Geoffrey Crossley (11 May 1921 – 7 January 2002) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in two 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 13 May 1950. He scored no championship points. He also participated in numerous non-Championship Formula One races.

Racing career

By profession, Geoffrey Crossley was a furniture manufacturer, but he had been a keen amateur racing driver since just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Following the war he maintained his interest, and competed in a few races using a pre-war Alta, including the 1947 British Empire Trophy race on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. In 1949 he bought an Alta GP Grand Prix car, GP2, from the manufacturer, in Surrey. Made to order, the car featured a sleeker bodywork than its predecessors. With it, Crossley took International Class F ( to ) standing start speed records over 50 km (125.92 mph), 50 miles (124.49 mph) and 100 km (124.17 mph) at the Montlhéry circuit in late 1949. Crossley also campaigned the Alta GP in selected races in 1949, including the 1949 Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh and last, six laps down on the winner. The following year he took part in the first ever World Championship Formula One race: the

1950 British Grand Prix The 1950 British Grand Prix, formally known as The Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix d'Europe Incorporating The British Grand Prix, was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1950 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, England. It was the fi ...

at Silverstone Circuit. He qualified in 17th place, three places ahead of Joe Kelly in a similar Alta, despite the latter's higher specification engine. Crossley's race ended with transmission failure on lap 43. Later that season Crossley entered the Alta for the

1950 Belgian Grand Prix The 1950 Belgian Grand Prix, formally titled the ''Grand Prix Automobile de Belgique'', was a Formula One motor race held on 18 June 1950 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was race five of seven in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers. The 35-lap race w ...

, where he qualified 12th and finished in ninth position. In addition to his Championship entries, Crossley also took part in a number of non-Championship races in the Alta, but at the end of the 1950 season he decided to retire due to the high costs of the sport. He made a brief return to motorsport in 1955, after he built a

Lea-Francis Lea-Francis was a British motor manufacturing company that began by building bicycles. History R. H. Lea and G. I. Francis started the business in Coventry in 1895. They branched out into car manufacturing in 1903 and motorcycles in 1911. Le ...

-engined special which he called the Berkshire Special. Crossley entered the car for the 1955

Richmond Trophy The Richmond Trophy was an international figure skating competition for ladies' singles held annually from 1949 to 1980 at the Richmond Ice Rink in Twickenham, London. It was the only invitational international competition (as opposed to the IS ...

race at Goodwood Circuit, but teething troubles with the car meant that he was slowest in practice and he decided to withdraw from the event. Owing to work and family commitments Crossley abandoned the Berkshire Special's development, and withdrew from racing for good. Geoffrey Crossley died from a stroke, in the

John Radcliffe Hospital The John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe, an 18th-century physic ...

, on 7 January 2002.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crossley, Geoff 1921 births 2002 deaths English racing drivers English Formula One drivers