Robert Geoffrey Verdon-Roe (born 21 November 1965 in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, Hampshire) is a British

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

who has raced in various formats of motor sport throughout his career. He has won

Formula Renault Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to auto racing, motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before mov ...

, TVR Tuscan and Historic Formula One Championships. He is the grandson of Sir

Alliott Verdon Roe Sir Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe OBE, Hon. FRAeS, FIAS (26 April 1877 – 4 January 1958) was a pioneer English pilot and aircraft manufacturer, and founder in 1910 of the Avro company. After experimenting with model aeroplanes, he made flight tr ...

who was a pioneer of British aviation and founder of the

Avro Avro (an initialism of the founder's name) was a British aircraft manufacturer. Its designs include the Avro 504, used as a trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the d ...

aircraft company. He was educated at Ashdown House and

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

having been brought up in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Racing career

In 1988 he started racing in single-seaters, with no previous karting experience. Verdon-Roe came 3rd in the Formula First championship of 1988. In 1989 he moved into

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

and finished 3rd in the

P&O European Ferries P&O European Ferries (formerly Townsend Thoresen), a division of P&O Ferries, was a ferry company which operated in the English Channel from 1987 after the ''Herald of Free Enterprise'' disaster, when '' Townsend Thoresen'' was renamed ''P&O E ...

Championship behind

David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' ...

and

Kelvin Burt Kelvin Burt (born 7 September 1967 in Birmingham) is a British auto racing driver. After attending the Jim Russell Racing Drivers' School in 1987 he turned to Formula Ford racing, battling hard against David Coulthard for the championship. He wo ...

. During 1990 and 1991 he raced in

, culminating with him winning the Championship in 1991 after a heated battle with

Jason Plato Timothy Jason Plato (born 14 October 1967) is a British auto racing, racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for BTC Racing. He has twice been List of BTCC champions, BTCC Champion, in 2001 British Touring ...

. He was nominated for an ''

Autosport ''Autosport'' is a global motorsport publishing brand headquartered based in Richmond, London, England. It was established in 1950 at the same time as the origins of the Formula One, Formula One World Championship. Autosport began life as a we ...

'' Award. In 1992 Verdon-Roe switched to touring cars with a drive in a

Vauxhall Cavalier The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car that was sold primarily in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995. It was based on a succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in ...

for the

Ecurie Ecosse Ecurie may refer to: * Écurie, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in France * Several car racing teams (compare '' scuderias'') : ** Ecurie Belge ** Ecurie Bleue ** Ecurie Bonnier ** Ecurie Ecosse, a former motor racing team from ...

team in the

British Touring Car Championship The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...

. He also raced in the latter half of the Formula Vauxhall Championship that year. In 1993 he drove a semi-works

Toyota Carina E The is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's second-highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed in the ...

for the Park Lane Toyota Carina team. His best result that year was a 6th place at

Snetterton Snetterton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. The village is about east-northeast of Thetford and southwest of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of . The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded a parish population ...

and finished the championship down in 19th. After a quiet spell which included a one-off race in

Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

in 1994, Verdon-Roe returned to motorsport in the

TVR Tuscan Challenge The TVR Tuscan Challenge is a one-make series dedicated to the second incarnation of the TVR Tuscan sports car (Initially developed as a road car and then built for the race series), and takes place throughout the United Kingdom. Inaugurated ...

. In 1997 he won the TVR Tuscan championship overall and was nominated for an Autosport award. In 1998 he stayed with the factory team and finished a close 2nd in the championship and the same year, competed with the new TVR Speed 12 in the British GT Championship. He also had his first taste of Historic racing, teaming up with

Gerry Marshall Gerald Dallas Royston Marshall (16 November 1941 – 21 April 2005) was a British racing driver. He was commonly referred to by the nickname ''Big Gerry''. According to a 2002 edition of Motor Sport Magazine poll, he was one of the best driver ...

in a

Jaguar E-Type The Jaguar E-Type, or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British FMR layout, front mid-engined sports car that was manufactured by Jaguar Cars, Jaguar Cars Ltd from 1961 to 1974. Its sleek appearance, advanced technologies, ...

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...

, finishing third after gaining pole position. In 1999 he briefly raced for the Lister works team in the

FIA GT Championship The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...

