Ray Bell
28 May 2001, 02:02
Coming from Tim's question on David Bruce-Brown, this is a question to tantalise.
Who was the youngest ever winner of a Grand Epreuve?
I'll leave it to Hans to adjudicate on the worth of the race... he's an expert on that.
The Australian GP's youngest winner was Allan Tomlinson, 22 years and 15 days in 1939.
Hans Etzrodt
29 May 2001, 00:02
I looked further into the Bruce-Brown story and discovered unresolved controversy regarding his age, which could have been either 19, 20 or 22. Peter Helck (1961 and again 1983) wrote that Bruce-Brown was 24, when he died on 1 October 1912. This means he was born before October 1888 and at the time of his first American Grand Prize win on 12 November 1910, he was actually 22.
G N Georgano & Cyril Posthumus (1971) show him to be born in 1890, which makes him either 19 or 20 at the time of his first American Grand Prize win.
Robert Cutter and Bob Fendell (1973) wrote that he was born 1890 and refer to him as 18-year-old on March 23 1908, when he set a record speed of 109 mph at Daytona. Conclusion, he must have been born before March 23 1890. That makes him 20 at the time of his first American Grand Prize win.
Tim Considine (1997) states that he was born 1890, which would make him either 19 or 20 at the time of his first American Grand Prize win.
I believe that David Bruce-Brown was the youngest ever to win a major event?
Ray Bell
30 May 2001, 11:35
How old was Bruce McLaren when he won at Sebring?
Others who were young winners included Schumacher and Fittipaldi. Ricardo Rodriguez would certainly come into it if he had won a GE, but he did win 'major races,' did he not?
Made a mistake with Tomlinson, by the way, it was 22 years 6 months and 15 days.
Vitesse
30 May 2001, 13:54
Ages at first GP win:
Bruce McLaren 22y 3m 12d (USA 1959)
Jacky Ickx 23y 6m 6d (France 1968)
Michael Schumacher 23y 7m 22d (Belgium 1992)
Emerson Fittipaldi 23y 9m 22d (USA 1970)
Mike Hawthorn 24y 2m 25d (France1953)
BUT
Youngest World Championship winner:
Troy Ruttman 22y 2m 19d (Indy 500, 1952)
It's nice to see Troy Ruttman mentioned, he ALWAYS gets overlooked...
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Michael Ferner
