Harry Schell
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| Harry Schell | |
|---|---|
Nationality  American |
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Active years | 1950 - 1960 |
| Teams | Cooper, Talbot-Lago, Maserati, Gordini, Ferrari, Vanwall, BRM |
| Races | 56 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podium finishes | 2 |
| Career points | 32 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1950 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1960 Argentine Grand Prix |
Henry O'Reilly Schell (born 29 June 1921, Paris, France - died 13 May 1960, Silverstone Circuit, England) was an American Grand Prix motor racing driver.
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[edit] Early life
The son of race car driver and expatriat American, Laury Schell, his mother was the wealthy American heiress Lucy O'Reilly. She was an auto racing enthusiast who met Laury Schell while visiting France. Later she became the Delahaye racing team owner and invested heavily in the Delahaye factory's development of new racing cars.
Thus, Harry Schell was raised by parents who were very involved in Grand Prix motor racing in Europe. However, his family returned to the USA following the German occupation of France during World War II. Schell fought as a tailgunner in the air force of Finland in 1939. He achieved the rank of first lieutenant in the United States Tank Corps when the U.S. entered World War II.[1]
[edit] Race career
At home, the Schell family became involved with racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Harry Schell also pursued a racing career. He raced a variety of Coopers both in 500cc Formula 3 and Formula 2. He eventually joined the Formula One circuit where he participated in 56 Grands Prix, debuting on May 21, 1950. He achieved two podium finishes, and scored a total of 32 Championship points. His most successful season was in 1958, where achieved his highest placed finish (second, in the Dutch Grand Prix) and finished 6th in the Drivers' Championship. Schell won the non-championship Caen Grand Prix in 1956. He partnered with Stirling Moss in securing a second place at the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring, and took third place at the same event in 1959.[2] He was the first driver to race a rearengined car in Formula One, as he started his World Championship career in a Cooper T12 with a Jaguar engine.
Many factory teams employed Schell, including Ferrari, Maserati, BRM, and Vanwall. In the 1960 Formula One season he was shunned by the factory teams for it was obvious now that he could not win a big event.[citation needed] He instead resolved to drive his own Cooper in Formula One events, once again racing under his family's Ecurie Bleue banner. He mostly avoided sports car races because they did not pay starting money; Schell had no desire to race merely for prize money.[citation needed] He also declined to enter sports car races because of the danger, and in his opinion, because "you have to race against a bunch of amateurs who don't know what they're doing."[1]
[edit] Death and legacy
Harry Schell died in practice for the non-championship International Trophy event at Silverstone in 1960, when he crashed his Cooper at Abbey Curve. Schell was racing at approximately 100 mph when his car slid into the mud on the side of the track. At the same time it lost a wheel. The Cooper somersaulted and penetrated a safety barrier, causing a brick wall to collapse. Schell was among the wreckage.[2]
Schell was a resident of Paris and was listed as 39 years of age. Many of those who knew him believed he was older, due to his long career in racing.[2] He was 6 ft 1 in tall and weighed around 180 pounds. He was popular with women and was married three times.
He owned a villa at Deauville and regularly spent winters on the French Riviera. His nature was jovial.[citation needed] Schell was a playboy type who loved wine, women and song.[citation needed] Frequently he was the butt of practical jokes.[citation needed] In 1958, at Rheims, Schell's Vespa was taken to the second floor of his hotel and left by some of his fellow drivers.[citation needed]
He was one of six drivers who began the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, who later died violent deaths while driving. The others are Peter Collins, Luigi Musso, Stuart Lewis-Evans, Mike Hawthorn, and Jean Behra. As a driver Schell was very cautious; he drove race cars for eleven years before he was involved in an accident. His wreck at Silverstone was only his third in fourteen seasons. None of them were his fault.[citation needed] On two occasions other cars ran into him and at Silverstone a wheel came off.
He earned very good starting money and made around $20,000 a year. He reached stardom because he continued to race while his fellow drivers often died.[1] Schell had promoted the adoption of the roll bar by European race tracks. It was a required safety measure in the United States.[2]
[edit] Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
* Shared drive/s.
| Preceded by Ivor Bueb |
Formula One fatal accidents May 13, 1960 |
Succeeded by Chris Bristow |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jean Behra 53 entries, 52 starts (1950 - 1959) |
Most Grand Prix entries 56 entries, 56 starts (1950 - 1960), 54th at the 1959 Italian GP |
Succeeded by Stirling Moss 67 entries (66 starts), 57th at the 1960 Portuguese GP |
