Stephen South
| Born | 19 February 1952 |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality | British |
| Active years | 1980 |
| Teams | McLaren |
| Entries | 1 (0 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1980 United States Grand Prix West |
| Last entry | 1980 United States Grand Prix West |
Stephen South (born 19 February 1952 in Harrow, Middlesex) is a British former racing driver from England. He was educated at Harrow County School for Boys.
He is chiefly known for winning the 1977 BRDC Vandervell British F3 Championship. His only Formula One entry was at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West with McLaren standing in for Alain Prost who was injured, but South failed to qualify. His career was ended later that year when part of one leg was amputated after an accident during practice for a Can-Am race at the Circuit Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Canada.
South, a former English Kart Champion, was the star during his early years in Formula Ford. In his first year of Formula Ford, South was 1973's big find, winning 5 races on his way the finishing 3rd in the Wella for Men Championship and 4th in the BOC series, driving Rayrace International's Ray 73F. This success continued into 1974, where he won 11 races and took 2nd place in the BOC championship, again for Rayrace, using their Ray 74F car.
For 1975, the Rayrace team moved up into Formula Three, taking South with them. Despite a promising start, at 3rd place at Aintree, two 5th place at Brands Hatch and again at Croix-en-Ternois in France, their Ray RB3 75, was not competitive, so they changed the car to a March 753. By the end of the season, South was back on the podium at Thruxton, at the final race of the season.
For South's second season of Formula Three, he was entered by Dortmunder Union Bier/Bogarts of Birmingham. Driving a March 753 initially, switching to a March 763 later in the season, South's results began to improve, starting with two 2nd places at Thruxton, in his first three races of the season. The world took notice of South, when finishing 3rd in the Grand Prix de Monaco – Formule 3 race. That maiden first F3 win finally arrived at a non-championship event at Mallory Park, with South victorious in the Griffin Golden Helmet Trophy race.
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