Drivers A - Z
W
Fred Wacker
1918 - 1998Wacker was the first American to finish on the podium in a post-war Grand Prix he was also President of the SCCA in 1951.
Hisashi Wada
1962Japanese racing driver mainly involved in GT racing after Japanese F3000 in the early 1990's.
Billy Wade
1930 - 1965Billy Wade was a three time Texas Modified Champion and twice winner of the Texas Late Model Championship who switched to NASCAR with Cotton Owens in 1963. In 1964 driving for Bud Moore he won four races in a row and finished the season 4th in the points. He was killed at Daytona doing tyre testing in 1965.
Louis Wagner
1882 - 1960A top racing driver for 28 years, Louis Wagner holds the distinction of winning the inaugural GPs held in America and in England. With his serious expression and piercing blue eyes, a sense of fair play was paramount for this Frenchman.
John Wagstaff
1932 - 2021John won the Index of Thermal Efficiency at Le Mans in 1960 and the 1300cc class there in 1963. He also took class wins at the Nurburgring 1000km race in 1960 and 1963 and 2nd in class in 1962.
John Peter Wakefield
1915 - 1942One of the top British drivers before WWII, Johnny Wakefield was killed in 1942 in a plane crash.
Willy Walb
1890 - 1962Willy Walb occasionally drove one of the Benz Tropfenwagen mid-engined cars. Became the Auto Union Team Manager.
Peter Walker
1912 - 1984A Herefordshire-based gentleman farmer, Walker drove in 3 Grand Prix, notable taking the BRM V16 to 7th in the British Grand Prix in 1951 despite being half roasted in the cockpit. Sadly ended his days an alcoholic derelict on the streets of London.
Dave Walker
1941Dave Walker is an Australian ex F1 driver who raced for Lotus for one season as team mate to Emmerson Fittipladi in 1972. His record was eleven races, six retirements, no podium finishes and distiguished him as the only driver to fail to score a single point the same year as his team mate won the World Championship.
Sean Walker
1958After a promising start, winning the Dunlop "Star of Tomorrow" Championship in 1975, Seans career didn't really go anywhere. A highly talented driver, Walker is an example of how ability alone is not enough to get the top in motor sport.
Rob Walker
1917 - 2002Rob Walker was a member of the Johnny Walker whisky family, best known for running a private F1 team (R.R.C.Walker Racing). They won 9 Grand Prix, including the first wins for Lotus and Cooper.
Murray Walker
1923For many year the voice of F1 in the UK for many years, Murray Walker was famous for his 'Murrayisms' such as 'With half the race gone, there's half the race still to go' and 'Now Laffite is as close to Surer as Surer is to Laffite'.
Andy Wallace
1961Andy Wallace is a professional race car driver from the United Kingdom, who has been racing since 1979. He has raced sports prototypes since 1988, winning over 25 International Sports car races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona (3 times) and the 12 Hours of Sebring (2 times)
Rusty Wallace
1956Rusty Wallace is a former NASCAR champion, NASCAR Busch Series car owner, and television broadcaster with the Walt Disney Company.
Kenny Wallace
1963Kenny Wallace is a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series driver who currently drives the number 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet in Nextel Cup, and the number 22 AutoZone Ford Taurus for PPC Racing in the Busch Series.
William Wallace
1993William Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. is a professional stock car racing driver and one of the most successful African American drivers in the history of NASCAR.
Lee Wallard
1910 - 1963American race car driver who won the 1951 Indianapolis 500 at the age of 40.
Asser Wallenius
1902 - 1971One of Finland's top speed skaters in the 1920s, he turned to racing and became one of the best Scandinavian drivers at the time racing a 1934 Ford V8 Special.
Heini Walter
1927 - 2009Heinrich Walter was a keen amateur who raced Porsche Carrera RSK and 904 GTS models both on the circuits and hill climbs for 20 years between 1947 and 1967. Equally fast in all disciplines, he loved hill climbing more than endurance racing, winning the 1961 European Hill Climb Championship and the Swiss Championship five years in a row between 1957 and 1961.
