Alan Stacey: the Lotus amputee racer who was taken far too soon in Belgium's darkest GP
Kevin Guthrie's biography of Alan Stacey draws on family archives to honour a gifted, indomitable Lotus driver whose life was cut short at 26 at the tragic 1960 Belgian Grand Prix
A flash of talent at the 1960 Dutch GP; Alan Stacey was heading for the podium before a gearbox failure on his Lotus
Had Alan Stacey not perished during the tragic Belgian Grand Prix of 1960, what might he have gone on to accomplish in motor sport? Lotus chief Colin Chapman had given the 26-year-old Essex talent the nod to compete that season for his Formula 1 team alongside Innes Ireland – Stacey and the Scot were great pals – but two of the absolute greats were waiting in the wings: Jim Clark and new discovery John Surtees.
The continuing, and highly laudable, aim of BHP Publishing is to pay tribute to those who were taken too soon – to tell their stories before those who remember them are no longer with us either. This time, regular BHP author Kevin Guthrie has been given full access to the archives maintained by Stacey’s brother Philip and nephew Alan McGregor Stacey. These include transcripts of interviews conducted by the younger Stacey as he passionately researched his uncle’s life.
Alan Stacey: His Life and Lotus Career Kevin Guthrie & Alan McG Stacey BHP Publishing, £35 ISBN 9781738508594
Amputee Stacey competed with what he referred to as his ‘tin leg’, legacy of a motorcycling accident in his late teens when he collided with a carelessly driven van. The book tells of an indomitable spirit, Stacey beginning his competition career at North London’s Harringay oval in stock car racing with an abandoned Studebaker, and the big break coming when an insurance payout from the van driver’s culpability for the motorcycle crash arrived: £5132 (£125,000 today!).
With this, Stacey acquired a Lotus VI to go sports car racing in 1955. Many of the illustrations come from Stacey himself; he was a keen amateur photographer and, as well as his own racing career, they charmingly chart his years as a spectator in the early 1950s too, including trips to the local Boreham circuit, Crystal Palace and Silverstone.
Stacey came along at just the right time for Chapman’s push with Lotus, initially in the low-capacity sports car classes, where he accumulated numerous successes as a works driver in the groundbreaking Eleven. In single-seaters, he had only endured a few ‘freelance’ outings in the awful Smith F2 car when Lotus entered him for the 1958 British Grand Prix. His first full season was supposed to be 1960, and form was patchy. The suggestion is that Ireland and Stacey were feeling the pressure from Clark and Surtees, but a superb run with the Lotus 18 in the Dutch GP proved his worth: third, before the gearbox failed.
South Africa’s Prince George circuit hosted the dramatic 1962 F1 title showdown between Jim Clark and Graham Hill in late December. It’s time the World Championship returned to Africa, so why not make it a Christmas race weekend?
By
Matt Bishop
Two weeks later came Spa… Serious injuries for Stirling Moss and Michael Taylor in practice; Stacey and Chris Bristow lost in the race. Guthrie examines the conflicting theories: Stacey was hit by a bird; the car was on fire before he crashed. The story is of a short, remarkable life – Ireland’s recollection of the day, through a Road & Track article and letter to Stacey’s sister, is heartbreaking.
The racing exploits had forced him to call time on an apprenticeship at the de Havilland aircraft company. Such were his practical abilities that you can easily imagine, even in a world where Clark shaded everybody, Stacey being the safe pair of hands. Enjoy this book, and ponder what might have been.
