Peter Whitehead

Peter Nield Whitehead (12 November 1914 – 21 September 1958) was a British racing driver. He was born in Menston, Yorkshire and was killed in an accident at Lasalle, France, during the Tour de France endurance race. A cultured, knowledgeable and well-travelled racer, he was excellent in sports cars. He won the 1938 Australian Grand Prix, which along with a 24 Heures du Mans win in 1951, probably was his finest achievement, but he also won two 12 Heures internationales de Reims events. He was a regular entrant, mostly for Peter Walker and Graham Whitehead, his half-brother. His death in 1958 ended a career that started in 1935 – however, he was lucky to survive an air crash in 1948.

Early life and pre-war racing

Yorkshireman Whitehead, coming from a wealthy background, gained from the wool industry, started racing in a Riley when he was 19. He moved up to an ERA B-Type the following season and then scored the first major result for the Alta, when he finished third in the Limerick Grand Prix, a Formula Libre race. In 1936, he shared his ERA with Peter Walker, and finished third in the Donington Grand Prix. He took the ERA to Australia in 1938 while touring on business, where he scored his first major victory, winning the 1938 Australian Grand Prix at Bathurst, as well as the inaugural Australian Hillclimb Championship. He returned in England in 1939 and gained a third place in the Nuffield Trophy.

Post-war racing career

During World War II, Whitehead was a pilot with the Royal Air Force, and he was back in competition as soon as racing was revived, taking his trusty ERA to second place in the British Empire Trophy, held at the Douglas Circuit on the Isle of Man in the summer of 1947. He also raced in the Lausanne Grand Prix, finishing sixth.

In 1948, Whitehead survived a plane crash at Croydon Aerodrome, when he was on his way to Milano, to arrange the purchase a Ferrari 125. The accident left him badly hurt and out of racing for a year.

During 1950 season, Whitehead won two minor Formula One races, the Jersey Road Race and the Ulster Trophy, but the biggest career victory came in Sports Cars. He continued to race and win in Formula Two across Europe. Later, he added victories in the 1954 Lady Wigram Trophy, in New Zealand, and repeated the feat in 1956 and 1957. He also won the 1956 Rand Grand Prix. All four of those victories, he was driving a Ferrari.

In 1953, Whitehead decided to concentrate on sports cars, and in July, he saw more success sharing a Jaguar C-Type with Stirling Moss in the 12 Heures Internationales de Reims. He returned again in 1954, in a full works supported Jaguar D-Type to win the event again partnered by Ken Wharton. Prior to that first win at Reims, he also won the Hyères 12 Hours.

Later in 1954, again paired with Wharton, Whitehead was placed sixth in the RAC Tourist Trophy road race.

Death

Whitehead's last great performance was at Le Mans in 1958 where he came second in an Aston Martin DB3S, sharing the driving with his half-brother, Graham. A couple of months later, on 21 September 1958, Peter and Graham were competing together in the Tour de France, when their Jaguar 3.4-Litre crashed off a bridge into a ravine at Lasalle, near Nîmes after overturning twice, with Graham at the wheel. Graham escaped with serious but not life-threatening injuries, but Peter was killed instantly.

Racing record

Career highlights

Season Series Position Team Car 1935 Limerick Grand Prix 3rd Peter Whitehead ERA B-Type Donington Grand Prix 3rd Peter Whitehead ERA B-Type 1937 JCC 200 1st ERA B-Type 1939 Nuffield Trophy 3rd Peter Whitehead ERA B-Type 1947 British Empire Trophy 2nd ERA B-Type 1949 Velká cena Československa 1st Ferrari 125 Richmond Trophy 2nd ERA B-Type Woodcote Cup 2nd ERA B-Type Grand Prix de France 3rd Ferrari 125 1950 Jersey Road Race 1st Ferrari 125 Ulster Trophy 1st Ferrari 125 RAC Tourist Trophy 2nd Jaguar XK120 Grand Prix de l’A.C.F. 3rd Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 BRDC International Trophy 3rd Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 FIA Formula One World Championship 9th Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 1951 Les 24 Heures du Mans 1st Peter Walker Jaguar C-Type Preis der Ostschweiz-Erlen 1st Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125/166 Gran Premio del V Centenario Colombiano 2nd Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125/166 Hastings Trophy 2nd ERA E-Type Grand Prix de Bordeaux 3rd Ferrari 125 Grand Prix de Rouen-les-Essarts 3rd Ferrari 125/166 1953 12 Hours of Hyères 1st P.N. Whitehead Jaguar C-Type 12 heures internationales 1st P.N. Whitehead Jaguar C-Type Mid-Cheshire M.C. F2 race 2nd Atlantic Stable Cooper-Alta T24 RedeX Trophy 2nd Atlantic Stable Cooper-Alta T24 AMOC Trophy 3rd Atlantic Stable Cooper-Alta T24 Coronation Trophy 3rd W. Lyons Jaguar XK120C 1954 Lady Wigram Trophy 1st Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 12 heures internationales 1st Jaguar Cars Ltd. Jaguar D-Type Circuito do Porto 3rd Peter Whitehead Cooper-Jaguar T33 1955 New Zealand Grand Prix 2nd Peter Whitehead Ferrari 500/625 1956 Lady Wigram Trophy 1st Peter Whitehead Ferrari 500/750S Southland Road Race 1st Peter Whitehead Ferrari 500/750S Ardmore Grand Prix 2nd Peter Whitehead Cooper-Jaguar T38 New Zealand Grand Prix 3rd Peter Whitehead Ferrari 500/750S Australian Grand Prix 3rd Peter Whitehead Ferrari 555 1957 Lady Wigram Trophy 1st Peter Whitehead Ferrari 555/860 Southland Road Race 2nd Peter Whitehead Ferrari 555/860 Dunedin Road Race 2nd A.G. Whitehead Aston Martin DB3S

