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Peter Barry Ryan (10 June 1940 – 2 July 1962) was an American-born
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
racecar driver from
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec Mont-Tremblant () is a city in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, approximately northwest of Montreal and northeast of Ottawa, Ontario. The current municipality with city status was formed in 2000. Mont-Tremblant is most famous for i ...
. He had a short
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
career. He participated in one Grand Prix, the
1961 United States Grand Prix The 1961 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 8, 1961, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was the eighth and final race in both the 1961 World Championship of Drivers and the ...
at Watkins Glen, finishing ninth. He scored no championship points. However, he became the first Canadian ever to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix.


Career

Ryan first came to prominence as a skier, winning the National Ski Association's junior downhill championship at Mount Rose, Nevada, in 1957. "Immediately after Ryan's victory, Americans protested that Canadians could not win an American championship." The protest was disallowed. His Olympic prospects were such that a dispute arose as to which country he should represent. The Americans asserted that he: "was born in the United States as were his father, the late Joseph P. Ryan, and his mother." Ryan expressed a preference for the Canadian team: "But while he would like to ski for Canada, he wouldn't care to give up his American citizenship." "An outstanding skier, Ryan shifted to auto racing in 1959 after a ski crackup in which both his legs were broken." On 25 April 1959, Denise McCluggage, writing in ''Competition Press'', reported: "Peter Ryan of the Mont Tremblant Ryans bought Bernie Vihl's beautifully kept old 550 Porsche in which to take up racing-sports car racing that is. Peter at 19, is an old hand at ski racing being a downhill expert." Ryan's successes came in sports cars racing in Canada, the US and Nassau. On 1 October 1960, Ryan co-drove with Roger Penske in a Porsche RS60 to win the six-hour Sundown Grand Prix at Harewood, in Ontario, Canada. The next week Ryan was entered in the 230-mile Formula Libre road race at Watkins Glen, New York. In qualifying he was "the surprise of the day, taking the fifth position over England's
Roy Salvadori Roy Francesco Salvadori (12 May 1922 – 3 June 2012) was a British racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Salvadori won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in wit ...
." Ahead of him were
Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (17 September 1929 – 12 April 2020) was a British racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers to never win the Formula On ...
,
Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , and , ...
,
Joakim Bonnier Karl Jockum Jonas "Joakim" Bonnier (31 January 1930 – 11 June 1972), commonly known as Jo Bonnier, was a Swedish racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Bonnier won the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix with BRM. ...
and
Olivier Gendebien Olivier Jean Marie Fernand Gendebien (; 12 January 1924 – 2 October 1998) was a Belgian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of sportscar racing, Gendebien was a Li ...
. He was driving Bill Sadler's Formula Libre special, known as "Formula Ferocious," a rear-engined single-seater device, when his motor blew on lap 56. At Sebring on 25 March 1961, Ryan, teamed with Frances Bradley and
Ludwig Heimrath Ludwig Heimrath Jr. (born September 9, 1956) is a Canadian businessman and former race car driver in open-wheel and sports-car racing. Born in Scarborough, Ontario, Heimrath started his driving career racing Go-karts and Formula Fords. In 1979 and ...
, finished eighth overall in the Florida International 12-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance, driving a Porsche RS. In June 1961 Ryan withdrew from a race at
Mosport Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi- track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville in Clarington, Ontario, Canada, approximately 75 kilometers (47 miles) east of Toronto. The ...
. He "was expected to give Moss his stiffest competition, but did not compete. He withdrew at the last minute. Ryan, a member of the
Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting Autocross, Rallycross, HPDE, Time Trial, Road Racing, RoadRally, and Hill Climbs in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs ...
, feared he would lose his amateur status in the United States if he entered the race. The S.C.C.A. ordered its members not to compete in the Canadian race because prize money was being given." In July 1961 Peter Ryan (Comstock Sadler-Chevrolet) was leading the
Meadowdale Meadowdale may refer to: * Meadowdale High School (Washington), Lynnwood, Washington * Meadowdale High School (Ohio), Dayton, Ohio *Meadowdale International Raceway Meadowdale International Raceway was a race track located in Carpentersville, Il ...
Grand Prix when
Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937), also known as "the Captain", is an American auto racing team owner, businessman, and former professional driver. Penske is the owner of Team Penske, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and ...
(Maserati birdcage ''Telar Special''): "banged into him from the rear on the 18th lap." Ryan clung on to the lead, but after spinning recovered to finish second. On 6 August 1961, Ryan won the
Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nass ...
for Formula Junior cars at Bridgehampton, New York, driving a
Lotus 20 The Lotus 20 is a Formula Junior car built by Lotus for the 1961 season as a successor to the Lotus 18. The chassis is a spaceframe, clothed in fibreglass bodywork. It has front double wishbone suspension, but the rear had a lower wishbone wi ...
, averaging 87.95 miles an hour. Ryan was the winner of the inaugural
Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix () is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports car event, before alterna ...
, in a Lotus Monte Carlo-Climax, held at Mosport on 30 September 1961, when it was a non-Championship sports car race. Second that day was Pedro Rodriguez (Ferrari V12) and third Stirling Moss (Lotus Monte Carlo). The win at Mosport led to an invitation from
