Richie Ginther

Paul Richard "Richie" Ginther (5 August 1930 – 20 September 1989) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One from Template:F1 to Template:F1. He recorded the first Formula One win for both Honda and Goodyear at the Template:F1GP in Template:F1.

Born in Hollywood, Ginther competed in Formula One for Ferrari, Scarab, BRM, Honda, Cooper and Eagle. He finished third in the 1963 World Drivers' Championship with BRM, and scored 14 podiums across eight seasons.

Ginther was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008.

Early career

Richie Ginther was born on 5 August 1930 in Hollywood.<ref name=TimesGrandPrix>Template:Cite news</ref> His family moved to Ohio for his father's work before moving back to California and to Santa Monica, the same Californian town as future Formula One World Champion Phil Hill, and it was through Hill, a friend of Ginther's older brother, George, that he first began to race.<ref name=motorsport>Roebuck, N. 1998. Legends: Richie Ginther. Motor Sport. LXXV/3 (March 1999), 16–17</ref> After finishing school in 1948, Ginther followed in his father's footsteps and went to work for Douglas Aircraft, initially in the tool and die shop. In his spare time he helped Hill to repair, maintain and race his collection of old cars and hot rods,<ref name=autocourse>Sloniger, J. 1961. Tester to the Prancing Horse. In: Eves, E. (ed.) Autocourse: Review of International Motor Sport. 1960, Part One. Trafalgar Press, London. 80pp</ref> as Hill's racing career began to gather pace. Ginther made his race debut at Pebble Beach in 1951,<ref name=autocourse /> driving a Ford-engined MG T-type sports car.<ref name=gpracing>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

However, Ginther's career was put on hold shortly after, when he was drafted for two years of national service during the Korean War. During this time he received training and experience working in aircraft and engine mechanics,<ref name=autocourse /> skills which he would later put to good use during his driving career. On emergence from the military, Hill requested that Ginther join him, principally as a riding mechanic, in driving a privately entered 4.1-liter Ferrari in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana. The pair ran high in the rankings until Hill lost control, crashed, and wrote off the car. Both Ginther and Hill were unharmed and returned in 1954 to take second place,<ref name=motorsport /> beaten only by the works Ferrari of Umberto Maglioli.

Nineteen fifty-four was also the year that Ginther returned to race driving himself, mostly in a self-prepared Austin-Healey.<ref name=autocourse /> His results were impressive enough that the following year VW and Porsche dealer John von Neumann hired him to drive a Porsche in domestic competitions. When von Neumann started dealing in Ferrari cars in 1956, Ginther also got the chance to drive these.<ref name=motorsport /> In between working in von Neumann's Ferrari dealership — including trips to the Ferrari factory in Italy to sort customer problems<ref name=autocourse /> — Ginther began to build an impressive racing reputation on the West Coast. This, and his choice of Ferrari mounts, brought him to the attention of the East Coast Ferrari franchise-holder, three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans-winner, Luigi Chinetti. Aside from importing Ferrari road cars, Chinetti also operated a successful race team, soon to metamorphose into Ferrari's official motorsport presence in North America: NART. Ginther first raced for Chinetti in 1957 and with him made his first appearances in international-level events, first in the 12 Hours of Sebring and then driving a two-liter Ferrari 500 TR in the Template:24hLM Le Mans race.

