Eric Thompson

Eric David Thompson (4 November 1919 – 22 August 2015) was a British racing driver, book dealer and insurance broker. He participated in sports car racing between 1949 and 1955 taking his greatest success by finishing third in the 1951 Les 24 Heures du Mans and took part in the 1952 RAC British Grand Prix.

Thompson worked as a broker for Lloyd's of London. His racing career started in 1948, racing cars for HRG. He won the 1.5-litre class in the Les 24 Heures du Mans in 1949 and drove for Aston Martin driving a DB2 to third place in the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also drove in Formula Libre, RAC Tourist Trophy and Formula Two achieving minor success. He took part in his only Formula One race in the 1952 RAC British Grand Prix finishing fifth, and later spent more time working at Lloyd's. He retired from motor racing at the end of 1955. Thompson resigned from Lloyd's in the 1980s and became a dealer of rare books on motorsport.

Biography

Early life

Thompson was born on 4 November 1919 in Ditton Hill, Surrey. In his childhood he developed an interest in motorsport, becoming a fan of Richard Seaman. After leaving secondary school, Thompson found a job at Lloyd's of London as a broker. The work was well paid and required commitment, loyalty and long hours of work. Thompson won many awards for his effort and during the Second World War saw active service.

Career

After the war ended, Thompson decided to pursue his passion of motor racing. He began his racing career in 1948 at the age of 28 and was well funded. Thompson continued to work at Lloyd's of London and was entitled to two weeks of holiday, with every third weekend off, when he raced.

In 1949, Thompson made his debut in the Les 24 Heures du Mans with HRG sharing his drive with Jack Fairman. The pairing won the 1.5-litre class and finished eighth overall. Thompson later took a class win in the Silverstone International Trophy and finished sixth in his class in the Prescott Hillclimb. In 1950 he joined Aston Martin and gave support to three drivers: Reg Parnell, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori.

In 1952, Thompson took part in his third Les 24 Heures du Mans driving an Aston Martin DB3 alongside Parnell but retired from transmission problems. The pair suffered a further retirement from the Goodwood Nine Hours when, during the race, the car being driven by Thompson entered the pitlane with smoke coming out of the car and Parnell was not prepared to take over the seat. Parnell grabbed Thompson by the arm and dragged him out before the car caught fire. In the race, he made up a position when Gordini driver Robert Manzon was forced to retire with a clutch problem. He managed to finish in fifth place, three laps behind race winner Alberto Ascari and ahead of 1950 World Drivers' Champion Giuseppe Farina, and behind teammate Dennis Poore.

After Formula One

Thompson participated in the 1953 Les 24 Heures du Mans in an Aston Martin DB3S with Poore with the pairing retiring with ignition failure after 182 laps. In 1955, Thompson announced his retirement from motor racing due to pressure from his job and drove in his final Les 24 Heures du Mans where he retired with engine problems after 60 laps.

Later life

After announcing his retirement from motor racing, Thompson concentrated on his work at Lloyd's. He resigned his job in the 1980s and opened a bookshop near Guildford, selling rare books on the history of motor racing. Thompson also made occasional appearances at historic festivals.

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB2

FIA Formula One World Championship 16th Connaught Engineering Connaught-Lea Francis A

Aston Martin Owners Club F2 Race

Connaught A 9 Hours of Goodwood

David Brown Aston Martin DB3S RedeX Trophy

Connaught A Tourist Trophy

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S AMOC Trophy

Connaught A

Complete World Championship Grand Prix results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 WDC Points 1952 Connaught Engineering Connaught Type A Lea-Francis Straight-4 SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA 16th 2

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete 24 Hours of Spa results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1949 Ecurie Lapin Blanc Jack Fairman HRG Lightweight S1.5 10th 1st

Complete 12 Hours of Paris results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class 1948 Ecurie Lapin Blanc Robin Richards HRG-Singer 1100 1.1 17th 4th