Alan Connell
Alan B. Connell Junior ( September 3, 1923 - August 18, 1999 ) was an American racing car driver , rancher and entrepreneur.
Career
Ian Connell ran a ranch in Texas and made a handsome fortune selling agricultural products. Motorsport was an expensive hobby in which Connell was active as a men's driver . He mainly drove sports car races, monoposto use is sparse. The Grand Prix of Mexico in 1962 was a Formula 1 race without World Championship status , that of Trevor Taylor and Jim Clark on a plant - Lotus 25 was recovered. Alan Connell reported a Cooper T53 in his possession , but the car broke down after just three laps due to an engine failure.
As a sports car driver, the Texan competed in most of the races under his own name, with vehicles that he owned. Over the years, later rarities have accumulated to form a comprehensive collection. This included a Maserati 200S , a Birdcage and the Ferrari models 250TR and 335 Sport . Only four chassis were built from the very expensive 335 Sport. At the end of the 1950s, the car was considered the fastest racing sports car on the scene , alongside the Maserati 450S .
Connell drove between 1958 and 1962 mainly in North America. During this time he celebrated eight overall and just as many class wins. He achieved his first overall victory in 1959 at a local race in Midland . His last success was victory at Lake Garnett Raceway in 1962.
He competed three times in the Sebring 12-hour race ; twice he dropped out prematurely, once he was fifth overall. He once came to Europe to drive a Ferrari 250 GT SWB for the North American Racing Team in the 24 Hours of Le Mans . Together with George Arents he finished 5th in the final ranking.
statistics
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | North American Racing Team | Ferrari 250 GT SWB | George Arents | Rank 5 |
Sebring results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | RRR Motors | Ferrari 250 GT California | George Reed | Rank 5 | |
1961 | NART | Ferrari Dino 246S | Ed Hugus | failure | Power transmission |
1962 | North American Racing Team | Ferrari Dino 246S | Bob Grossman | failure | no oil pressure |
Individual results in the sports car world championship
season | team | race car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14th | 15th | 16 | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | RRR Motors NART |
Ferrari 250 GT | BUA | SEB | TAR | ONLY | LEM | |||||||||||||||||
5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1961 | NART | Ferrari Dino 246S | SEB | TAR | ONLY | LEM | PES | |||||||||||||||||
DNF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1962 | Alan Connell |
Maserati Tipo 61 Cooper T57 |
DAY | SEB | SEB | MAY | TAR | BER | ONLY | LEM | TAV | CCA | RTT | ONLY | BRI | BRI | PAR | |||||||
DNF | DNF | DNF |
literature
- Christian Moity, Jean-Marc Teissèdre, Alain Bienvenu: 24 heures du Mans, 1923–1992. 2 volumes. Éditions d'Art, Besançon 1992, ISBN 2-909-413-06-3 .
Web links
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Connell, Alan |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Connell, Alan B. Junior |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing car driver, rancher, and entrepreneur |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 3, 1923 |
DATE OF DEATH | August 18, 1999 |