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Points 1950 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 Ferrari V12 GBR MON 500 FRA ITA 9th 4 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 125 Ferrari V12 SUIDNA BEL1951 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 Ferrari V12 SUI 500 BEL FRA GER ITA NC 0 Ferrari 375 Ferrari V12 ESPDNA G A Vandervell Ferrari 375 Thinwall Ferrari V12 GBR 1952 Peter Whitehead Alta F2 Alta Straight-4 SUI 500 BEL FRA NC 0 Ferrari 125/166 Ferrari V12 GBR GER NED ITA 1953 Atlantic Stable Cooper T24 Alta Straight-4 ARG 500 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0 1954 Peter Whitehead Cooper T24 Alta Straight-4 ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0

Non-Championship Formula One results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 1949 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 Ferrari V12 BUE EVA RIO SRM PAU RIC PAU JER ROU MAR GBR EMP FRO BEL SUI ALB FRA ZAN INT LAU ITA GOO AUS CSR SAL PER 1950 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 Ferrari V12 PAU RIC SRM PAR EMP BAR JER ALB NED NAT NOT ULS PES STT INT GOO PEN 1951 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 Ferrari V12 SYR PAU RIC SRM BOR INT PAR ULS SCO NEDALT ALB PES BAR GOO 1952 Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125/166 Ferrari V12 RIO SYR VAL RICDNA LAV PAU IBSDNA INT ELÄ NAP EIF ALB FRO ULS DAI COM NAT Alta F2 Alta L4 MAR AST PAR MNZ LAC ESS MAR SABDNA CAE BAU MOD CAD SKA MAD AVU JOE NEW RIO 1953 Peter Whitehead Cooper T24 Alta L4 SYR PAU LAV AST BOR INT ELÄ NAP ULS WIN FRO COR EIF ALB PRI ESS MID ROU CRY AVU USF LAC BRI CHE SAB NEW CAD RED SKA LON MOD MAD JOE CUR 1954 Peter Whitehead Cooper T24 Alta L4 SYR PAU LAV BOR INTDNA BAR CUR ROM FRO COR BRC CRY ROU CAE AUG COR OUT RED PES JOE CAD BER GOO DAI

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1950 P.C.D. Walker John Marshall Jaguar XK120 S5.0 225 15th 8th 1951 Peter Walker Peter Walker Jaguar C-Type S5.0 267 1st 1st 1952 Jaguar Ltd. Ian Stewart Jaguar C-Type S5.0 DNF(Head gasket) 1953 Jaguar Cars Ltd. Ian Stewart Jaguar C-Type S5.0 297 4th 3rd 1954 Jaguar Cars Ltd. Ken Wharton Jaguar D-Type S5.0 131DNF(Gearbox) 1955 Cooper Cars Co Graham Whitehead Cooper-Jaguar T38 S5.0 36DNF(Oil pressure) 1957 D. Brown Graham Whitehead Aston Martin DBR2 S5.0 81DNF(Gearbox) 1958 A.G. Whitehead Graham Whitehead Aston Martin DB3S S3.0 293 2nd 2nd

Complete 12 Hours of Reims results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1953 P.N. Whitehead Stirling Moss Jaguar C-Type S+2.0 243 1st 1st 1954 Jaguar Cars Ltd. Ken Wharton Jaguar D-Type 222 1st 1st

Complete 12 Hours of Hyères results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1953 P.N. Whitehead Tom Cole Jaguar C-Type S+3.0 204 1st 1st 1954 Peter Whitehead Duncan Hamilton Cooper-Jaguar T33 DNS(Broken crankshaft) 1955 Graham Whitehead Graham Whitehead Aston Martin DB3S DNF(Cooling)

Complete 12 Hours of Pescara results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1953 Peter Whitehead Duncan Hamilton Jaguar C-Type DNF(Steering)

Complete 12 Hours of Casablanca results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1953 Graham Whitehead Graham Whitehead Aston Martin DB3 S+2.0 5th 4th