Tony Brooks

British racing driver

The racing dentist from Dukinfield

Tony Brooks won six Grands Prix for Vanwall and Ferrari, shared the first championship win for a British built car, and was runner up in 1959.

Tony Brooks was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, on 25 February 1932. He studied dentistry, which earned him the nickname of the racing dentist, and began racing sports cars at club meetings in 1952. In 1955 he drove a Connaught to victory at the non championship Syracuse Grand Prix, a rare international win for a British car at the time.

His World Championship debut came with BRM at the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix. Joining Vanwall for 1957, he shared the winning car with Stirling Moss at the British Grand Prix at Aintree, the first championship win for a British built car. In 1958 he won three times, in Belgium, at the Nürburgring and at Monza, and finished third in the standings.

Brooks moved to Ferrari for 1959 and won the French Grand Prix at Reims and the German Grand Prix at AVUS. He went to the final round still in contention for the title and finished runner up to Jack Brabham. A season with a privately run Cooper in 1960 brought no podiums, and in 1961 he drove for BRM, taking third at the United States Grand Prix in his final championship start.

He retired after that race with 40 starts, 6 wins, 3 pole positions, 3 fastest laps and 10 podiums. He was also a winner in sports cars, taking the 1957 Nürburgring 1000 km and the 1958 RAC Tourist Trophy with Aston Martin. Tony Brooks died on 3 May 2022.

0 world titles, 6 wins, 3 pole positions, 40 starts.

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