Shooting Star on a Prancing Horse
By Jonathan Williams
The son of a soldier turned schoolmaster, the author discovered his passion for racing at age 11 after stumbling upon an F3 Cooper at a filling station where his father had stopped for fuel. Dad then took him to Silverstone for the British GP in 1953, which only fanned the flame of desire. For his 17th birthday, his father bought him a second-hand Austin-Healey Sprite, then changed his mind and replaced it with an inaugural edition Mini —which quickly became a competition car.
Eventually Williams got into formula cars, Juniors at first and then F3, which he drove for the small Italian constructor de Sanctis, winning first time out at Monza. Soon he’d been introduced to Enzo Ferrari, which led to a contract to race F2 and serve as a test driver, but he was shortly racing sports cars for the Scuderia.
When Chris Amon convinced Ferrari to contest the new Can-Am series in 1967, a second entry was sent along for Williams. The car, a topless P4, was uncompetitive against the Chevy-powered McLarens and Lolas, but sandwiched between two of the races was the Mexican Grand Prix. Williams, expecting to lounge around California during the intervening fortnight, found himself reporting to Mexico City, helmet and overalls in hand, to make his F1 debut. It was also his swan song, though, as his option was not renewed.
Continuing to race in F2, he won the Monza Lotteria three years straight. Despite that his career was ebbing, but several 1970 sports car starts led to a job driving camera cars for Steve McQueen’s production of Le Mans. Williams subsequently found adventure in flying and on motorcycles until his death in 2014.
This book of his life is available for US$39.95 directly from Autosports Marketing Associates at www.autosportsltd.com