David Walther
1947David "Salt" Walther is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He also drove NASCAR stock cars, unlimited hydroplane boats, and was a car owner in USAC. He was severly injured and burned in 1973 Indianapolis 500 race.
Rodger Ward
1921 - 2004Rodger Ward raced in the Indy 500 15 times between 1951 and 1966, taking wins in 1959 and 1962 and finishing second in 1960 and 1964. From 1959 to 1964, Ward finished in the top four every year.
Leroy Warriner
1919 - 2003Leroy Warriner won the first "Night Before the 500" Midget Race and was the 1953 AAA National Midget Racing Champion and the Midwest Champion.
Derek Warwick
1954Warwick is considered to be one of the best F1 drivers never to have won a race. Currently competing in the Grand Prix Masters Series.
A.J. Watson
1924A.J. Watson was a car builder and chief mechanic from 1949 through 1984 in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race seven times, which leaves him tied for the record for most wins by a builder.
Don Watson
1951 - 1994Australian saloon car driver who was killed in practice for the Bathurst 1000 in 1994.
Gordon Watson
1919 - 1989Alta racer who competed in F2 and non championship F1 races in the late 1940s and early 1950s
Frank Wearne
1913 - 1985Frank Wearne was an American racing driver. An Indianapolis 500 specialist, he participated in the race 7 times with a best finish of 7th in 1940. He only made two Championship Car starts in races other than the Indy 500.
Joe Weatherly
1922 - 1964Born Joseph Herbert Weatherly in Norfolk, Virginia. Weatherly had discovered motorcycles while in High School, and upon returning from the Army started racing them. Weatherly earned three American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Championships before he started racing stock cars in 1950. By 1953, Weatherly had won NASCAR's Modified National Crown with more than 52 victories.
Travis Webb
1910 - 1990He was known to his friends as "Webbie". In 1948 he surprised many when he won the middle west big car championship sanctioned by the American Automobile Association. He ran at Indy 5 times with a best finish of 19th in 1953
Mark Webber
1976Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver. He was born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, son of Alan, the local motorcycle dealer. He is the first Australian to race in Formula One since David Brabham in 1994.
Karl Weber
1912 - 0East German Formula 3 driver who also raced in Formula 2. He won the DDR Voiturette Championship in 1951.
Wayne Weiler
1934 - 2005Dirt-track racing driver during the 1950's who went on to drive in the Indy 500.
Theo Weissenberger
1914 - 1950Theodore "Theo" Weissenberger was a World War II German fighter pilot with 208 confirmed kills. Though, having survived the greatest war in history, at some of the very sharpest of all its ends, Theodor rolled his BMW “Eigenbau” out of contention, and himself right out of the picture....
Bob Welborn
1928 - 1997Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn was a NASCAR Grand National driver. He won the final three NASCAR Convertible series championships in 1955, 1956, and 1957.
Greg Weld
1944 - 2008Greg Weld was one of the top sprint car drivers of the 1960s. He drove in the 1970 Indianapolis 500 and won the 1967 USAC National Sprint Car title.
Bob Wente
1933 - 2000USAC National Midget champion in 1963, raced at Indy in 1964 finishing 9th in a race marred by the deaths of Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald.
Wilhelm Werner
1874 - 1947Started as as a mechanic at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in 1895. Raced for Daimler and Mercedes winning many races including the 244-mile road race from Nice-Salon-Nice race and La Turbie hillclimb. At one time he was the chief chauffeur to Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Ken Wharton
1916 - 1957Versatile performer who was not only a reliable Formula 1 driver, but also aquited himself well in international rallying, hillclimbing and sports car racing.
Tom Wheatcroft
1922 - 2009Tom Wheatcroft was an English businessman, who made his fortune through building and construction
Daniel Clive Wheldon
1978Won the Indy 500 in 2005. The first win for an Englishman since Graham Hill's triumph there in 1966.
Ted Whiteaway
1928 - 1995Racing driver who made one attempt at F1. He won his class at Le Mans in 1959, finishing 7th overall.
