James Alan Crawford (13 February 1948 in Dunfermline, Fife – 6 August 2002 in Tierra Verde, Florida, United States) was a British racing driver from Scotland.
Jim Crawford
Crawford at the 1988 Indianapolis 500
Born
(1948-02-13)13 February 1948 Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
His first motorsport experience came behind the wheel of a Mini that he drove in several rallies. After an unsuccessful stint in Formula Ford he landed a drive in his friend Stephen Choularton's team in Formula Atlantic, after showing great promise in a couple of Formula Libre races at Croft. He went on to spend a number of years driving alongside Choularton at SDC Racing in Formula Atlantic and was spotted by Lotus Cars and offered a test drive by them.
He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 19 July 1975. He was also the winner of the 1982 British Formula One Championship. He is notable for being the 500th person to start a Formula One World Championship race.
Crawford moved to the United States in the early 1980s, finishing runner-up twice in the Can-Am series. He finished fourth on his CART debut at Long Beach in 1984 and went on to become a regular in the Indianapolis 500. It was there in 1987 that Crawford suffered a crash in practice which resulted in serious leg injuries. However, he recovered sufficiently to return to the 500 in 1988, leading the race for a few laps. A late race puncture dropped him from 2nd to 6th.
Crawford's final 500 was in 1993, although he made unsuccessful attempts to qualify old cars in 1994 and 1995.
Crawford's most notable run at Indy occurred in 1988. After nearly a year of rehabilitation from leg and foot injuries, Crawford returned for the 1988 Indianapolis 500. He signed with King Racing as a teammate to Johnny Rutherford, driving a Buick entry. He was a last-minute addition to the team, joining just prior to opening day. He made little headlines during time trials, quietly making the field late on the second day. He was still recovering from his leg injuries, and walked the month with the aid of a cane.
On race day, however, Crawford created quite a stir. The race was dominated by the Penske Team, however, Crawford was in contention all afternoon, and was the only driver other than the Penske cars to lead laps during the race. Crawford took the lead near the midpoint, and led 8 laps. He drove a highly aggressive race, dicing in and out of traffic at will, and frequently dropping well below the white lines in the turns. Crawford set a blistering pace during his stint in the lead, and was running second as late as lap 194. With six laps to go, he got sideways in turn three, and flat-spotted his tires. He ducked into the pits for new tires, but the crew had difficulties, and he lost several seconds. He lost a lap, and finished 6th. It was the highest finish at the time for the Buick V-6 Indy engine, and Crawford was praised for his strong effort.
Later years
Crawford returned to Indy in 1989 with high expectations after his 1988 performance. He qualified 4th, the highest of the non-Chevrolet teams, but dropped out with mechanical problems on race day.
In 1990, Crawford joined the Menard team, and during practice, suffered a spectacular crash. He spun and hit the wall in turn one, then became airborne 10–15 feet above the ground in the south short chute. He was not seriously injured. He finished 15th on race day.
Crawford's final notable appearance at Indy was in 1992. Crawford re-joined the King Racing team, as a teammate to Roberto Guerrero driving once again the Buick V-6 engine. Crawford and Guerrero led the speed charts all through practice, with Crawford setting an all-time unofficial track record of 233.433 mph. Both drivers were heavy favourites for the pole position, but on the morning of pole day, Crawford blew an engine. Rain pushed time trials into the next day, which gave the team time to install a new engine. However, on the second day, he blew another engine, and wound up missing his opportunity to qualify during the pole round. He qualified 6th fastest, but as a second day qualifier, lined up 21st. On race day, he was a factor early, but crashed out on lap 75 collecting Rick Mears.
The 1988 race would end up being Crawford's best Indy car finish (6th), and his final start came in 1993. He failed to qualify in 1994–1995, and retired from driving.
Personal life
After retirement from racing, Crawford lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he bought a fishing boat he used for charters. He died in 2002[1] of liver failure. He was survived by his second wife Annie and his children from his first marriage, Geoffrey and Emily.
