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Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver, rower and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed " Mr. Monaco", Hill won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and, at the time of his retirement, held the record for most podium finishes (36); he won 14 Grands Prix across 18 seasons. In American open-wheel racing, Hill won the Indianapolis 500 in 1966 with Mecom. Upon winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in with Matra, Hill became the first—and , only—driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
Born and raised in London, Hill studied engineering before completing national service in the Royal Navy. He was a member of London Rowing Club from 1952 to 1954, contesting twenty finals and stroking the London crew in the Grand Challenge Cup. He made his racing debut in Formula Three aged 25. He initially joined Team Lotus in Formula One as a mechanic, before earning a driving debut with the team at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix and securing a full-time contract. After non-classified championship finishes in 1958 and with Lotus, Hill moved to BRM in , scoring his maiden podium at the . BRM fielded the competitive P57 in , with Hill taking his maiden victory at the season-opening and winning three further Grands Prix as he secured his maiden title, beating career rival Jim Clark and Bruce McLaren. He finished runner-up to Clark the following season, before losing the title by one point to John Surtees. Hill took multiple wins in as he finished runner-up to Clark once more in the standings. After a winless campaign, Hill returned to Lotus to partner Clark.
Helping develop the Lotus 49 for the new Cosworth DFV engines, Hill struggled with reliability throughout , with podiums in Monaco and the United States. Clark was killed after their 1–2 finish at the season opener in , leaving Hill in a close title battle with Jackie Stewart, which Hill won at the final race of the season. In , Hill became a five-time winner of the Monaco Grand Prix, a record he held for 24 years. During the , Hill was seriously injured in a crash, breaking both of his legs and ending his season prematurely. After recovering from his injuries, he returned as a privateer in before competing with Brabham for two further seasons, where he won the non-championship BRDC International Trophy in 1971. Hill founded and competed for Embassy Hill from to 1975, retiring from motor racing after the to focus on team ownership and supporting his protégé Tony Brise. In addition to his two championships, Hill achieved 14 race wins, 13 pole positions, ten fastest laps and 36 podiums in Formula One.
Outside Formula One, Hill entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans ten times between and 1972, winning the latter alongside Henri Pescarolo in the Matra-Simca MS670. He also entered the Indianapolis 500 three times from 1966 to 1968, winning the Borg-Warner Trophy at his first attempt. Throughout his early years, Hill also competed in the British Saloon Car Championship, topping his class in 1963, and entered six seasons of the Tasman Series, finishing runner-up to Stewart in 1966. In November 1975, Hill and five other Embassy Hill executives, including Brise, were killed when the Piper PA-23 Aztec aircraft Hill was piloting crashed in low-visibility conditions in north London whilst returning from a test session for the Hill GH2 at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Embassy Hill subsequently shut down ahead of the season. Hill's son Damon Hill went on to win the World Drivers' Championship in , becoming the first father-and-son World Drivers' Champions. Hill was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
In 1960, Hill joined BRM, he won also in that year on 8 May 1960 the Targa Florio in the class Sports 1600 together with a German driver Edgar Barth in a Porsche 718, and won the world championship with BRM in 1962. He was known for his race preparation, keeping records of the settings on his car and working long hours with his mechanics. Hill was also part of the so-called 'British invasion' of drivers and cars in the Indianapolis 500 during the mid-1960s, triumphing there in 1966 in a Lola Cars-Ford.
At the same time, Hill along with his F1 contemporaries competed in the British Saloon Car Championship, scoring several outright wins. He achieved a best finish of sixth overall in 1961 driving a Jaguar Mark 2. In 1967, back at Lotus, Hill helped to develop the Lotus 49 with the new Cosworth-V8 engine. It fell to Hill to perform the initial testing of the new car and its engine. After the first shakedown run, Hill quipped "Well, it's got some poke! Not a bad old tool." After teammates Jim Clark and Mike Spence were killed in early 1968, Hill led the team, and won his second world championship in 1968. The Lotus had a reputation of being very fragile and dangerous at that time, especially with the new aerodynamic aids which caused similar crashes of Hill and Jochen Rindt at the 1969 Spanish Grand Prix. A crash at the 1969 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen broke both his legs and interrupted his career. Typically, when asked soon after the crash if he wanted to pass on a message to his wife, Hill replied "Just tell her that I won't be dancing for two weeks."
