John Rhodes

John Rhodes (18 August 1927 - Present): British racing driver from Wolverhampton, Staffordshire who became hooked on motor racing after being taken to the British Grand Prix at Donington by his parents in 1938. When he was old enough he started competing on a motorcycle in grass track events. He began racing cars in speed events in 1958 with a Turner belonging to John Handley, taking a class win at the Lydstep Hillclimb. In 1959 he switched to single-seaters with one of John Cooper's Formula Juniors fitted with an 1100cc BMC engine.

Rhodes participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix—the 1965 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 10 July 1965—from which he retired on lap 39 with ignition problems. His Cooper-Climax T60 was provided for him by veteran racer Bob Gerard. While his F1 career was brief, Rhodes is best known as the legendary tyre-smoking Mini racer who is still revered to this day for his giant-killing achievements of the mid-1960s. His nickname 'Smokey' Rhodes came from his technique of throwing the car into corners sideways, tyres smoking and wailing, using throttle control to create superb drifts in clouds of tyre smoke.

Between 1965 to 1968 he took four consecutive Class Championship Titles (1300cc class), three overall Race Victories, sixteen Class Race Victories, and was European Champion in 1968. At Le Mans in 1965 John Rhodes, with Paul Hawkins, finished twelfth overall and first in class in a 1.3-litre Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite. In 1972 he drove a works Group 1 Opel Ascona and in 1973 raced in several events in John Handley's sports Triumph TR6.

John retired in 1973.