Tony Dean (racing driver)

Anthony Gordon Dean (23 July 1932 – 17 January 2008)[1] was a British racing driver from England who competed in sports car racing, touring car racing, the Can-Am series and various single seat formulae, including non-championship Formula One, in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He is known for winning a round of the Can-Am championship in 1970 as a privateer entrant.

Tony Dean
Nationality	British
Born	Anthony Gordon Dean (1932-02-23)February 23, 1932 Leeds, UK
Died	January 17, 2008(2008-01-17) (aged 75) Leeds, UK
Retired	Circa 1992
Years active	1963–c.1992
Championship titles
1965	British Formula Three Championship

Racing career

Early career

Dean began his career in kart racing, before moving into club-racing in 1963, after the motor-dealership he worked for acquired a Lotus Eleven. In his first race, at Rufforth, he qualified in pole position and finished second.[1] He continued with the Lotus in 1964 before moving into single-seaters in 1965, winning the BRSCC British Formula Three Championship in a Brabham BT15.[2] He entered the Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race where he finished second in his heat and third in the final behind Formula One drivers, Peter Revson and Chris Irwin.[1][3] He also successfully campaigned a Lotus 23 in sports car racing winning races at Oulton Park, Mallory Park and Brands Hatch.[4]

In 1966, Dean drove in various single-seat formulae in the UK, competing mainly in the BRSCC championship with a Lotus 41 or Brabham BT18 entered in conjunction with John Willment. He also competed in Formula Libre events using the Brabham and on one occasion a BRM fitted with a Ford 4.7-litre V8 as used in the AC Cobra.[1] He also competed in sportscars with a Brabham BT8, finishing second in both the Lavant Cup at Goodwood and the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone together with a third place in the Norbury Trophy at Crystal Palace.[4]

Dean moved into sports car racing in 1967, entering as A. G. Dean Racing Ltd. with a Porsche Carrera 6. Co-driven by Ben Pon the car finished eighth overall in the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch.[1] Although he achieved a number of top-six finishes throughout the season, his only victory was at the Brands Hatch GT meeting in August.[4]

1968 began with a third place in the South African Sports Car Club meeting at Cape Town using the Porsche 906.[4] On returning to the UK, he took four consecutive wins at Croft and Cadwell Park using a Ferrari Dino 206 S. Co-driven by Mike Beckwith, the car did not finish in the Brands Hatch six hour race but Dean achieved third place in the Oulton Park 100 mile race.[4] In the remainder of the season, Dean competed in a further 20 races, mainly with the Dino, but also with the Carrera 6 and finished outside the top six on only one occasion. He did not finish in only three events and took additional wins at Croft and Crystal Palace (twice each) and Oulton Park.[4] He finished fourth in the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch with the Porsche.[5] Co-driven by Bill Bradley, Dean failed to finish in the Paris 1,000 km race, in the Porsche but finished fifth in the nine-hour race at Kyalami and second in a three hour race at Cape Town, in the Ferrari Dino, co-driven on each occasion by Basil van Rooyen.[4]

Can-Am

In 1969, Dean continued to enter domestic national and international level events finishing seventh in the Brands Hatch six hour race in a Chevron B8.[4] Teamed with Bradley, in a Porsche 910 he finished 12th in both the Spa and Nürburgring 1,000 kilometre events. In July, alongside Richard Attwood and Vic Elford, he finished second in a six hour race at Watkins Glen, in a Porsche 908. The next day, Dean entered the same car in the Watkins Glen round of the Can-Am series and finished ninth.[4] Dean competed in seven further Can-Am races in 1969, with the 908, entered in the name of Porsche Audi. He finished all of them in the top eight places with a best result of fifth at Road America yielding eighth place in the championship.[4]

In both 1968 and 1969, A. G. Dean Racing entered the British Saloon Car Championship with Lotus Cortinas and later a Ford Escort. Dean did not compete in many of the rounds but achieved some good class placings. In 1968, team driver Brian Robinson finished in third position in the title standings.[1]

Dean drove a BRM P261 in the 1969 Madrid Grand Prix at Jarama. He spun at the start, being unused to a Formula One car,[6] but recovered and contemporary reports show that he finished second having completed 39 out of 40 laps. However, Peter Gethin (McLaren) is classified as second in some later reports, having broken down on lap 40.[6]

