Richard Knight Thompson, Jr. (July 9, 1920 – September 14, 2014) was an American racecar driver. A Washington, D.C. dentist by trade, he is known as "The Flying Dentist". He won numerous Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) championships and was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame. Thompson brought credibility to the Corvette as a world-class sports car. Active from the late 1950s until the 1970s, Thompson raced for several notable racers, including the factory Corvette team for John Fitch and Briggs Cunningham.
Thompson started racing in 1952 in one of the first 12-hour races at Sebring International Raceway. He drove to the track in his MG TD, and co-drove the car to an eighth-place finish. He caught Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov's eye in 1956, when Thompson was the only driver to compete in a production Corvette. He won the SCCA championship in his Corvette in 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961 and 1962 in Classes A, B and C. He was selected to test drive a new Corvette Grand Sport at Sebring in December 1962. In 1963, he drove a Corvette Grand Sport to victory at Watkins Glen International. He took third place that year at Daytona International Speedway and won the GT class in 1970.
In 1967, Thompson won the 1000km of Spa with Jacky Ickx in the Gulf-liveried JW Automotive Mirage M1.
Thompson used his knowledge of the Corvette to write The Corvette Guide in 1958. He never made enough money to cover more than his expenses. He had never quit his dentistry business, so he decided to concentrate on that business full-time. He has raced occasionally in events since his retirement. He lived in Wellington, Florida as of October 2007. On September 14, 2014, he died of pneumonia at a hospice in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Honors
Dick Thompson was inducted in the Corvette Hall of Fame in 2000. Dick Thompson was inducted in the Le Mans Drivers Hall of Fame in 2013. He was inducted in the Sports Car Club of America's Hall of Fame in January 2018.
Racing record
12 Hours of Sebring results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 |  R. K. Thompson Jr.
|
William Kinchloe
|
MG TD Mk II Special | S1.5 | 129 | 8th | 3rd |
| 1955 | Jack Pry
|
Charles Wallace
|
Jaguar XK140 | S5.0 | 163 | 10th | 2nd |
| 1957 | John Fitch
|
 Gaston Andrey
|
Chevrolet Corvette C1 | GT5.0 | 173 | 12th | 1st |
| 1958 | Dick Thompson
|
John Kilbourn Fred Windridge
|
Chevrolet Corvette C1 | GT5.0 | 144 | 33rd | 2nd |
| 1959 | B.S. Cunningham
|
Walt Hansgen
|
Lister-Jaguar Knobbly | S3.0 | 164 | 12th | 5th |
| 1960 | Jaguar Distributors of New York
|
Fred Windridge
|
Chevrolet Corvette C1 | GT5.0 | 41 | DNF | DNF |
| 1961 | Mono Corporation
|
John Fitch
|
Maserati Tipo 61 | S3.0 | ? | DNF | DNF |
| 1962 | Briggs Cunningham
|
Walt Hansgen
|
Maserati Tipo 64 | S3.0 | 30 | DNF | DNF |
| 1963 | I. Grady Davis
|
Don Yenko
|
Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray | GT +4.0 | 14 | DNF | DNF |
| Duncan Black Ed Lowther M. R. J. Wyllie Don Yenko
|
167 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| 1964 | North American Racing Team
|
Bob Grossman
|
Ferrari 250 GTO LMB | GT3.0 | 186 | 15th | 2nd |
| 1965 | Shaw Racing Team
|
Graham Shaw
|
Shelby Cobra | GT5.0 | 173 | 19th | 4th |
| 1966 | Roger Penske
|
Dick Guldstrand
|
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport | P +5.0 | 65 | DNF | DNF |
| 1967 |  JW Automotive Engineering
|
Ed Lowther
|
Ford GT40 | S5.0 | 119 | DNF | DNF |
| 1968 | Howmet Corporation
|
Ray Heppenstall Ed Lowther
|
Howmet TX | P3.0 | 125 | DNF | DNF |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | B.S. Cunningham
|
Fred Windridge
|
Chevrolet Corvette C1 Coupé | GT5.0 | 207 | DNF | DNF |
| 1961 | Briggs Cunningham
|
Augie Pabst
|
Maserati Tipo 63 | S3.0 | 311 | 4th | 3rd |
| 1962 | Briggs Cunningham
|
Bill Kimberley
|
Maserati Tipo 151 Coupé | E +3.0 | 62 | DNF | DNF |
| 1965 | AC Cars Ltd.
|
Jack Sears
|
AC Cobra Daytona Coupé | GT5.0 | 304 | 8th | 1st |
| 1967 | JW Automotive Engineering
|
David Piper
|
Mirage M1 | P +5.0 | 59 | DNF | DNF |
| 1968 | Howmet Engineering
|
Ray Heppenstal
|
Howmet TX | P3.0 | 84 | DNF | DNF |
References
- ^ Biography Archived 2011-10-14 at the Wayback Machine; National Corvette Museum; Retrieved October 22, 2007
- ^ Interview: Dr. Dick Thompson Archived 2006-09-24 at the Wayback Machine; John Wright; October 2007 Vintage Racecar Journal; October 22, 2007
- "1967 Spa 1000Kms". Motor Sport magazine database. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- Bart Barnes (2014-10-25). "Dick Thompson, champion race-car driver known as 'The Flying Dentist,' dies at 94". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.