From racer to monk

Rikky von Opel, tries his best at the wheel of the sole Ensign N174-Ford entered by Mo Nunn at the 1974 Argentina Grand Prix (picture-above), but only manages to qualify in 26th, some 7 seconds slower than poleman Peterson in his Lotus 72. He did not start the race, worried about the poor handling of his car.

Frederick “Rikky” von Opel (born October 14, 1947) is a former racing driver who represented Liechtenstein in the Formula One World Championship, the only driver to have done so. He is the son of Fritz von Opel and a great-grandson of Adam Opel, the founder of the German car-maker Opel.

He won the Lombard North British Formula 3 Championship in 1972. He participated in 14 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix for the Ensign and Brabham teams, debuting on July 1, 1973. He scored no championship points.

After his stint in Formula One, von Opel retired to a Buddhist  monastery in rural Thailand and became a monk. His exact whereabouts are unknown and his only contact with the outside world comes in the form of a post office box, the location of which is known by only a select few of his acquaintances.