Dean entered two races at Buenos Aires in January 1970, in the Porsche 908, on each occasion co-driven by Eduardo Copello. They finished third in a 1,000km race but failed to finish in a 200 mile race, a week later.[4] An entry was made in the 24 Hours of Daytona alongside Peter Gregg in a Porsche 917 but the car did not start the race.[4] However, the Porsche 908 finished sixth in the Brands Hatch 1,000km race co-driven by Gérard Larrousse and G. Koch, but Dean did not participate.[7] He then returned to the Can-Am championship, entering under his own name, with a fourth-placed finish at Mosport Park in June, but was seven laps behind the winning McLaren M8D of Dan Gurney.[8] At the next round at St. Jovite, Dean did not start and subsequently failed to finish in a six-hour race at Watkins Glen, where the car was co-driven by Revson. However, the following day, Dean entered the Can-Am round at the same venue and finished 16th.[4] This was followed by an 11th place at the Edmonton round, a failure to finish at Mid-Ohio and fifth at Road America.[4][9]

At the next round at Road Atlanta, run in very hot conditions,[2] Dean benefited from the loss of the McLarens of Denny Hulme and Gethin (who also had gearbox problems), and Revson's Lola through accidents, together with mechanical problems for the Chaparral and BRM entries, enabling him to win the race.[10][11] This was the first victory, in the series, for a car other than a McLaren in 19 races.[11]

This was followed by a seventh place at Donnybrooke,[12] a failure to start at Laguna Seca after an accident[13] and ninth place at Riverside.[14] He finished the year with sixth place in the championship standings.[15]

In 1971, Dean began the year with a victory at Oulton Park with the Porsche 908,[4] followed by a seventh place in the International Trophy at Silverstone in a McLaren M7A-Chevrolet.[16] Dean then returned to the Can-Am series with a McLaren M8D, but after not-starting at Mosport in June, the car finished fourth at St. Jovite two weeks later driven by Chuck Parsons.[4] He then entered the six hour race at Watkins Glen with the Porsche 908 but did not finish. He did not start the Can-Am rounds at Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca (entering the McLaren on both occasions) but finished the year with 14th place at Riverside using the Porsche.[4] He was not-classified in the championship.[17]

Dean resumed with the Porsche in 1972, but did not finish at the six hours of Daytona race or the Interserie round at Silverstone.[4] However, he then returned to Watkins Glen, with fourth place in the Porsche at the six-hour event.[4] The next day, Dean took the car to ninth in the Can-Am round at the same circuit, but was eight laps down.[18] This was followed by 14th place at the next round at Mid-Ohio.[18] Dean was not-classified in the Championship.[19] He then entered the Rothmans 50,000 at Brands Hatch with a Brabham BT30 and the John Player Challenge Trophy with a McLaren M14A but did not qualify for either,[4] although he finished third in a "consolation" race for non-qualifiers at the Rothmans event.[20] He also entered the 1972 International Gold Cup, with the McLaren but did not attend.[21]

Later career

In 1973, Dean competed in the Race of Champions and the BRDC International Trophy with a Chevron BT24 entered by Anglo-American Racing Team (formed by Dean and American racer Bobby Brown). He finished fifth and 11th respectively. He finished second in the 1973 F5000 Championship behind Teddy Pilette.[2] In 1974, he was not classified at the Race of Champions and finished 12th at the International trophy.[4] He dropped to 16th in the F5000 championship but won a wet two-part (re-started) race at Brands Hatch on August Bank Holiday Monday.[22]

In 1975, Dean competed in Formula 5000 in America, participating in three races with a Chevron B28 and finishing in 17th place in the USAC championship.[23] In addition he participated in the European Formula 5000 Championship achieving two podium positions and finishing 12th in the title standings.[23]

Dean entered the 1979 Hitachi Trophy at Brands Hatch in April. This was a support race for the Race of Champions for Formula Two and Formula Atlantic cars. Dean did not finish, retiring after five laps with a gearbox problem.[23]

In 1979 and 1980, Dean competed in the Aurora Formula One Championship using a Chevron B42-Hart. He finished joint 23rd in the championship in 1979 achieving one sixth-place finish and 18th in 1980 with one fifth- and one sixth-placed finish.[23]

Although Dean's career in major championships declined after the Aurora series, he continued to race, and was still competing in large-capacity single-seaters in America in his 60s.[2]

Personal life

Dean spent most of his working life in the motor trade, as a result of which, together with an ability to obtain sponsorship, he was able to fund his racing career.[1]

Dean was convicted of evading duty on cigars imported into the UK, possibly as a result of his association with Bobby Brown, who never faced charges.[1]

His son, Richard, was also a racing driver.[1][24]

Dean died on 17 January 2008 after a short illness.[2]

Racing record

Non-Championship Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1969	A.G. Dean	BRM P261	BRM P101 3.0 V12	ROC	INT	MAD 2†	OUL
1971	A.G. Dean	McLaren M7A (F5000)	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	ARG	ROC	QUE	SPR	INT 7	RIN	OUL	VIC
1972	A.G. Dean	McLaren M14A (F5000)	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	ROC	BRA	INT	OUL	REP	VIC DNQ
1973	Anglo-American Racing Team	Chevron B24 (F5000)	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	ROC 5	INT 11
1974	Anglo-American Racing Team	Chevron B24 (F5000)	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	PRE	ROC Ret	INT 12
Source:[25]

