Gerry Marshall

Gerry Marshall
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born(1941-11-16)16 November 1941
Died21 April 2005(2005-04-21) (aged 63)
British Saloon / Touring Car Championship
Years active1965, 1970, 1973–1974, 1976–1979, 1987, 1989
TeamsNewtune Ltd
Shaw & Kilburn Ltd
London Sportscar Centre
The Vauxhall Motorist Racing with Capital Motors
Dealer Team Vauxhall
Team Triplex Gerry Marshall Racing Marshall Asquith Racing Marsh Plant Hire
Starts63
Wins0 (5 in class)
Poles1
Fastest laps7
Best finish3rd in 1976
Championship titles
1971

1976
Castrol Escort Mexico Challenge Series
British Saloon Car Championship - Class C

Gerald Dallas Royston Marshall (16 November 1941 – 21 April 2005) was a British racing driver. He was commonly referred to by the nickname Big Gerry. According to a 2002 edition of Motor Sport Magazine poll, he was one of the best drivers of all time. According to the 28 August 2019 edition of Motorsport News, he is the United Kingdom's number one British motorsport hero. He was awarded the BARC Gold Medal in 2002, the first saloon car driver to be presented with the honour and was a life member of the prestigious BRDC. He took 625 overall and class wins and countless championship wins throughout his motor racing career.

Marshall was also well known in motoring circles for his successful car dealership, Marshall Wingfield, originally located on the Finchley Road, London, before moving to Brook Street in Tring and through his adult life lived in Harrow, Chiswell Green, Bricket Wood, Hemel Hempstead, Northchurch, Aston Clinton and Pitstone.[citation needed]

Marshall's ashes are buried at St. Leonards Church in Southoe, where his grandparents are also buried - he was relocated locally during the Second World War.[citation needed]

Career

Marshall's professional driving career spans five decades, in 2000 chalking up his 600th win in a race at Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit, Norfolk in an Aston Martin DB4. His first Sprint victory was in 1963 driving a Mini, with his first race win following in 1964 (again in a Mini) and his last (and 625th) on 11 September 2004.

Marshall is probably best remembered for his flamboyant and crowd-pleasing style during the 1970s driving for Dealer Team Vauxhall in the racing Firenzas "Old Nail" and "Baby Bertha", and also the V8 Holden-Repco Ventora, "Big Bertha". He also won the 1971 Escort Mexico championship, beating future Formula 1 World Champion Jody Scheckter and finished second in the 1974 Avon Tour of Britain driving for the same team as the equally respected rally driver Roger Clark.

Marshall's style has been described as "sideways, on-the-edge cornering that was to distinguish his driving in any car, large or small, front or rear drive." This outward appearance belied an extraordinary cool-headed ability and intelligence behind the wheel.

Marshall's first biography, published in 1978, is titled Only Here For The Beer and a tribute edition was re-issued shortly after his death and his new biography (published by Haynes and written by Jeremy Walton and Gregor Marshall) was released in April 2010.

Marshall died of a heart related illness whilst testing the ex-Richard Petty's IROC Chevrolet Camaro at Silverstone. His son, Gregor, is also a race driver and he also has two daughters.

Racing record

Complete British Saloon / Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos. Pts Class
1965 Newtune Ltd. Austin Mini Cooper S A BRH
Ret
OUL SNE
16
GOO SIL
?
CRY
5†
BRH OUL 12th 14 4th
1970 Shaw & Kilburn Ltd. Vauxhall Viva GT C BRH
Ret
SNE
DNQ
THR
12
SIL
7
CRY
10†
SIL
9
SIL
28
CRO
16
BRH
13
OUL
8
BRH BRH 37th 6th 12th
1973 United Service Garage Portsmouth Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 D BRH SIL THR THR SIL ING BRH SIL
DNQ
BRH NC 0 NC
1974 London Sportscar Centre Chevrolet Camaro Z28 D MAL
Ret†
BRH
DNS
33rd 4 NC
Capel Continental Expresses Stock Cars Ltd. Vauxhall Firenza 2300 B SIL
Ret
OUL 11th
The Vauxhall Motorist Racing with Capital Motors Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 THR
9
SIL
Ret
THR
?
BRH
12
ING
Ret†
BRH OUL SNE
5†
BRH
1976 Dealer Team Vauxhall Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 C BRH
4
SIL
14
OUL
?†
THR
4
THR
7
SIL
5†
BRH
3
MAL
6†
SNE
3†
BRH
2
3rd 58 1st
1977 Dealer Team Vauxhall Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 C SIL
6
BRH
4
OUL
?†
THR
8
SIL
9
THR
8
DON
Ret†
SIL
6
DON
6†
BRH
4
THR
6
BRH
Ret
7th 27 3rd
1978 Triplex Safety Glass Ford Capri II 3.0s D SIL
2
OUL
Ret†
THR BRH
6†
SIL
4†
DON
Ret†
MAL
Ret†
BRH
18
DON
6†
BRH THR 23rd 14 8th
Ford Capri III 3.0s OUL
Ret†
1979 Team Triplex with Esso and Motor Triumph Dolomite Sprint C SIL OUL
8
THR
17
SIL
9
DON
9
SIL
Ret
MAL DON BRH
?
THR
?
SNE OUL
Ret
17th 23 5th
1987 AGK Motorsport Toyota Corolla GT D SIL OUL THR THR SIL SIL BRH SNE DON OUL
9‡*
DON SIL NC* 0* NC*
1989 BBR Motorsport BMW M3 B OUL SIL THR DON
7‡
THR SIL SIL BRH SNE BRH BIR DON SIL 35th 6 9th
Source:

† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

‡ Endurance driver.

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

Year Team Co-driver Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1977 Australia Bill Patterson Racing South Africa Basil van Rooyen Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback 3001cc - 6000cc 107 DNF DNF

Complete Spa 24 Hours results

Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1977 United Kingdom Dealer Team Vauxhall Australia Peter Brock Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 -2500 276 2nd 1st
1978 United Kingdom Triplex Allam Motor Services United Kingdom Jeff Allam
United Kingdom Stuart Patterson
Ford Capri III 3.0s +2500 ? DNF DNF

References

  1. ↑ Lawrence, Paul; Pye, Marcus; Titchmarsh, Ian; Lickorish, Stephen (5 January 2021). "The greatest club racing characters". Autosport. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Hughes, Mark (June 2005). "Gerry Marshall". Motor Sport magazine. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "Home". gerrymarshall.com.
  4. ↑ de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 5 October 2022.