Peter Whitehead
1914 - 1958Peter Whitehead was a wealthy amateur who participated in 11 grands prix. He won Le Mans with Peter Walker in 1951. Peter was killed in 1959 on the Tour de France, when, with his brother Graham driving, their Jaguar crashed off a bridge into a ravine at Lasalle. Graham survived.
Bill Whitehouse
1909 - 1957Drove in F3 in the 500cc days. Entered F2 in 1951, raced a Connaught in the British Grand Prix in 1954. Killed in a crash Reims when a tire burst.
Charlie Whiting
1952 - 2019Charles Whiting was a British motorsports director. He served as the FIA Formula One Race Director, Safety Delegate, Permanent Starter and head of the F1 Technical Department.
Dale Whittington
1959 - 2003The youngest of the three brothers, Dale avoided the drugs scandal and went on to race in ALMS often driving with his brother Don.
Don Whittington
1946Raced a Porsche 935-K3 2 winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1979 with Dale Whittington and Klaus Ludwig. He is now involved in the aeroplane racing. He also raced in five Indianapolis 500's and made 10 NASCAR Winston Cup starts.
Robin Widdows
1942An Olympic-standard bobsleigher (1964 and 1968). He raced mainly in F3 and F2 and made one F1 appearance in a Cooper et the British Grand Prix in 1968
Franz Wieth
1949Sports car driver who founded Wieth Racing with his son, Niko. They were involved in the development of the Ferrari 550 Maranello for racing in the FIA GT Championship.
Eppie Wietzes
1938One of Canada's most enduring and successful drivers at national level, Wietzes began racing as far back as 1958, and by the early 1960s was a leading sports and GT contender with such diverse cars as AC Cobras, Ford Mustangs and a Ford GT40.
Charlie Wiggins
1897 - 1979Pioneering African American racing driver, An outstanding mechanic and driver, his skills were worthy of inclusion in the Indy 500 but he lived at a time when racial barriers prevented him from doing so.
Phil Wight
1950During 27 years of racing saloons, Phil drove 20 different cars in 263 races. He won 3 saloon car championships, was runner up in 4 more and came third in 2 others. With over 50 race wins to his credit he retired at the end of 2000.
Jimmy Wilburn
1908 - 1984Jimmy Wilburn was an American racing driver from Los Angeles. He won the first known Champ Car race to be held after the end of World War II at Lakewood Speedway in March 1946. Later that year he made his only appearance in the Indianapolis 500. Driving an Alfa Romeo he started 16th but retired after 52 laps with engine trouble. He was credited with finishing 19th.
Howard Wilcox
1889 - 1923Raced at Indy from 1911 through 1923 winning in 1919. In 1915 he took the first pole position in the Indy 500.
Walter Ernest Wilkinson
1903 - 2001Ace tuner and respectable racing driver, Wilkie Wilkinson was one of the founders of Ecurie Ecosse, tuning the winning Jaguar D Types at Le Mans in 1956 and 1957.
Jonathan Williams
1942 - 2014After a successful run in European F3 in 1965-66, he was signed by Ferrari. He competed in one Grand Prix and one F2 race before being casually discarded.
Barrie Williams
1938 - 2018With over 700 races and 250 rallies behind him. Barrie 'Wizzo' Williams raced anything he could get his hands on, saloons, GTs, prototypes and historic cars with a distinctive and flamboyant style.
Johnty Williamson
1938Sprint and hillclimb driver who won the 1971 British Sprint title in a T87 Cooper.
Desire Wilson
1953Became the first woman to win an F1 race when she won a round of the Aurora F1 series at Brands Hatch in 1980. In 1981 she finished 6th in the non-championship South African GP.
Vic Wilson
1931 - 2002Born in Hull and raised in South Africa, Wilson participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, the 1960 Italian Grand Prix at Monza and the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
Bill Wiltse
1923 - 1993With over 500 race wins, Wild Bill Wiltse was one of the most successful and versatile drivers in 1940's and 50's.
Jean-Pierre Wimille
1908 - 1949Jean-Pierre Wimille was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.
