Duncan Hamilton Biography, Wiki, Height, Weight, Racing Career & More

Duncan Hamilton Biography: James Duncan Hamilton was a racing driver from the United Kingdom. He was famous for his extroverted and colorful personality, frequently overshadowing his talent. After serving in and surviving World War II, he turned to motorsport.

Duncan Hamilton Biography

Duncan Hamilton Biography: Duncan Hamilton was born on 30 April 1920 in Cork County, Ireland. He was raised in relative obscurity. Europe was already enmeshed in the Second World War before he turned 20. As a result, he would spend the war flying Lysanders for the Fleet Air Arm. Following the end of the war, he began a car garage. Between the conclusion of World War II and the beginning of the 1950s, Duncan started to compete in local races. He honed his skills in pre-war cars such as the MG R-type and the Bugatti Type 35B. In 1948 Duncan advanced from a Maserati 6CM to a Talbot-Lago Grand Prix car.

Duncan Hamilton Wiki

Also Read: Don Edmunds Biography, Wiki, Height, Weight, Racing Career & More

Duncan Hamilton Career

He participated in five Grands Prix of the World Championship and 18 other Formula One races. He finished fourth in the 1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix with a Maserati 6CM, third in the 1951 Richmond Trophy (ERA B-Type), second in the 1951 BRDC International Trophy (Talbot-Lago T26C), third in the 1952 Richmond Trophy (Talbot-Lago T26C), and fourth in the 1952 Internationales ADAC Eifelrennen (HWM-Alta).

Even though it was his first race at this level, his fourth-place finish at Zandvoort established that he deserved in the highest division of the Grand Prix competition. In his final race of 1948, the RAC International Grand Prix, the first official post-WWII British Grand Prix, he was forced to retire due to oil pressure issues, a stark contrast to his impressive debut.

During the 1949 Grand Prix season, he suffered only one retirement but never finished higher than ninth, which he did twice at Goodwood. During the coming season, he participated in fewer Grand Prix races while expanding his racing experience by competing in sportscar contests. At Curragh in the Republic of Ireland, he claimed the Wakefield Trophy, a minor Formula Libre race. Before the Irish audience, Hamilton gave a superb performance.

In rainy conditions, Hamilton had few rivals. At the wet BRDC International Trophy race at Silverstone in 1951, he finished second to Reg Parnell in his Talbot-Lago, but a considerable distance clear of Juan Manuel Fangio, who went on to win the World Championship that year.

He participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race nine times, most notably in partnership with Tony Rolt, for which he is best known. In a special-bodied Nash-Healey coupe, the duo finished fourth in their first attempt at the race in 1950 and sixth in 1951. In 1952 their Jaguar C-Type did not complete the race, but they returned in 1953 with a C-Type and won. In 1954, they placed second with a Jaguar D-Type, losing to a much more powerful V12 Ferrari by the smallest margin in years.

The Scuderia Ferrari of José Froilán González and Maurice Trintignant had a lead of two miles, but Hamilton drove a storming race in the closing phases to cut it in half, despite the track being flooded due to a storm. As the track began to dry, the Ferrari held on for a narrow victory. In 1955, he failed to complete it. Hamilton partnered with Alfonso de Portago in a Ferrari for the 1956 season but did not complete it. In 1957, he switched to a Jaguar D-Type and finished sixth alongside American driver Masten Gregory. In 1958, the D-Type he shared with Ivor Bueb failed to complete the Le Mans race.