Embassy Hill

Embassy Hill was a short-lived Formula One team started by the two-time Formula One world-champion Graham Hill, racing as a constructor with its own chassis in F1|1975. The team debuted in F1|1973 and had limited success in three seasons of racing, but everything was cut short by the death of Graham Hill and some of the team's top personnel in a small plane crash months before the F1|1976 season. The team was sponsored by Imperial Tobacco's Embassy cigarette brand and ran under various names during its time.

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History

Embassy Racing With Graham Hill came first into being when Graham Hill decided to leave his previous team, Brabham, unhappy with the atmosphere there. He announced in late 1972 he was starting his own team, acting as owner and driver.

Securing sponsorship from Embassy, Hill started operating a team with cars purchased from Shadow. Things did not go well that year: the team's best finish was ninth at Zolder, being the last finisher among 9 cars (the former World Champion also started 23rd of 23 cars that race).

The chassis for F1|1974 were bought from Lola, until in 1975 the team debuted its own chassis, the GH1 model designed by Andy Smallman (which drew heavily from the design of previous year's Lola cars).GrandPrix.com, GP Encyclopedia - Embassy Hill Racing, [http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-embas.html] ]

Unfortunately, the debut of the GH1 at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix [cite web |url=http://forix.autosport.com/8w/ghill.html | title=THE CHAMPIONS / More than Mister Monaco: Graham Hill – all-rounder extraordinary |accessdate=2008-06-21] was marred by Rolf Stommelen's rear wing strut collapsing, pitching the German's car into the crowd and killing four people.

Stommelen was injured in the accident and did not return until the second half of the season.

After failing to qualify at the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix, a race he had won five times, Hill no longer drove himself, instead driving duties for that car were taken over Tony Brise. Brise, considered a rising star, [cite book |last=Tremayne |first= David|authorlink=David Tremayne |title=The Lost Generation |origyear= 2006 |origmonth=August |publisher= Haynes Publishing |isbn=1-84425-205-1] scored fifth place in the 1975 German Grand Prix.

Alan Jones took over the second car for most of the races Stommelen was out; the Australian finished sixth in the 1975 Swedish Grand Prix and qualified sixth for the 1975 Italian Grand Prix.

François Migault and Vern Schuppan were also seen behind the wheel of the second Hill that year. Stommelen returned later in the year.

End of team

On a foggy day in late November 1975, Hill personnel were returning from France where they had tested next year's GH2 model when their small plane crashed near London and everyone on board, including Hill, Smallman and Brise, were killed.BBC, This day in history-- 1975: Graham Hill killed in air crash. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/29/newsid_2527000/2527363.stm] ] The racing community lost six members from the Hill team total.Graham Hill, 46, Retired Racer, In Fatal Crash Piloting His Plane. UPI News Service. December 1, 1975 (Monday) [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30C11F73B5F1B7493C3A91789D95F418785F9 New York Times archive] ]

Complete Formula One results

() (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in "italics" indicate fastest lap.)

References