Phil Hill

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Phil Hill.jpg
Phil Hill
Manufacturer: Alfa Romeo
Nationality 22px-Flag of the United States.png American
Years 1958 - 1964, 1966
Team(s) Maserati
Ferrari
Cooper
Porsche
ATS (Ita)
Lotus
Eagle
Races 51
Championships 1
Wins 3
Podiums 16
Poles 6
Fastest laps 6
First race 1958 French Grand Prix
First win 1960 Italian Grand Prix
Last win 1961 Italian Grand Prix
Last race 1966 Italian Grand Prix
Phil Hill 1962 at the Nürburgring


Philip Toll Hill, Jr., (April 20, 1927August 28, 2008) was a United States automobile racer and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Hill was described as a "thoughtful, gentle man" and once said, "I'm in the wrong business. I don't want to beat anybody, I don't want to be the big hero. I'm a peace-loving man, basically.

Career

Born in Miami, Florida, Hill was raised in Santa Monica, California, where he lived until his death. He studied business administration at the University of Southern California in 1945-47 but left early to pursue auto racing, working as a mechanic on other drivers' cars. Hill began racing cars at an early age, going to England as a Jaguar trainee in 1949 and signing with Enzo Ferrari’s team in 1956. He made his debut in the French Grand Prix at Reims France in 1958 driving a Maserati. That same year, paired with Belgian teammate Olivier Gendebien, Hill became the first American-born winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Hill driving most of the night in horrific rainy conditions. He and Gendebien would go on to win the famous endurance race again in 1961 and 1962.

Hill began driving full-time for the Ferrari Formula One team in 1959, earning three podium finishes and fourth place in the Driver's Championship. In 1960 he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the first Grand Prix win for an American driver. The following season, Hill won the Belgian Grand Prix and with two races left trailed only his Ferrari teammate Wolfgang von Trips in the season standings. Tragically, a crash during the Italian Grand Prix killed von Trips and fifteen spectators. Hill won the race and clinched the championship but the triumph was bittersweet. Ferrari's decision not to travel to America for the season's final round deprived Hill of the opportunity to participate in his home race at Watkins Glen as the newly-crowned World Champion. When he returned for the following season, his last with Ferrari, Hill said, "I no longer have as much need to race, to win. I don't have as much hunger anymore. I am no longer willing to risk killing myself."

After leaving Ferrari at the end of 1962 in the great walkout of engineers, he and fellow driver Giancarlo Baghetti started for their new team ATS. Hill continued in Formula One for a few more years until he switched to sports car racing with Ford Motor Company and the Chaparral Cars of Jim Hall.

Phil Hill has the distinction of having won the first (a 3 lap event at Carrell Speedway in a MG TC on July 24 1949) and last races of his driving career, the final victory driving for Chaparral in the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch in England in 1967.

Following his retirement, Hill built up an award winning classic car restoration business in the 1970s called Hill & Vaughn with business partner Ken Vaughn, until they sold the partnership to Jordanian Raja Gargour and Vaughn went on run a separate business on his own in 1984. Phil remained with Gargour at Hill & Vaughn until the sale of the business again in 1995. Hill also worked as a television commentator for ABC's Wide World of Sports

Hill had a long and distinguished association with Road & Track magazine. He wrote several articles for them, including road tests and retrospective articles on historic cars and races. He shared his "grand old man" status at R&T with '60s racing rival Paul Frère, who also died in 2008.

Hill, in his last years, devoted his time to his vintage car collection and judged at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance more often than any other individual; 2007 was the 40th time he had judged the event.

Hill was married to Alma, and had three children: Derek, Vanessa and Jennifer. Derek raced in International Formula 3000 in 2001, 2002 and 2003, but was forced to retire when Hill became ill with Parkinson's Disease.

After traveling to the Monterey Historic Automobile Races in August of 2008, Hill was taken to a hospital, where he died after a short illness from complications of Parkinson's Disease in Salinas, California on August 28th.


Formula One World Championship results

(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 WDC Pts.
1958 Joakim Bonnier Racing Team Maserati 250F Maserati L6 ARG
MON
NED
500
BEL
FRA
7
GBR
10th 9
Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 156 Ferrari V6 GER
9
POR
Ferrari Dino 246 Ferrari V6 ITA
3
MOR
3
1959 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 256 Ferrari V6 MON
4
500
NED
6
FRA
2
GBR
GER
3
POR
Ret
ITA
2
USA
Ret
4th 20
1960 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 256 Ferrari V6 ARG
8
MON
3
500
NED
Ret
BEL
4
FRA
12
GBR
7
POR
Ret
ITA
1
5th 16
Yeoman Credit Racing Team Cooper T51 Climax L4 USA
6
1961 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 156 Ferrari V6 MON
3
NED
2
BEL
1
FRA
9
GBR
2
GER
3
ITA
1
USA
1st 34 (38)
1962 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 156 Ferrari V6 NED
3
MON
2
BEL
3
FRA
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
ITA
11
6th 14
Porsche System Engineering Porsche 804 Porsche F8 USA
DNS
RSA
1963 Automobili Turismo e Sport ATS 100 ATS V8 MON
BEL
Ret
NED
Ret
ITA
11
USA
Ret
MEX
Ret
RSA
- 0
Ecurie Filipinetti Lotus 24 BRM V8 MON
FRA
NC
GBR
GER
1964 Cooper Car Company Cooper T73 Climax V8 MON
9
NED
8
BEL
Ret
FRA
7
GBR
6
GER
Ret
USA
Ret
MEX
9
19th 1
Cooper T66 Climax V8 AUT
Ret
ITA
1966 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Climax L4 MON
BEL
FRA
GBR
NED
GER
ITA
DNQ
USA
MEX
- 0


