Peter Westbury

Peter Westbury (26 May 1938 - 7 December 2015): British racing driver and engineer from Roehampton, UK who participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix in 1969 and 1970, scoring no championship points, but who achieved far greater success as a hillclimb specialist, winning the British Hillclimb Championship twice in 1963 and 1964, and as an innovative racing car designer and constructor. Born in Roehampton on 26 May 1938, Westbury first made his name in British motorsport by winning the British Hillclimb Championship in 1963 driving the Felday 1, a supercharged Daimler V8-powered car which he had built himself at his Felday Engineering premises (initially located in his back garden), demonstrating both his engineering ingenuity and driving skill.

The following year, 1964, he was loaned the unique four-wheel-drive Ferguson-Climax P99 (the same car Stirling Moss had driven to victory at the 1961 Oulton Park Gold Cup) and successfully defended his championship, becoming one of the few drivers to win back-to-back British Hillclimb Championships. During 1965, Westbury developed the innovative Felday-BRM Mk 4 sports car featuring four-wheel drive and powered by a BRM V8 engine, demonstrating advanced engineering concepts ahead of their time. The Felday Mk 4 won on its debut at Brands Hatch on Boxing Day 1965 with Mac Daghorn driving, and on August Bank Holiday 1966 at the same circuit, the legendary Jim Clark drove the Felday to a 2-liter class win in the Guards Trophy race, giving Westbury's design credibility through Clark's endorsement.

Westbury made his first Formula One World Championship appearance at the 1969 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on 3 August 1969, driving a Formula 2 Brabham-Cosworth in the F2 class (several F2 cars were permitted to compete alongside F1 entries). He finished ninth overall, fifth in the Formula 2 classification, completing the race but scoring no championship points as only F1 cars were eligible for points. His second and final Formula One appearance came at the 1970 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen on 4 October 1970, where he was given a chance to drive a proper Formula One machine with BRM. However, the car suffered a blown engine during practice and Westbury failed to qualify, ending his Formula One career with one start, one DNQ, and zero points.

Beyond hillclimbing and his brief Formula One attempts, Westbury also competed successfully in sports car racing, driving as often as he could fit races around his Formula 2 commitments. His best sports car result was fifth place at the 1971 Targa Florio co-driving with Mike Parkes in a Scuderia Filipinetti Lola T212, demonstrating his abilities in one of motorsport's most demanding events. Following his competitive retirement, Westbury remained active in British motorsport and engineering. Peter Westbury passed away on 7 December 2015 at age 77 in Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago, mourned by the British motorsport community that remembered him as a talented driver, innovative engineer, and two-time British Hillclimb Champion.

Known for winning the British Hillclimb Championship twice (1963, 1964), for building his own Felday racing cars in his back garden workshop, for having Jim Clark win in his Felday Mk 4 design, for his fifth place at the 1971 Targa Florio, and for his two Formula One appearances including one finish and one DNQ, Peter Westbury represents the British amateur engineer-driver tradition—talented individuals who built innovative cars themselves and competed successfully against factory teams through ingenuity and determination.