Marshall, Gerry (Gerald Dallas Royston)

The most entertaining driver I ever saw & one of the nicest human beings, with a giant heart.

Only had the pleasure of meeting him once, in the bar at Brands before we were due to go to another meeting the next day at Snett. Needless to say myself and my boss were too ****ed to drive after - absolute star on and off the track, one of the real heroes of British racing.

'Only Here for The Beer'

I used to watch him in the '70's with Baby Bertha and no driver has inspired me more.

I was lucky enough to be able to see Gerry race at silverstone in november, I won't forget him coming out of woodcote sideways, pointing straight at me on the pit wall.

I met Gerry several times as a result of my accident. Always charming, always encouraging, and I nearly tempted him into a wheelchair race at Goodwood a couple of years ago.

He has been such a large part of my life. As a kid my father was a mechanic on cars that were always up against Gerry's DTV cars and later he was a joy to watch in Big and Baby Bertha. Everybody in the paddock made sure they went to watch the Supersaloons, mainly to see 'sideways' Gerry. So many stories - a legend. Here are my own memories of the big man in the painting I did that was presented to him by the Formula Saloons Club. A joy to paint thinking of the excitement he gave us on the race track. RIP Gerald Dallas Royston Marshall.
http://img67.echo.cx/img67/8696/GerryMarshall.jpg

Gerry Marshall had a wicked sense of humour and was not PC. In fact that's what I loved about the man, his total disregard for convention. He was also one of Britain's most successful saloon car racers. But he was more than that, he could race anything from the hairy TVR Tuscan to the BRM V16. All were made to perform when in the hands of Gerry Marshall.

The last time I saw Gerry was at Donington a couple of years ago. He had to be assisted from the car by his pit crew who were standing by with his walking sticks, a very sad sight indeed after his performance on the track. Young "wannabe a racing driver" types take note - you'll have an awful lot of work to do if you ever want to be half as good as Gerry.

Lovely man, out and out racer and a friend to the marshals.

A lot of people forget how quick Gerry was in a single seater.
He only did a handful of Formula Ford races, back in 1969 in a Lotus 61 ( designated 61L for large!) He loved these cars but only when out on the circuit on his own. He said he spent most of the time avoiding other people's accidents - 'keeping away from the lunatics and assorted hooligans!'
Here he is in an Autosport snap, diving into second place at Snetterton in his first ever single seater race, July 1969. Sadly a race he did not win as the gear lever came away in his hand at the last corner on the last lap.
As I said...so many memories of a great man.
http://img208.echo.cx/img208/9639/sn69ffrichesgerry5en.jpg

Like many others my memories of Gerry stem back to his days in the DTV Firenza when I first started visiting Brands Hatch. In those days he was racing against Nick Whiting etc and to see the Firenza sideways through Clark Curve was truly awesome. Of course in later life he was always the man to watch in the Aston Martin and was a regular at Goodwood etc.

To me Gerry epitomised what an English racing driver was back in the 'good old days'

Like many others my memories of Gerry stem back to his days in the DTV Firenza when I first started visiting Brands Hatch. In those days he was racing against Nick Whiting etc and to see the Firenza sideways through Clark Curve was truly awesome.

Stephen.

You're older than I thought Stephen!...you must remember our car...I helped run the ex Mick Hill Boss Capri for Tony 'Strawberry' Strawson? We had some good races in 'Superloons' against Big GM...Gerry once took over my car on the skidpan at Thruxton after a race. I can see him now beer in hand watching me sideways before making me pull over and showing me how it should be done...sliding on full opposite lock side by side with another blokes Mk2 Jag only a foot apart, rev counter needle well in the red bit!! Strawson said "You only became a winner when you helped prop the bar up after a race with Marshall!"...!

Such terribly sad news. Another hero lost. In recent months Gerry himself has lost close friends in Tony Lanfranchi and Mike Bennion. He has been such a large part of my life. As a kid my father was a mechanic on cars that were always up against Gerry's DTV cars and later he was a joy to watch in Big and Baby Bertha. Everybody in the paddock made sure they went to watch the Supersaloons, mainly to see 'sideways' Gerry. So many stories - a legend. Here are my own memories of the big man in the painting I did that was presented to him by the Formula Saloons Club. A joy to paint thinking of he excitement he gave us on the race track. RIP Gerald Dallas Royston Marshall.
http://img67.echo.cx/img67/8696/GerryMarshall.jpg

I personnally signwrote that No.14 Triplex Capri for GM!...(in the days when we had to do it with paint) GM would always ring me when he couldn't get anyone else out in the middle of the night...he was insatiable! I recommend his book "Only here for the Beer"

I'll never forget the countless time I saw Gerry power-sliding cars at impossible angles, just because he could, and because the spectators loved it. What privilege to have seen him race.

