Richie Ginther

Former F1 driver
Name = Richie Ginther
Nationality = flagicon|USA American
Years = F1|1960 - F1|1967
Team(s) = Ferrari, Scarab, BRM, Honda, Cooper, Eagle
Races = 54 (52 starts)
Championships = 0
Wins = 1
Podiums = 14
Points = 102 (107)Up until F1|1990, not all points scored by a driver contributed to their final World Championship tally (see list of pointscoring systems for more information). Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.]
Poles = 0
Fastest laps = 3
First race = 1960 Monaco Grand Prix
First win = 1965 Mexican Grand Prix
Last win = 1965 Mexican Grand Prix
Last race = 1967 Monaco Grand Prix
Le Mans drivers
Years = 24hLM|1957, 24hLM|1960 - 24hLM|1964, 24hLM|1966
Teams = "Luigi Chinetti"
Scuderia Ferrari
Aston Martin
BRM
Ford Motor Company
NART
Best Finish = dnf

Paul Richard "Richie" Ginther (born in Granada Hills,"Richie Ginther Enters Times Grand Prix", Los Angeles Times, September 13, 1960, Page C1] California, 5 August 1930 - died 20 September 1989 in France) was a racecar driver from the United States. During a varied career, the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix saw Ginther take Honda's first Grand Prix victory, a victory which would also prove to be Ginther's only win in Formula One. In total he participated in 54 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, and numerous non-Championship Formula One races.

Early career

Richie Ginther was raised in the same Californian town as future Formula One World Champion Phil Hill, and it was through Hill, a friend of Ginther's older brother, that Richie Ginther first began to race.Roebuck, N. 1998. "Legends: Richie Ginther". Motor Sport. LXXV/3 (March 1999), 16-17] After finishing school, in 1948 Richie Ginther followed in his father's footsteps and went to work for Douglas Aircraft, initially in the tool and die shop. In his spare time he helped Phill Hill to repair, maintain and race his collection of old cars and hot rods,Sloniger, J. 1961. "Tester to the Prancing Horse". In: Eves, E. (ed.) "Autocourse: Review of International Motor Sport. 1960, Part One." Trafalgar Press, London. 80pp] as Hill's race career began to gather pace. Ginther made his own race debut at Pebble Beach in 1951, driving a Ford-engined MG T-type sports car.cite web |title= Richie Ginther |url= http://www.gpracing.net192.com/drivers/careers/238.cfm |work= Grand Prix Racing |accessdate= 2007-08-20 ]

However, Ginther's own career was put on hold shortly after when he was drafted for two years national service during the Korean War. During this time he received training and experience working in aircraft and engine mechanics, skills which he would later put to good use during his driving career. On emergence from the military Phil Hill requested that Ginther join him, principally as a riding mechanic, in driving a privately-entered 4.1-liter Ferrari in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana. The pair ran high in the rankings until Hill lost control, crashed, and wrote off the car. Both Ginther and Hill were unharmed and returned in 1954 to take second place, beaten only by the works Ferrari of Umberto Maglioli.

1954 was also the year that Richie Ginther returned to race driving himself, mostly in a self-prepared Austin-Healey. His results were impressive enough that the following year VW and Porsche dealer John von Neumann hired him to drive a Porsche in domestic competitions. When von Neumann started dealing in Ferrari cars in 1956 Ginther also got the chance to drive these. In between working in von Neumann's Ferrari dealership — including trips to the Ferrari factory in Italy to sort customer problems — Richie Ginther began to build an impressive racing reputation on the West Coast. This and his choice of Ferrari mounts brought him to the attention of the East Coast Ferrari franchise-holder, three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans-winner Luigi Chinetti. Aside from importing Ferrari road cars, Chinetti also operated a successful race team, soon to metamorphose into Ferrari's official motorsport presence in North America: NART. Ginther first raced for Chinetti in 1957 and with him made his first appearances in international level events, first in the 12 Hours of Sebring and then driving a 2-liter Ferrari 500 TR in the 24hLM|1957 Le Mans race.

Also in 1957, Ginther signed to drive the Aston Martin of Joe Lubin ["Ginther To Drive In Paramount Race", Los Angeles Times, February 26, 1957, Page C2] and over the next three years would continue to compete in many sports car racing events in both Aston and Ferrari machinery, with great success. That June he won a 15 lap GT race at the new Lime Rock Park, and won the opening race of the national championship in his Ferrari. ["Ginther Wins Race Feature", Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1957, Page D2.] In early 1958 he piloted a 2-liter Ferrari to victory at the County Fairgrounds in Pomona, California, averaging 83.8 mph, ["Ginther in Car Victory at Pomona", Los Angeles Times, February 9, 1958, Page C2.] and won in a 3-liter GT in a 5 lap qualifying preliminary for the SCCA Pacific Coast Championship. ["Ginther Bags Sports Car Victory", Los Angeles Times, April 13, 1958, Page C8.] By the end of the year Ginther had captured the Pacific Coast Sports Car Championship outright. He triumphed by a wide margin at Pomona at the opening sports car race of 1959, in a John von Neumann 4.1-liter Ferrari, ["Ginther and Drake Win At Pomona", Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1959, Page C2.] and in June 1959 won in a 3-liter Ferrari TR in the first Hourglass road races in San Diego, California. ["Ginther Drives Ferrari TR To San Diego Race Victory, Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1959 Page C6] Throughout this period he continued to mix his race driving with a steady job at von Neumann's dealership, and by late 1959 the strain was beginning to show.cite web|title= Driver:Ginther, Richie. |url= http://www.formula1archive.com/driver.asp?driver_id=11771 |work= Autocourse Grand Prix Archive |accessdate= 2008-08-20 ]