Also in 1957, Ginther was signed to drive the Aston Martin of Joe Lubin<ref>Ginther To Drive In Paramount Race, Los Angeles Times, February 26, 1957, Page C2</ref> and over the next three years would continue to compete in many sports car racing events in both Aston and Ferrari machinery, with great success. That June, he won a 15-lap GT race at the new Lime Rock Park, and won the opening race of the national championship in his Ferrari.<ref>Ginther Wins Race Feature, Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1957, Page D2.</ref> In early-1958, he piloted a two-liter Ferrari to victory at the County Fairgrounds in Pomona, California, averaging Template:Convert,<ref>Ginther in Car Victory at Pomona, Los Angeles Times, February 9, 1958, Page C2.</ref> and won in a three-liter GT in a five-lap qualifying preliminary for the SCCA Pacific Coast Championship.<ref>Ginther Bags Sports Car Victory, Los Angeles Times, April 13, 1958, Page C8.</ref> By the end of the year Ginther had captured the Pacific Coast Sports Car Championship outright.<ref name=TimesGrandPrix/> He triumphed by a wide margin at Pomona at the opening sports car race of 1959, in a von Neumann 4.1-liter Ferrari,<ref>Ginther and Drake Win At Pomona, Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1959, Page C2.</ref> and in June 1959, won in a three-liter Ferrari TR in the first Hourglass road races in San Diego, California.<ref>Ginther Drives Ferrari TR To San Diego Race Victory, Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1959, Page C6</ref> Throughout this period he continued to mix his race driving with a steady job at von Neumann's dealership, and by late 1959 the strain was beginning to show.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Formula One

Ferrari

Ginther made his F1 debut at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix driving for Ferrari, which he stayed with through Template:F1. In the September 1960 Italian Grand Prix in Monza, he placed second to Hill.<ref name=TimesGrandPrix/> Ginther led from the start until the 25th lap when Hill passed him and led until the finish.<ref>Phil Hill, in Ferrari Wins Monza Grand Prix, Los Angeles Times, September 5, 1960, Page C6</ref>

Following the Template:F1 season the Ferrari team gave up 1000 cc in engine size. The 2500 cc engine, permitted the previous year, was replaced by a 1.5-liter rear-engine model, with 110 less horsepower. However, the newer engine was superior in both "profiling" and handling. The conservative Enzo Ferrari was the last major Formula 1 race car manufacturer to make the transition to cars with engines in the rear.<ref>Ferraris Pace Dutch Trials, Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1961, Page 43.</ref> In 1961, Ginther was the No. 3 Ferrari driver, behind No. 1 Wolfgang Von Trips and No. 2 Hill. Giancarlo Baghetti occasionally piloted a fourth car. The team manager was Romulo Tavoni.<ref>Ferrari Has Enviable Problem; Who on His Team Should Win, New York Times, July 2, 1961, Page 58.</ref>

On May 14, 1961, Ginther finished second to Stirling Moss at the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, 3.6 seconds behind, a few hundred feet. He was driving a new rear-engine Ferrari with a 120-degree V-6 which had a lower center of gravity.<ref>Moss May Be Tough, Lincoln Evening Journal, May 15, 1961, Page 14</ref> Ginther had qualified second, just ahead of Hill, with an average speed of Template:Convert, and a qualifying time of 1:39.3. He eclipsed the previous course record of 1:39.6, before Moss took pole position the day after.<ref>Ginther Sets Monaco Record, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1961, Page A3</ref>

In August 1961, Ginther and Baghetti were teammates at the Pescara Grand Prix, a world auto manufacturers' championship event. Their Ferrari was leading on the 10th lap when it stopped on a straight stretch with a flat tire.<ref>Italians' Ferrari Takes Auto Race, New York Times, August 16, 1961, Page 27.</ref> Ginther averaged more than Template:Convert on the Template:Convert Autodromo Nazionale Monza in September 1961, to lead the first day of qualifying for the 1961 Italian Grand Prix.<ref>Grand Prix Trials Paced By Ginther, New York Times, September 9, 1961, Page 25.</ref> Von Trips qualified first with Ginther taking the third starting position after Ricardo Rodriguez.<ref>Ferraris In Sweep, New York Times, September 10, 1961, Page K9</ref> Ginther retired in the race. Von Trips died in a spectacular crash on the second lap, which also killed eleven spectators, when his Ferrari climbed a Template:Convert earth embankment. It brushed a wire fence employed to restrain a portion of the crowd and struck the spectators.<ref>Von Trips and 11 Spectators Killed in Grand Prix, New York Times, September 11, 1961, Page 1.</ref> Some who were injured eventually succumbed and brought the total to 15 deaths. The Ferrari team ceased competition until January 1, 1962, as a mark of respect to Von Trips.<ref>Top Drivers Arrive For Grand Prix, New York Times, October 10, 1961, Page C4.</ref>

