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Piers Courage

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British racing driver (1942–1970)

Piers Courage
Piers Courage (1968)
Born(1942-05-27)27 May 1942
Colchester, Essex, England, UK
Died21 June 1970(1970-06-21) (aged 28)
Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Active years1967–1970
TeamsLotus, BRM, Brabham, De Tomaso
Entries29 (27 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums2
Career points20
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1967 South African Grand Prix
Last entry1970 Dutch Grand Prix

Piers Raymond Courage (27 May 1942 – 21 June 1970) was a British racing driver. He participated in 29 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 2 January 1967. He achieved two podium finishes, and scored 20 championship points.

Biography

Courage's family were Lords of the Manor of Edgcote from the 1920's till 2005

Piers Courage was the eldest son of Richard Courage (1915-1994), Lord of the Manor of Edgcote whose aunt, Dorothy Courage (1877-1972, later De Zeote) is referenced in Burke's Landed Gentry having married another well-known sportsman, cricketer Herman de Zoete in July 1903. Piers was the heir to the Courage brewing dynasty of which his father was chairman. Educated at Eton College, Piers began his racing career in his own Lotus 7.

Following a brief stint touring the European F3 racing circuit in 1964 with a Lotus 22, along with Jonathan Williams, good results persuaded him to pursue a full season in 1965. It was in this season, driving a 1.0L F3 Brabham for Charles Lucas, that he first formed an alliance with Frank Williams, at that time Lucas's other driver and sometime mechanic. A string of good results, including four high-profile wins, encouraged Colin Chapman to offer Courage a seat in a Lotus 41 for the 1966 F3 season. This car was inferior to the dominant Brabhams but Courage still managed to outperform them on occasion, earning him a step up to the F2 category for the 1966 German Grand Prix, where he crashed out.

Piers Courage in a Frank Williams Racing Cars Brabham BT26A at the 1969 British Grand Prix

Signed by the BRM works Formula 1 team for 1967, alongside Chris Irwin, his wild driving style caused him to repeatedly crash out of races and his tendency to spin at crucial moments led to the team dropping him after the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix. He completed the remainder of the season concentrating on his alternative drive, as was common in the 1960s, in John Coombs's F2 McLaren M4A, finishing fourth in the unclassified drivers' championship. At the end of the season he purchased the car from Coombs. A good run in the McLaren during the winter Tasman Series, including a win at the last race, resulted in Tim Parnell offering a drive in his works-supported Reg Parnell Racing BRM team for 1968. In addition to a good run in F1 in 1968 – including points-scoring finishes in France and Italy – Courage also drove for old friend Frank Williams's F2 team. When Frank Williams Racing Cars decided to make the step up to F1 in 1969, Courage was their first choice as driver.

In Courage's hands, Williams's dark-blue liveried Brabham BT26 was more than a match for many of the works teams. He finished second in both the Monaco Grand Prix and the US Grand Prix, at Watkins Glen. Perhaps his finest drive of the season, though, was during the 1969 Italian Grand Prix at the high-speed Monza circuit. Despite an older car, and a power deficit, he managed to stay with the leading pack for the majority of the race. Only fuel starvation caused his pace to slow near the end, and he finally finished in fifth. A second fifth place, in the British Grand Prix, saw Courage finish the season on sixteen points in eighth place in the drivers' championship.

Accident and death

Courage's fatal accident

Following a business arrangement with Alejandro de Tomaso, Williams switched to a newly designed De Tomaso chassis for the 1970 Formula One season. Unfortunately for Courage, the De Tomaso proved to be overweight and unreliable, and only a third place in the non-championship International Trophy alleviated a poor string of results in the early season. The Dutch Grand Prix seemed to be going slightly better, with Courage qualifying in ninth place around the Zandvoort Circuit. Running in the middle of the field, the De Tomaso's front suspension or steering broke on the bump at Tunnel Oost, causing the car to suddenly go straight on instead of finishing the high-speed bend. It then rode up an embankment (one of the Zandvoort dunes) and disintegrated, with the engine breaking loose from the monocoque, upon which it burst into flames. To lighten the De Tomaso, magnesium was used in its chassis and suspension. The magnesium burned so intensely that many nearby trees and bushes were set alight.

Courage's gravestone

During the impact, one of the front wheels broke off the car and hit Courage's head, tearing away his helmet (both the wheel and the helmet came rolling out of the cloud of dust at the same time). It is assumed that this impact broke Courage's neck or caused fatal head injuries and that he died instantly as a result. Courage was survived by his wife, Lady Sarah Marguerite Curzon (b. 1945), and his two sons, Jason Piers Courage (b. 10 February 1967) and Amos Edward Sebastian Courage (b. 26 February 1969).

Courage was buried in St Mary the Virgin churchyard, Shenfield, Essex.

