28 Facts About Gerry Marshall

Gerald Dallas Royston Marshall was a British racing driver.

Gerry Marshall was commonly referred to by the nickname Big Gerry.

Gerry Marshall was awarded the BARC Gold Medal in 2002, the first saloon car driver to be presented with the honour and was a life member of the prestigious BRDC.

Gerry Marshall took 625 overall and class wins and countless championship wins throughout his motor racing career.

Gerry Marshall was well known in motoring circles for his successful car dealership, Marshall Wingfield, originally located on the Finchley Road, London, before moving to Brook Street in Tring and through his adult life lived in Harrow, Chiswell Green, Bricket Wood, Hemel Hempstead, Northchurch, Aston Clinton and Pitstone.

Gerry Marshall's ashes are buried at St Leonards Church in Southoe, where his grandparents are buried - he was relocated locally during the Second World War.

Gerry Marshall's professional driving career spans five decades, in 2000 chalking up his 600th win in a race at Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit, Norfolk in an Aston Martin DB4.

Gerry Marshall won the 1971 Escort Mexico championship, beating future Formula 1 World Champion Jody Scheckter and finished 2nd in the 1974 Avon Tour of Britain driving for the same team as the equally respected rally driver Roger Clark.

Gerry Marshall died of a heart related illness whilst testing the ex-Richard Petty's IROC Chevrolet Camaro at Silverstone.

Gerry Marshall's son, Gregor, is a race driver and he has two daughters.

In 1963, Gerry Marshall started his first footsteps into motor journalism, something he was to enjoy for many years and he brought a smile to the face of many a reader with his "Gerry Marshall Art" and "From the Hot Seat" columns that he regularly used to write.

Gerry Marshall handled this with his usual verve and impressed Martin Lilley of Barnet Motor Company enough for him to offer a drive in a Lotus Elan and Gerry Marshall went to work for the Barnet Motor Company, becoming sales manager and a director of TVR.

Towards the end of 1965 and at the beginning of 1966 Gerry Marshall had a string of wins at Brands Hatch and drove the company's TVR Griffith.

Also in 1966 Gerry Marshall raced Roy Ensor's 1275 Mini-Cooper S and a near-standard TVR 1800S Mk 3 in marque events, with some success.

In 1966 Gerry Marshall won numerous club races and gained publicity for the Barnet Motor Company.

Gerry Marshall wanted to prove his "sideways" critics wrong by racing a single-seater and in one of the Motor Racing Stables Lotus cars at Brands Hatch he had already lapped as fast as the senior instructors.

Gerry Marshall even had several films made, including Barry Hinchcliff's There's Only One Gerry, and the publications of Only Here for the Beer and Competition Driving.

Gerry Marshall won the final car meeting to be held at Crystal Palace in 1972.

Gerry Marshall raced Lotus Elans, the special Costin Amigo, Ford Escorts, Lola T70, Holden Torana at Bathurst, Hillman Avenger, Clan Crusader, Austin Marina, Birdcage Maserati, Mk2 Jaguar, Sunbeam Tiger Le Mans, Porsche 924, an Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet Camaro and BMWs.

Gerry Marshall competed in hundreds of events, ranging from the one-make Ford Escort Mexico Championship, competed in many rallies.

When in 1977 DTV and Vauxhall decided to go rallying everyone thought Gerry Marshall would be okay and there were rumours flying around of offers and deals involving Ford and Leyland products.

Gerry Marshall asked if Triplex would be prepared to throw in a few extra bob for the Dolomite.

The Capri driving was not the success that Gerry Marshall had hope, with the Tricentrol Championship costing more than anticipated and the only result of note was the start of the season, in the wet at the International Trophy at Silverstone, when he finished first in class and second overall.

The start of the 1979 season looked promising, with Marshall forming GMR in partnership with Roger Dowson to run two Triumph Dolomites in the Group 1 RAC Tricentrol Championship and one car in both the Production Saloon car championships.

Almost flat out down the straight from Stowe to Club, Gerry Marshall was fractionally ahead of Walkinshaw's Mazda and keen to stop him moving up to challenge class leader Greenslade.

Gerry Marshall therefore decided to concentrate on his racing team and Productions Saloons and re-kindled his love affair for Historic racing.

Gerry Marshall found time to squeeze himself into the Multisport Van Dieman and Caterham Vauxhall for various one-off drives and a return to Production Saloons in Sierra and Sierra Sapphire Cosworths.

Gerry Marshall continued to race with forays into Europe, as well as various British event.