Fred Windridge
1931 - 2000Sports car racer from the USA. Raced a number of different cars including a Mercedes-Benz at Sebring in 1957, Jaguars and a Ferrari 250MM, but he is most well known for driving Corvettes.
John Wingfield
1943 - 1976John Wingfield was a well known British racing driver and entrant who had a business in partnership with Gerry Marshall. He mostly raced Brabhams throughout his career. He was killed in a round of the Shellsport Group 8 Championship in 1976.
Manfred Winkelhock
1951 - 1985Manfred Winkelhock was fast but wild. He drove for ATS and RAM-Hart team in F1, but is best know as a very successful sports car driver. He was killed in the summer of 1985 when he crashed during the Budweiser 1000km World Sportscar Championship race at Mosport Park.
Joachim Winkelhock
1960Smoking Jo Winchelhock drove for AGS in 1989 after taking the German F3 title the year before. Entered seven Grands Prix and failed to pre-qualify all of them. Won the British and German Super Touring championships and won Le Mans for BMW in 1999 with Yannick Dalmas and Pierluigi Martini.
Markus Winkelhock
1980Markus Winkelhock is the son of the late Manfred Winkelhock and a nephew of Joachim Winkelhock.
Elsie Wisdom
1904 - 1972Affectionately know as "Bill", Elsie Wisdom was one of the first female winners in a mixed race at Brooklands, the 1932 JCC 1000 Mile Race with Joan Richmond. Aside from winning on the track she was also successful in rallying, winning the International Alpine Trial in 1936.
Reine Wisell
1941 - 2022Reine Wisell was a Formula One driver from Sweden. He participated in 23 grands prix, debuting on October 4, 1970. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 13 championship points.
Spencer Wishart
1889 - 1914Spencer Wishart was an American racing driver active during the early years of the Indianapolis 500. He raced there four times with a best finish of second in 1913, 13 1/2 minutes behind the winner, Jules Goux, the largest winning margin in the history of the race. He was killed in the Elgin National Trophy race in 1914.
Cory Witherill
1971Cory Witherill is a full blooded native American Navajo racing driver from Los Angeles competing in the Infiniti Pro Series, Indy Racing League, and ARCA series. In 2001 he became the first and only full-blooded native American to race in the Indy 500.
Pascal Witmeur
1955Best known as a team owner in a number of categories and a sponsorship consultant, Witmeur raced in endurance events including 25 appearances at the Spa 24 Hour race.
Walter Wolf
1939Walter Wolf is a Slovenian-born Canadian oil-drilling equipment supplier who in the early 1970s made a fortune from the North Sea oil business and decided to join the world of Formula 1 motor racing.
Bob Wollek
1943 - 2001A sports car legend, Bob Wollek's career spanned over 30 years. Four-time winner at Daytona's 24-hour race and with 11 world championship titles, Wollek continued racing well into his 50s when he was killed while riding his bicycle outside Sebring on the eve of the 12 Hour Race in 2001.
Dudley Wood
1946Started racing in 1978. Mostly a sports car driver, Dudley won his class and took 4th overall at Le Mans in 1981. He also took a class win in C2 at the ADAC 1000 km at the Nürburgring with Costas Los in 1987.
Cliff Woodbury
1894 - 1984Finished 3rd at Indy on his first attempt in 1926 in a rain shortened race. Returned to the brickyard three more times, putting his Miller on pole in 1929 but going out on the third lap after he tangled with Leon Duray. He has the distinction of posting the worst finish for any pole sitter in the history of the Indy 500.
Vince Woodman
1938Top touring car driver who narrowly missed out on the 1982 RAC British Touring Car title, being beaten by Jeff Alam in the final round.
Roelof Wunderink
1948Roelof Wunderink is a Dutch former racing driver. He participated in six Formula One World Championship Grands Prix for Ensign, debuting on 27 April 1975. He scored no championship points.
Alexander Wurz
1974After working as a test driver for Williams in 2006, Wurz has replaced Mark Webber as a race driver for the 2007. This will be Wurz's first full F1 season since 2000.
John Wyer
1908 - 1989John Wyer was most famous for the light blue and orange cars of his long time sponsor Gulf Oil.