, before returning to TVR and racing their new Cerbera Speed 12 GT car in the

British GT Championship The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports G ...

in 2000 and 2001, winning three races and eventually finishing 3rd in the championship. Verdon-Roe also drove one-off races in the

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

in 2001 in 2002. In 2002 he returned to the Lister team and raced the

Lister Storm The Lister Storm was a homologated GT racing car manufactured by British low-volume automobile manufacturer Lister Cars with production beginning in 1993. Road car The Storm used the largest V12 engine fitted to a production road car since ...

in the FIA GT Championship. Highlights included a 2nd place at Silverstone and 2nd place at the Spa 24 hours, Lister's best ever result in a 24-hour race. In 2003 he raced for the newly formed

Creation Autosportif Creation Autosportif, Ltd. was a sports car racing team based in Oxford, England. It was founded in 2003 by Ian Bickerton and Mike Jankowski and has raced in the FIA GT Championship, FFSA GT Championship, American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, ...

racing team driving the 2000 FIA GT Championship winning Lister Storm chassis (002) to 4th place in the FIA GT Championship. In 2004 he again raced for

Creation Creation or The Creation or Creations, may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Creation'' (1922 film), a British silent drama * ''Creation'' (unfinished film), 1931 * ''Creation'' (2009 film), about Charles Darwin Literature * ''Creation ...

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...

and the

Spa 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by CrowdStrike. History The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their and ...

in the Lister. He also raced once in the British GT Championship for Rollcentre Racing in the Mosler MT900R. There were also a number of entries in various historic events including the

Le Mans 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...

Group C support race and winning the Spa-Francorchamps Classic Endurance Race. In 2005 he raced in the Le Mans 24 hours race driving a Dallara Nissan LMP1 car for the Rollcentre team, as well as the Spa 24 Hours for the Lister team. In 2008 he won the

Goodwood Revival The Goodwood Revival is a three-day festival held each September at Goodwood Circuit since 1998 for the types of road racing, racing cars and motorcycles that would have competed during the circuit's original period—1948–1966. History The ...

's feature race, the RAC TT Celebration, driving a

Ferrari 330 The Ferrari 330 was a series of V12 powered automobiles produced by Ferrari in 2+2 GT Coupé, two-seat Berlinetta, spyder, and race car versions between 1963 and 1968. The name "330" refers to the approximate Engine displacement, displacement of e ...

LMB with

Peter Hardman Peter Hardman (born 7 September 1964 in Redditch, Worcestershire) is an English racing driver. Though a keen spectator of rallycross in his school days, Hardman did not look set to embark on a racing career until a visit to a Jim Russell driv ...

, the first victory for a Ferrari in the TT since the Revival began. In 2009 Verdon-Roe won FIA

Historic Formula One Championship History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

driving a

McLaren M26 The McLaren M26 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Coppuck for the McLaren team, to replace the aging McLaren M23 model. The car was designed to be a lighter and lower car than its predecessor, with a smaller frontal area and narr ...

. At the Revival he shared the Ferrari 330 LMB with

Emanuele Pirro Emanuele Pirro (; born 12 January 1962) is an Italian racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Pirro is a List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners, five-time winner of the 24 Hours of L ...

finishing 2nd. BVR Monaco

In 2010 he won the Grand Prix Historique of Monaco aboard the ex-

James Hunt James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) was a British racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Shunt", Hunt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and wo ...

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

. He also won the FIA Historic Formula One championship ground effect class and finished 2nd overall driving a McLaren MP4/1B. At the Goodwood Revival he shared the Ferrari with

Tom Kristensen Tom Kristensen (born 7 July 1967) is a Danish former racing driver. He holds the record for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine, six of which were consecutive (from 2000 to 2005). In 1997, he won the race with the Joest Racing te ...

, but retired having started from pole position. In 2011 he again finished 2nd overall in the FIA

and won the ground effect class in the ex-

Niki Lauda Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian racing driver, motorsport executive and aviation entrepreneur, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Lauda won three Formula One World Drivers' Champ ...

McLaren. At the Revival he raced

Aston Martin DBR1-2 The Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, also known as the Aston Martin DBR1-2, is a Le Mans Prototype sports car built by Lola Cars International and co-developed with Prodrive for use by Aston Martin Racing. It is the first prototype to bear the Aston ...

to 2nd place in the Sussex Trophy. In 2012 he finished 2nd in the Grand Prix Historique of Monaco and 2nd in Goodwood Revival's TT Celebration race driving a Jaguar E-type. In 2015 he won the Sussex trophy in the Ferrari Dino 246S at the Goodwood Revival. In 2021 he finished 5th with

Martin Brundle Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Brundle won the World Sportscar Champions ...

in the AC Cobra known as Snakeyes in the RAC TT at the Goodwood Revival. In 2022 he finished 7th with

Alex Brundle Alexander Brundle (born 7 August 1990) is a British racing driver and broadcaster. He was the 2016 European Le Mans Series champion (LMP3) and is the son of Formula One driver-turned-commentator Martin Brundle. He attended Oakham School in Rutla ...

in the AC Cobra known as Snakeyes in the RAC TT at the Goodwood Revival. In 2023 he finished 9th, after it rained, in Snakeyes, with

in the RAC TT at the

. In 2024 he finished 4th in Snakeyes with Andre Lotterer in the RAC TT at the Goodwood Revivival.

Racing record