I've spoken to loads of people about this and there are so many of us in our 30s/40s to whom Gerry Marshall was their first racing hero. My early days were at Thruxton in 1973/74, and Gerry was number 1. I was only a little kid but was captivated by this bloke totally sideways at Allard in a Special Saloon Vauxhall Firenza (pre-Big/Baby Bertha), the engine noise making a loud barp-barp-barp sound. It's only with my greater knowledge nowadays that I realise he must have been on full opposite-lock and steering on the throttle. Amazing.

JimW is right – even when he was steamrollering everyone else he was a spectacle.

Oh, and the number 2 hero was Bob Jarvis in his giantkilling Modsports Davrian!

I have on my office wall a signed photo from Gerry which was sent to me while I was seriously ill in hospital three years ago; it is of himself sitting in an Austin Healey with the laurels around his neck, raising a glass of champagne and wishing me all the best, it was taken at the Goodwood revival meeting four years ago, this has now become a family heirloom and much treasured.

I knew Gerry.. He set up my camaro for me and co-drove my Vette at the Goodwood revival a couple of times ... What a character..
The first time he arrived in the paddock at Goodwood to do a seat fitting in my car, he turned up with two walking sticks and a badly bruised and bloodied face.. looked like he'd done 10 rounds with Tyson.. Seems he'd fallen off a monkey bike the day before.. "jeez!.. who's that!?" I heard one of the on-lookers remark, watching Gerry struggle with both sticks and barely able to stand (let alone walk!).. "That guy".. I said "Is Gerry Marshall.. and he's driving MY car this weekend.." .. and he did..
He really needed three hands.. one for the wheel..one for the beer and one to get round the pretty girls..
Too many stories.. Took me around Mallory in a TVR Griffith..in the pouring rain.. He knew when the car needed correcting before the car did.. unbelievable.. We were two up and a hero in a race-prepped Caterham couldn't figure out how HE couldn't get past a TVR with a "big" driver and an almost big passenger..in the wet.. I can still see the teams jumping up on pit wall to watch the fun.. The Caterham never did make it..

I was talking to one of Gerry's old school mates Mick Leary (whose dad Jack was actually the person who influenced Gerry to go racing) Mick reminded me that Gerry was possible the most winning racing driver there has ever been?...with over 600 outright race wins!

I last saw Gerry demonstrating Bertha at a BTCC meeting at Silverstone a couple of years ago. Vauxhall astra coupe BTCC car was flat out, Gerry was only using 75% throttle and having to back off in a lot of corners. Amazing guy! For the Marshals that watched Gerry racing, he was a true entertainer.

What a great bloke; only met him twice; once in the 60's, when he tried to demolish a toilet block in his Super Sabre while I was in there doing my business and frightened the life out of me; the second time, years later when he approached me to run his Group A Metro Turbo in the ModProds but, unfortunately, it did not comply; what a pity.

So many great memories of an amazing fella.
Nearly all of them involved being sideways at some point on a circuit! More often than not, quite a way down the straights that followed, too!!!
Gerry was one of the first drivers my dad told me to watch when we first spectated, back in the early 80's. Since then, we just watched in awe not only at his amazing car control, but also at his racecraft and his ability to cooly control a race whilst under intense pressure.
Quite a few times though we stared, open mouthed, as he drifted his way through Craner or Woodcote and then fell about laughing having realised that what he was doing should really not be possible!
I think it made my dads day-no,lifetime - a year or so ago, when we saw Gerry sat in dads fave car, an AC Cobra...
Never a dull moment on the track. Sadly, we weren't fortunate enough to see his performances in the bars of this land!
Thank you so very much for entertaining us anoraks and, if you can read this, you're the inspiration behind my sign-in name!!! Rest in peace and revving engines, Gerry.
Neil and Richard Gardner.

What a true character he was, on and off the track. I have a few memories, like the time we signalled to him that his car was on fire. He did a complete lap just to bring it back to our post. He said as we let him know he thought we would like to put it out for him!

I also remember watching him at Seer driving a TVR in a 3hr endurance race pushing the car sideways like it was a ten lapper. I don't know what gear he was in but it was definately higher than most drivers would use for that corner.

And who can forget the St Mary's Trophy race in 1999 in the rain with Gerry winning in the Lotus Cortina? The best 'wet' race I have ever seen.

I never saw him during the days of the Bertha's but glad I was at Snet. when he made the magic 600.
He deserves all the accolades that Motor racing can bestow on him. Outside F1 there aren't many drivers greater and more respected then Gerry, if any!

