Robin Widdows

Robin Michael Widdows (27 May 1942 - Present): British racing driver who competed in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in 1968 and achieved the rare distinction of competing in both a Formula One race and the Olympic Games, representing Great Britain in bobsleigh at the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics. Born in Cowley, Middlesex, Widdows was a talented all-around athlete who excelled in both motorsport and winter sports. In bobsleigh, he competed for Great Britain in both the two-man and four-man events at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, demonstrating exceptional physical courage and coordination. Simultaneously, Widdows pursued a motor racing career, competing in Formula Three, Formula Two, and sports cars during the mid-to-late 1960s.

In 1967, he competed in Formula Two with a Brabham BT23, achieving his most notable success by winning the Rhine Cup at Hockenheim. This victory demonstrated genuine speed and racecraft. His Formula One opportunity came in 1968 when he joined The Chequered Flag team. He made his only World Championship appearance at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch on 20 July 1968, driving a Cooper T86B alongside the legendary Dan Gurney.

Widdows qualified for the race but retired after 34 laps with ignition problems, never scoring a World Championship point. Despite the disappointing result, simply qualifying for a World Championship race demonstrated respectable ability. In 1969, Widdows returned to Formula Two with Bob Gerard Racing and also raced sports cars for Matra. In 1970, he continued in Formula Two with a Brabham but retired from top-level motorsport partway through the season, recognizing that his opportunities to secure competitive drives were limited.

After retiring from professional racing, Widdows remained involved in motorsport in various capacities and maintained his unique status as one of the very few athletes to compete in both a Formula One World Championship race and the Olympic Games. This remarkable dual achievement places him in an exceptionally exclusive group in sporting history. Widdows' combination of motor racing and Olympic bobsleigh competition demonstrated remarkable versatility, courage, and athletic ability across two completely different sporting disciplines. Known for: Competing in the 1968 British Grand Prix driving a Cooper-BRM, representing Great Britain in bobsleigh at the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics, winning the 1967 Rhine Cup at Hockenheim in Formula Two, and being one of the rare athletes to compete in both Formula One and the Olympics.