John Love (racing driver)

John Love
Born (1924-12-07)7 December 1924
Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia
Died 25 April 2005(2005-04-25) (aged 80)
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (19621964)
Rhodesia Rhodesian (1964) (1965 and 19671968)
Rhodesia Rhodesian (19691972)
Active years 19621965, 19671972
Teams Cooper, privateer (Cooper, Brabham, Lotus, March, Surtees)
Entries 10 (9 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 1
Career points 6
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1962 South African Grand Prix
Last entry 1972 South African Grand Prix

John Maxwell Lineham Love (7 December 1924 – 25 April 2005) was a racing driver from Rhodesia. He participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 29 December 1962. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of six championship points.

Love was born in Bulawayo. He started his car racing career in a single-seat Cooper F3 with a Manx Norton 500 cc engine after racing a Triumph Grand Prix motorcycle, which Love then-allowed Jim Redman to ride when starting his race career, in recognition of Redman's assistance in preparing and maintaining Love's Cooper.[1]

Six times South African Formula One Champion in the 1960s, he had originally shone in the European Formula Junior firmament back in 1961–62 at the wheel of a Cooper-Austin from Ken Tyrrell's team. An unfortunate accident at Albi resulted in a very badly broken arm and effectively thwarted his chances of moving into full-time Formula One, but he came close when he was nominated as Phil Hill's replacement in the works Cooper team for the 1964 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Nevertheless, he became a regular contestant in the South African Grand Prix and was leading the 1967 event at Kyalami in his 2.7 L Climax-engined Cooper when a misfire prompted him to make a precautionary stop for extra fuel and he dropped back to finish second behind the works Cooper-Maserati of Pedro Rodríguez.

Love would dominate racing in southern Africa in the 1960s, winning the South African Formula One Championship six times in succession from 1964 to 1969. He would also win his home race, the Rhodesian Grand Prix, six times.

Love owned the Jaguar dealership in Bulawayo and had his own stock car racing team in the 1980s.

He died, aged 80, of cancer in 2005.[2]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Points
1962 John Love Cooper T55 Climax Straight-4 NED MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA
8
NC 0
1963 John Love Cooper T55 Climax Straight-4 MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA USA MEX RSA
9
NC 0
1964 Cooper Car Company Cooper T73 Climax V8 MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA
DNQ
USA MEX NC 0
1965 John Love Cooper T55 Climax Straight-4 RSA
Ret
MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX NC 0
1967 John Love Cooper T79 Climax Straight-4 RSA
2
MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER CAN ITA USA MEX 11th 6
1968 Team Gunston Brabham BT20 Repco V8 RSA
9
ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA CAN USA MEX NC 0
1969 Team Gunston Lotus 49 Cosworth V8 RSA
Ret
ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER ITA CAN USA MEX NC 0
1970 Team Gunston Lotus 49 Cosworth V8 RSA
8
ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX NC 0
1971 Team Peco/Gunston March 701 Cosworth V8 RSA
Ret
ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA NC 0
1972 Team Gunston Surtees TS9 Cosworth V8 ARG RSA
16
ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA NC 0

References

  1. Carrick, Peter Motor Cycle Racing Hamlyn Publishing, 1969, p.72 ISBN 0 600 02506 3 Accessed 2014-02-13
  2. Jenkins, Richards. "Where are they now – John Love". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 7 December 2012.

External links

Sporting achievements
Preceded by
John Whitmore
British Touring Car Champion
1962
Succeeded by
Jack Sears
Preceded by
none
South African Formula One Champion
1964–1969
Succeeded by
Dave Charlton


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