Eric Thompson (racing driver)
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| Born |
4 November 1919 Ditton Hill, Surbiton, Surrey, England, UK |
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| Died | 22 August 2015 (aged 95) Guildford, Surrey |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||||||
| Nationality |
 British |
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| Active years | 1952 | ||||||||||
| Teams | Connaught Engineering | ||||||||||
| Entries | 1 | ||||||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||||||
| Career points | 2 | ||||||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||||||
| First entry | 1952 British Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last entry | 1952 British Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
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| Participating years | 1949–1955 |
| Teams |
HRG Aston Martin Lagonda Connaught Engineering |
| Best finish | 3rd (1951) |
| Class wins | 2 (1949 & 1951) |
Eric Thompson (4 November 1919 – 22 August 2015) was a British motor racing driver, book dealer and insurance broker. He participated in sports car racing between 1949 and 1955 taking his greatest success by finishing third in the 1951 Les 24 Heures du Mans and took part in the 1952 RAC British Grand Prix.
Thompson worked as a broker for Lloyd's of London. His racing career started in 1948, racing cars for HRG. He won the 1.5-litre class in the Les 24 Heures du Mans in 1949 and drove for Aston Martin driving a DB2 to third place in the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also drove in Formula Libre, RAC Tourist Trophy and Formula Two achieving minor success. He took part in his only Formula One race in the 1952 RAC British Grand Prix finishing fifth, and later spent more time working at Lloyd's. He retired from motor racing at the end of 1955. Thompson resigned from Lloyd's in the 1980s and became a dealer of rare books on motorsport.
Thompson was born on 4 November 1919 in Ditton Hill, Surrey. In his childhood he developed an interest in motorsport, becoming a fan of Richard Seaman. After leaving secondary school Thompson found a job at Lloyd's of London as a broker. The work was well paid and required commitment, loyalty and long hours of work. Thompson won many awards for his effort and during the Second World War saw active service.
After the war ended Thompson decided to pursue his passion of motor racing. He began his racing career in 1948 at the age of 28 and was well funded. Thompson continued to work at Lloyd's of London and was entitled to two weeks of holiday, with every third weekend off, when he raced. His first race was the 12 Heures de Paris held at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry in a shared drive with Robin Richards driving an HRG, finishing fourth in the 1.5-litre class and 17th overall.
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