BRM and Honda

In Template:F1, Ginther switched to the British-based BRM team to race alongside Graham Hill. The highlight of his time at BRM was finishing equal-second (with Hill) in the 1963 World Championship. Ginther scored more points than his British teammate over the whole season, but only a driver's six best scores were counted towards the championship.

His reputation as a solid "team player" and excellent test and development driver earned him an invitation to join the works Honda F1 team for 1965, for whom he scored his one and only GP win, at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. The win was also Honda's first in Formula 1. Ginther averaged Template:Convert over the curving Template:Convert track in the 65 lap Mexico City event. His speed eclipsed the previous course record of Template:Convert established by Dan Gurney in 1964. It was the first time Honda had entered the Mexican Grand Prix.<ref>Ginther Takes Mexican Grand Prix, Fresno Bee, October 25, 1965, Page 18.</ref> Honda reentered international competition in the 1966 Italian Grand Prix. The team was three years old and had encountered difficulty in the preparation of a larger engine. Ginther led in Italy before his car crashed into a retaining wall and he broke his collarbone.<ref>U.S. Grand Prix, Fremont Argus, September 30, 1966, Page 9.</ref> He signed with the Eagle F1 team in 1967 and raced in the Race of Champions. His last race entered was the Monaco Grand Prix, but he failed to qualify.

Ginther won one race, achieved 14 podiums, and scored a total of 107 championship points.

He appeared in an uncredited role in the 1966 film Grand Prix as John Hogarth, a driver in the Japanese funded "Yamura" team. He also acted as one of the technical racing advisors for the movie.

While making an attempt to qualify for the 1967 Indianapolis 500, Ginther broke a fuel line in his American Eagle Indy Car. A mix of ethanol and gasoline, was sprayed down his back. This experience, along with the recent fiery death of close friend Lorenzo Bandini, along with other factors, led to his sudden retirement.<ref>Motor Sports Today, Van Nuys News, April 14, 1968, Page 36.</ref>

He participated in a rally with sixty-five other competitors, including actor James Garner, in June 1969. The California Sports Car Club event was three hours cross country from Los Angeles to Huntington Beach. It benefited students from the Braille Institute.<ref>Unique Blind Rally Set Saturday, Valley News And Green Sheet, June 19, 1969</ref> Ginther managed a Porsche 911S with two American drivers during the 39th 24 hours of Le Mans, in June 1971.<ref>Porsche Team Choice To Wim At Le Mans, Hamilton, Ohio Daily News Journal, June 12, 1971, Page 23.</ref>

Death

Ginther died of a heart attack while on vacation with his family in France, in Touzac, near Bordeaux, on September 20, 1989.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards

He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008.<ref name=MSHoF>Richie Ginther at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America</ref>

Biography

In 2020, to mark what would have been Ginther's 90th birthday, a biography was released about Richie's life and career by Richard Jenkins, published by Performance Publishing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Richie Ginther: Motor Racing's Free Thinker" won the RAC Motoring Book of the Year Award for its depth of research and previously unpublished information <ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>

