(1945-01-26)26 January 1945 Bognor Regis, Sussex, United Kingdom
Died
2 July 1985(1985-07-02) (aged 40) English Channel, close to Bognor Regis, United Kingdom
Formula One World Championship career
Active years
1973–1974, 1977
Teams
LEC, Token Non-works March
Entries
11 (7 starts)
Championships
0
Wins
0
Podiums
0
Career points
0
Pole positions
0
Fastest laps
0
First entry
1973 Monaco Grand Prix
Last entry
1977 British Grand Prix
David Charles Purley, GM (26 January 1945 – 2 July 1985) was a British racing driver born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, who participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at Monaco in 1973.
Purley is best known for his actions at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix,[1] where he abandoned his own race and attempted to save the life of fellow driver Roger Williamson, whose car was upside down and on fire following a serious accident. Purley was awarded the George Medal for his courage in trying to save Williamson, who suffocated in the blaze.
During pre-qualifying for the 1977 British Grand Prix Purley sustained multiple bone fractures after his car's throttle stuck open and he crashed into a wall. His deceleration from 108 mph (173 km/h) to 0 in a distance of 26 inches (66 cm) is one of the highest G-loads survived in a crash (180 G). He scored no championship points during his Formula One career. He died in a plane crash, having retired from motorsport and taken up aerobatics, in 1985.
David Charles Purley, GM (26 January 1945 – 2 July 1985) was a British racing driver born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, who participated in 11 Formula...
Prix where marshals arrived too late on the scene and fellow driver DavidPurley was unable to free Williamson from the burning wreck. The following teams...
using a March in 1973 and their own car, the LEC CRP1, in 1977. In 1973 DavidPurley hired a March 731 and with backing from his family's refrigeration company...
trained and badly equipped, and did not assist him. Another driver, DavidPurley, upon witnessing the crash of his friend, abandoned his own race and...
car. Williamson's countryman DavidPurley stopped alongside, crossed the track and ran over to the burning March. Purley tried in vain to turn the car...
1976 British F3 champion Rupert Keegan was their number-one driver. DavidPurley returned to Formula 1, after a one-off entry to the 1974 British Grand...
which would become significant over the next few minutes. Fellow driver DavidPurley, who witnessed Williamson's impact, almost immediately pulled his car...
restarted over the original 67-lap distance with 18 of the original 29 cars. DavidPurley and Graham McRae had retired in separate incidents. On the first start...
reappeared at the British Grand Prix with DavidPurley in place of Pryce. But after failing to qualify, Purley left and was replaced by fellow Englishman...
Kozarowitzky, another debutant Andy Sutcliffe, Guy Edwards, Tony Trimmer, DavidPurley, Emilio de Villota, Brian Henton, Arturo Merzario and yet another debutant...
Hailwood left F1 after heavily crashing his McLaren at the German Grand Prix. David Hobbs returned to F1 after three years to take over, before Jochen Mass...
Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch with DavidPurley driving but did not start because of electrical problems. Purley had asked for an electrical "kill" switch...
DL Sir Hew Pike KCB DSO MBE ] Richard Pine-Coffin, DSO and Bar, MC † DavidPurley – F1, F3 and F5000 racing driver George Medal recipient † Lionel Ernest...
Purley on Thames (known locally as Purley) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. Purley is centred 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Reading...
freezers. It was formed in 1942, by fishmongers Frank Purley and his brother Charles Reginald Purley (born 1910 in Twickenham) as Longford Engineering Company...
suffered a fatal accident in Zandvoort (at which race March privateer DavidPurley attempted to rescue Williamson from his burning car). The Hesketh team...
World. F. Fayram. pp. 6–12. "DavidPurley Bio". Anton Sukup's Autographs of F1 Drivers. Retrieved July 31, 2006. Purley was subjected to the highest G-forces...
ended on 7 November. The Drivers' Championship was won by Englishman DavidPurley. Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers using the following...
Prix and crashed into the barriers, spun upside-down and caught fire. DavidPurley stopped his own race and tried unsuccessfully to save Williamson. The...
(1932–2015), brothel keeper, born in Bognor. The Formula One driver DavidPurley (1945–1985), best known for his attempt to save the life of fellow racing...
This remains the only F1 race in which two Swedes shared the podium. DavidPurley stayed out later than most drivers and was running third by lap 21. After...
France. The Grand Prix was won by Peter Gethin, driving the Chevron B20. Patrick Depailler finished second and DavidPurley third. "F2 Register - Index"....
retrospective, Formula One Decade. Commentary was by Jackie Stewart and David Hobbs. Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings...
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