Keith Greene

Keith Anthony Greene (5 January 1938 - 8 March 2021): British racing driver from Leytonstone, England, the son of Gilby Engineering boss Sid Greene. Greene grew up around motor racing—his father Syd ran a race team as an off-shoot of his Gilby Engineering business. Encouraged by his father he began racing aged 17 at the wheel of a Cooper-Climax T39 'Manxtail' and even raced the Maserati 250F that Gilby had fielded for Roy Salvadori in the mid-1950s. He raced in Formula One from 1959 to 1962, participating in six World Championship Grands Prix and numerous non-Championship races.

He progressed through Lotus Eleven and 17 sportscars before Gilby bought a Cooper-Climax T43 Formula 2 car in which Greene made an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the British Grand Prix at Aintree in 1959. He made his Formula 1 world championship debut at Silverstone the following year at the wheel of a T45 Cooper powered by a Maserati engine. Gilby built its own Climax-engined F1 car for 1961 in which Greene made another British GP start at Silverstone. His best F1 result came in the non-championship Naples GP in 1962 in which he finished third, admittedly a lap down, behind the two Ferraris driven by Willy Mairesse and Lorenzo Bandini.

Prior to Formula One Greene had a successful career in sportscars. After retiring from driving he became a team manager and in a rich and varied career would go on to mastermind success in BTCC, F1, and Le Mans. He won the British Touring Car Championship with Alan Mann in 1967 and 1968, overseeing the Ford Falcons, Lotus Cortinas, and Escort twin-cams driven by Frank Gardner. Greene was subsequently at the helm of the Spice team for its hat-trick of victories at the Spa 24 Hours in 1978-80 with the Ford Capri, and he masterminded Tim Harvey's BTCC title in 1992 with Vic Lee's BMW team.

He was also part of the Rondeau set-up that won the Le Mans 24 Hours with its self-built Group 6 car in 1980 and went on to become team manager. Keith Greene passed away on 8 March 2021 at age 83, leaving behind a remarkable legacy in motorsport both as a driver and as one of the most respected team managers in the business.