Pat Griffith (26 April 1926 – 28 January 1980) was an English racing driver, who raced for the works

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...

team during the early 1950s, winning the

1953 RAC Tourist Trophy The 1953 RAC Tourist Trophy was a motor race for sports cars, held on 5 September 1953 at the Dundrod Circuit in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was the sixth round of the 1953 World Sportscar Championship, held just six days after the previous ...

. However, after a bad crash the 1954 12 Hours of Hyères, he retired to concentrate on the family business.

Racing career

In 1951, Griffith was racing a Lester T51, which was an MG Special, when he first came to the fore. During the

British Empire Trophy The British Empire Trophy was a motor race in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the c ...

, he was lapping the Douglas circuit so swiftly,

Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (17 September 1929 – 12 April 2020) was a British Formula One racing driver. An inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, he won 212 of the 529 races he entered across several categories of comp ...

commented that he believed that he wouldn’t have caught Griffith despite his car being in a higher class, when Griffith’s Lester engine seized. This race brought Griffith to the attention of David Brown, and he was signed by the works Aston Martin team for the 1952 season. 1952 saw Griffith make his only start at

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

, but fail to finish the race, likewise in the 1952 Mille Miglia. After those races in Europe, Griffith score two victories for the team. The first being a National event at the Welsh circuit, Fairwood. The second came when he shared the winning DB3 with Peter Collins in the Goodwood Nine-Hour race. He continued to race his Lester. In that season’s British Empire Trophy, he again set a cracking pace, but collided with a dog. Both the car and dog survived the incident, with Griffith going on to win. In 1953 saw Griffiths continue with the Aston Martin team, still as co-driver to Collins. The partnership finished second in the Goodwood Nine-Hour and won the

RAC Tourist Trophy The RAC Tourist Trophy (sometimes called the International Tourist Trophy) is a motor racing award presented by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to the overall victor of a motor race in the United Kingdom. Established in 1905, it is the world's ol ...

. He also drove the Monkey Stable’s Kieft-MG during the season when his job and Aston Martin commitments allowed, with other minor success. 1954 started well, when he and Collins drove the works

Aston Martin DB3S The Aston Martin DB3S is a sports racing car that was built by Aston Martin. Following the failure of the heavy and uncompetitive Aston Martin DB3 designed by Eberan Eberhorst; William Watson, employed as Eberhorst's assistant, presented an alter ...

to third place in the

1000 km Buenos Aires The 1000 km Buenos Aires was an endurance sports car event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The race mostly run on the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, although it would run the Costanera circuit in 1957. Besides a single race in Carac ...

. Following retirements in the

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida, US. The event is the second round ...

and

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...

, Griffiths was planning to retire from the sport at the end of the season, when he suffered a major accident in the 12 Heures de Hyères. Whilst driving

Graham Whitehead Alfred Graham Whitehead (born in Harrogate, 15 April 1922 – died in Lower Basildon, Berkshire, 15 January 1981) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on 19 July 1952. He ...

’s DB3S, he was forced off the road by another driver and was thrown out of the car. After missing that year's Le Mans, he returned to racing at the

, but afterwards admitted he had become apprehensive about going too fast", and left the sport for good.

Racing record

Career highlights

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

Complete Mille Miglia results

Complete 12 Hours of Hyères results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Pat World Sportscar Championship drivers English racing drivers 1980 deaths 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Mille Miglia drivers 12 Hours of Sebring drivers People from Weybridge Sportspeople from Surrey 1926 births