Racing record

Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	WDC	Pts.Template:Efn
1960	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 246P	Ferrari	ARG	MON Template:Small	500									9th	8
		Ferrari Dino 246					NED Template:Small	BEL				ITA Template:Small	USA
	Reventlow Automobiles Inc	Scarab F1	Scarab						FRA Template:Small	GBR	POR
1961	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari	MON Template:Small	NED Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA DNA				5th	16
1962	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P48/57	BRM	NED Template:Small	MON Template:Small										8th	10
		BRM P57	BRM			BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	RSA Template:Small
1963	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P57	BRM	MON Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	NED Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small	RSA Template:Small		3rd	29 (34)
1964	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P261	BRM	MON Template:Small	NED Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	AUT Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small		5th	23
1965	Honda R&D Co	Honda RA272	Honda	RSA	MON Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	NED Template:Small	GER	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small		7th	11
1966	Cooper Car Company	Cooper T81	Maserati	MON Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA	GBR	NED	GER						11th	5
	Honda R&D Co	Honda RA273	Honda							ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small
1967	Anglo American Racers	Eagle Mk1	Weslake	RSA	MON Template:Small										NC	0
	Advance Muffler/Bruce Bromme					NED DNA	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	CAN	ITA	USA	MEX
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Non-Championship Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
1960	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 246	Ferrari V6	GLV	INT	SIL Template:Small	LOM	OUL
1961	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari	LOM	GLV	PAU	BRX	VIE	AIN	SYR Template:Small	NAP	LON	SIL	SOL	KAN	DAN	MOD	FLG	OUL	LEW	VAL	RAN	NAT	RSA
1962	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P578	BRM	CAP	BRX	LOM Template:Small	LAV	GLV Template:Small	PAU	AIN Template:Small	INT Template:Small	NAP	MAL	CLP	RMS Template:Small	SOL	KAN	MED	DAN	OUL Template:Small	MEX	RAN Template:Small	NAT Template:Small
1963	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P578	BRM	LOM Template:Small	GLV Template:Small	PAU	IMO	SYR	AIN Template:Small	INT Template:Small	ROM	SOL	KAN	MED	AUT	OUL Template:Small	RAN
1964	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P261	BRM	DMT Template:Small	NWT	SYR	AIN Template:Small	INT Template:Small	SOL	MED	RAN
1966	Stirling Moss Racing Team	BRP	BRM V8	RSA Template:Small	SYR
	Cooper Car Company	Cooper T81	Maserati			INT Template:Small	OUL
1967	Anglo American Racers	Eagle Mk1	Weslake	ROC Template:Small	SPC	INT	SYR	OUL	ESP

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	8	9	10	11	Template:Tooltip	Pts	Class
1963	John Willment Automobiles	Ford Cortina GT	Template:Tooltip	SNE	OUL	GOO	AIN	SIL Ret	CRY 8†	SIL	BRH	BRH	OUL	SIL	29th	6	12th
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† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Driver(s)	Car	Class	Laps	Template:Tooltip	Template:Tooltip
1957	Template:Flagicon Equipe Los Amigos	Template:Flagicon François Picard	Ferrari 500 TRC	S 2.0	129	DNF	DNF
1960	Template:Flagicon Scuderia Ferrari	Template:Flagicon Willy Mairesse	Ferrari 250 TRI/60	S 3.0	204	DNF	DNF
1961	Template:Flagicon SEFAC Ferrari	Template:Flagicon Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari 246 SP	S 2.5	231	DNF	DNF
1962	Template:Flagicon David Brown Racing Dept.	Template:Flagicon Graham Hill	Aston Martin DP212	E +3.0	78	DNF	DNF
1963	Template:Flagicon Owen Racing Organisation	Template:Flagicon Graham Hill	Rover-BRM	Exp.	310	NC	NC
1964	Template:Flagicon Ford Motor Company	Template:Flagicon Masten Gregory	Ford GT40	P 5.0	63	DNF	DNF
1966	Template:Flagicon North American Racing Team	Template:Flagicon Pedro Rodríguez	Ferrari 330 P3 Spyder	P 5.0	151	DNF	DNF

Personal life

Ginther married his wife, Jacqueline, in 1958. The couple had one child, a son, born in 1962.

See also

• Formula One drivers from the United States

External links

• Biographical article and video on The Speed Blog
• Richie Ginther | #18 of top-20 non-WDC F1 drivers