Trevor Blokdyk
Born | Krugersdorp, Transvaal, South Africa | 30 November 1935
---|---|
Died | 19 March 1995 Hekpoort, near Krugersdorp, South Africa | (aged 59)
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | South African |
Active years | 1963, 1965 |
Teams | non-works Cooper |
Entries | 2 (1 start) |
First entry | 1963 South African Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1965 South African Grand Prix |
Career history | |
---|---|
1958–1959 | Poole Pirates |
1961–1962 | Ipswich Witches |
1962 | Leicester Hunters |
John Trevor Blokdyk (30 November 1935 – 19 March 1995)[1] was a South African motorcycle speedway rider[2] and Formula One driver who participated in two World Championship Grands Prix, although qualifying for only one.[3] He earned 6 caps for the South Africa national speedway team.[4]
Career
[edit]Blokdyk rode in speedway in Britain in the late 1950s and early 1960s for Poole Pirates and Ipswich Witches.[5] In 1962 he signed for Leicester Hunters but after one match for the team announced that he was quitting speedway to concentrate on motor racing.[5]
Blokdyk competed in Formula One for the first time in the non-Championship Rand Grand Prix at Kyalami in 1961, in a Cooper, but spun out early on.[6] He was more successful at his next race, the Natal Grand Prix at Westmead, where he finished eighth.[7]
Coventry Bees attempted to sign him from Ipswich Witches in June 1962 but failed to contact him to seal the transfer.[8]
In late 1962, Blokdyk went to Europe to pursue a career in Formula Junior and was soon a front-runner, until he ran short of finances and returned to South Africa.[3] In 1963 he started his only World Championship race at East London, driving a three-year-old Cooper-Maserati prepared by Scuderia Lupini, and coming in 12th.[7] He also finished third in the Mozambique Grand Prix in 1963 and 1964.[1]
He continued in the South African Formula One Championship in 1964 and then moved back to Europe and drove in Formula 3, scoring some good results, including a win at Magny-Cours and Nogaro.[7] He returned to South Africa for the 1964 Rand Grand Prix, where he retired his Cooper-Alfa Romeo with engine problems, and he failed to qualify for the 1965 South African Grand Prix.[7]
Later in 1965 he continued in European Formula 3, and suffered serious pelvic and leg injuries in a crash at Albi which ended his season.[3] On his return in 1966, he finished sixth at Rouen-Les-Essarts, and continued to race in Europe in F3 until 1969, before returning permanently to compete in South Africa.[3] On his retirement he became a farmer, but died following a heart attack aged 59.[7]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
[edit](key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1963 | Scuderia Lupini | Cooper T51 | Maserati Straight-4 | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | USA | MEX | RSA 12 |
NC | 0 |
1965 | Trevor Blokdyk | Cooper T59 | Ford Straight-4 | RSA DNQ |
MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | NED | GER | ITA | USA | MEX | NC | 0 |
Source:[3] |
Complete Formula One non-championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1961 | Trevor Blokdyk | Cooper T52 | Ford | LOM | GLV | PAU | BRX | VIE | AIN | SYR | NAP | LON | SIL | SOL | KAN | DAN | MOD | FLG | OUL | LEW | VAL | RAN Ret |
NAT 8 |
RSA |
1962 | Hoffman Racing Team | Cooper T59 | Alfa Romeo | CAP | BRX | LOM | LAV | GLV | PAU | AIN | INT | NAP | MAL | CLP | RMS | SOL | KAN | MED | DAN | OUL | MEX | RAN DNQ |
NAT Ret |
|
1963 | Scuderia Lupini | Cooper T51 | Maserati | LOM | GLV | PAU | IMO | SYR | AIN | INT | ROM | SOL | KAN | MED | AUT | OUL | RAN Ret |
|||||||
1964 | Hoffman Racing | Cooper T59 | Alfa Romeo | DMT | NWT | SYR | AIN | INT | SOL | MED | RAN Ret |
|||||||||||||
1965 | Hoffman Racing | Cooper T59 | Ford | CAP NC |
ROC | SYR | SMT | INT | MED | RAN |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Trevor Blokdyk biography". MotorSport Magazine. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Small, Steve (1996). The Grand Prix Who's Who (2nd ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 0-85112-623-5.
- ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ a b Jones, Alan (2004) Speedway in Leicester: The Hunters Era, Automedia, p. 145
- ^ "1961 Rand Grand Prix results". Chicane F1. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Trevor Blokdyk biography". Grandprix.com. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Search for Rider". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 30 June 1962. Retrieved 5 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.