Thomas Bridger (24 June 1934 – 30 July 1991) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in one

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, ...

World Championship Grand Prix, on 19 October 1958, scoring no championship points. His greatest success came in Formula Three, where he won 15 races.

Career

Born in

Woolmer Green Woolmer Green is a small village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The 2011 census figure for the population (from the Office for National Statistics) is 661 people. History Situated between the villages of Welwyn and Knebworth, Wool ...

, Hertfordshire, Bridger started racing in

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 dri ...

in 1953, initially competing minor events in a Kieft-

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

before moving to a

Cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

to compete full-time in Formula Three in 1957. He achieved some success racing with Jim Russell, one of the more successful drivers in the category. He moved up to

Formula Two Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009– 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name ...

in 1958, finishing second in the Crystal Palace Trophy race, and eighth in the Coupe de Vitesse at Reims. Bridger raced in the 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix with

British Racing Partnership British Racing Partnership (BRP) was a racing team, and latterly constructor, from the United Kingdom. It was established by Alfred Moss and Ken Gregory – Stirling Moss's father and former manager, respectively – in 1957 to run cars for Stir ...

, driving a Formula Two-class

Cooper T45 The Cooper T45 was an open-wheel formula racing car, developed and built by the Cooper Car Company in 1958, and designed by Owen Maddock. It competed in Formula 2 racing as well as in Formula One racing, where it won one World Championship Grand ...

. He qualified in 22nd place, and Bridger got up to 14th before his race was ended by a collision on lap 30. The crash involved three vehicles, but Bridger emerged unharmed. He returned to Formula Three in 1959 with the Cooper-Norton car, winning four races throughout the year. In 1960, he raced in

Formula Junior Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class ...

, competing in a works Lotus at 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 ...

. Bridger died at

Logie Coldstone Logie Coldstone ( gd, Lògaidh) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The village lies north of the River Dee, near Tarland in the Cromar, a basin of land cut out of the Grampian foothills between Aboyne and Ballater. See also *Royal Deesi ...

, Aberdeenshire in 1991 at the age of 57 years.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.) † Events with 2 races staged for the different classes. ‡ Event with 3 races staged for the different classes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridger, Tom 1934 births People from Welwyn Hatfield (district) 1991 deaths English racing drivers English Formula One drivers British Racing Partnership Formula One drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers