John Barry Nicholson[1] (6 October 1941 – 19 September 2017[2]) was a racing driver from Auckland, New Zealand. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 20 July 1974. He scored no championship points.
 | |
| Born | 6 October 1941 Auckland, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Died | 19 September 2017 (aged 75) Clarks Beach, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  New Zealander |
| Active years | 1974–1975 |
| Teams | Lyncar |
| Entries | 2 (1 start) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1974 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1975 British Grand Prix |
Nicholson was the 1973 and 1974 British Formula Atlantic champion, using a Lyncar chassis[3] and in his 'day job' was an engine-builder for McLaren. Nicholson also worked for Cosworth, Lotus and Embassy Hill, and he prepared a Saab engine for use in a Reynard Formula Three car.[4]
Following his Formula Atlantic success, Nicholson commissioned Martin Slater of Lyncar to build him a Formula One car,[3] despite, by this time, having established his own engine building business, which meant he was unable to commit to a full grand prix season.[5] His race entries, therefore, were mainly in non-championship races. He entered the British Grand Prix in 1974 and 1975 and qualified for the latter race.[3] He was classified 17th, five laps behind, despite crashing in the heavy storm towards the end of the race.[5] Nicholson subsequently planned a further and stronger attempt at Formula One with a privateer McLaren M23 but the purchase of the chassis fell through.[5] He did continue in both Formula Two and Formula 5000 in 1976[5] before racing in his native New Zealand in January 1977.[5]
After retiring from racing, Nicholson turned his sporting attention to powerboat racing as well as continuing with his business interests.[5]
He died in 2017 at the age of 75.[6]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
edit(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Pinch (Plant) Ltd. | Lyncar 006 | Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR DNQ |
GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | NC | 0 |
| 1975 | Pinch (Plant) Ltd. | Lyncar 006 | Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR 17 |
GER | AUT | ITA | USA | NC | 0 | |
Source:[5]
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References
edit- ^ "Motorsport Memorial - John Nicholson". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ Jenkins, Richard. "The World Championship drivers – Where are they now?". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
- ^ a b c "CONSTRUCTORS: LYNCAR". grandprix.com. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "Brefs" [In brief]. Echappement (in French) (198). Paris, France: Michael Hommell: 23. April 1985.
- ^ a b c d e f g Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 269. ISBN 0851127029.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (20 September 2017). "Obituary: John Nicholson, 1941–2017". motorsport.com. Retrieved 27 September 2017.