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Not to be confused with Jimmy Crawford racing driver For other people named Jim Crawford see Jim Crawford disambiguation This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Jim Crawford racing driver news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message James Alan Crawford 13 February 1948 in Dunfermline Fife 6 August 2002 in Tierra Verde Florida United States was a British racing driver from Scotland Jim CrawfordCrawford at the 1988 Indianapolis 500Born 1948 02 13 13 February 1948Dunfermline Fife ScotlandDied6 August 2002 2002 08 06 aged 54 Tierra Verde FloridaFormula One World Championship careerNationalityBritishActive years1975TeamsLotusEntries2Championships0Wins0Podiums0Career points0Pole positions0Fastest laps0First entry1975 British Grand PrixLast entry1975 Italian Grand PrixHis first motorsport experience came behind the wheel of a Mini that he drove in several rallies After an unsuccessful stint in Formula Ford he landed a drive in his friend Stephen Choularton s team in Formula Atlantic after showing great promise in a couple of Formula Libre races at Croft He went on to spend a number of years driving alongside Choularton at SDC Racing in Formula Atlantic and was spotted by Lotus Cars and offered a test drive by them He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix debuting on 19 July 1975 He was also the winner of the 1982 British Formula One Championship He is notable for being the 500th person to start a Formula One World Championship race Crawford moved to the United States in the early 1980s finishing runner up twice in the Can Am series He finished fourth on his CART debut at Long Beach in 1984 and went on to become a regular in the Indianapolis 500 It was there in 1987 that Crawford suffered a crash in practice which resulted in serious leg injuries However he recovered sufficiently to return to the 500 in 1988 leading the race for a few laps A late race puncture dropped him from 2nd to 6th Crawford s final 500 was in 1993 although he made unsuccessful attempts to qualify old cars in 1994 and 1995 Contents 1 1988 Indianapolis 500 2 Later years 3 Personal life 4 Racing record 4 1 Complete Formula One World Championship results 4 2 Complete Formula One non championship results 4 3 Complete European Formula Two Championship results 4 4 Complete Shellsport International Series results 4 5 Complete British Formula One Championship results 4 6 Complete World Sportscar Championship results 4 7 American open wheel racing 4 7 1 PPG Indy Car World Series 4 7 1 1 Indianapolis 500 5 References 6 External links1988 Indianapolis 500 EditCrawford s most notable run at Indy occurred in 1988 After nearly a year of rehabilitation from leg and foot injuries Crawford returned for the 1988 Indianapolis 500 He signed with King Racing as a teammate to Johnny Rutherford driving a Buick entry He was a last minute addition to the team joining just prior to opening day He made little headlines during time trials quietly making the field late on the second day He was still recovering from his leg injuries and walked the month with the aid of a cane On race day however Crawford created quite a stir The race was dominated by the Penske Team however Crawford was in contention all afternoon and was the only driver other than the Penske cars to lead laps during the race Crawford took the lead near the midpoint and led 8 laps He drove a highly aggressive race dicing in and out of traffic at will and frequently dropping well below the white lines in the turns Crawford set a blistering pace during his stint in the lead and was running second as late as lap 194 With six laps to go he got sideways in turn three and flat spotted his tires He ducked into the pits for new tires but the crew had difficulties and he lost several seconds He lost a lap and finished 6th It was the highest finish at the time for the Buick V 6 Indy engine and Crawford was praised for his strong effort Later years EditCrawford returned to Indy in 1989 with high expectations after his 1988 performance He qualified 4th the highest of the non Chevrolet teams but dropped out with mechanical problems on race day In 1990 Crawford joined the Menard team and during practice suffered a spectacular crash He spun and hit the wall in turn one then became airborne 10 15 feet above the ground in the south short chute He was not seriously injured He finished 15th on race day Crawford s final notable appearance at Indy was in 1992 Crawford re joined the King Racing team as a teammate to Roberto Guerrero driving once again the Buick V 6 engine Crawford and Guerrero led the speed charts all through practice with Crawford setting an all time unofficial track record of 233 433 mph Both drivers were heavy favourites for the pole position but on the morning of pole day Crawford blew an engine Rain pushed time trials into the next day which gave the team time to install a new engine However on the second day he blew another engine and wound up missing his opportunity to qualify during the pole round He qualified 6th fastest but as a second day qualifier lined up 21st On race day he was a factor early but crashed out on lap 75 collecting Rick Mears The 