Upon recovery, Hill continued to race in F1 for several more years, but never again with the same level of success. Colin Chapman, believing Hill was a spent force, placed him in Rob Walker's team for 1970, sweetening the deal with one of the brand-new Lotus 72 cars. Although Hill scored points in 1970, he started the season far from fully fit and the 72 was not fully developed until late in the season. Hill moved to Brabham for 1971–2; his last win in F1 was in the non-Championship International Trophy at Silverstone in 1971 with the "lobster claw" Brabham. The team was in flux after the retirements of Sir Jack Brabham and then Ron Tauranac's sale to Bernie Ecclestone; Hill did not settle there.
Hill was known during the latter part of his career for his wit and became a popular personality – he was a regular guest on television and wrote a notably frank and witty autobiography, Life at the Limit, when recovering from his 1969 accident. A second autobiography, which covered his career up until his retirement from racing simply called Graham was published posthumously in 1976.Graham Hill9780099152507, Red Fox. ISBN 9780099152507 A staunch campaigner for road safety, Hill presented a series for Thames Television entitled Advanced Driving with Graham Hill comprising six 30-minute programmes broadcast weekly in June and July 1974.Times Newspapers Limited; Monday, 24 June 1974, Issue Number 59122, Page 19, Broadcasting. A book accompanying the series giving advice on safer and responsible driving was co-written by him. Hill was also irreverently immortalized on a Monty Python episode ("It's the Arts (or: Intermission)" sketch called "Historical Impersonations"), in which a Gumby appears asking to "see John the Baptist's impersonation of Graham Hill." The head of St. John the Baptist appears (with a stuck-on moustache in Hill's style) on a silver platter, which runs around the floor making putt-putt noises of a race car engine.
Hill was involved with four films between 1966 and 1974, including appearances in Grand Prix and Caravan to Vaccarès, in which he appeared as a helicopter pilot. Caravan to Vaccarès: Cast & Crew movies.msn.com. Retrieved on 14 July 2007. During a Christmas Eve 1970 special of BBC's Tomorrow's World Hill played against Raymond Baxter on an early computer racing game, with data centre workers Anne Norie and Margaret Watson manning the terminals for the game.
Although Hill had concentrated on F1, he also maintained a presence in sports car racing throughout his career (including two runs in the Rover-BRM gas turbine car at Le Mans). As his F1 career drew to a close he became part of the Matra sports car team, taking a victory in the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans with Henri Pescarolo. This victory completed the so-called Triple Crown of Motorsport which is alternatively defined as winning either:
Along with Stirling Moss, Hill put his name to and supported the Grand Prix Midget Championship, which started in 1975, with the aim of bringing low cost motorsport to people who wanted to try a new career.
Hill's record of 176 Grand Prix starts remained in place for over a decade until being equalled by Jacques Laffite.
The family lived in Mill Hill during the 1960s. The house now features an English Heritage blue plaque. During the early 1970s, Hill moved to Lyndhurst House in Shenley in Hertfordshire. The house is now owned by musician Jeff Wayne. Well known for throwing extravagant parties at his houses to which most of the Grand Prix paddock and other famous guests attended, Hill was universally popular.
In 1952, Hill joined London Rowing Club, then as now one of the largest and most successful clubs in Great Britain. From 1952 to 1954, he rowed in twenty finals with London, usually as stroke of the crew, eight of which resulted in wins. He also stroked the London eight in the highly prestigious Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, losing a semi-final to Union Sportif Metropolitaine des Transports, France by a length.
Through his racing career, Hill continued to support rowing and London. In 1968, when the club began a financial appeal to modernise its clubhouse, he launched proceedings by driving an old Morris Oxford, which had been obtained for £5, head-on into a boundary wall. Hill made three runs to reduce the wall to rubble, and the car was subsequently sold for £15.
Hill felt that the experience gained in rowing helped him in his motor-racing. He wrote in his autobiography:
"I really enjoyed my rowing. It really taught me a lot about myself, and I also think it is a great character-building sport...The self discipline required for rowing and the 'never say die' attitude obviously helped me through the difficult years that lay ahead."
Hill adopted the colours and cap design of London Rowing Club for his racing helmet – dark blue with white oar-shaped tabs. His son Damon and grandson Josh later adopted the same colours with permission from the club.