†Some later reports classify Dean as third: see text

Complete European F5000 Championship results

(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	15	16	17	18	Pos.	Pts
1969	A.G. Dean	Brabham BT23C	Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4	OUL	BRH	BRH	MAL	SIL	MON	KOK	ZAN	SNE	HOC	OUL 18	BRH							48th	50
1971	A.G. Dean	McLaren M7A	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	MAL Ret	SNE	BRH 4	MON 10	SIL 2	CAS Ret	MAL	MNZ	MAL	THR	SIL	OUL	SNE	HOC	OUL	BRH	BRH		11th	9
1972	A.G. Dean	McLaren M14A	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	BRH	MAL	SNE	BRH	NIV	SIL	MON 10	OUL Ret	MAL DNS	BRH	SIL	BRH	OUL	BRH 13					NC	0
1973	Anglo-American Racing Team	Chevron B24	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	BRH 3	MAL 5	SIL 3	SNE 4	BRH 3	OUL 5	MAL Ret	MIS	MAL DNS	MON 4	SIL C	BRH 3	OUL 3	JYL Ret	ZAN 2	SNE 9	BRH 4		2nd	133
1974	Anglo-American Racing Team	Chevron B24	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	BRH Ret	MAL Ret	SIL 7	OUL Ret	BRH	ZOL 7	THR Ret	ZAN Ret	MUG	MNZ	MAL Ret	MON	THR	BRH 1	OUL Ret	SNE	MAL	BRH DNS	16th	28
1975	A.G. Dean	Chevron B24	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	BRH Ret	OUL Ret	BRH 3																12th	28
		Chevron B24/B28					SIL 3	ZOL Ret	ZAN Ret	THR 5	SNE
		Chevron B28										MAL 5	THR	BRH	OUL	SIL	SNE	MAL	BRH
Source:[26]

Complete British Formula One Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Pos.	Pts
1979	A. G. Dean Racing	Chevron B42	Hart 420R 2.0 L4	ZOL 12	OUL NC	BRH	MAL 9	SNE	THR	ZAN	DON 11	OUL Ret	NOG 6	MAL	BRH	THR	SNE	SIL	23rd	1
1980	A. G. Dean Racing	Chevron B42	Hart 420R 2.0 L4	OUL 6	BRH 5	SIL 9	MAL Ret	THR	MNZ	MAL	SNE	BRH	THR	OUL	SIL				14th	3
Source:[25]

References

1. "Tony Dean". historicracing.com. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
2. Watkins, Gary (March 2008). "Obituary – Tony Dean". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 32. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
3. Jenkinson, Denis (July 1965). "XXIII Monaco Grand Prix". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 32. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
4. "All Results of Tony Dean". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
5. Marriott, Andrew (October 1968). "Bank Holiday Brands". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 52. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
6. Jenkinson, Denis (May 1969). "Madrid G.P". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 23. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
7. Marriott, Andrew (May 1970). "BOAC 1,000 km. race". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 36. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
8. D.G. (July 1970). "Can-Am 1970 Mosport". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 24. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
9. D.G. (October 1970). "Road America". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 25. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
10. Kenninson, Harry (2008). "Tony Dean and his little Porsche 908 that Beat the Mighty McLarens". Retrieved 17 March 2016.
11. D.G. (October 1970). "Road Atlanta". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 26. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
12. D.G. (November 1970). "Can-Am 1970 Donnybrooke". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 26. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
13. "Can-Am 1970". classicscars.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
14. D.G. (November 1970). "Riverside". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 24. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
15. "1970 Canadian-American Challenge Cup". classicscars.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
16. Marriott, Andrew (June 1971). "GKN International Trophy: Hill's staying power reaps just reward". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 35. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
17. "1971 Canadian-American Challenge Cup". classicscars.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
18. "Can-Am 1972". classicscars.com. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
19. "Can-Am - final positions and tables". classicscars.com. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
20. Jenkinson, Denis (October 1972). "the-rothmans-50000". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 52. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
21. "International Gold Cup 1972 - Race Results - Racing Sports Cars". www.racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
22. Henry, Alan (October 1974). "Sports Round-up Formula 5000". Motor Sport magazine archive. p. 34. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
23. "Tony Dean". driverdb.com. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
24. Redman, James (30 September 2015). "News and Notes: Another Racing Legend Enters the HSR Classic 24 Hour at Daytona". vscracing.com. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
25. "Tony Dean – Biography". Motor Sport. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
26. "British and European Formula 5000 1969-1977". OldRacingCars. Retrieved December 12, 2019.