Tony Rolt

Major Anthony Peter Roylance Rolt, MC & Bar, (16 October 1918 – 6 February 2008) was a British racing driver, soldier and engineer.

A war hero, Rolt maintained a long connection with the sport, albeit behind the scenes.

The Ferguson 4WD project he was involved in paid off with spectacular results, and he was involved in other engineering projects.

He began competing while at Eton, in a Morgan three-wheeler in their trials before, in 1936, making his track début sharing a Triumph Gloria Vitesse with Jack Elliott in the Spa 24 Hours, where the pair finished 11th, fourth in class.

He drove there because he had just lost his British driving licence for speeding along Denbigh High Street.

Throughout 1937, he raced a Triumph Dolomite, winning the Coronation Trophy, before acquiring the famous ERA Remus from his fellow Old Etonians, the Siamese princes, Chula Chakrabongse and Bira Birabongse.

In a minor race at Brooklands, a bolt dropped from the ERA’s exhaust and flames began swirling around Rolt’s lap; he removed his gloves, stuffed one across the hole and won the race.

He was one of the last prewar winners remaining too – he won the 1939 British Empire Trophy, aged just 20 in 1939 – this was after he started his career in 1935, as a 16-year-old, in a 3-wheeler Morgan in speed trials.

For 1939, he acquired another ERA, immediately winning the 200-mile British Empire Trophy race at Donington Park.

He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and in 1939 received a commission in the Rifle Brigade.

During the Second World War, Rolt was a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade and in 1940 was sent to France, where he was in charge of a reconnaissance platoon.

He was soon in the thick of the fighting and helped defend Calais.

Rolt escaped seven times from German prisoner-of-war camps including Laufen (Oflag VII-C), Biberach (Oflag V-B), Posen (Stalag XXI-D), Warburg (Oflag VI-B) and Eichstätt (Oflag VII-B), before eventually being sent to the maximum security prison, Oflag IV-C in Colditz Castle on 14 July 1943.

In one attempt to escape, he got within yards of the Swiss border before being recaptured – which accounted for his transfer to the East German fortress.

For his determined escape attempts, Rolt was awarded a Bar to his Military Cross.

In early 1944, he was one of the masterminds behind the audacious glider escape plan, but in spring 1945, the US army liberated the castle, obviating the need for it.

After the war Rolt resigned his commission with the rank of Major to develop advanced automotive technologies.

After the war Rolt resumed racing with an Alfa Romeo Bimotore, in which he took a fine second place in the 1948 Zandvoort GP.

Between 1949 and 1952, he began a close association with Freddie Dixon and Rob Walker, setting an engineering partnership with the former and racing Walker’s 1926 Delage and Delahaye.

Rolt competed in every 24 Heures du Mans race from 1949 to 1955, famously winning the 1953 event in a Jaguar C-Type shared with Hamilton.

At his death, he was the longest surviving participant of the first ever World Championship Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1950.

In 1950 and 1951, he shared a Nash-Healey, with Duncan Hamilton, on both occasions, finishing fourth and sixth at Le Mans.

Rolt competed in three Formula One World Championship races, the British Grands Prix of 1950, 1953, & 1955, but all three outings ended in retirement.

At the 1950 British Grand Prix, the first-ever round of the F1 World Championship, he started 10th on the grid in an ERA that had been qualified by Peter Walker, but the gearbox failed after four laps.

From 1952 to 1955, Rolt raced Walker’s dark-blue Connaughts in which he was tremendously successful in English national events, winning numerous Formula Two, Formula Libre and handicap races.

Unfortunately, his business obliged him to restrict his racing.

Also, in 1952 came the most significant move of his racing career; he was invited to join the Jaguar team, ''”I’d proved quite competitive at Dundrod where I actually lapped the C-Type faster than Stirling [Moss].

Then they asked me who I’d like as my co-driver and I said Duncan.

They said "Duncan, you must be mad!” but he joined me in the team for 1952 and we always drove in long distance races together".

''. Their first Le Mans together for Jaguar was a disaster, which resulted in a head gasket failure and an early retirement.

He won the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans and participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix.

Rolt was born in Bordon, Hampshire, and brought up at St Asaph in Denbighshire, Wales.

He was the fourth child of Brigadier-General Stuart Rolt, and educated at Eton, where he got into trouble for keeping a car.

In the 1953 race, once again he started from 10th, but a half shaft on his Connaught failed after 70 laps.

In his final Grand Prix, he again shared a drive with Walker in 1955.

The men defending Calais held for three days trying to stop the 10th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht) from advancing, and in doing so delaying their attack on Dunkirk.

He was captured and taken prisoner of war at the end of the battle for Calais, just before the Dunkirk evacuation.

For his actions, he was awarded the Military Cross: his exploits included helping a wounded comrade while firing his Bren gun at the advancing German troops.

In what was to be the last F1 outing for both drivers: their Connaught started 14th and retired with transmission trouble after 18 laps.

Stirling Moss asserts that Rolt would have been among the top GP drivers, if he raced regularly.