Alan Rollinson

Alan Rollinson (July 15, 1943 - June 14, 2016) was a British racing driver who participated in two Formula One World Championship races in 1965, driving for British Racing Partnership (BRP). His brief Grand Prix career represents a small chapter in a life dedicated to motorsport, though like many drivers who competed in only a handful of races, the statistical record provides little indication of his skill or dedication.

Born in Thurmaston, Leicestershire, Rollinson emerged from British club racing, the grassroots scene that produced many Formula One drivers during the 1960s. Britain's thriving club racing culture provided competitive opportunities at relatively modest cost, allowing talented drivers to develop skills and potentially attract professional team attention.

Rollinson's Formula One opportunities came with British Racing Partnership, a team founded by Alfred Moss (Stirling Moss's father) and Ken Gregory. BRP had been active in Formula One during the late 1950s and early 1960s, but by 1965 the team was struggling financially with limited resources.

His debut came at the 1965 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 10, driving a BRP BRM, essentially a BRM P57 chassis entered by the BRP team. The car represented older-generation technology by 1965 standards, when competitive equipment required substantial financial investment.

Rollinson's race ended in retirement when transmission failure struck after 45 laps of the 80-lap race. Mechanical reliability remained a persistent challenge in 1960s Formula One, with retirements far more common than finishes, particularly for smaller teams operating on limited budgets with equipment that might not receive the same preparation as works team cars.

His second and final Formula One appearance came at the 1965 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 12. Again driving for BRP, mechanical problems forced another retirement on the demanding high-speed circuit.

With two race starts, two retirements, and no points scored, Rollinson's Formula One career concluded. The lack of results wasn't necessarily a reflection of his driving ability - many talented drivers found themselves in uncompetitive equipment with under-resourced teams, making point-scoring virtually impossible.

British Racing Partnership ceased Formula One operations after 1965, a casualty of increasing costs and technical sophistication required to compete. The team's closure reflected broader changes as Formula One transitioned from an environment accommodating small independent teams to one dominated by professional operations with substantial backing.

Rollinson lived until June 14, 2016, passing away at age 72. His long life after his brief Formula One career meant he witnessed motorsport's extraordinary transformation over five decades, from the relatively intimate 1960s world to the global commercial phenomenon Formula One became in the 21st century.

Alan Rollinson's Formula One career statistics - two starts, two retirements, no points - provide the barest outline of his brief intersection with the World Championship. What these numbers cannot convey is the dedication required to reach Formula One even briefly, or the skill necessary to qualify for Grand Prix races even in uncompetitive equipment. His legacy represents countless drivers who touched Formula One briefly, leaving minimal statistical traces but contributing to the sport's rich history.