Piers Raymond Courage (27 May 1942 – 21 June 1970) was a British

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 ...

. He participated in 29 World Championship

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, ...

Grands Prix, debuting on 2 January 1967. He achieved two podium finishes, and scored 20 championship points.

Biography

Piers Courage was the eldest son and heir to the Courage brewing dynasty. Educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, he began his racing career in his own

Lotus 7 The Lotus Seven is a small, simple, lightweight, two-seater, open-top, open-wheel, sports car produced by the British manufacturer Lotus Cars (initially called Lotus Engineering) between 1957 and 1972. It was designed by Lotus founder Colin Cha ...

. Following a brief stint touring the European F3 racing circuit in 1964 with a

Lotus 22 The Lotus 22 was a racing car built by Lotus cars in 1962, and a total of 77 cars were built. It was developed from the 1962 Lotus 20, with the major differences that it had disc brakes all round, a top link and the 'rubber donut' to the rear ...

, along with Jonathan Williams, good results persuaded him to pursue a full season in 1965. It was in this season, driving a 1.0L F3

Brabham Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...

for Charles Lucas, that he first formed an alliance with Frank Williams, at that time Lucas's other driver and sometime mechanic. A string of good results, including four high-profile wins, encouraged

Colin Chapman Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (19 May 1928 – 16 December 1982) was an English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars. In 1952 he founded the sports car company Lotus Cars. Chapman ...

to offer Courage a seat in a

Lotus 41 The Lotus 41 was a Lotus Formula 3 and Formula 2 racing car which ran between 1966 - 1968. John Joyce, Bowin Cars Bowin Cars was an Australia, Australian designer and manufacturer of motor racing cars from 1968 to 1976. The company was foun ...

for the 1966 F3 season. This car was inferior to the dominant Brabhams but Courage still managed to outperform them on occasion, earning him a step up to the F2 category for the 1966 German Grand Prix, where he crashed out. 1969 British Grand Prix P Courage Brabham BT26 close

1969 British Grand Prix P Courage Brabham BT26 close

Signed by the

BRM British Racing Motors (BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945 and based in the market town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, it participated from 1951 to 1977, competing in 197 grands prix and winning seventeen. BRM wo ...

works

Formula 1 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, ...

team for 1967, alongside

Chris Irwin Chris Irwin (born 27 June 1942 in Wandsworth, London) is a British former racing driver. He participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 July 1966. He scored two championship points. Irwin's career was ended p ...

, his wild driving style caused him to repeatedly crash out of races and his tendency to spin at crucial moments led to the team dropping him after the

1967 Monaco Grand Prix The 1967 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 7, 1967. It was race 2 of 11 in both the 1967 World Championship of Drivers and the 1967 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers, albeit four months after Pedr ...

. He completed the remainder of the season concentrating on his alternative drive, as was common in the 1960s, in

John Coombs John Coombs (1 February 1922 – 3 August 2013) was a British racing driver and racing team owner. After a driving career in various formulae, including a win in a minor Formula One race, he became a team owner in sports car racing and Formula Two ...

's F2

McLaren M4A The McLaren M4A was an open-wheel racing car designed by Robin Herd and built by British Formula One team McLaren to compete in the European Formula Two Championship. The M4A made its début in the 1967 European F2 Championship, and was powered ...

, finishing fourth in the unclassified drivers' championship. At the end of the season he purchased the car from Coombs. A good run in the

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

during the winter Tasman Series, including a win at the last race, resulted in

Tim Parnell Reginald Harold Haslam "Tim" Parnell (25 June 1932 – 5 April 2017) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in four Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 July 1959, and qualified for two of them. He scored ...

offering a drive in his works-supported

Reg Parnell Racing Reg Parnell Racing was a privateer Formula One team during the 1950s and 1960s. The team was founded by ex-Formula One driver Reg Parnell after he retired from racing. It raced as Yeoman Credit Racing in 1961 and as the Bowmaker Racing Team in ...

BRM team for 1968. In addition to a good run in F1 in 1968 – including points-scoring finishes in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

– Courage also drove for old friend Frank Williams's F2 team. When

Frank Williams Racing Cars Frank Williams Racing Cars was a British Formula One team and constructor. Early years Frank Williams had been a motor-racing enthusiast since a young age, and after a career in saloon cars and Formula Three, backed by Williams's shrewd i ...

decided to make the step up to F1 in 1969, Courage was their first choice as driver. In Courage's hands, Williams's dark-blue liveried

Brabham BT26 The Repco Brabham BT26 was a Formula One racing car design. A development of the previous BT24, its Repco engines were unreliable, but following a switch to Cosworth DFV engines it scored two World Championship Grand Prix wins and finished ...

was more than a match for many of the works teams. He finished second in both the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...

and the

US Grand Prix The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...