Just three years later, Roger Williamson crashed fatally when his car came to rest upside down and burst into flames at the same spot, the Tunnel Oost bump, where Courage's accident had started.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Pts
1966 Team Lotus Lotus 44 F2 Ford Cosworth SCA 1.0 L4 MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER
Ret 		ITA USA MEX NC 0
1967 Reg Parnell Racing Lotus 25/33 BRM P60 2.1 V8 RSA
Ret 		NC 0
BRM P261 MON
Ret 		NED BEL FRA GBR
DNS 		GER CAN ITA USA MEX
1968 Reg Parnell Racing BRM P126 BRM P101 3.0 V12 RSA ESP
Ret 		MON
Ret 		BEL
Ret 		NED
Ret 		FRA
6 		GBR
8 		GER
8 		ITA
4 		CAN
Ret 		USA
Ret 		MEX
Ret 		19th 4
1969 Frank Williams Racing Cars Brabham BT26A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA ESP
Ret 		MON
2 		NED
Ret 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
5 		GER
Ret 		ITA
5 		CAN
Ret 		USA
2 		MEX
10 		8th 16
1970 Frank Williams Racing Cars De Tomaso 505/38 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA
Ret 		ESP
DNS 		MON
NC 		BEL
Ret 		NED
Ret 		FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX NC 0
Source:

Complete Formula One non-championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6
1965 Bob Gerard Racing Cooper T71/73 Ford 109E 1.5 L4 ROC SYR SMT INT MED
DNQ 		RAN
1967 Charles Lucas Engineering Lotus 35 Martin 3.0 V8 ROC
DNS
Reg Parnell Racing Lotus 25/33 BRM P60 2.1 V8 SPC
Ret 		INT SYR OUL ESP
1968 Reg Parnell Racing BRM P126 BRM P101 3.0 V12 ROC INT
5 		OUL
Ret
1969 Frank Williams Racing Cars Brabham BT26A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC
Ret 		INT
5 		MAD OUL
1970 Frank Williams Racing Cars De Tomaso 505/38 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC INT
3 		OUL
Source:

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1966 United Kingdom Maranello Concessionaires United States Roy Pike Ferrari 275 GTB GT
5.0 		313 8th 1st
1967 United Kingdom Maranello Concessionaires United Kingdom Richard Attwood Ferrari 412P P
5.0 		208 DNF DNF
1969 France Equipe Matra – Elf France Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra-Simca MS650 P
3.0 		368 4th 2nd
1970 Italy Autodelta S.P.A. Italy Andrea de Adamich Alfa Romeo T33/3 P
3.0 		222 DNF DNF
Source:

Complete Tasman Series results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos. Pts
1967 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P261 BRM 2.1 V8 PUK WIG LAK
Ret 		WAR SAN LON NC 0
1968 John Coombs McLaren M4A Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 PUK
3 		LEV
2 		WIG
4 		TER
5 		SUR
3 		WAR
3 		SAN
5 		LON
1 		3rd 34
1969 Frank Williams Racing Brabham BT24 Ford Cosworth DFW 2.5 V8 PUK
3 		LEV
2 		WIG
4 		TER
1 		LAK
Ret 		WAR
Ret 		SAN
Ret 		3rd 22
Source:

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Pts
1967 John Coombs McLaren M4A Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 SNE
7 		SIL
Ret 		NÜR
5 		HOC
3 		TUL
9 		JAR
8 		ZAN
2 		PER
Ret 		BRH
Ret 		VAL
Ret 		4th 24
1968 Frank Williams Racing Cars Brabham BT23C Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 HOC
3 		THR
Ret 		JAR
DNS 		PAL
Ret 		TUL
Ret 		ZAN
10 		PER
2 		HOC VAL 6th 13
1969 Frank Williams Racing Cars Brabham BT23C Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 THR
7 		HOC
3 		NÜR JAR
3 		TUL NC 0
Brabham BT30 PER
1
Alejandro de Tomaso De Tomaso 103 VAL
Ret
Source:

Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points

Further reading

  • Cooper, A. 2003. Piers Courage: Last of the Gentleman Racers. Haynes Group. 224pp. ISBN 1-85960-663-6

References

  1. Burke, Bernard (1937). Burke's Landed Gentry. Burke's Peerage. p. 495. Retrieved 24 June 2023. PAGE 495 ... Raymond Courage of Edgcote Manor ...COURAGE , of Shenfield Place , Brentwood , Essex , b . 10 July , 1832 ; educ ... BURKE's Peerage ) . 1. Helen Beatrice , d . 5 May , 1922 . 2. Evelyne ... Dorothy , m . Herman de Zoete ...
  2. "Edgcote House Edgcote, near Banbury Northamptonshire England". Curt DiCamillo. All Rights Reserved. 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2023. Edgcote is a nine-bay two-story house erected between 1747 and 1752 for London merchant Richard Chauncey. Built of local ironstone with gray stone dressings, the interior is notable for its Chinese style drawing room. Edgcote House, together with 1,700 acres, was sold in June 2005 by Christopher Courage (of the brewing family) for £30 million. Edgcote is possibly most notable today as Netherfield, the country seat of Mr. Bingley, in the BBC's 1995 production of "Pride and Prejudice."...Courage family here 1926-2005.
  3. "The Market: Mystery buyer lands £30m country pile". The Times (UK). 30 October 2005. Retrieved 13 June 2023. Edgcote was sold by Christopher Courage, 43, scion of the brewing dynasty , who was born there and had lived there all his life. Courage and his .
  4. "Piers Courage – Involvement". statsf1.com. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  5. "Piers Courage – Involvement Non World Championship". StatsF1. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  6. "All Results of Piers Courage". RacingSportCars. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  7. "Tasman Cup (1964–1969)". OldRacingCars. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  8. "Piers Courage – Biography". MotorSportMagazine. Retrieved 13 January 2019.

External links

Preceded byGerhard Mitter Formula One fatal accidents
21 June 1970 		Succeeded byJochen Rindt
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