Obituaries

Jonathan Williams

A prolific F3 and F2 competitor during the 1960s, this Cairo-born Englishman has passed away aged 71. Although he scored a number of significant victories in junior categories, his world championship F1 career was restricted to a single race, standing in for injured Ferrari driver Mike Parkes in the 1967 Mexican GP.

For a full appraisal of this engaging character’s career, turn to Adam Cooper’s affectionate tribute on p98

Eoin Young

One of motor racing’s most popular wordsmiths, Eoin Young has died in his native New Zealand. He was 75. Young moved to England in the early 1960s, working as Bruce McLaren’s secretary and becoming part of the F1 community as a regular columnist for Autocar and others. He was also a well-known book dealer and wrote several of his own, all of them highly acclaimed. Earlier this year, he had asked doctors about the likelihood of reaching his 75th birthday (in June). When informed that the prospects weren’t great, he reacted in typical Young fashion and organised a celebratory party in April…

Nigel Roebuck’s Reflections, p19

Philippe Gurdjian

Well-known race promoter Philippe Gurdjian has died at the age of 69, after a long illness. For many years the Frenchman was involved in the organisation of his home Grand Prix, firstly at Paul Ricard then later at Magny-Cours, and he played a pivotal role in the establishment of new F1 events, including Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. He also used to race and competed several times in the Le Mans 24 Hours.