 at the age of 83.

(c) 'Who is Who' by Steve Small, 2000