Sid Watkins
| Sid Watkins | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Eric Sidney Watkins 6 September 1928 Liverpool, England |
| Died | 12 September 2012 (aged 84) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Liverpool |
| Title | President of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety Former FIA Formula One Safety and Medical Delegate Former head of the Formula One on-track medical team |
| Successor | Gary Hartstein |
| Children | 6 |
Eric Sidney Watkins, OBE,FRCS, commonly known within the Formula One fraternity as Professor Sid or simply Prof (6 September 1928 – 12 September 2012), was an English neurosurgeon.
Born in Liverpool, Watkins enrolled at the University of Liverpool where he graduated in 1952 later serving four years in the Royal Army Medical Corps before specialising in neurosurgery in Oxford and later London. Watkins also acted as a race track doctor at weekends which he continued at Watkins Glen International when he was appointed a Professor of Neurosurgery at Syracuse University.
At a meeting with Brabham team boss Bernie Ecclestone, he was offered the role as the FIA Formula One Safety and Medical Delegate, head of the Formula One on-track medical team, and first responder in case of a crash, a role which Watkins performed for twenty-six years. He helped to save the lives of many drivers including Gerhard Berger, Martin Donnelly, Érik Comas, Rubens Barrichello, Karl Wendlinger and Mika Häkkinen. Watkins was also known for his friendship with driver Ayrton Senna.
Watkins was married, with four sons and two daughters. He died on 12 September 2012 of a heart attack.
Sidney Watkins was born in Liverpool to Wallace and Jessica Watkins. Wallace was originally a coal miner from Gloucestershire, but had moved to Liverpool during the Great Depression of the 1930s where he started a small business initially repairing bicycles before progressing to motor vehicle repairs. Watkins worked for his father at the garage until he was 25. He had two brothers and a sister. Watkins gained a scholarship at Bootle Grammar School. He told his father that he wanted to become a doctor, an idea of which his father disapproved.
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