John David Barber (22 July 1929 – 4 February 2015) was a racing driver from England. Before his racing career he was a fish merchant in London. He first raced a

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and then bought a

Formula Two Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name retur ...

Cooper-

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Mk1 which he raced during 1952. Despite winning a minor race at

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, he had little success and finally crashed the car badly towards the end of the season. At the start of 1953, Barber travelled to Argentina to compete in the

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, ...

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

there with a works Cooper T23, in which he came in eighth, seven laps down. He also competed in a

Formula Libre Formula Libre, also known as Formule Libre, is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the oppor ...

race in

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and finished 12th.Grand Prix Data Book Back in England, he raced a Golding-Cooper, which may have been built from the remains of his crashed Mk1 Cooper. While racing this car in the British Empire Trophy on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, he was involved in an accident which killed another driver, James Neilson. Barber sold the car soon after. He next raced in 1955, driving a Jaguar C-type. After his motor racing career came to an end, Barber retired to live on a boat in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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References

* Hayhoe, David & Holland, David (2006). Grand Prix Data Book (4th edition). Haynes, Sparkford, UK. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, John 1929 births 2015 deaths English racing drivers English Formula One drivers Cooper Formula One drivers