Andrew Gilbert-Scott

Le Mans drivers
Years = 1989, 1997
Team(s) = Silk Cut Jaguar, Gulf Team Davidoff | Best Finish = 4th (1989)
Class Wins = 0

Andrew Gilbert-Scott (born 11 July 1958 in Cookham Dean, England) is a former British racing driver.

Early career

He started his racing career in the Formula Ford British championship in 1981. In 1983, he moved to the Lola Formula Ford works team. Gilbert-Scott instantly succeeded and won the RAC and Townsend Thoresen Championships.

Career in Europe

In 1986, he stepped up into Formula Three, ran for the Chuck McCarthy Racing and finished 11th in the season. In 1987, he slightly raced in the races of the FIA International Formula 3000 championship, and Andrew also entered sports car racing like the World Sportscar Championship and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.

By the disappointed result in Europe, Gilbert-Scott tried to move to Japan in 1988. In this year, he competed in the All Japan Formula Three Championship and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.

In 1989, he had further successes in the British F3000 series for the Eddie Jordan Racing, finished 2nd in the season. He also raced in the International Formula 3000 for the GA Motorsports. He raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the Silk Cut Jaguar team in the Jaguar XJR-9 LM.

In the next two years, Gilbert-Scott continued competition in the International Formula 3000. He raced for the Leyton House Racing in the 1990 season and slightly raced for the Roni Motorsport in the 1991 season. But, he could not put a notable result.

Moved to Japan

In 1992, he backed to Japan, competed in the All Japan Formula 3000 Championship for the Stellar International racing and also drove their BMW M3 in the All Japan Touring Car Championship. He competed in the same environment until 1997, includes the early years of the Formula Nippon championship, started in 1996. Therefore, he became one of the wellknown names for the Japanese race fans.

In 1997, his last year as a professional racecar driver, he also raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the GTC Racing (Gulf Team Davidoff) and drove a McLaren F1 GTR.

After the race driver career

In 1998, he drove a Jordan Grand Prix Formula One car at the Hangar Straight of Silverstone Circuit in a drag race, competed with a Ferrari F40, as a feature for Top Gear, a BBC television motoring show. He has raced Jordan Grand Prix cars on various other occasions, including again at Silverstone Circuit in 2001.

Currently, he is manager of Takuma Sato, a Japanese Formula One driver.

Family

He is related to Thomas Scott, rector of Aston Sandford Buckinghamshire who wrote the first commentary on the English Bible. He is also a second cousin of Angus William Thomas Gilbert-Scott, a world record ultralight aviator, currently in Hong Kong.

Sources

* [http://www.historicracing.com] Historic racing drivers site