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23/11/2013
Bev Bond
After a long illness Bev Bond, former F3 driver for Gold Leaf Team Lotus, sadly passed away on Friday 22nd November at the age of 75.
Bev’s motor sport career started by racing karts with success at home and abroad. He and Roger Keele were known together as the Bultaco Boys, after the successful engine of that name. He then graduated to Formula 4 for a works drive in a JW4 and had success in this short lived Formula.
In 1966/67 a Cooper type 72 was bought by Bev, which was his introduction to one litre F3. This car had been involved in an accident, hence the £250 price tag. After a lot of hard work, which included straightening the chassis by hanging it from the rafters in his garage, he made his debut with it.
In 1968 he had graduated to drive a Brabham BT21B for Race International. His success in this car caught the eye of Colin Chapman who gave him a contract to drive the works Lotus 59. His greatest success with this car was when he won the British Empire trophy race at Oulton Park in 1970. In his first heat a spark plug lead came off causing him to retire. In the second heat he started from the back of the grid and worked his way through the field to take the lead from James Hunt on the last lap.
After his contract expired with Colin Chapman he drove for Jean Allan and Harry Stiller. When he retired from racing he managed Harry Stiller’s F1 Hesketh for Alan Jones and when Harry retired he managed Harry’s leisure park called Tucktonia. Before retiring Bev, among other things, started a driving school and became membership secretary for the 1000cc F3 Historic Racing Association.
In 2010, at the Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting, Bev was given the opportunity to be reunited with and race his British Empire winning car by the present owner Jim Chapman.
Also at the 2012 HSCC Silverstone finals he was given the opportunity to race Andrew Thorpe’s March 703.
To Bev’s partner, and his many friends in and out of the sport, the 1000cc F3 Historic Racing Association offers its sincere sympathies
