South African racing legend Dave Charlton, who started 11 World Championship Grands Prix from 1967-1975, has died at the age of 76. British-born Charlton, whose family emigrated to South Africa in his youth, was a regular in his home round of the F1 World Championship. His best result came at Kyalami in 1970, when he finished 12th in a Lotus 49C run by respected local outfit Scuderia Scribante. A year later he raced a factory Brabham BT33 in the South African GP.
His sole outing for Team Lotus came in the 1971 British GP as teammate to Emerson Fittipaldi, one of several European Formula 1 outings he enjoyed, but after qualifying 13th his engine expired on the second lap. He also drove a Lotus 72D for both the works and Scuderia Scribante, as well as a McLaren M23, but none brought him much success.
At home in South Africa however, he was king, collecting six consecutive South African Formula One Championships between 1970 and 1975, the first in his Lotus 49, the last in a McLaren M23 and the others in his Lotus 72D. He also had homeland success in F5000, sports cars and sedans, most notably winning the 1971 Goldfields 3 Hours, where he teamed with John Hine in a Chevron B19.
