Hugh Hamilton (racing driver)

Hugh 'Hammy' Caulfield Hamilton[1] (18 June 1905 – 26 August 1934)[2] was a British racing driver who was killed in the 1934 Swiss Grand Prix.[2] He was born in Omagh, in Tyrone, Northern Ireland.[2] It has been said that he was "perhaps the top British driver at that time [before his death]".[3] He raced with Dick Seaman on occasion, and was good friends with him.[4]

Hugh Caulfield Hamilton
NationalityBritish
Born18 June 1905
Omagh
Died26 August 1934 (age 29)
Circuit Bremgarten
Years active1930-1934

Early life

Hamilton was born in Northern Ireland, and moved to England in 1922. He started off as an MG salesman.[1] He took up racing motorbikes and then in 1930 started car racing with a Riley.[5]

Races
RaceDateCarPosition
2 x 12 h Brooklands10.05.1930Riley Brooklands 93
2 x 12 h Brooklands09.05.1931MG Midget C type3
Tourist Trophy22.08.1931MG MidgetDNF
1000 mile Brooklands04.06.1932MG MidgetDNF
Tourist Trophey20.08.1932MG Midget C typeDNS
500 mile Brooklands24.09.1932Bugatti T51DNF
Mille Miglia09.04.1933MG Magnette K322
Tourist Trophey02.09.1933MG Midget J42
1934 Swiss Grand Prix26.08.1934Maserati 8CMRet[6]

Death

Hamilton was racing an MG Midget in the 1933 Masaryk Grand Prix when he crashed after his waterproof cape blew over his eyes.[2] He seemed to have fully recovered from the three broken ribs and internal injuries that he sustained, which led to his taking up racing again the following year.

In the 1934 Swiss Grand Prix, Hamilton, driving a Maserati 8CM, crashed into a fir tree after his front left tyre failed at 150 km/h around 1500 meters from the finishing point.[2] Two spectators were hurt in the crash.[2] A post mortem revealed that his heart stopped before the crash, which led to the feeling that his heart stopping was the result of his crash in 1933.

Hamilton's funeral was arranged by the British consul and Dick Seaman, and was held in Bern.[2]

gollark: Also, laws are often about complicated issues which people have no idea about. Now, frequently the politicians will have no idea about them too, but in general having dedicated people able to take lots of time to learn about the issue is better than random people with lots of other stuff to do. Although it has other downsides.
gollark: I don't think I agree, having direct input would expose it to the whims of whatever random controversy has happened *more*.
gollark: And "oh bees [BAD THING] happened so now we must immediately respond to it in some stupid way".
gollark: If you make law really easy to add to, you'll run into problems like "oh bees there are several million pages of law nobody has read".
gollark: My view is generally that the government should avoid doing too much and have law-writing and stuff handled such that it can't start jumping far ahead of popular opinion.

References
  1. Finlay, David (18 June 2008). "The Amazing Hugh Hamilton". Carkeys. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. "Hugh Hamilton". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  3. "I PRIX DE BERNE". Kolumbus. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  4. "The master race". The Observer. 1 September 2002. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  5. "Hugh Caulfield Hamilton (GB)". Kolumbus. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  6. "All Results of Hugh Hamilton". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
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