1988 race would end up being Crawford s best Indy car finish 6th and his final start came in 1993 He failed to qualify in 1994 1995 and retired from driving Personal life EditAfter retirement from racing Crawford lived in St Petersburg Florida where he bought a fishing boat he used for charters He died in 2002 1 of liver failure He was survived by his second wife Annie and his children from his first marriage Geoffrey and Emily Racing record EditComplete Formula One World Championship results Edit key Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 WDC Pts1975 John Player Special Team Lotus Lotus 72E Ford Cosworth DFV 3 0 V8 ARG BRA RSA ESP MON BEL SWE NED FRA GBRRet GER AUT NC 0Lotus 72F ITA13 USAComplete Formula One non championship results Edit key Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 31975 John Player Special Team Lotus Lotus 72E Ford Cosworth DFV 3 0 V8 ROC INTDNS SUIComplete European Formula Two Championship results Edit key Races in bold indicate pole position races in italics indicate fastest lap Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts1975 SDC Racing Chevron B29 Ford EST THR HOC NUR PAU HOC SAL ROU MUG PER SILRet ZOL NOG VAL NC 01980 Plygrange Racing Chevron B45 Ford THR HOC NUR VAL PAU SILRet ZOL10 MUG ZAN PER MIS HOC NC 01981 Plygrange Racing Toleman TG280 Hart SIL4 HOC7 THRRet NURRet VAL9 MUG11 PAU10 PER SPA6 DON9 MIS7 MAN10 16th 4Complete Shellsport International Series results Edit key Races in bold indicate pole position races in italics indicate fastest lap Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts1976 Peter Williams Chevron B29 Ford BDA Nicholson 1 6 L4 MAL SNE OUL5 BRHRet THRDNS BRH MAL SNE BRH THR OUL BRH 24th 11Marshall Wingfield Chevron B34 Ford BDA Hart 1 6 L4 BRH8Complete British Formula One Championship results Edit key Races in bold indicate pole position races in italics indicate fastest lap Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts1980 Plygrange Racing Chevron B45 Ford BDX 2 0 L4 OUL4 BRH SIL6 MAL3 THR13 MNZRet MAL4 SNE4 BRH6 THRRet OUL1 SIL8 4th 241982 Team Ensign Ensign N180B Ford Cosworth DFV 3 0 V8 OULRet BRH1 THR1 DON1 BRH 1st 34Complete World Sportscar Championship results Edit key Races in bold indicate pole position Races in italics indicate fastest lap Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos Pts1982 Vesuvio Racing Gr 5 Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Lancia 1 4 L4t MNZ SIL10 NUR LMS SPA MUG FUJ BRH 103rd 2American open wheel racing Edit key Races in bold indicate pole position PPG Indy Car World Series Edit Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pos Pts1984 Ed Wachs Motor Sports Theodore T83 Cosworth DFX V8t LBH4 PHX INDYDNQ MIL POR MEA21 CLE MCH ROA POC MDO SAN MCH PHX 27th 12H amp R Racing March 82 83C LAG23 CPL1985 Wysard Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX V8t LBH4 INDY16 MILDNS POR MEA9 CLE13 MCH ROA POC MDO 20th 16Canadian Tire Racing SAN20 MCH LAGPace Racing PHX15 MIA161986 March Engineering March 86C Buick 3300 V6t PHX LBH INDY29 MIL POR MEA CLE TOR MCH POC MDO SAN MCH ROA LAG PHX MIA NC 01987 Patrick Racing March 86C Buick 3300 V6t LBH PHX INDYDNQ MIL POR MEA CLE TOR MCH POC ROA MDO NAZ LAG MIA NA 1988 King Racing Lola T87 00 Buick 3300 V6t PHX LBH INDY6 MIL POR CLE TOR MEA MCH POC MDO ROA NAZ LAG MIA 27th 81989 King Racing Lola T87 00 Buick 3300 V6t PHX LBH INDY19 MIL DET POR CLE MEA TOR MCH POC MDO ROA NAZ LAG 47th 01990 Team Menard Lola T89 00 Buick 3300 V6t PHX19 LBH INDY15 MIL DET POR CLE MEA TOR MCH DEN VAN MDO ROA NAZ LAG 36th 01991 King Racing Lola T91 00 Buick 3300 V6t SRF LBH PHX INDY26 MIL DET POR CLE MEA TOR MCH DEN VAN MDO ROA NAZ LAG 50th 01992 King Racing Lola T92 00 Buick 3300 V6t SRF PHX LBH INDY25 DET POR MIL NHA TOR MCH CLE ROA VAN MDO NAZ LAG 56th 01993 King Racing Lola T93 00 Chevrolet 265C V8t SRF PHX LBH INDY24 MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH NHA ROA VAN MDO NAZ LAG 49th 01994 Riley amp Scott Lola T91 00 Buick 3300 V6t SRF PHX LBH INDYDNQ MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO NHA VAN ROA NAZ LAG NA 1995 Hemelgarn Racing Lola T92 00 Buick 3300 V6t MIA SRF PHX LBH NAZ INDYDNQ MIL DET POR ROA TOR CLE MCH MDO NHA VAN LAG NA Indianapolis 500 Edit Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team1984 Theodore 83 Ford Cosworth DFX DNQ Ed Wachs Motor Sports1985 Lola T900 Ford Cosworth DFX 27 16 Wysard Racing1986 March 86C Buick 26 29 March Engineering1987 March 86C Buick DNQ Patrick Racing1988 Lola T87 00 Buick 18 6 King Racing1989 Lola T87 00 Buick 4 19 King Racing1990 Lola T89 00 Buick 29 15 Team Menard1991 Lola T91 00 Buick 8 26 King Racing1992 Lola T92 00 Buick 21 25 King Racing1993 Lola T93 00 Chevrolet 265C 31 24 King Racing1994 Lola T91 00 Buick DNQ Riley amp Scott1995 Lola T92 00 Buick DNQ Hemelgarn RacingReferences Edit Scottish Indy driver dies Motorsports BBC 8 August 2002 Retrieved 13 September 2012 External links EditJim Crawford driver statistics at Racing ReferenceSporting positionsPreceded byEmilio de Villota 1980 British Formula One Champion1982 Succeeded bynone Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jim Crawford racing driver amp oldid 1045717387, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
