Reg Parnell

Reginald Parnell (2 July 1911 – 7 January 1964) was a racing driver and team manager from Derby, England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of nine championship points.

Parnell, as both a driver and a team manager, had a considerable influence on post-war British motorsport until his premature death in 1964. Parnell raced at Brooklands and was banned following an accident with Kay Petre which ended her racing career. Before the war he bought up racing cars. Once the hostilities had ceased he sold them to form the basis of post-war racing entries. He later raced a whole host of cars before turning to management and taking Aston Martin into Formula 1. Parnell went on to run the Yeoman Credit Racing team with the help of his son Tim who later raced in Formula 1 himself.

Early career

Parnell came from a family which ran a garage business in Derby. In 1933, he was a spectator when Donington Park held its first motor race, and he decided to try the sport. By 1935, he bought an old 2-litre Bugatti single-seater for just £25. It broke its rear axle in the paddock at its first meeting, but buying spare parts for the Bugatti was too expensive, so it was replaced with a MG Magnette K3. Parnell had secured wins at both Brooklands and Donington Park, but in 1937 he lost his licence following a practice accident for the 500 Mile race, at Brooklands. He misjudged an overtaking move on Kay Petre, when he lost control of the MG, crashing into her Austin 7 from behind, causing it to roll. She crashed badly and was seriously injured. She never raced competitively again. Although she put the incident down to "bad luck", the RAC revoked Parnell's racing license for two years. This meant that he was unable to race.

The ban meant in effect that, during 1938, Parnell found himself unable to race his cars, he soon discovered that lending the cars to other drivers was an excellent way of being involved in racing. His later abilities as a team manager were probably developed during this period. With his licence restored in 1939, Parnell was back with 4.9-litre Bugatti-engined single-seater, known as the BHW. He was particularly successful with this BHW at Donington Park. Meanwhile, he started to construct his own car for voiturette (the pre-war version of Formula Two), known as the Challenger, however with the outbreak of World War II, the best years of his career were wasted.

An ex-Reg Parnell Maserati 4CLT "San Remo", in the Donington Collection museum, Leicestershire, England. In 1947, Parnell was Britain's most successful racing driver, for which he won the BRDC's Gold Star. He began the year by winning two ice races in Sweden, with his ERA A-type, the earlier of these being the first Formula 1 race. He then returned to Britain, to win the Jersey Road Race in the Maserati 4CLT. He would have also won in Ulster, had his recently acquired ERA E-type not broken a de Dion tube. The following year, Parnell would again win the Gold Star. He took his new Maserati 4CLT/48 to Zandvoort and finished third in the circuit's inaugural meeting. He won the Goodwood Trophy at the first-ever meeting at Sussex circuit, was second in the Penya Rhin Grand Prix and fifth in the Gran Premio d'Italia. Parnell maintained this success into 1949 with the Maserati, gaining many successes at Goodwood, earning him the nickname, "Emperor of Goodwood", and raced at almost every major circuit across Europe. He also competed in the early-season races in South America.

Formula One

The following season, Parnell was asked to drive the fourth works Alfa Romeo, in the inaugural World Championship Formula One race at Silverstone. He finished in third place, achieving a place on the podium, together with his teammates Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Fagioli. He would be the only British driver to be selected to race with the all-conquering factory.

Tony Vandervell's modified Ferrari 375, used by Parnell between 1952 and 1954, in the Donington Collection museum, Leicestershire, England. After the trip in Italy, Tony Vandervell approached him which saw Parnell driving Vandervell's Thinwall Special (a highly modified Formula One Ferrari 375) in numerous F1 races. He left a star-studded field standing in conditions so bad that the BRDC International Trophy final raced through hail, lightning and heavy rain. With poor visibility and the track under as much as six inches of water, the race had to be stopped after six laps due to Silverstone being flooded and too dangerous to continue. When the race was abandoned, Parnell was in the lead; no official winner was declared, so although he defeated the Alfa Romeo team, it was not until two months later in the 1951 British Grand Prix that the Alfas suffered their first real defeat. After the race Reg said, "It's a pity it was stopped as I would have liked the race to have continued. I was a minute ahead of the Italians and I am sure they would not have made this up. It was like aquaplaning in an ice-cold tub, but in the cockpit it was very hot and steamy so that at 80mph I only had a dim outline of the comers and only the outlines of spray telling me that another car was in front."

