David Purley
British racing driver (1945–1985) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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David Charles Purley, GM (26 January 1945 – 2 July 1985) was a British racing driver born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, who participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at Monaco in 1973.
Born | (1945-01-26)26 January 1945 Bognor Regis, Sussex, United Kingdom |
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Died | 2 July 1985(1985-07-02) (aged 40) English Channel, close to Bognor Regis, United Kingdom |
Formula One World Championship career | |
Active years | 1973–1974, 1977 |
Teams | LEC, Token Non-works March |
Entries | 11 (7 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1973 Monaco Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1977 British Grand Prix |
Purley is best known for his actions at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix,[1] where he abandoned his own race and attempted to save the life of fellow driver Roger Williamson, whose car was upside down and on fire following a serious accident. Purley was awarded the George Medal for his courage in trying to save Williamson, who suffocated in the blaze.
During pre-qualifying for the 1977 British Grand Prix Purley sustained multiple bone fractures after his car's throttle stuck open and he crashed into a wall. His deceleration from 108 mph (173 km/h) to 0 in a distance of 26 inches (66 cm) is one of the highest G-loads survived in a crash (180 G). He scored no championship points during his Formula One career. He died in a plane crash, having retired from motorsport and taken up aerobatics, in 1985.