The subsequent investigation revealed that Hill's aircraft, originally registered in the US as had been removed from the FAA register and at the time of the accident was "unregistered and stateless", despite still displaying its original markings. Furthermore, Hill's American FAA pilot certification had expired, as had his instrument rating. His UK IMC rating, which would have permitted him to fly in the weather conditions that prevailed at the time, was also out of date and invalid. Hill was effectively uninsured. The investigation into the crash was ultimately inconclusive, but pilot error was deemed the most likely explanation.
Hill's funeral was held at St Albans Abbey, and he is buried at St Botolph's graveyard, Shenleybury. The church has since been deconsecrated so the tomb now sits in a private garden.
In Bourne, Lincolnshire, where Hill's former team BRM is based, a road called Graham Hill Way is named in his honour. Also, a nursery school in Lusevera was named in his honour.
Hill was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1968 Birthday Honours for services to motor racing.United Kingdom list: In 1990, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
A one-off BBC Four documentary called was first broadcast on 26 May 2008.
Legacy
After his death, Silverstone village, home to the track of the same name, named a road, Graham Hill, after him Graham Hill, Google Maps and there is a "Graham Hill Road" on The Shires estate in nearby Towcester. Graham Hill Bend at the Brands Hatch racing circuit is also named in his honour. A blue plaque commemorates Hill at 32 Parkside, in Mill Hill, London NW7.
Bibliography
Graham Hill9780099152507, Red Fox. ISBN 9780099152507
Career results
Career summary
24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A British Saloon Car Championship Speedwell Stable 1 0 0 0 0 0 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A Formula Two Porsche 2 0 0 0 1 7 7th 24 Hours of Le Mans Porsche 1 0 0 0 0 N/A British Saloon Car Championship Team Speedwell 2 0 0 0 0 0 24 Hours of Le Mans North American Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 N/A British Saloon Car Championship Equipe Endeavour 4 1 0 2 4 28 6th 24 Hours of Le Mans David Brown Organisation 1 0 0 0 0 N/A British Saloon Car Championship John Coombs 6 4 2 1 5 32 4th USAC Championship Car MT Harvey Aluminum 1 0 0 0 0 0 24 Hours of Le Mans Owen Racing Organisation 1 0 0 0 0 N/A British Saloon Car Championship John Coombs 7 3 2 3 6 49 3rd John Willment Automobiles 1 0 0 0 1 Tasman Series Scuderia Veloce 2 1 0 0 1 12 6th 24 Hours of Le Mans Maranello Concessionaires 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 2nd Tasman Series Scuderia Veloce 4 1 1 1 1 14 7th 24 Hours of Le Mans Owen Racing Organisation 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 10th Tasman Series 5 2 1 2 5 30 2nd USAC Championship Car Mecom Racing Enterprises 1 1 0 0 1 0 24 Hours of Le Mans Alan Mann Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A Tasman Series 1 0 0 0 0 0 USAC Championship Car 1 0 0 0 1 0 British Saloon Car Championship 6 0 0 0 2 24 10th Gold Leaf Team Lotus 11 3 2 0 5 Tasman Series Team Lotus 4 0 0 0 3 17 4th USAC Championship Car 1 0 0 0 0 0 British Saloon Car Championship Alan Mann Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 Tasman Series 7 0 0 0 2 16 5th USAC Championship Car 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brooke Bond Oxo Racing – Rob Walker 9 0 0 0 0 24 Hours of Le Mans Equipe Matra-Simca Shell 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
!rowspan=3 Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 12
! Climax FPF 2.0 L4
ARG MON NED 500 BEL !rowspan=3 NC
!rowspan=3 0 ! Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 16
! Climax FPF 2.5 L4|style="background:#efcfff;" MON
500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA ! NC
! 0 !rowspan=2 Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P25
!rowspan=2 BRM P25 2.5 L4 ARG !rowspan=2 15th
!rowspan=2 4 ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P48/57
! Climax FPF 1.5 L4|style="background:#efcfff;" MON
NED BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA ! 16th
! 3 ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P57
! BRM P56 1.5 V8|style="background:#ffffbf;" NED
MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA 1st 42 (52) !rowspan=2 Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P57
!rowspan=2 BRM P56 1.5 V8 MON BEL NED GBR GER USA MEX RSA 2nd 29 ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P261
! BRM P56 1.5 V8|style="background:#ffffbf;" MON
NED BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA USA MEX 2nd 39 (41) ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P261