Awards


Primary career victories :


External links



3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Scuderia Ferrari
Personnel:
22px-Flag of France.png Jean Todt | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Mario Almondo | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Stefano Domenicali | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Baldisseri
Current drivers:
22px-Flag of Finland.png Kimi Räikkönen | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Felipe Massa | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Badoer | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Giancarlo Fisichella (Test Driver) 22px-Flag of Spain.png Marc Gené (Test Driver)
Notable Former drivers:
22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Alberto Ascari | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Juan Manuel Fangio | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Mike Hawthorn | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Niki Lauda | 22px-Flag of South Africa.png Jody Scheckter | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png John Surtees | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Phil Hill | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Rubens Barrichello | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Eddie Irvine | 22px-Flag of France.png Jean Alesi | 22px-Flag of France.png Alain Prost | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Nigel Mansell | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Gerhard Berger | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Michele Alboreto | 22px-Flag of France.png René Arnoux | 22px-Flag of France.png Patrick Tambay | 22px-Flag of the Canada.png Gilles Villeneuve | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Carlos Reutemann | 20px-Flag of Switzerland.png Clay Regazzoni | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Mario Andretti | 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jacky Ickx | 22px-Flag of Germany.png Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Lorenzo Bandini
Formula One cars:
125 | 275 | 340 | 375 | 500 | 553 | 625 | 555 | D50 | 801 | 412 | 246 | 256 | 156 | 158 | 1512 | 312 | 312B | 312T | 126C | 156/85 | F1/86 | F1/87 | 640 | 641 | 642 | 643 | F92A | F93A | 412T | F310 | F310B | F300 | F399 | F1-2000 | F2001 | F2002 | F2002B | F2003-GA | F2004 | F2004M | F2005 | 248 | F2007 | F2008 | F60 | F10 | 150° Italia | F2012


24 Hours of Daytona winners
Five-time Hurley Haywood
Four-time Peter Gregg · Pedro Rodríguez ·Rolf Stommelen · Bob Wollek
Three-time Derek Bell · Butch Leitzinger · Scott Pruett · Brian Redman ·Andy Wallace
Two-time Mauro Baldi ·

Elliott Forbes-Robinson · A. J. Foyt · Al Holbert · Jan Lammers · Ken Miles · Juan Pablo Montoya · John Paul, Jr. · Lloyd Ruby · Wayne Taylor · Didier Theys · Al Unser, Jr.

One-time Amon ·

J. Andretti · M. Andretti · Angelelli · Ballot-Léna · Bandini · Barber · Beretta · Bergmeister · Bernhard · Boesel · Borcheller · Bouchut · Boutsen · Brundle · Collard · Dismore · Dixon · Donohue · Dupuy · Durán · Duxbury · Dyson · Elford · Fellows · Field · Fittipaldi · Fitzpatrick · Franchitti · Fréon · Garretson · Gentilozzi · Graves · Gurney · Hasemi · Helmick · Henn · Herrmann · Hezemans · Hill · Hoshino · Ickx · Jelinski · Joest · D. Jones · P. Jones · Kinnunen · Kneifel · Krages · Lässig · Lavaggi · Lienhard · Luyendyk · Martin · Mears · Merl · Millen · Moran · Moretti · Neerpasch · Nielsen · O'Connell · Oliver · Ongais · Pace · Papis · Parsons · Paul, Sr. · Pescarolo · Pilgrim · Rahal · Robinson · Rojas · Schneider · Schrom · Sharp · Siffert · Suzuki · Unser, Sr. · van der Merwe · Weaver · Wendlinger · Werner · Wheldon

Formula One World Drivers' Champions
(1950Nino Farina ·(1951Juan Manuel Fangio ·(195253Alberto Ascari ·(1954,55,56,57Juan Manuel Fangio ·(1958Mike Hawthorn · (195960Jack Brabham · (1961Phil Hill ·

(1962Graham Hill · (1963Jim Clark · (1964John Surtees · (1965Jim Clark · (1966Jack Brabham · (1967Denny Hulme · (1968Graham Hill · (1969Jackie Stewart · (1970Jochen Rindt · (1971Jackie Stewart · (1972Emerson Fittipaldi · (1973Jackie Stewart · (1974Emerson Fittipaldi · (1975Niki Lauda · (1976James Hunt · (1977Niki Lauda · (1978Mario Andretti · (1979Jody Scheckter · (1980Alan Jones · (1981Nelson Piquet · (1982Keke Rosberg · (1983Nelson Piquet · (1984Niki Lauda · (198586Alain Prost · (1987Nelson Piquet · (1988Ayrton Senna · (1989Alain Prost · (199091Ayrton Senna · (1992Nigel Mansell · (1993Alain Prost · (199495Michael Schumacher · (1996Damon Hill · (1997Jacques Villeneuve · (199899Mika Häkkinen · (2000,01,02,03,04Michael Schumacher · (200506Fernando Alonso