, at Watkins Glen. Perhaps his finest drive of the season, though, was during the

1969 Italian Grand Prix The 1969 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza on September 7, 1969. It was race 8 of 11 in both the 1969 World Championship of Drivers and the 1969 International Cup for Formula One Manufactur ...

at the high-speed

Monza circuit The Monza Circuit ( it, Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, , National Automobile Racetrack of Monza) is a race track near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. Built in 1922, it was the world's third purpose-built motor racing circuit af ...

. Despite an older car, and a power deficit, he managed to stay with the leading pack for the majority of the race. Only fuel starvation caused his pace to slow near the end, and he finally finished in fifth. A second fifth place, in the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...

, saw Courage finish the season on sixteen points in eighth place in the drivers' championship.

Accident and death

Following a business arrangement with

Alejandro de Tomaso Alejandro de Tomaso (10 July 1928 in Buenos Aires – 21 May 2003 in Modena, Italy) was a racing driver and businessman from Argentina. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as ''Alessandro de Tomaso''. He participated in two Formula ...

, Williams switched to a newly designed

De Tomaso De Tomaso Automobili ltd. (previously known as De Tomaso Modena SpA) is an Italian car-manufacturing company. It was founded by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso (1928–2003) in Modena in 1959. It originally produced various prototypes a ...

chassis for the 1970 Formula One season. Unfortunately for Courage, the De Tomaso proved to be overweight and unreliable, and only a third place in the non-championship

International Trophy The International Trophy is a prize awarded annually by the British Racing Drivers' Club to the winner of a motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit, England. For many years it formed the premier non-championship Formula One event in Britain, ...

alleviated a poor string of results in the early season. The

Dutch Grand Prix The Dutch Grand Prix ( nl, Grote Prijs van Nederland) is a Formula One motor racing event held at Circuit Zandvoort, North Holland, the Netherlands, from 1950 to 1985 and from 2021 onwards. It was a part of the World Championship from 1952, ...

seemed to be going slightly better, with Courage qualifying in ninth place around the

Zandvoort Circuit Circuit Zandvoort (), known for sponsorship reasons as CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, and previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a motorsport race track located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea ...

. Running in the middle of the field, the De Tomaso's front suspension or steering broke on the bump at Tunnel Oost, causing the car to suddenly go straight on instead of finishing the high-speed bend. It then rode up an embankment (one of the Zandvoort dunes) and disintegrated, with the engine breaking loose from the monocoque, upon which it burst into flames. To lighten the De Tomaso,

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

was used in its chassis and suspension. The magnesium burned so intensely that many nearby trees and bushes were set alight. Piers Courage grave

During the impact, one of the front wheels broke off the car and hit Courage's head, tearing away his helmet (both the wheel and the helmet came rolling out of the cloud of dust at the same time). It is assumed that this impact broke Courage's neck or caused fatal head injuries and that he died instantly as a result. Courage was survived by his wife, Lady Sarah Marguerite Curzon (b. 1945), and his two sons, Jason Piers Courage (b. 10 February 1967) and Amos Edward Sebastian Courage (b. 26 February 1969). Courage was buried in St Mary the Virgin churchyard,

Shenfield Shenfield is a commuter suburb of Brentwood, in the borough of Brentwood, Essex, England. In 2020, the suburb was estimated to have a population of 5,396. History The old village (now town), by the church and Green Dragon pub, lies along the ...

, Essex. Just three years later, Roger Williamson crashed fatally when his car came to rest upside down and burst into flames at the same spot, the Tunnel Oost bump, where Courage's accident had started.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World 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 ...

)

Complete Formula One non-championship results

(

)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete Tasman Series results

(

)

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(

) Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points

References

External links

Career synopsis at gpracing.net

Career synopsis at sportnetwork.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courage, Piers 1942 births 1970 deaths English racing drivers English Formula One drivers European Formula Two Championship drivers Racing drivers who died while racing Sport deaths in the Netherlands 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Tasman Series drivers Team Lotus Formula One drivers Reg Parnell Racing Formula One drivers Williams Formula One drivers English people of French descent People educated at Eton College World Sportscar Championship drivers