Stephen South (born 19 February 1952 in
Harrow,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
) is a British former
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 ...
from England. He was educated at
Harrow County School for Boys
Harrow may refer to:
Places
* Harrow, Victoria, Australia
* Harrow, Ontario, Canada
* The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland
* London Borough of Harrow, England
** Harrow, London, a town in London
** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency)
...
.
He is chiefly known for winning the 1977
BRDC Vandervell British F3 Championship. His only
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, ...
entry was at the
1980 United States Grand Prix West
The 1980 United States Grand Prix West (officially the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach) was a Formula One motor race held on March 30, 1980, at Long Beach, California. It was the fourth round of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the fifth ...
with
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 ...
standing in for
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French retired racing driver and Formula One team owner. A four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Mich ...
who was injured, but South failed to qualify. His career was ended later that year when part of one leg was amputated after an accident during practice for a
Can-Am
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an Sports Car Club of America, SCCA/Canadian Auto Sport Clubs, CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987.
History
Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two r ...
race at the
Circuit Trois-Rivières
The Circuit Trois-Rivières is a street circuit in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. The circuit has been the home of the annual Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, the longest-running street race in North America, since 1967. The circuit is located o ...
in Quebec, Canada.
Career
South, a former English Kart Champion, was the star during his early years in
Formula Ford
Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...
. In his first year of Formula Ford, South was 1973's big find, winning 5 races on his way to finishing 3rd in the Wella for Men Championship and 4th in the BOC series, driving Rayrace International's Ray 73F. This success continued into 1974, where he won 11 races and took 2nd place in the BOC championship, again for Rayrace, using their Ray 74F car.
For 1975, the Rayrace team moved up into
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...
, taking South with them. Despite a promising start, with 3rd place at
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England.
It i ...
, two 5th place at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
and again at
Croix-en-Ternois
Croix-en-Ternois is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
A farming town located west of Arras at the junction of the N39 and D100 roads. Croix-en-Ternois is about south of Calais
Cal ...
in France, their Ray RB3 75, was not competitive, so they changed the car to a March 753. By the end of the season, South was back on the podium at
Thruxton, at the final race of the season.
For South's second season of Formula Three, he was entered by Dortmunder Union Bier/Bogarts of Birmingham. Driving a March 753 initially, switching to a March 763 later in the season, South's results began to improve, starting with two 2nd places at Thruxton, in his first three races of the season. The world took notice of South, when he finished 3rd in the
Monaco Grand Prix Formula 3 race. That maiden first F3 win finally arrived at a non-championship event at
Mallory Park
Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47, between Leicester and Hinckley, in central England. Originally used for grass-track until 1955, a new, basically oval hard-surfaced course ...
, with South victorious in the
Griffin Golden Helmet Trophy race.
1977 saw South remain in Formula Three for a third season, switching to Team BP's March 763. This proved to be a wise move, with him winning the opening races of both the BRDC Vandervell British F3 Championship and the BARC BP Super Visco British F3 Championship at
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...
and Thruxton, respectively. Before the end of the season South picked up another four victories at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
(Indy circuit) twice,
Snetterton
Snetterton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. The village is about east-northeast of Thetford and southwest of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of . The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded a parish population o ...
and
Mallory Park
Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47, between Leicester and Hinckley, in central England. Originally used for grass-track until 1955, a new, basically oval hard-surfaced course ...
. These wins and eight more trips to the podium, took South to the
BRDC Vandervell British F3 Championship title, and second place
BARC BP Super Visco British F3 Championship behind
Derek Daly
Derek Patrick Daly (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish former racing driver. He won the 1977 British Formula 3 Championship, and competed as a professional racing driver for 17 years participating in 64 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix ...
. But for an accident between the pair wrecking South's March 763 at Silverstone, he may have taken both titles. This led to an opportunity to race in the
JAF Grand Prix
The is an auto race held in Japan by the Japan Automobile Federation.
History
The original JAF Grand Prix was set up in year 1969 as to promoting Formula Car events in Japan, which was the highest ranked race other than the Japanese Grand Prix. ...
. In his first Formula Two event, South finished seventh.
[http://riccardopatrese.com.jaff2gp.htm]
1978 saw South race only six times every time in F2 machinery, with a best finish of 4th place in the European Formula Two event at
Hockenheim
Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" () and Bertha Benz M ...
. It was enough for
Ron Dennis
Ronald Dennis Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 1 June 1947) is a British people, British businessman and Official British Business Ambassador for the United Kingdom. He is best known for his former role as owner, CEO, chairman and founder ...
's
Project Four team to sign him for the whole season. He repaid the faith with two poles and a win in the
Rhein-Pokalrennen, held at Hockenheim. His sixth place in the final standings, meant South's Grand Prix future was the topic of conversation.
South's chance for glory in the world's major category came when he substituted for
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French retired racing driver and Formula One team owner. A four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Mich ...
at
Marlboro Team McLaren. Although South was set to take a drive with
Toleman Group Motorsport in F2, he opted for the McLaren in the
United States GP West. The
M29 was hopelessly uncompetitive, and South was unable to qualify the car around the streets of Long Beach, lapping almost four seconds slower than his team mate
John Watson.
South reappeared two months later at Golden State Raceway (now
Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway from 1967 to 1980 and 1982 to 2002, Golden State International Raceway in 1981 and Infineon Raceway from 2002 to 2012) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern S ...
), California, USA for the opening round of the
1980 SCCA Citicorp Can-Am Challenge. He had signed for
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
's Budweiser sponsored Newman Racing. After a second place at
Mosport Park
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi-Race track, track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. The facility features a , 10-turn road cou ...
, and scoring pole and leading at
Road America
Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...
before a spin, South crashed badly during practice for the Grand Prix Molson, held on the
Circuit Trois-Rivières
The Circuit Trois-Rivières is a street circuit in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. The circuit has been the home of the annual Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, the longest-running street race in North America, since 1967. The circuit is located o ...
. His lower left leg was amputated due to severe injuries from this accident, thus ending his career.
[Matt Stone, "Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman" (MBI Publishing Company and Motorbooks, , 2009)]
In 2008 he was seen at a handful of historic motorsport meetings.
International racing record
Career highlights
Complete Formula One 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 ...
)
Biography – Stephen South: The Way it Was
The biography of Stephen South, written by Darren Banks, was published in March 2017. In it, he speaks to the author candidly about the accident that ended his career. Banks also interviewed key figures from his career, and the book contains many never-before-seen photos from the period. It's published b
Performance Publishing Ltd
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:South, Stephen
English racing drivers
English Formula One drivers
McLaren Formula One drivers
European Formula Two Championship drivers
Japanese Formula Two Championship drivers
British Formula Three Championship drivers
British Formula One Championship drivers
Can Am drivers
1952 births
Living people
People educated at Harrow High School