23 Facts About David Purley

David Purley was awarded the George Medal for his courage in trying to save Williamson, who suffocated in the blaze.

David Purley scored no championship points during his Formula One career.

David Purley died in a plane crash, having retired from motorsport and taken up aerobatics, in 1985.

David Purley's father was Charles David Purley, the founder of LEC Refrigeration.

David Purley's mother was Welsh, having been born in the small village of Cwmfelinfach.

David Purley went to school at Seaford College and then Dartington Hall School in Devon.

David Purley joined the British Army and was an Officer Cadet at Sandhurst on Intake 38.

David Purley later raced in various series with an AC Cobra and a Chevron, before racing in Formula Three, winning three times at Chimay between 1970 and 1972.

In 1972 David Purley was one of two drivers to attempt to race the Connew Grand Prix car in its original Formula One configuration.

David Purley was entered at the end of season World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch but did not start.

David Purley had asked for an electrical "kill" switch to be fitted to the steering wheel, but this malfunctioned on the warm up lap, the engine stopped, and the car was retired.

In 1973 David Purley hired a March and with backing from his family's refrigeration company he made an attempt at Formula One.

At the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix, upon witnessing a crash which left fellow British driver Roger Williamson trapped in his overturned and burning car, David Purley abandoned his own race and attempted to save Williamson, who was participating in only his second Formula One race.

David Purley later recalled that upon arriving at the scene, he heard Williamson crying for help as the fire began to take hold.

The marshals were not wearing fire resistant clothing and the passing drivers assumed that David Purley was attempting to extinguish his own car, having escaped a fiery crash unharmed.

Later, David Purley was awarded the George Medal for his rescue attempt.

Apart from a one-off participation with Token at his home Grand Prix in 1974, David Purley stayed out of Formula One for a few years, preferring to compete in Formula Two driving Chevrons and Marches for Hong Kong-based millionaire Bob Harper, and Formula 5000 where he won the British Championship in 1976 in a Chevron powered by the Cosworth GA 3.4-litre V6 engine.

In 1974 David Purley won the Brighton Speed Trials driving a Trojan-Chevrolet T101, winning again the following year in a Chevron-GA B30.

David Purley returned to Formula One in 1977 with his own LEC chassis designed by Mike Pilbeam and run by Mike Earle.

David Purley recovered to race again, although he confined his activities to the minor Aurora AFX series of Formula One races in Britain.

David Purley died on 2 July 1985 when his Pitts Special aerobatic biplane crashed into the English Channel off Bognor Regis.

David Purley is buried in the churchyard of St Nicholas Church, West Itchenor, near Chichester.

The remains of David Purley's crashed LEC CRP1 and its replacement were displayed at the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition until 2011.