Steve B

I knew Gerry personally since ‘short trouser school days’, racing to school together on our bicycles - guess who won? In fact, in school athletics, Gerry was a demon runner, and in spite of his, let’s say generous proportions, was still able to win many a wagered 100 yard dash quite late in his life. Gerry’s competition career started around the same time as mine, although I went the motorcycle racing route we remained close friends. However in the 70’s he persuaded me to double the number of wheels and have a bash at saloon car racing. His ‘tricks of the trade’ help and advice enabled me to be a front runner right from the start. I will never forget him taking a road going Opel Commodore round Brands with me in the front passenger seat and my father and Tony Lanfranchi in the back….. When we got back in the Bar (where else!) someone (best not say who!) came up to Gerry to give him a dressing down for being irresponsible by taking passengers round the track bla, bla, bla…. The real reason however was that Gerry had somewhat shamed this guy by passing him into Paddock Bend….. and he was in a competition car!!!

A few Gerryisms:-

On testing his Vauxhall Magnum for him I experienced a brake malady. Interrupting him in the Bar I reported this. “Oh yeah the brakes…. that’s okay… they only slow you down anyway!”

“Driving only gets interesting after a 100 mph.”

I have so many anecdotes and memories of this truly fantastic driver I could go on and on. This was a racer in the ‘real’ sense of the word.

They don’t make ‘em like you anymore Gerry, you will be missed.

Gerry Marshall is probably best known here in Australia as the guy who Peter Brock co-drove for in the 1977 Spa 24hr finishing second in the rain. He also made an appearence in the 1977 Bathurst 1000 in a Bill Patterson Torana A9X sedan. I forget how he went in that race though.

You may tell from my sign in name that I'm a Gerry Marshall fan, and admit to painting my Viva GT silver to match his race car! (I even raced a silver Mini Se7en in the 80's with a Vauxhall badge on the bonnet and a DTV sticker on the boot!).

I see that many people have suggested that Luffield corner at Silverstone should be re-named in memory of the great man. As the classic picture in Autosport today shows, Shaws hirpin at Mallory was another of the big mans favourite corners.
However, I have a better and more appropriate idea, let's get Jonathon Palmer to re-name the Kentagon "Gerrys Bar".

Gerry, you certainly brightened up some very dull race meetings, thanks mate.

Like croweater my memories of Gerry Marshall are only stories associated with Brock and coming 2nd in the Spa 24 hour in 1977. They couldn't get their hands on any wet tyres and had to run on intermediates and it was bucketing down.

Anyone who was brought up in 1960s/70s racing wont forget the big man. My earliest and best memories are pushbiking to Cadwell to watch a round of the Forward Trust saloon championship round about 1970, when Gerry had an altercation with Dave Brodie in the "Run Baby Run" Escort, which if memory serves me right ended up in someone getting punted off and laying in wait until resuming the battle on the next lap, which carried on in the paddock afterwards. Also that day Robin Gray stuffed the Martin V8 Escort into the Charlies tyrewall, but that's another story!

I met Gerry while testing at Goodwood. Now being only 14 he didn't seem that much of a legend to me at that time, he came over to speak to me about how I was doing and what my hopes were for the future. Now I know what he has done, he is a legend to me and always will be.

There are hundreds (literally) of big omissions from the Drivers File forum and Gerry Marshall is surely one of them. I have taken a few posts from the Tribute thread and edited them to include mainly memories, but, for the most part, taken out pure tributes. You can read all the tributes to Gerry here:-

http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71287&highlight=Gerry+Marshall

I watched Gerry Marshall on many occasions mainly when he was driving the Marshplant Astons. Always fast, always competitive, and usually spectacular as well. There must be many stories of Gerry out there; some may even be printable on here, so come on, guys, let's hear them. And Gregor, maybe you can put a few dates to outline some of your Dad's career.

Great to see a thread dedicated to my late Dad on here, he would be extremely proud and embarassed too!!

I look forward to hearing people's cooments and stories and to let you know there is a new book on Dad's motor-racing being written at the moment, watch this space!!

the man was simply a GENIUS.

the man was simply a GENIUS.

He wasn't much cop with quantum physics but most other subjects he was pretty good with.

P.S. Very kind of you to say and Dad would be very proud, especially from a Vauxhall person.

I first met Gerry back in 1975,he often had various cars that my ex boss wanted and bought from Gerry.Over the years he became a very good friend who was always more than happy to help anyone.As has already been said,he was very big hearted as a lot of the old team found out.One tale Gerry told me of was while he and Brocky were doing Spa 24hr,Gerry had the first stint which was nice and dry,but just towards the end of the stint it started to drizzle.Gerry came in to hand over and Brocky questioned wether they should be on wets,Gerrys reply was that the tyres were great,nice and hot and really not a problem.On this advice Brock took off,only to spin coming down out of La Source,fortunatly not hitting the wall or anything else!.Next lap he came in to a waiting Gerry,wound the window down and asked" Is it time for the wets yet?" My own favorite memory was at a very wet Snetterton at the Bomb Hole in Baby Bertha,Gerry got a fantastic start and came round on his own,set the car up for a nice sideways moment,one handed and wiping the screen with the other!.Gerry,it was a huge pleasure.