Mike Salmon (racing driver)
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Salmon October 12, 1933 |
| Died | January 13, 2016 (aged 82) |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Participating years | 1962–1984 |
| Teams | Aston Martin, Ferrari |
| Best finish | 5th (1963) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Michael Salmon (12 October 1933 – 13 January 2016) was a British racing driver from England who competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1962 and 1984. He was also active in the British Saloon Car Championship and the World and European Endurance championships.
Salmon was from the Channel Islands and was evacuated to Britain in 1940 as the islands came under threat from enemy forces in World War II. He served an apprenticeship with Jaguar Cars and subsequently joined their service department, working at various dealerships around the UK to gain experience.
Salmon began his career in sports car racing with a Jaguar XK120 in 1955 and '56, before moving to a C-type in 1957 and 1958. In the four-year period, Salmon only finished out of the top six in three, out of 16, national level races. In 1959, 1960 and 1961 he raced an ex-Ecurie Ecosse D-type Jaguar winning the Autosport three-hour race at Snetterton and the Martini trophy at Silverstone, both in 1961.
In 1962, Salmon competed with his own Aston Martin DB4GT, mainly in domestic competitions. He achieved several placed finishes and also entered the Le Mans 24 hour race for the first time. Co-driven by Ian Baillie, the car retired after 124 laps, with engine failure.
In 1963, Salmon began the year with the Aston Martin DB4GT, but competed in the Nürburgring 1000 km race in a Ferrari 250GT alongside entrant Chris Kerrison, finishing eighth. The year also yielded his best result at Le Mans, finishing fifth overall in a Ferrari 330 LMB entered by UK Ferrari importer Maranello Concessionaires and co-driven by Jack Sears. He also won the Brands Hatch six-hour race in July, a round of the European Touring Car Championship, co-driven by Peter Sutcliffe in a Jaguar Mk II. However, the car was subsequently disqualified as the engine did not meet the regulations. He also competed on behalf of John Coombs in a Jaguar E-type and Ferrari 250 GTO finishing eighth in the Silverstone 1963 British Grand Prix support race and fifth in the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch respectively.
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