Stephen South

Stephen South (19 February 1952 - Present): British racing driver who competed in one Formula One World Championship race entry at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West for McLaren, failing to qualify before a devastating Can-Am crash later that year cost him his lower left leg and ended his racing career at age 28. Born in England, South won the 1977 BRDC Vandervell British Formula 3 Championship, establishing himself as one of Britain's leading junior single-seater talents. His Formula 3 title suggested promise for higher-level racing, and South progressed to Formula 2, where he achieved notable success with two pole positions and a victory at the Rhein-Pokalrennen at Hockenheim, demonstrating that he possessed genuine speed.

His Formula One opportunity came at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West at Long Beach when McLaren's Alain Prost was injured. McLaren called upon South to substitute, driving the McLaren M29C. However, the M29 was hopelessly uncompetitive—one of McLaren's worst cars—and South struggled with its fundamental lack of pace. He qualified almost four seconds slower than teammate John Watson and failed to make the grid, lapping outside the 107% qualifying threshold.

His single Formula One attempt ended without starting a race. Later in 1980, South competed in the Can-Am sports car championship in North America. During a race, he suffered an appalling crash that resulted in catastrophic injuries. The accident cost South his lower left leg, which had to be amputated. At age 28, having just lost his leg, South's professional racing career ended immediately. The timing was particularly cruel—he had recently demonstrated Formula 2 winning ability and secured a Formula One opportunity with McLaren, only to have his career terminated by a devastating accident in a different championship.

After his accident, South faced the enormous challenge of rebuilding his life following traumatic injury and the loss of his racing career. He eventually wrote a book about his experiences titled "Stephen South: The Way It Was," which was reviewed positively in motorsport circles in 2017, demonstrating his willingness to share his story and reflect on both his brief racing success and life-changing accident. South represents the numerous talented drivers whose careers were cut short by the extreme dangers of 1970s and early 1980s motorsport, when safety standards across various racing categories remained inadequate and catastrophic injuries occurred with tragic frequency. Known for: Winning the 1977 British Formula 3 Championship, failing to qualify the McLaren M29C at the 1980 Long Beach Grand Prix as a substitute for Alain Prost, losing his lower left leg in a Can-Am crash later in 1980 that ended his racing career, and authoring "Stephen South: The Way It Was" about his experiences.