Reg Parnell

Reginald Harold Haslam Parnell (2 July 1911 Derby, Derbyshire – 7 January 1964 in Derby ^[1]) was a racing driver and team manager from England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of 9 championship points.

Driving career

Before World War II Parnell was a very successful racing driver, winning at many levels with various cars, including a Bugatti. After the war he continued with his success, winning with a Maserati and an ERA, before participating in the very first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, at Silverstone, in 1950. He raced a wide selection of different cars, and his other World Championship Grands Prix included two races for BRM: one in the Ferrari "Thinwall Special" owned by Tony Vandervell, who was later to run the Vanwall team; one in a Cooper-Bristol; and a couple for the Scuderia Ambrosiana team, the first in a Maserati and the other in a Ferrari. He won non-championship Formula One races right up until his retirement in 1957.

F1 management

In 1961 the Samengo-Turner brothers (Paul, William & Fabian) asked Reg Parnell to take over the management of the Yeoman Credit Racing Team sponsorship deal from Ken Gregory of the British Racing Partnership. During the 1961 Formula One season he ran two Cooper T53 Low-Line–Climax cars for John Surtees and Roy Salvadori, who between them collected a handful of championship points. For the 1962 season the team was renamed Bowmaker-Yeoman Racing, and in place of the Coopers ran Lola Mk4 chassis, again powered by Climax engines. Surtees and Salvadori remained with the team, but Salvadori had a nightmare season, failing to finish a single race. Surtees fared much better, however, scoring 19 points and finishing in 4th place in the drivers' championship. During the season he also gave Reg Parnell his first podium finishes as manager – with second places in both the British and German events – and took pole position at the season-opening Dutch Grand Prix.

He managed various other racing teams, including the Le Mans-winning Aston Martin outfit, before setting up a team in his own name in late 1962. Reg Parnell Racing was still in the early stages of development when Parnell died of peritonitis after an appendix operation in early 1964. 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. The Parnell team was wound up as a separate entity when Tim Parnell took on the running of the works BRM team from 1970.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

References