Ivor Bueb

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters | check | ignoreblank = y | unknown = Template:Main other | preview = Page using Template:Infobox F1 driver with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | embed | child | subbox | name | Name | image | Image | image_size | upright | image_upright | alt | caption | birth_name | birth_date | birth_place | death_date | death_place | relations | relatives | nationality | Nationality | years | Years | teams | Teams | Team(s) | team | Team | engines | Engines | current_team | current team | Current team | 2025 Team | 2026 Team | car_number | car number | Car number | races | Races | championships | Championships | wins | Wins | podiums | Podiums | points | Points | poles | Poles | fastest_laps | fastest laps | Fastest laps | first_race | first race | First race | first_win | first win | First win | last_win | last win | Last win | last_race | last race | Last race | last_position | last position | Last position | last_season | last season | Last season | bf1_years | bf1 years | BF1 Years | bf1_races | bf1 races | BF1 Races | bf1_championships | bf1 championships | BF1 Championships | bf1_wins | bf1 wins | BF1 Wins | bf1_podiums | bf1 podiums | BF1 Podiums | bf1_points | bf1 points | BF1 Points | bf1_poles | bf1 poles | BF1 Poles | bf1_fastest_laps | bf1 fastest laps | BF1 Fastest laps | signature | signature_size | signature alt | signature_alt | website | module | module1 | module2 | module3 | module4 | module5 | record template1 | record template2 | record template3 | record template4 | record template5 | career template1 | career template2 | career template3 | career template4 | career template5 | updated | Updated }} Ivor Léon John Bueb (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> 6 June 1923 – 1 August 1959) was a British professional sports car racing and Formula One driver from England.<ref name="Ivor Bueb at Motorsport Memorial">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early life

Ivor Léon John Bueb was born to Léon Gervase Bueb and Grace Marie Alice Vagnolini in East Ham, Essex. His father was born in Breisach, Germany to French parents and his mother had English, Italian and Welsh grandparents.<ref name=":0">https://bpmc.org.uk/petestowe/Lib/IvorBueb-FocusOn500s.pdf Template:Bare URL PDF</ref> They divorced in 1926. Bueb spent his childhood in Dulwich, South London, regularly visiting Crystal Palace to watch Prince Bira, Freddie Dixon and Raymond Mays compete.<ref name=":0" />

Career

Bueb started racing seriously in a Formula Three 500cc Cooper in 1953, graduating to the Cooper works team in 1955 when he finished second in the British championship. He made occasional starts in Grands Prix in 1957 with a Connaught and a Maserati run by Gilby Engineering. The following year he raced Bernie Ecclestone's Connaught at Monaco, and drove a Formula Two Lotus at the German Grand Prix.

In 1959 he had two outings for BRP, firstly a non-qualification at Monaco, then another Formula Two entry at the British Grand Prix. He participated in six Formula One World Championship Grands Prix in all, but scored no championship points. He also participated in numerous non-Championship Formula One races. With the death of Archie Scott Brown at Spa in May 1958, Brian Lister hired Bueb to fill the now-vacant Lister-Jaguar driver's seat. Bueb did an admirable job, scoring several first places at tracks such as Crystal Palace and Goodwood during the 1958 and 1959 sports car campaigns.

Ivor Bueb's winning car from the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans

Bueb is perhaps best known for sharing the winning works Jaguar D-type with Mike Hawthorn in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans which was marred by an accident in which 82 spectators were killed; a success he repeated with Ron Flockhart in the ex-works Ecurie Ecosse car in 1957.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He suffered serious injuries in 1959 when he crashed his BRP Cooper-Borgward Formula Two car at the Charade Circuit near Clermont-Ferrand, France.<ref name="Ivor Bueb at Motorsport Memorial"/> He crashed at Gravenoire, a multiple apex-section at the very far end of the circuit, and was thrown out of his Cooper.<ref name="Ivor Bueb at Motorsport Memorial"/> After being carried off the circuit by Gendarmes in a way that probably worsened his injuries, Bueb died six days later at a hospital near the circuit.<ref name="Ivor Bueb at Motorsport Memorial"/>

