Racing driver. Piers Courage was born in Colchester, Essex, the eldest son of the chairman of the Courage brewing empire, however he had to pay his own way in motor racing living in the back of a small van. In spite of regularly crashing in his early days, when he was advised to give the sport up, his natural speed eventually was matched by his reliability. For the 1969 season he joined the Frank Williams team and drove a customer Brabham BT26 all season. For the 1970 season the team tried the new, untested de Tomaso-Ford. At the Dutch GP at Zandvoort, Courage was on the 27th lap when his car hit the infamous bump at Tunnel Oost. The car careered off the track in a cloud of sand, demolishing the catch fences, then turned over on a bank. The car burst into flames and he didn't stand a chance. With the large amount of magnesium in the car's construction, the flames were almost impossible to extinguish. Piers Courage was regarded as one of the last of the Gentlemen Drivers.
Racing driver. Piers Courage was born in Colchester, Essex, the eldest son of the chairman of the Courage brewing empire, however he had to pay his own way in motor racing living in the back of a small van. In spite of regularly crashing in his early days, when he was advised to give the sport up, his natural speed eventually was matched by his reliability. For the 1969 season he joined the Frank Williams team and drove a customer Brabham BT26 all season. For the 1970 season the team tried the new, untested de Tomaso-Ford. At the Dutch GP at Zandvoort, Courage was on the 27th lap when his car hit the infamous bump at Tunnel Oost. The car careered off the track in a cloud of sand, demolishing the catch fences, then turned over on a bank. The car burst into flames and he didn't stand a chance. With the large amount of magnesium in the car's construction, the flames were almost impossible to extinguish. Piers Courage was regarded as one of the last of the Gentlemen Drivers.
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
