Dick Gibson

16/4/1918 - 17/12/2010

Record updated 31-Jan-11

Gibson raced a Cooper-Bristol and an A-type Connaught before aquiring Cooper T42 Climax Formula 2 car. He raced in the 1957 and 1958 German Grands Prix and won the RAC South African International Championship in 1959.

Born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, Gibson became a director of a garage and motor dealership in Barnstaple. He started racing in the ex-Tony Crook Cooper-Bristol but switched to an A-Type Connaught which he raced in 1955 and 1956 with modest success.

In April 1957 he raced the Connaught in South Africa, winning at Grand Central, Johannesburg. He sold the car to Sam Tingle before returning to Europe and aquiring a rear-engined Formula 2 T43 Cooper. With the Cooper he took sixth in the International Coupe de Vitesse at Reims and seventh in the International Trophy at Silverstone. He entered the F2 class of the German Grand Prix that year. After qulalifying in 24th spot he went out after just three laps with steering problems.

Staying with the Cooper in 1958 he raced in New Zealand before returning for the European season. He made another attempt in F1 at the Greman Grand Prix. This time he lasted only two laps before being sidelined with mechanical problems.

Early in 1959 he went back to South Africa, taking wins at Natal, Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg to win the RAC South African International Championship. He returned again the following year but, after finishing seventh in the South African Grand Prix, he was had a bad accident which left him hospitalised. The damaged car was brought back to England, rebuilt and raced by Keith Ballisat, George Pfaff, Bill Edwards, Jimmy Shield and Vic Wilson under Gibson's Equipe Prideaux banner.



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