Bruce Johnstone

William Bruce Gordon Johnstone (January 30, 1937, Durban - March 3, 2022): A South African racing driver whose brief Formula One appearance in 1962 marked the pinnacle of a diverse motorsport career that began on two wheels and evolved into four-wheeled competition. Born in Durban, Johnstone came to the United Kingdom as a teenager, ostensibly to train at Cranwell to join the Royal Air Force. However, he quickly deviated from this path by taking up motorcycle racing and scrambling, demonstrating an early passion for speed. Upon returning to South Africa, he transitioned to cars, racing a Volvo PV544 in local events during the late 1950s.

His talent became evident when he nearly captured the 1960-61 South African Championship title, ultimately losing to defending champion Syd van der Vyver at the final round only due to a puncture. The summer of 1962 proved pivotal for Johnstone when he worked as a mechanic at BRM in England, gaining invaluable technical knowledge and forging relationships within the team. This connection led to him being entered in a third BRM P57 for the Oulton Park Gold Cup, where he finished fourth in a race of attrition. His World Championship moment came at the 1962 South African Grand Prix on December 29, when the race was granted full championship status.

Starting from the back of the grid in a BRM P48/57, Johnstone drove a steady race to finish ninth. That same year, he achieved success at the Rand Nine Hours at Kyalami, sharing David Piper's Ferrari 250GTO to victory. Despite being only 25 years old and showing promise, Johnstone made the surprising decision to retire from racing. He subsequently built a business importing Yamaha motorcycles to South Africa before eventually retiring to Cape Town.

Although elected as a Full Member of the BRDC in 1962, he later allowed his membership to lapse after walking away from competitive motorsport. Johnstone passed away on March 3, 2022, at the age of 85.