Brian Gubby

Brian Gubby (born April 17, 1934, in Epsom, Surrey): A British racing driver and racehorse trainer whose brief motorsport career came to an abrupt end after a terrifying accident. Gubby began his motorsport journey in rallying before transitioning to circuit racing with a Speedwell-tuned Austin A30 and later a 3.8-litre Jaguar. He eventually moved into single-seater racing, competing in Formula Junior during the early 1960s with cars including a Lotus Eleven, a Lotus 18, and the rare Ausper T4.

His progression through the ranks showed promise, and he subsequently advanced to Formula Libre, purchasing a dark blue Lotus 24. With this car, Gubby achieved notable success, winning the Gold Flake Trophy at Leinster and a race at Phoenix Park, demonstrating his capabilities as a competitive privateer racer. His Formula One ambitions led him to enter the 1965 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which would prove to be his only attempt at a World Championship race. However, disaster struck during practice when his Lotus jumped out of sixth gear at 170 mph at the Woodcote corner.

This frightening mechanical failure at such high speed prompted Gubby to make an immediate and permanent decision to retire from motorsport. He had previously experienced a serious crash at the 1964 Mediterranean Grand Prix, where, despite posting the eighth fastest time in practice and outqualifying Peter Revson by a second, his Lotus suffered a wheel failure. He crashed heavily through chainlink fencing, an incident that should have perhaps served as a warning. Following his retirement from racing, Gubby successfully reinvented himself as a racehorse trainer, establishing himself at Bagshot in Surrey, where he built a respected career in the equestrian world, far removed from the dangers of high-speed motorsport.