In 1952, Parnell enjoyed more class success with the DB2, taking wins at Silverstone and Boreham; at Goodwood, he unhesitatingly assumed duties as team manager for Aston Martin, following a pit fire seriously injured John Wyer. This was a foretaste of things to come. The success continued into 1953. At that year's Mille Miglia despite driving on the ignition switch after a broken throttle had to be wired up fully open, he and navigator, Louis Klemantaski finished in fifth place in their DB3. This was the highest ever finish by a British car at the great Italian classic. This result followed his second place in the 12 Hours of Sebring. He was also second at the RAC Tourist Trophy, and victorious in the Goodwood Nine Hours.

Parnell was successful in other formulae, but at the end of 1957, he decided to retire at the age of just 45. His last international race was the New Zealand Championship Road Race, at Ryal Bush where he finished second in a Ferrari 555/860.

Team management

Parnell became the team manager of Aston Martin, a move which led him to oversee a famous 1–2 in 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, when Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby led home Maurice Trintignant and Paul Frère. The company then decided to enter Formula One and Parnell led the team but at the end of 1960 the programme was abandoned.

Death

For the 1964 season, Parnell had commissioned a design for a new car, when he died from peritonitis at age 52 from complications after an appendix operation. Parnell's son Tim, also a racing driver, took over the team management and developed a strong working relationship with BRM during the late 1960s.

Maserati 4CL Ulster Trophy

Maserati 4CL 1947 Swedish Winter Grand Prix

Maserati 4CL Nice Grand Prix

Maserati 4CLT/48 Gran Premio de Penya Rhin

Maserati 4CLT Woodcote Cup

Maserati 4CLT Copa de Acción San Lorenzo

Scuderia Ambrosiana Maserati 4CLT 1950 Richmond Trophy

Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158 FIA World Championship of Drivers 9th Alfa Romeo SpAScuderia Ambrosiana 1951 Chichester Cup

Maserati 4CLT/48 Festival of Britain Trophy

GA Vandervell Ferrari 375 Thinwall Special Castletown Trophy 10th GA VandervellOwen Racing Organisation Ferrari 375 Thinwall SpecialBRM Type 15 1952 West Essex CC Formula 2 Race

Archie Bryde Cooper-Bristol T20 Silverstone International

David Brown Aston Martin DB2 Daily Graphic Trophy

Owen Racing Organisation BRM Type 15 Boreham International

Maserati 4CLT Woodcote Cup

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S Charterhall International

Aston Martin Ltd. Aston Martin DB3S Goodwood Nine Hours

David Brown Aston Martin DB3S Grand Prix, 12 Hours of Sebring

Aston Martin Ltd. Aston Martin DB3 RAC Tourist Trophy

Aston Martin Ltd. Aston Martin DB3S Silverstone International

Aston Martin Ltd. Aston Martin DB3 1954 Lavant Cup

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 500 Whitsun Trophy

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 500 Crystal Palace Trophy

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 500 RedeX Trophy

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 500 International Gold Cup

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 500 Daily Telegraph 200

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 500 Aintree International

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S 1955 Silverstone International

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S Charterhall International

Aston Martin DB3S Oulton Park International

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S British Empire Trophy

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S Goodwood International

Eq. Endeavour Cooper-Connaught T39 1956 Southland Road Race

Aston Martin DB3S New Zealand Championship Road Race

Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S 1957 New Zealand Grand Prix

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 555/860 Dunedin Road Race

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 555/860 New Zealand Championship Road Race

Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 555/860

Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Points 1950 Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158 Alfa Romeo Straight-8 GBR MON 500 9th 4 Scuderia Ambrosiana Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati Straight-4 SUIDNA BEL FRA ITADNA 1951 G.A. Vandervell Ferrari 375 Thinwall Ferrari V12 SUI 500 BELDNA FRA 10th 5 BRM Ltd. BRM P15 BRM V16 GBR GER ITA ESPDNA 1952 A.H.M. Bryde Cooper T20 Bristol Straight-6 SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA NC 0 1954 Scuderia Ambrosiana Ferrari 500/625 Ferrari Straight-4 ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

Complete Mille Miglia results