! BRM P56 1.5 V8|style="background:#ffdf9f;" RSA
MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX 2nd 40 (47) !rowspan=2 Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P261
! BRM P60 2.0 V8
MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER !rowspan=2 5th
!rowspan=2 17 !rowspan=3 Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 43
! BRM P75 3.0 H engine
RSA !rowspan=3 7th
!rowspan=3 15 ! Team Lotus
!rowspan=2 Team Lotus 49
!rowspan=3 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA 1st 48 ! Gold Leaf Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 49B
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8|style="background:#dfdfdf;" RSA
ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER ITA CAN USA MEX ! 7th
! 19 ! Rob Walker Racing Team
!rowspan=2 Team Lotus 49C
!rowspan=3 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA ESP !rowspan=3 13th
!rowspan=3 7 !rowspan=2 Brabham
! Brabham BT33
!rowspan=2 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA !rowspan=2 21st
!rowspan=2 2 !rowspan=2 Brabham
! Brabham BT33
!rowspan=2 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG RSA !rowspan=2 15th
!rowspan=2 4 ! Embassy Hill
! Shadow DN1
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR NED GER AUT ITA CAN USA
! NC
! 0! Embassy Hill
! Lola Cars T370
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8|style="background:#efcfff;" ARG
BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA
! 18th
! 1!rowspan=2 Embassy Hill
! Lola Cars T370
!rowspan=2 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA ESP !rowspan=2 NC
!rowspan=2 0
Complete Formula One non-championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
! Cooper Car Company
! Cooper T43 (F2)
! Climax FPF 1.5 L4 SYR
PAU GLV NAP RMS CAE INT MOD MOR !rowspan=2 Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 12
! Climax FPF 2.0 L4
GLV SYR INT CAE ! Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 16
! Climax FPF 2.5 L4|style="background:#EFCFFF;" GLV
AIN INT OUL SIL ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P48
! BRM P25 2.5 L4|style="background:#DFFFDF;" GLV
INT SIL LOM OUL ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P48/57
! Climax FPF 1.5 L4 LOM
GLV PAU BRX VIE AIN SYR NAP LON SIL SOL KAN DAN MOD FLG OUL LEW VAL RAN NAT RSA ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P57
! BRM P56 1.5 V8 CAP
LOM LAV GLV PAU AIN INT NAP RMS SOL OUL MEX RAN NAT ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P57
! BRM P56 1.5 V8|style="background:#FFFFBF;" LOM
GLV PAU IMO SYR AIN INT ROM SOL KAN MED AUT OUL RAN ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P261
! BRM P56 1.5 V8|style="background:#EFCFFF;" DMT
NWT SYR AIN INT SOL MED ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P261
! BRM P56 1.5 V8|style="background:#EFCFFF;" ROC
SYR SMT INT MED RAN ! Owen Racing Organisation
! BRM P83
! BRM P75 3.0 H engine RSA
SYR INT OUL !rowspan=3 Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 48 (F2)
! Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4
ROC SPR OUL !rowspan=2 Gold Leaf Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 49
!rowspan=2 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC INT ! Gold Leaf Team Lotus
! Team Lotus 49B
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8|style="background:#DFDFDF;" ROC
INT MAD ! Rob Walker Racing Team
!rowspan=2 Team Lotus 49C
!rowspan=3 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC ! Brabham
! Brabham BT34
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
ROC QUE SPR INT RIN OUL VIC ! Brabham
! Brabham BT37
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC
BRA INT OUL REP VIC ! Embassy Hill
! Brabham BT37
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8|style="background:#EFCFFF;" ROC
INT ! Embassy Hill
! Lola Cars T370
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 PRE
ROC INT ! Embassy Hill
! Embassy Hill GH1
! Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC
INT SUI
Complete USAC Championship Car results
Indianapolis 500 results
Complete Tasman Series results
1964
! Brabham BT4 LEV PUK WIG TER SAN WAR LAK LON
! 6th
! 121965
! Brabham BT11A PUK LEV WIG TER WAR SAN LON ! 7th
! 14 1966
! BRM P261 PUK LEV WIG TER WAR LAK SAN
(3)LON
!style="background:#dfdfdf;"2nd
!style="background:#dfdfdf;" 30 (34) 1967
! Lotus 48 PUK WIG LAK WAR SAN LON ! NC
! 0 1968
! Lotus 49T PUK LEV WIG TER SUR WAR SAN LON
! 4th
! 171969
! Lotus 49T PUK LEV WIG TER LAK WAR SAN ! 5th
! 16
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete British Saloon Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.
