Keith Norman R. Ballisat (20 May 1928 – 25 May 1996) was a British racing driver, who drove in endurance races, rallies and Non-Championship Formula One races.
He has competed in events like
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...
,
Coupe des Alpes
The Alpine Rally, also known by its official name Coupe des Alpes, was a rally competition based in Marseille and held from 1932 to 1971. In the 1950s and the 1960s, it was among the most prestigious rallies in the world and featured an internat ...
,
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
and
Acropolis Rally
The Acropolis Rally of Greece ( el, Ράλλυ Ακρόπολις) is a rally competition that is part of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The rally is held on very dusty, rough, rocky and fast mountain roads in mainland Greece, usually duri ...
.
Career as racing driver
Rally sport
Keith Ballisat was engaged in the late 1950s and early 1960s in some rallies. In 1958 he was, together with Alain Bertaut, fourth overall in the Alpine Rally and in 1959, second overall in Tulpenrallye. In both cases, a
Triumph TR3
The Triumph TR3 is a British sports car produced between 1955 and 1962 by the Standard-Triumph Motor Company of Coventry, England. A traditional roadster, the TR3 is an evolution of the company's earlier TR2 model, with greater power and im ...
was his emergency vehicle.
Circuit racing
During his time as a rally driver, Ballisat went in circuit racing at the start. Between 1958 and 1960 he contested the Formula Junior and Formula 2 races. At the Grand Prix de Caen 1958 (emergency vehicle a Cooper T43) it turned out that Lombank Trophy 1960, he finished in seventh place (Cooper T43) and the Crystal Palace Trophy in the same year as sixth (Cooper T43).
Crystal Palace Trophy 1960
/ref> He also went the Lavant Cup and the Norfolk Trophy in the race.
In the early 1960s, he was a sports car driver and a factory driver for the Standard Motor Company
The Standard Motor Company Limited was a motor vehicle manufacturer, founded in Coventry, England, in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay. For many years, it manufactured Ferguson TE20 tractors powered by its Vanguard engine. All Standard's tracto ...
. He drove in 24 Hours of Le Mans four times, n 1964 for the Rootes Group driving a Sunbeam Tigerwith the best placing in 1961 when he was ninth overall.
After his racing career, he worked for many years in the oil industry and among others for the racing activities of Shell in charge. He died at the age of 68 from cancer.
Personal life
He was born in Sutton, Surrey
Sutton is the principal town in the London Borough of Sutton in South London, England. It lies on the lower slopes of the North Downs, and is the administrative headquarters of the Outer London borough. It is south-south west of Charing Cross ...
to his parents, Frank Norman Ballisat and Evelyn (née Hogg) and had an older sister, Daphne (born 1926). He married Betty Webley in 1960.
Event results
Rally races
References
External links
eWRC
Old Racing Cars
English racing drivers
English rally drivers
1928 births
1996 deaths
People from Sutton, London
Sportspeople from the London Borough of Sutton
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