Richard Watney

Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupé, built in 1939

Start of the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1930 ; In the front, the Bentley by Frank Clement and Richard Watney

Richard Gordon "Dick" Watney (born December 1904 in Chertsey , † August 8, 1949 in Melbourne ) was a British racing driver and manager of Lagonda .

Managing Director at Lagonda

Richard Watney was Sales Director of the Rootes Group for Greater London in 1935 and moved to Lagonda in the same year to take up the position of Managing Director. Lagonda ran into financial difficulties in the mid-1930s. In 1935, the Irish businessman Alan Good took over the majority in the company and signed Watney alongside Walter Owen Bentley , who acted as technical director. Under the leadership of Watney and Bentley, Lagonda became a manufacturer of luxury vehicles. Among other things, the V12 models were created. Motorsport activities were also intensified again. Arthur Dobson and Charles Brackenbury finished third overall in a V12 in the 1939 Le Mans 24 Hours .

Racing career

Watney was a dedicated amateur racing driver himself. He finished twelfth overall in the RAC Tourist Trophy in 1928 and started twice in the Le Mans 24-hour race. In 1930 he and Frank Clement achieved second place overall in Le Mans, which is remarkable for a gentlemen's driver, in a works Bentley Speed ​​Six .

Richard Watney died in a traffic accident in Australia in August 1949 .

statistics

Le Mans results

year	team	vehicle	Teammate	placement	Failure reason
1929	Colonel Warwick Wright	Stutz Model M Blackhawk	George Eyston	failure	Leak in the tank
1930	Bentley Motors Ltd.	Bentley Speed ​​Six	Frank Clement	Rank 2

Web links

Commons : Richard Watney  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Richard Watney at Motor Sport Magazine
• Richard Watney at Racing Sports Cars

Individual evidence

1. ^ RAC Tourist Trophy 1928