Lance Noel Macklin (2 September 1919 – 29 August 2002) was a British racing driver from England.
He participated in 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952. Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
During his early years, Lance Macklin boxed and rowed, played polo, and had the chance to be part of the British Olympic ski team, but an accident ended his chance. He went on to serve with the Royal Navy, working on motor gun boats, and after this followed his ambition to become a racing driver.
He attempted to enter a race on the Isle of Man, in a Maserati, but was refused as he had no racing experience though he finally got started, racing one of his father’s Invictas.
Following a good performance at Chimay, he was given a drive in the Spa 24 Hour race with Ian Metcalfe in his 8-litre Bentley. Despite not finishing, his performance impressed John Eason Gibson, who was team manager of the winning Aston Martin. From this he was asked to join David Brown’s Aston Martin team for 1949 and the following year he and George Abecassis finished fifth at Le Mans in a DB 2.
He drove an Aston Martin to third place at Le Mans in 1951 (with Eric Thompson) though left to join the Bristol sportscar team in 1953.
Hersham and Walton Motors was at that time planning a season of F2 racing with their HWMs and, impressed with his speed, Abecassis invited him to drive for the team. Between 1952-54 he contested 11 championship Grands Prix with the team, as well as many non-championship races. His most notable success was winning the International Trophy at Silverstone in 1952, but he had numerous top placings in races around Europe. He was entered in two more Grands Prix in 1955 driving the Stirling Moss-owned Maserati 250F at Monaco (where he failed to qualify) and Aintree, where he finished eighth. At Albi he was running second until the engine mounts broke.
In 1954 he joined the Austin-Healey team and his most notable success was a third place at the Sebring 12 Hours (with George Huntoon). He stayed with them for the 1955 season (taking a fifth at Sebring with Moss) but unfortunately there was the catastrophic Le Mans crash in which Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators were killed.
He was deeply upset by the Le Mans disaster and his morale was affected further a few months later, when he narrowly avoided a crash which killed two drivers during the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod. Another driver recalls him returning to the pits in a very distraught state and totally overcome although he was in no way to blame.
Following this, after sharing a Healey 100S (with Archie Scott Brown) in the 1956 Sebring 12 Hours he did one more race and then retired.
After retiring, he joined the Facel Vega car company in Paris to run its export division, and would later move to Spain but returned to England when he became ill.
