Mike Thackwell

Mike Thackwell
Mike Thackwell
Born 30 March 1961 (1961-03-30) (age 50)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality New Zealand New Zealander
Active years 1980, 1984
Teams Arrows, Tyrrell, RAM
Races 5 (2 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Career points 0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First race 1980 Dutch Grand Prix
Last race 1984 German Grand Prix

Michael Thackwell (born 30 March 1961 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former racing driver, who competed in a number of prominent racing categories, including Formula One. The second youngest driver ever to qualify for a Grand Prix, he participated in five of them, making his first start on 28 September 1980 at the Canadian Grand Prix. He scored no championship points. He had previously attempted unsuccessfully to qualify for the Dutch Grand Prix which was held on 31 August 1980.

Contents

Early life

Thackwell was born into a motor racing family. His father, Ray, was a successful speedway rider and racing driver. When Thackwell was six years old, his family emigrated to Perth, Western Australia, where he spent his formative years, and also began racing. At the time of his Formula One debut, Thackwell regarded himself as Australian, although he competed as a New Zealander. [1]

For three years from the age of nine, Thackwell competed in motocross events, on a motorcycle built by his father. He then switched to karts, winning a Western Australian championship at the age of 14. After also winning the Hong Kong Kart Grand Prix in 1975 and 1976, he moved to England.[1]

Formula One debut

For nearly 30 years, Thackwell was often listed as the youngest driver to start a Formula One event, although this claim was arguable. In his debut race, Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet collided on the first lap under the bridge after the start/finish line and were subsequently hit by a number of other cars, including Jean-Pierre Jarier and Derek Daly, both Tyrrell drivers. Mike Thackwell negotiated his way through the carnage and returned to the start/finish line undamaged as the race had been stopped. As both Jarier's and Daly's cars were too badly damaged to repair quickly, Thackwell was instructed by Ken Tyrrell to give up his car for Jarier. The race was then restarted after the wreckage was cleaned up. Under Formula One regulations, when the race is stopped on the first lap, the racing on that lap is annulled and the race starts anew when the cars take to the grid for the second time. If a driver was involved in the first lap incident and then can not bring their car back to the second start, they have technically not taken part in the Grand Prix. This is because the Grand Prix actually begins from the second start and the original start is struck from the results.[2] Using these criteria, Ricardo Rodriguez was in fact the youngest race starter. Sebastian Vettel became in August 2006 the youngest driver to appear at a Grand Prix meeting, but only as a test driver. Jaime Alguersuari broke Thackwell's record at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, being 19 years 125 days old when he started the race.

Later career

Thackwell's debut in a Tyrrell was unsuccessful and returning to Formula Two he suffered a massive testing accident which may have affected his driving afterwards. His career stalled until he rejoined the works Ralt team in 1983, coming second in that year's F2 championship and winning the final championship in 1984, during which year he had a few more F1 drives, and finished the 1984 season in CART for Penske Racing after foot injuries at Sanair during practice for the Molson 300 sidelined Penske ace Rick Mears. Despite further race wins in Formula 3000 and success in sports cars for Jaguar and Sauber-Mercedes, Thackwell failed to re-establish himself in F1 and turned his back on the sport at the end of 1987. He is widely felt to have been one of the great 'lost talents' - a driver in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thackwell now lives on the South Coast of England and is interested in watersports, particularly surfing.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts
1980 March Racing March/802 BMW THR
Ret
HOC
Ret
NÜR
10
VAL
4
PAU
4
SIL
3
ZOL
6
MUG
18
ZAN
Ret
PER
9
MIS
Ret
HOC
8th 11
1981 Ralt Racing Ltd. Ralt/RH6/81 Honda SIL
1
HOC
3
THR
NÜR
VAL
MUG
5
PAU
6
PER
DSQ
SPA
Ret
DON
5
MIS
3
MAN
15
6th 22
1982 Horag Racing March/822 BMW SIL
Ret
HOC
Ret
THR
NÜR
Ret
MUG
8
VAL
9
PAU
3
SPA
3
HOC
10
DON
Ret
MAN
PER
MIS
10th 8
1983 Ralt Racing Ltd. Ralt/RH6/83H Honda SIL
2
THR
2
HOC
3
NÜR
7
VAL
3
PAU
8
JAR
1
DON
2
MIS
Ret
PER
3
ZOL
2
MUG
2
2nd 51
1984 Ralt Racing Ltd. Ralt/RH6 Honda SIL
1
HOC
2
THR
1
VAL
1
MUG
1
PAU
1
HOC
9
MIS
1
PER
1
DON
4
BRH
Ret
1st 72

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1985 Ralt Racing Ltd. SIL
1
THR
2
EST
NC
VAL
Ret
PAU
Ret
SPA
1
DIJ
2
PER
1
ZEL
9
ZAN
2
DON
Ret
2nd 45
1986 Hotz-Horag Racing/FTL SIL
4
VAL
PER
9
ZEL
BIR BUG
8th 10.5
Ralt Racing Ltd. PAU
1
SPA
IMO
MUG
JAR
Ret
1988 Ralt Racing Ltd. JER
VAL
PAU
7
SIL
MON
PER
BRH
BIR
BUG
ZOL
DIJ
- 0

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1980 Warsteiner Arrows Racing Team Arrows A3 Cosworth V8 ARG
BRA
RSA
USW
BEL
MON
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
NED
DNQ
ITA
NC 0
Candy Tyrrell Team Tyrrell 010 CAN
Ret
USA
DNQ
1984 Skoal Bandit F1 Team RAM 02 Hart V8 BRA
RSA
BEL
SMR
FRA
MON
CAN
Ret
DET
DAL
GBR
NC 0
Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 012 Cosworth V8 GER
DNQ
AUT
NED
ITA
EUR
POR

Complete CART results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points
1984 Penske Racing United States
LBH
United States
PHX1
United States
INDY
United States
MIL
United States
POR
United States
MEA
United States
CLE
United States
MIS1
United States
ROA
United States
POC
United States
MDO
United States
SAN
United States
MIS2
United States
PHX2
United States
LS
Ret
United States
LVG
Ret
NC 0

References

  1. ^ a b "Teenager on Jones' trail". Sydney Morning Herald: p. 53. 17 September 1980. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19800917&id=xQFkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6338,5995336. Retrieved 7 November 2011. 
  2. ^ Sporting Regulations: See Articles 155 through 157

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Jonathan Palmer
European Formula Two
Champion

1984
Succeeded by
Christian Danner
(International Formula 3000)
Records
Preceded by
Ricardo Rodríguez
19 years, 208 days
(1961 Italian GP)
Youngest Driver to start
a Formula One race

19 years, 182 days
(1980 Canadian Grand Prix)
Succeeded by
Jaime Alguersuari
19 years, 125 days
(2009 Hungarian GP)

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