Don Parker (racing driver)
| Don Parker | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born |
November 11, 1908 Ramsgate, UK |
| Died | May 20, 1997 (aged 88) Portsmouth, UK |
| Retired | 1960 |
| British Formula Three Championship | |
| Years active | 1951–1960 |
| Best finish | 1st; in 1952, 1953 and 1959 |
Don Parker (11 November 1908 – 20 May 1997) was a British retired racing driver from England who was British Formula Three Champion on three occasions (1952, 1953 and 1959). He also competed in the British Saloon Car Championship.
Parker was born in Ramsgate, Kent, UK and did not see a motor race until he was 40 years of age. In the late 1940s, Parker was running a small engineering firm in South London and inherited a 500 cc (31 cu in) racing car from an adjacent company. He adapted this to better suit his own slight build and it made a winning debut at Brough in April 1949. He took three other podium finishes that year and set fastest time in his class at the Brighton Speed Trials.
The next season (1950), 500cc racing became recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as Formula Three. Parker drove his JAP-engined "special" in competition to the Norton-equipped works and privateer Coopers. In theory, his home-produced car should not have been competitive but he still managed 10 wins during the season and third place in the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race.
1951 was the inaugural season for the British Formula Three Championship and Parker acquired a James Bottoms Special (JBS) chassis and was provided with works JAP engines. However, James Bottoms' son Alf, was killed at the 1951 Luxembourg Grand Prix and the factory lost its impetus thereafter. Despite this, Parker achieved 12 wins in the season and was classified fourth in the championship standings. In May he tested the works Kieft chassis and his times equalled those of Stirling Moss.
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