1958
! Speedwell Stable
! Austin A35
! Brands Hatch Brands Hatch Mallory Park Brands Hatch Brands Hatch CRY Brands Hatch Brands Hatch
RetBrands Hatch ! NC
! 0
! NC 1960
!rowspan=2 Team Speedwell
! Jaguar Mk II 3.8
! +2600cc Brands Hatch SNE Mallory Park Oulton Park SNE Brands Hatch
Ret* !rowspan=2 NC
!rowspan=2 0 1961
! Equipe Endeavour
! Jaguar Mk II 3.8
! SNE Goodwood Circuit
2AIN SIL
1CRY SIL
2Brands Hatch Oulton Park
2SNE ! 6th
! 28|style="background:#FFDF9F" 3rd
1962
! John Coombs
! Jaguar Mk II 3.8
! SNE
3Goodwood Circuit
1AIN
1SIL
1CRY AIN Brands Hatch
RetOulton Park
1 ! 4th
! 32|style="background:#DFDFDF;" 2nd
1963
! John Coombs
! Jaguar Mk II 3.8
!rowspan=2 SNE
2Oulton Park
1Goodwood Circuit
1AIN
1SIL
RetCRY
3†SIL Brands Hatch
2Brands Hatch 3rd 49 1st 1967
! Team Lotus
! Ford Cortina Lotus
! Brands Hatch
2SNE
4SIL
3SIL
RetMallory Park SIL SIL Brands Hatch
RetOulton Park
Ret†Brands Hatch ! 10th
! 24|style="background:#DFDFDF;" 2nd
1968
! Alan Mann Racing
! Ford Escort TC
! Brands Hatch Thruxton Circuit SIL CRY Mallory Park Brands Hatch SIL Croft Circuit Oulton Park
RetBrands Hatch Brands Hatch
! NC
! 0
! NC
Complete Canadian-American Challenge Cup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
1966
! Team Surtees
! Lola T70 Mk.2
! Chevrolet MTR BRI MOS LAG RIV LVG
! 9th
! 4
Honours and awards
Hill's easy wit and charm helped him become a television personality, notably on the BBC show Call My Bluff with Patrick Campbell and Frank Muir. For a number of years in the early 1970s he appeared as one half of a double act, with Jackie Stewart, as an insert within the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show. In June 1975 he appeared alongside his son, Damon Hill, on the popular television programme Jim'll Fix It. His appearance was later rebroadcast as part of the twentieth anniversary celebrations of the programme in January 1995, with Damon presenting a new segment at the end.
Notes
See also
External links
Categories: 1929 Births, 1975 Deaths, English Racing Drivers, English Formula One Drivers, Formula One World Drivers' Champions, Formula One Race Winners, Formula One Team Owners, Formula One Team Principals, Team Lotus Formula One Drivers, Brm Formula One Drivers, Brabham Formula One Drivers, Rob Walker Racing Team Formula One Drivers, Hill Formula One Drivers, Indianapolis 500 Drivers, Indianapolis 500 Winners, 24 Hours Of Le Mans Drivers, 24 Hours Of Le Mans Winning Drivers, 12 Hours Of Reims Drivers, International Motorsports Hall Of Fame Inductees, International Race Of Champions Drivers, Aviators Killed In Aviation Accidents Or Incidents In England, People From Hampstead, Sportspeople From The London Borough Of Camden, Racing Drivers From London, Brdc Gold Star Winners, British Touring Car Championship Drivers, Tasman Series Drivers, Accidental Deaths In London, World Sportscar Championship Drivers, English Motorsport People, Victims Of Aviation Accidents Or Incidents In 1975, Porsche Motorsports Drivers, Officers Of The Order Of The British Empire, Royal Navy Sailors, 20th-century English Sportsmen, Parents Of Formula One Drivers, Sportspeople Killed In Aviation Accidents Or Incidents, 12 Hours Of Sebring Drivers
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