You do Ron wrong

Sir,

I refer to your article in July on the Coys Festival preview with BRM as the theme. Once again there was no mention of Ron Flockhart. With all the development work he did as test driver and the success he later had with the V16 in Libre races, I’d have expected his name to have made the list at the least.

Whenever magazines remember Jaguar at Le Mans it is invariably Mike Hawthorn’s name that is mentioned. Rarely do we read about the efforts of Ron Flockhart with the Ecurie Ecosse D-types, and the effect those results must have had on sales.

lam slightly biased, as my late father John Mcgill and “Uncle” Ron were good friends. I remember the years in Ascot at Flocichart and Langrishe garage as a small boy, before Ron’s tragic death in Australia in 1962. I last saw “Auntie” Gillian at the Memorial trophy meeting at Donington in 1992.

Surely it is time to see Ron profiled in your pages; there must be plenty of stories to tell from his career. He was said to be the only person to have started a V16 on his own. While testing at Folkingham he spun the car and stalled. Before the mechanics could get the tow vehicle round to him he got the car rolling on the slight incline. Pushing as fast as he could, he leapfrogged over the tail, bump started it, and carried on as if nothing had happened. The noise could be heard back at BRM’s base at Bourne so it’s no surprise he lost most of his hearing.

I am, yours, etc. John McGill, Auckland, New Zealand