Colin Chapman Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (19 May 1928 – 16 December 1982) was an English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of the sports car company Lotus Cars. Chapman founded Lotus in 1952 and initia ...
to drive a Lotus in the 1961 United States Grand Prix. In the first 3-hr Daytona Continental GT and sports car race at Daytona on 11 February 1962, Ryan finished 15th overall, sharing a Ferrari 3.0-litre with Ricardo Rodriguez. The previous day he had finished fifth in the Lurani Trophy Race for Formula Junior cars, driving a
Lotus 20 The Lotus 20 is a Formula Junior car built by Lotus for the 1961 season as a successor to the Lotus 18. The chassis is a spaceframe, clothed in fibreglass bodywork. It has front double wishbone suspension, but the rear had a lower wishbone wi ...
. At Sebring on 24 March 1962, Ryan, teamed with John Fulp, finished thirteenth overall in the Florida International 12-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance, driving a Ferrari 248 SP for the
North American Racing Team The North American Racing Team (NART) is a motorsport racing team founded in 1958. It was created by businessman Luigi Chinetti to promote the Ferrari marque in North America through success in endurance racing. It was created in 1958 when Ch ...
. An offer of a factory-Lotus Formula Junior drive in Europe for 1962 did not materialise: "The young Canadian-American, bitterly disappointed, has gone to England to see what arrangements can be made for the coming season." "Placed under a three-year contract by Team Lotus he was lent to the Ian Walker Racing Team for the 1962 season,.." On 27 May 1962, Ryan was teamed with Paul Hawkins in an Ian Walker Racing Team
Lotus 23 The Lotus 23 was designed by Colin Chapman as a small-displacement sports racing car. Nominally a two-seater, it was purpose-built for FIA Group 4 racing in 1962–1963. Unlike its predecessors Lotus 15 and 17, the engine was mounted amidsh ...
at the Nurburgring 1,000 km sports car race. The car suffered from overheating and was unplaced. At Monaco on 2 June 1962, Ryan won a heat race in an FJ Lotus, finishing eleventh in the final.
Denis Jenkinson Denis Sargent Jenkinson (11 December 1920 – 29 November 1996), "Jenks" or "DSJ" as he was known in the pages of ''Motor Sport'', was a British journalist deeply involved in motorsports. As Continental Correspondent of the UK-based ''Motor Spo ...
commented: "The driving of Ryan, the Canadian, and Spence, both in Ian Walker Lotus-Juniors, was very impressive,.." At
Mallory Park Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47 road, A47, between Leicester and Hinckley, in central England. Originally used for Grass track racing, grass-track until 1955, a new, basicall ...
, England, on 11 June 1962, Ryan drove an FJ Lotus: "The Formula Junior event saw Peter Ryan adding to his growing reputation in Europe by tailing
Peter Arundell Peter John Arundell (8 November 1933 – 16 June 2009) was a British racing driver, who competed in Formula One at 13 Grands Prix between and . Arundell participated in 13 World Championship Grands Prix for Lotus, debuting at the 1963 Fren ...
's works Lotus for the whole race, then nipping through on lap 28 to win by a second." Ryan made his
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
debut on 23 and 24 June 1962, partnered by John 'Buck' Fulp, driving the #18
NART The Nart sagas (; ; ) are a series of tales originating from the North Caucasus. They form much of the basic mythology of the ethnic groups in the area, including Abazin, Abkhaz, Circassian, Ossetian, Karachay- Balkar, and to some extent C ...
Ferrari 250 The Ferrari 250 is a series of sports cars and grand tourers built by Ferrari from 1952 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series includes many variants designed for road use or sports car racing. 250 series cars are chara ...
TRI/61. The car completed 150 laps and 15 hours when it was crashed by Ryan. "Poor Peter Ryan put his Ferrari in the sandbank at Mulsanne and dug for ages before giving up,.." Ryan's last race was in the ''Coupe Internationale des Juniors'' Formula Junior race at
Rheims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...
, on 2 July 1962. "First of the heats, run at 10 a.m. round an almost deserted circuit, began as a terrific scrap between Peter Ryan's Ian Walker Lotus, Bill Moss's Gemini, Gardner's Brabham with
Love's Love's Travel Stops, doing business as Love's (or stylized as Loves), is an American family-owned and -operated chain of more than 650 truck stops in 42 states in the United States. The company is privately owned and headquartered in Oklahoma ...
Cooper and Arundell's Lotus lurking just behind. This struggle continued until the 5th lap, when Ryan's Lotus and Bill Moss's Gemini touched as they left the very fast right-hand bend past Gueux. Both cars left the road at high speed and were totally wrecked; Bill Moss escaped with minor injuries but Ryan was taken to hospital seriously hurt." He succumbed to his injuries in a Paris hospital where he was taken following the accident. Peter Garnier, writing in '' Autocar'', said of Peter Ryan: "During his all too-brief-spell on British and Continental circuits, he had proved himself to be extremely skilful and fast, with just that touch of fire which can often indicate the makings of a great driver."''Autocar'', 6 July 1962, Page 35. Peter Ryan was inducted into the
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF) is a hall of fame run by the Canadian Motorsport Heritage Foundation as a not-for-profit charitable institution that "honours and recognizes the achievements of individuals and institutions that have ma ...
as one of the initial inductees in 1993.


Complete Formula One results

( key)


References


Bibliography

* David Charters, ''Chequered Pasts: Sports Car Racing and Rallying in Canada, 1951-1991'', University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division, 2007.


External links


Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame citation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Peter 1940 births 1962 deaths American emigrants to Canada Racing drivers from Quebec Canadian Formula One drivers Racing drivers who died while racing 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Racing drivers from Philadelphia Sport deaths in France World Sportscar Championship drivers Canadian racing drivers