It was Ivor Bueb's death, in conjunction with Archie Scott Brown's demise, that finally led Brian Lister to shut down his very successful sports car racing effort. Bueb's funeral was held at Manor Park Cemetery in Newham, London on the 10 August. It was attended by his family, friends, and widowed wife. His father was unable to attend, but arranged a high mass in Clermont-Ferrand at the same time.<ref name=":0" />

Personal life

Bueb served in the RAF during WW2. After returning he invested money into selling ex-War department vehicles in Newport, Monmouthshire.<ref name=":0" /> He obtained his Aviator's Certificate in 1949 in Cardiff, piloting a DH82A Tiger Moth. Upon moving back to Cheltenham in the early 1950s he began his career in motorsport, helped by Geoffrey Turk.<ref name=":0" /> Bueb was affectionally called 'Ivor the Driver' by his peers, a play on 'Ivan the Terrible'.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After his tragic accident in 1959, fellow racer Jimmy Ebdon paid tribute:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web

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Despite his burly figure, he was indeed a quiet and very sensitive person. He was very modest in success and always most outspoken about his failures.

Bueb was survived by his wife, Florence Ada Bueb (1925-2009) and his son, David Ivor Lee Bueb Thomas, who died in 1988.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	WDC	Points
1957	Connaught Engineering	Connaught Type B	Alta Straight-4	ARG	MON Template:Small	500	FRA								NC	0
	Gilby Engineering Ltd.	Maserati 250F	Maserati Straight-6					GBR Template:Small	GER	PES	ITA
1958	BC Ecclestone	Connaught Type B	Alta Straight-4	ARG	MON	NED	500	BEL	FRA	GBR Template:Small					NC	0
	Ecurie Demi Litre	Lotus 12	Climax Straight-4								GER 11 *	POR	ITA	MOR
1959	British Racing Partnership	Cooper T51	Climax Straight-4	MON Template:Small	500	NED	FRA								NC	0
			Borgward Straight-4					GBR 13	GER	POR	ITA	USA
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* Formula 2 entry.

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year	Team	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	DC	Pts	Class
1959	Equipe Endeavour	Jaguar 3.4-Litre	Template:Tooltip	GOO ovr:1 cls:1	AIN ovr:1 cls:1	SIL ovr:1 cls:1	GOO	SNE	BRH	BRH	NC	0	NC
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Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Template:Tooltip	Template:Tooltip
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Jaguar Cars Ltd.	Template:Flagicon Mike Hawthorn	Jaguar D-Type	S5.0	307	1st	1st
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Jaguar Cars Ltd.	Template:Flagicon Mike Hawthorn	Jaguar D-Type FI	S5.0	280	6th	3rd
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Ecurie Ecosse	Template:Flagicon Ron Flockhart	Jaguar D-Type	S5.0	327	1st	1st
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon J. D. Hamilton (private entrant)	Template:Flagicon Duncan Hamilton	Jaguar D-Type	S3.0	251	DNF (Accident)
Template:24hLM	Template:Flagicon Brian Lister Engineering	Template:Flagicon Bruce Halford	Lister Sport	S3.0	121	DNF (Engine)
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Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Template:Tooltip	Template:Tooltip
1956	Template:Flagicon Jaguar of New York Distributors Inc.	Template:Flagicon Duncan Hamilton	Jaguar D-Type	S5.0	63	DNF (Brakes)
1957	Template:Flagicon Jaguar Cars North America	Template:Flagicon Mike Hawthorn	Jaguar D-Type	S5.0	193	3rd	2nd
1958	Template:Flagicon Ecurie Ecosse	Template:Flagicon Ninian Sanderson	Jaguar D-Type	S3.0	22	DNF (Valve springs)
1959	Template:Flagicon The Lister Corp.	Template:Flagicon Stirling Moss	Lister-Jaguar	S3.0	98	DSQ (Illegal refuelling)
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External links

• Ivor Bueb profile at The 500 Owners Association
• Template:IMDB name