Mike Harris (25 May 1939 – 8 November 2021) was a Northern Rhodesian
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
who later moved to South Africa. He took part in one World Championship Formula One Grand Prix, the
1962 South African Grand Prix
The 1962 South African Grand Prix, formally titled the 9th International RAC Grand Prix of South Africa, was a Formula One motor race held at East London on 29 December 1962. It was the ninth and final race in both the 1962 World Championship of ...
, from which he retired.
Career
Harris was born in
Mufulira
Mufulira, is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Mufulira means "Place of Abundance and Peace". The town developed around the Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. The town also serves as the administrative capital of Mufulira District.
...
,
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
. There is a great amount of confusion existing about his racing years with respect to which country he represented, it being variably given as either
Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
or South Africa, although he resided in none of the two countries at the time: in the early 1960s when he competed in auto racing, Northern Rhodesia where he lived was part of the
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southe ...
, from which both Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia split again in 1963, the latter being known as just
Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
throughout most of its history.
He won the 1962 Rhodesian Championship with his Cooper T53, powered by an Alfa Romeo engine. On 2 December of that year he qualified third for the 1962 Rhodesian Grand Prix, and finished the race in the same position behind
Gary Hocking
Gary Stuart Hocking MBE (30 September 1937 – 21 December 1962) was a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion who competed in the late 1950s and early 1960s based in Rhodesia.
Early life
Hocking was born in Caerleon, near Newport, ...
and
Neville Lederle
Neville Lederle (25 September 1938 – 17 May 2019) was a racing driver from South Africa. He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, scoring a single championship point.
Early life
Lederle was born in Theunissen, Oran ...
. He then travelled to South Africa and took part in the
1962 Rand Grand Prix
The 5th Rand Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 15 December 1962 at Kyalami, South Africa. The race was run over 50 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Jim Clark, who led from start to finish in his Lot ...
, qualifying 20th from an entry of 34 cars, but retiring from the race with a puncture. The following week he qualified 17th fastest for the
1962 Natal Grand Prix
The 2nd Natal Grand Prix was a motor race, run to South African Formula One-style rules, held on 22 December 1962 at Westmead Circuit, South Africa. The field was split into two heats, with a subsequent final. The heats consisted of 22 laps, and th ...
, but retired from his heat and so missed the final.
After Christmas Harris was part of a stronger international field for the South African Grand Prix which would decide the 1962 World Championship. In the first practice session on Boxing Day he suffered an engine failure and he missed the following day's practice while he made repairs. During the final practice session on the third day, he suffered with the same issues again and posted the 15th fastest time, with only
Carel Godin de Beaufort
Jonkheer Karel Pieter Antoni Jan Hubertus (Carel) Godin de Beaufort (10 April 1934 – 2 August 1964) was a Dutch nobleman and motorsport driver from the Netherlands. He competed in Formula One between and .
Career
Godin de Beaufort participated ...
having a slower time. Having rebuilt the engine again before the race, Harris circulated towards the back of the field, running ahead of de Beaufort and Bruce Johnstone, and subsequently other drivers whose cars suffered problems. However, on lap 32 of the 82 lap race, Harris retired from tenth position with the same engine bearing failure that had plagued him in practice.
Harris subsequently decreased his involvement in the sport and retired, at least partly due to the death of Gary Hocking at the Natal Grand Prix. He later ran Alfa Romeo and Toyota dealerships in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia from 1964) and Zimbabwe, before retiring to live in Durban, South Africa with his wife Patricia Harris.
Harris died in Durban on 8 November 2021, aged 82.
Complete Formula One results
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key
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)
Non-championship results
(
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 ...