Formula One

Ferrari

Ginther made his F1 debut at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix driving for Ferrari who he stayed with through F1|1961. In the September 1960 Italian Grand Prix in Monza he placed second to Phil Hill. Ginther led from the start until the 25th lap when Hill passed him and led until the finish." ["Phil Hill, in Ferrari Wins Monza Grand Prix", Los Angeles Times, September 5, 1960, Page C6]

Following the F1|1960 season the Ferrari team gave up 1000 cc in engine size. The 2500 cc engine,permitted the previous year, was replaced by a 1.5 liter rear engine model, with 110 less horsepower. However, the newer engine was superior in both"profiling" and handling. The conservative Enzo Ferrari was the last major Formula 1 race car manufacturer to make the transition to cars with engines in the rear. ["Ferraris Pace Dutch Trials", Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1961, Page 43.] In 1961 Ginther was in the #3 Ferrari driver, behind #1 Wolfgang Von Trips and #2 Hill. Giancarlo Baghetti piloted the #4 car. The team manager was Romulo Tavoni. ["Ferrari Has Enviable Problem; Who on His Team Should Win", New York Times, July 2, 1961, Page 58.]

On May 14, 1961 Ginther finished 2nd to Stirling Moss at the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, only 3.6 seconds behind, a few hundredfeet. He was driving a new rear-engine Ferrari. ["Moss May Be Tough", Lincoln Evening Journal, May 15, 1961, Page 14] Ginther had qualified first, just ahead of Hill, with an average speed of 70.7 mph, and a qualifying time of 1:39.3. He eclipsed the previous course record of 1:39.6. ["Ginther Sets Monaco Record", Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1961, Page A3]

In August 1961 Ginther and Baghetti were teammates at the Pescara Grand Prix, a world auto manufacturers' championship event. Their Ferrari was leading on the 10th lap when it stopped on a straight stretch with a flat tire. ["Italians' Ferrari Takes Auto Race", New York Times, August 16, 1961, Page 27.] Ginther averaged more than convert|133|mi/h|km/h|0|abbr=on on the convert|6.2|mi|km|1|sing=on Autodromo Nazionale Monza in September 1961, to lead the first day of qualifying for the 1961 Italian Grand Prix. ["Grand Prix Trials Paced By Ginther", New York Times, September 9, 1961, Page 25.] Von Trips qualified firstwith Ginther taking the third starting position after Ricardo Rodriguez. ["Ferraris In Sweep", New York Times, September 10, 1961, Page K9] Ginther retired in the race. Von Trips died in a spectacular crash onthe 2nd lap, which also killed eleven spectators, when his Ferrari climbed a five-foot high earth embankment. It brushed a wire fence employed to restrain a portion of the crowd and struck the spectators. ["Von Trips and 11 Spectators Killed in Grand Prix", New York Times, September 11, 1961, Page 1.] Some who were injured eventually succumbed to number a total of fifteen deaths. The Ferrari team ceased competition until January 1, 1962 as a mark of respect to Von Trips. ["Top Drivers Arrive For Grand Prix", New York Times, October 10, 1961, Page C4.]

BRM and Honda

In the F1|1962 he switched to the British-based BRM team to race alongside Graham Hill the highlight of which was a second place in the 1963 World Championship.

His reputation as a solid “team player” and excellent test and development driver earned him an invitation to join the works Honda F1 team for 1965 for whom he scored his one and only GP win at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. The win was also Honda's first in Formula 1. Ginther averaged 151.7 kilometers per hour over the curving five kilometer track in the 65 lap Mexico City event. His speed eclipsed the previous course record of 150.185 km/h. established by Gurney in 1964. It was also the first time Honda had entered the Mexican Grand Prix. ["Ginther Takes Mexican Grand Prix", Fresno Bee, October 25, 1965, Page 18.] Honda reentered international competition in the 1966 Italian Grand Prix The team was but three years old and had encountered difficulty in the preparation of a larger engine. Ginther led in Italy before his car crashed into a retaining wall and he broke his collarbone. ["U.S. Grand Prix", Fremont Argus, September 30, 1966, Page 9.]

Giuther won 1 race, achieved 14 podiums, and scored a total of 107 championship points.

He appeared in an unaccredited role in the 1966 movie “Grand Prix” as John Hogarth a driver in the Japanese funded “Yamura” team. He also acted as one of the technical racing advisors for the movie.

While making an attempt to qualify for the 1967 Indy 500, Ginther decided he’d had enough and walked away from racing. Ginther broke a fuel line in his Indy All-American Eagle which sprayed a mix of ethanol and gasoline down his back. This experience, along with the memory of being burned earlier, led to his sudden retirement. ["Motor Sports Today", Van Nuys News, April 14, 1968, Page 36.]

He participated in a rally with sixty-five other competitors, including actor James Garner, in June 1969. The California Sports Car Club event was three hours cross country from Los Angeles to Huntington Beach. It benefited students from the Braille Institute. ["Unique Blind Rally Set Saturday", Valley News And Green Sheet, June 19, 1969] Ginther managed a Porsche 911-s with two American drivers during the 39th 24 hours of Le Mans, in June 1971. ["Porsche Team Choice To Wim At Le Mans", Hamilton, Ohio Daily News Journal, June 12, 1971, Page 23.]

Death

Richie Ginther died of a heart attack while on vacation with his family in France on September 20, 1989.

Formula One World Championship results

() (Races in "italics" indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

* [http://thespeedblog.com/racers-past-ritchie-ginther-1930-1989/ Biographical article and video on The Speed Blog]