[Other Sport] F1 Quiz Tag

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Didn't know about Shuttleworth.

Anyway our man is Richard John Beattie Seaman, better known as 'Dick' Seaman (a suitably virile name for a GP racer...).

Born at Aldingbourne House, near Chichester (not sure if it is still visible from the A27?) in 1913, so a GP winner from Sussex. As you suggested he raced for Mercedes during the pre-war 'Silver Arrows' era. Mercedes and Auto Union dominated GP racing at that time which suited the Nazi regime. So it was a tad awkward to have 'God Save the King' played when Seaman won the German GP in 1938.

Sadly he was fatally injured while leading the Belgian GP at Spa, on the eve of WW2.

It seems that Seaman never really gained recognition and his associations with the German team during the Nazi era made him unpopular and generated suspicions. His untimely death prevented him from proving where his true loyalties were. A recent biographer invited historian and author Ben Macintyre to investigate whether Seaman might have been a British agent - but seems there is no substance to this. However, Seaman is on record as wishing there had been a competitive British GP team that he could have raced for.

It is acknowledged that Seaman's achievements inspired British drivers Moss, Hawthorn, Collins and Brooks to their successes in the '50s.

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

Didn't know about Shuttleworth.

Anyway our man is Richard John Beattie Seaman, better known as 'Dick' Seaman (a suitably virile name for a GP racer...).

Born at Aldingbourne House, near Chichester (not sure if it is still visible from the A27?) in 1913, so a GP winner from Sussex. As you suggested he raced for Mercedes during the pre-war 'Silver Arrows' era. Mercedes and Auto Union dominated GP racing at that time which suited the Nazi regime. So it was a tad awkward to have 'God Save the King' played when Seaman won the German GP in 1938.

Sadly he was fatally injured while leading the Belgian GP at Spa, on the eve of WW2.

It seems that Seaman never really gained recognition and his associations with the German team during the Nazi era made him unpopular and generated suspicions. His untimely death prevented him from proving where his true loyalties were. A recent biographer invited historian and author Ben Macintyre to investigate whether Seaman might have been a British agent - but seems there is no substance to this. However, Seaman is on record as wishing there had been a competitive British GP team that he could have raced for.

It is acknowledged that Seaman's achievements inspired British drivers Moss, Hawthorn, Collins and Brooks to their successes in the '50s.


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great piece of F1 trivia that

did notice the race lasted just shy of 4 hours and the fastest lap by our man was just over 10 minutes!

and another thing I learnt, Seaman was trailing von Brauchitch by about 10 seconds
when they both pitted at the same time
von Brauchitch's car was overfilled with fuel that promptly caught fire
he was dragged from the car with his overalls on fire
he was quickly doused down, got back in the car and sped off in pursuit of Seaman
only to crash 3 laps later
incredible stuff!

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

great piece of F1 trivia that

did notice the race lasted just shy of 4 hours and the fastest lap by our man was just over 10 minutes!

and another thing I learnt, Seaman was trailing von Brauchitch by about 10 seconds
when they both pitted at the same time
von Brauchitch's car was overfilled with fuel that promptly caught fire
he was dragged from the car with his overalls on fire
he was quickly doused down, got back in the car and sped off in pursuit of Seaman
only to crash 3 laps later
incredible stuff!

Yes, epic stuff. The cars were brutal, the tracks lethal and virtually no medical facilities - even if you survived a crash. It seems that Seaman had a comfortable lead in the 1939 Belgian GP, could have eased off in the final laps, especially as it was a typically wet Spa but he kept his foot down. However his Mercedes was then seen to leave the track, hit a tree and burst into flames. He was dragged clear but later died of his injuries.

I knew a little of Seaman's story. However I confess my knowledge was enhanced by reading the recent biography 'A Race with Love and Death'. Seaman was clearly from a very privileged background (his Mother reluctantly paid for his racing) and he enjoyed a glamorous lifestyle, albeit he seems to have been a modest character. The Germans liked his English 'reserve' but once in his car he was supremely quick.

It was good to discover his birthplace was in Sussex, so we can claim 'Dick' Seaman as one of our own.