27 Facts About Graham Hill

1.

Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and team owner, who was the Formula One World Champion twice, winning in 1962 and 1968 as well as being runner up on three occasions.

2.

Graham Hill is most celebrated for being the only driver ever to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport, an achievement which he defined as winning the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.

3.

Graham Hill crashed at the 1969 United States Grand Prix and was seriously injured, breaking both his legs and ending his season.

4.

Graham Hill was a well liked television personality and was frequently seen on television screens in the 1970s in a non-sporting capacity, appearing on a variety of programmes including panel games.

5.

Graham Hill continued to race, however after failing to qualify for the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix he retired from driving to concentrate on the day-to-day operations of the team.

6.

Graham Hill was conscripted into the Royal Navy and served as an Engine Room Artificer on the light cruiser HMS Swiftsure, rising to the rank of petty officer.

7.

Graham Hill made his debut in a Cooper 500 Formula 3 car and was committed to racing thereafter.

8.

Graham Hill joined Team Lotus as a mechanic soon after but quickly talked his way into the cockpit.

9.

In 1960, Graham Hill joined BRM, he won in that year on 8 May 1960 the Targa Florio in the class Sports 1600 together with a German driver Edgar Barth in a Porsche 718, and won the world championship with BRM in 1962.

10.

Graham Hill was known for his race preparation, keeping records of the settings on his car and working long hours with his mechanics.

11.

Graham Hill was part of the so-called 'British invasion' of drivers and cars in the Indianapolis 500 during the mid-1960s, triumphing there in 1966 in a Lola-Ford.

12.

Graham Hill achieved a best finish of sixth overall in 1961 driving a Jaguar Mark 2.

13.

In 1967, back at Lotus, Graham Hill helped to develop the Lotus 49 with the new Cosworth-V8 engine.

14.

Colin Chapman, believing Graham Hill was a spent force, placed him in Rob Walker's team for 1970, sweetening the deal with one of the brand-new Lotus 72 cars.

15.

Graham Hill was involved with four films between 1966 and 1974, including appearances in Grand Prix and Caravan to Vaccares, in which he appeared as a helicopter pilot.

16.

Graham Hill set up his own team in 1973: Embassy Graham Hill with sponsorship from Imperial Tobacco.

17.

Graham Hill married Bette in 1955; because Graham Hill had spent all his money on his racing career, she paid for the wedding.

18.

Graham Hill met his future wife Bette at a Boxing Day party at Auriol and, while courting her, he coached her clubmates at Stuart Ladies' Rowing Club on the River Lea.

19.

From 1952 to 1954, Graham Hill rowed in twenty finals with London, usually as stroke of the crew, eight of which resulted in wins.

20.

Graham Hill stroked the London eight in the highly prestigious Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, losing a semi-final to Union Sportif Metropolitaine des Transports, France by a length.

21.

Graham Hill felt that the experience gained in rowing helped him in his motor-racing.

22.

Graham Hill died on 29 November 1975 at the controls of his Piper PA-23 Aztec twin-engine light aircraft when it crashed near Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet, while on a night approach to Elstree Airfield in thick fog.

23.

Graham Hill's funeral was held at St Albans Abbey, and he is buried at St Botolph's graveyard, Shenleybury.

24.

Graham Hill Bend at Brands Hatch is named in his honour.

25.

In Bourne, Lincolnshire, where Hill's former team BRM is based, a road called Graham Hill Way is named in his honour.

26.

Graham Hill's appearance was later rebroadcast as part of the twentieth anniversary celebrations of the programme in January 1995, with Damon presenting a new segment at the end.

27.

Graham Hill was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1968 Birthday Honours for services to motor racing.