written in mid sixties
THAT MILLIONAIRE COSMETIC-heir, international-set playboy jazz wouldn't bother me except that it implies I don't take racing seriously," Peter Revson says. And the 28 year-old bachelor with homes in London and New York does appear to be a prototype playboy until you find there's a tough, dedicated professional race driver under the dark good looks.
"Cars always turned me on," he says. "I had a '58 Austin-Healey which I never raced, and got started mostly in Formula Juniors. But I wanted something reliable that I could race every weekend so I got rid of the Taraschi and bought a Morgan, With the Morgan I had a lot of good races with Mark Donohue's Elva Courier in '60 and '61."
In 1962, the late Timmy Mayer and Peter formed the Rev-M F-Jr team under Teddy Mayer's management. That year Peter's Cooper won at Mosport and took thirds at Nassau and Puerto Rico. In 1963, after a brief hitch with an advertising agency in New York, Peter and his mechanic, Walt Boyd, headed for Europe. He barnstormed all that summer, finished 3rd at Monaco, set the fastest lap at Enna while losing to Jo Schlesser by two feet and won at Roskilde Ring in Copenhagen for his first international victory. In September he was offered a ride in a factory Cooper by Ken Tyrrel. "This was my big chance," Peter says, recalling that day at Brands Hatch, "but I lost it at Paddock Bend and booted the opportunity."
Peter got his first Formula 1 ride in 1964 in the Parnell team's old Lotus BRM for the Gold Cup race at Oulton Park. In 1965, driving for Tim Parnell, Peter finished fourth at Solitude and several times qualified and finished best among the independents. Ron Harris then offered him a place on the factory sponsored Lotus F2 and F3 teams and though this seemed a great opportunity, it was not a very happy time. "Naturally Jimmy Clark and Mike Spence had first choice and I had to sit around a lot. . . . It's hard enough to drive as second man on a team, but the third man is in an almost impossible position." The season wasn't a complete loss, though: as he did get a fourth at Solitude, a second at Nurburgring, set a new F2 lap record at Enna and won the F3 race at Monaco. .
"My break came during 1965 when I met Bill Kay at Lime Rock," Peter says. "Bill was a real buff. . . and bought the last Brabham BT8 that was made." In the meantime Peter had returned to England to drive F2 for Ron Harris but quit after setting the fastest practice time and then having his car handed over to Peter Arundel. He drove the Kay Brabham in the U.S. professional series that fall, which he thinks bought him some recognition, and in 1966 Skip Scott asked him to join the Essex Wire team and go after the Manufacturers Championship for Ford, which they successfully did.
In 1967 he has been running a McLaren-Chev sponsored by Dana Chevrolet in the USRRC series and has also driven factory Cougars in the Trans-Am sedan series and won at Lime Rock.
His favorite American circuit is Bridgehampton but he adds that when he dreams of circuits it is of those on the Continent.
Author: ArchitectPage
Peter Revson
USA