Double Le Mans winner Ron Flockhart was born on this day in 1923. In today's Great Read, Gordon Cruickshank speaks to a first-hand witness of a future La Sarthe legend's first steps. It was a career that would end in tragedy – but not on the track
"Ron Flockhart could have won anything if given the chance." That's the view of the Scottish driver's business partner and close friend Hugh Langrishe, who at 96 still has clear memories of the times they spent together. Those 1950s were a time of private enterprise and privateer entries, when you could buy an old racing car and enter it in top-line events against existing stars, and be spotted by team owners.
Further, the era of freelance drivers and one-off drives meant a healthy range of opportunities for a driver who showed a bit of spark. And when he had the right equipment Flockhart's spark was high-voltage: two Le Mans victories don't come easily. Yet his 13 grand prix starts yielded just one podium. Perhaps his name would be better remembered if he had achieved his parallel aim – to break the solo flight record from Sydney to London. But 58 years ago that would tragically end his life, when his Mustang P51D aircraft plunged into an Australian hillside. He was not yet 40.
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