William Archibald Scott Brown, known as Archie, (13 May 1927 – 19 May 1958) was a British

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

and

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...

driver from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

who had a prodigious racing ability despite only having one hand. He became known as motorsport's first disabled hero and battled considerable adversity (including having his licence revoked) to participate in, and win, some of the most prestigious races of his day. After being discovered and championed by Brian Lister, he enjoyed great success racing

Lister Cars The Lister Motor Company Ltd. is a British sports car manufacturer founded by Brian Lister in 1954 in Cambridge, England, which became known for its involvement in motorsport. After buying the company in 1986, Laurence Pearce produced variants ...

, winning the British Empire Trophy in 1957. In his short career, he scored a total of 71 race victories, 15 of which came from international competition. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix on 14 July 1956, scoring no championship points. He also attempted to qualify for the

Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...

in the same year, but was excluded due to his lack of the required International Licence, his disability precluding the granting of such a licence at the time. Lister CEO Lawrence Whittaker and Sir Stirling Moss

Lister CEO Lawrence Whittaker and Sir Stirling Moss

Overcoming disability to compete

Archie Scott Brown (although often shown as Scott-Brown, the name should not be hyphenated) was born in Paisley on 13 May 1927. As a result of

German Measles Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...

during his mother's pregnancy, he was born with severe disablement to his legs (with his feet twisted almost backwards) and without his right hand. Tremendous determination, 22 operations over a two-year period, and months spent in plaster meant that he was able to walk, although he never grew over 5'0" tall. After Scott Brown won two races at Snetterton on 3 April 1954, Sid Green of Gilby Engineering noticed that he had an unformed right hand and brought this to the attention of the race stewards. Scott Brown was forthwith banned from motor racing, a devastating blow to the up-and-coming racing driver. It brought his burgeoning career to a sudden halt and his future looked uncertain. However, Earl Howe, the president of the

British Racing Drivers' Club The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) is an exclusive invitation-only members club for racecar drivers who are judged to have achieved success in the upper levels of motor sport for a number of seasons. Except under exceptional circumstances, me ...

, had previously seen Scott Brown driving and had made a note to find out who he was. When he made contact with Scott Brown and discovered that he had subsequently been banned from racing, he supported Scott Brown's appeal to the RAC. Dr Benjafield and Gregor Grant, the then-editor of

Autosport ''Autosport'' is a global motorsport publishing brand headquartered based in Richmond, London. It was established in 1950 at the same time as the origins of the Formula One World Championship. Autosport began life as a weekly magazine in 1950 ...

, also supported Scott Brown's appeal. By June 1954, Scott Brown had his licence back.

Early life

Scott Brown took up motor sport early in life after his father built him a small car to aid his mobility. His first competitive race was in 1951, in his own MG roadster, bought using a small legacy. As his reputation grew, his name became closely linked with that of Brian Lister, initially driving Lister's Tojeiro special, and later in sports racing cars built by Lister himself, and bearing his name. Scott Brown enjoyed much success driving Lister-

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

s – the famous ''Knobblys''. Known for his courageous driving style, he was often to be seen in corners getting his Lister very sideways indeed. Asked about the possibility of the Lister's brakes failing completely, he responded that he would "carry on without them, old boy". Over the few years he was in the sport, he developed a fierce but good-natured rivalry with rising American driving talent

Masten Gregory Masten Gregory (February 29, 1932 − November 8, 1985) was an American racing driver. He raced in Formula One between and , participating in 43 World Championship races, and numerous non-Championship races. He was also a successful sports car r ...

Death

Archie Scott Brown was mortally injured on 18 May 1958 during an accident in a sports car race at

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...

, driving a Lister Knobbly and duelling for the lead with Masten Gregory driving the Ecurie Ecosse Lister Jaguar. Battling hard with Gregory, they swapped the lead between them inches apart. The competition was so fierce that Scott Brown dented his car's nose on the rear of the Ecosse car on lap three. With Scott Brown leading on lap six, they arrived at Blanchimont, then in the Clubhouse bend (where

Richard Seaman Richard John Beattie Seaman (4 February 1913 – 25 June 1939) was a British Grand Prix racing driver. He drove for the Mercedes-Benz team from 1937 to 1939 in the Mercedes-Benz W125 and W154 cars, winning the 1938 German Grand Prix. He died o ...

had died in 1939), to find the track slick with rain; the right-hand front wheel of the Lister hit a road sign, snapping the track rod and causing a disastrous accident. Scott Brown died in hospital (Heusy) the following day, less than a week after his 31st birthday.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

References

External links