Wild years

Piers Courage (1942 – 1970) was the eldest son and heir to the Courage brewing dynasty. Educated in the Eton College, he enjoyed the best possible education and began his racing in a Lotus 7.

Picture above: Piers Courage, aboard a Reg Parnell-entered BRM P126, at the 1968 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch (classified 8th). Easily find all articles concerning Piers Courage on the website.

In 1964, he moved to European F3 in a Lotus 22, and competitive races persuaded him to pursue a career in single seaters. A string of good results in 1965 convinced Colin Chapman to offer Courage a seat for the 1966 F3 season.

The car was inferior to the Brabhams but Courage impressed regularly with his speed and bravery, and this earned him a drive in the 1966 German Grand Prix in a Lotus Formula 2 car, where he crashed out. He was then signed by the BRM Formula 1 team for the 1967 season, but his driving was wild and he repeatedly crashed out of races.

A good run in a McLaren (picture below, at Longford) during the winter Tasman Series, including a win, resulted in Tim Parnell offering him a drive in his works-supported Reg Parnell Racing BRM for 1968.

Courage had a good run in the BRM in 1968, including points-scoring finishes in France and Italy. When Frank Williams decided to make the step up to F1 in 1969, Piers Courage was his first choice as a driver.

But that’s another story.