Michael Simon Brindley Bream Beuttler (13 April 1940 – 29 December 1988) was a British Formula One driver who raced privately entered March cars. He was born in Cairo, Egypt.
He was a talented Formula Three graduate from the late 1960s, who then graduated to Formula Two and then to Formula One in 1971. The finance for the team came from a group of stockbroker friends from whom the team took its name – at first Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie Racing, and in 1973 it became Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie-Durlacher Racing. He raced on one occasion, at the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix, for the works March team. Beuttler’s best result was a seventh place in the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix.
Beuttler retired from racing the following year and eventually moved to the United States, where he died in 1988, in Los Angeles, aged 48.
Beuttler was also the brother-in-law of politician Alan Clark. Info from Wiki
Mike Beuttler showed great promise in Formula 3 before graduating to Formula 2 and then Formula 1 in 1971. He raced March F1 cars financed by a group of wealthy stockbroker friends. He continued in 1972 and 1973 but retired from racing at the end of the year. He eventually moved to San Francisco where he died of AIDS in 1988.
Born in Cairo in 1940 of English parents while his father was serving in the Army, Mike became involved in the motor racing world immediately upon leaving school at the age of 19, assuming administrative duties with the Chequered Flag team. He had occasional chances to drive their front-engined Gemini car, but only when he struck out on his own – at the comparatively late age of 24 -with a Brabham F3 in club and Libre events did his racing career start in earnest.
With the backing of stockbroker colleagues Ralph Clarke and David Mordaunt -which was to be so vital to his progress to Formula 1 – Beuttler moved into F3 for the end of 1967 with encouraging results given the calibre of opposition. Staying with the class for three another seasons, Mike won three high-profile events, at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Montlhery, in 1970, gaining third place in the Shellsport F3 championship and second place in that year’s Grovewood Awards for his efforts.
For 1971 ambitious plans were laid to race a March 712 M. Alistair Guthrie joined the roster of backers and with the factory ‘overseeing’ his efforts, Mike undertook a full European F2 series. However, it was to prove a bitter disappointment, with the car beset by sundry maladies until the last round when he won the Madunina GP at Vallelunga. March had also helped him into Formula 1, without any great success.
It was the same recipe for 1972, with the addition of another backer – Jack Durlacher – to help pay the bills but no worthwhile results in Grand Prix. The most interesting aspect of the season, in fact, was the team’s decision to adapt their 722 F2 car to accept the Cosworth engine : the 721 G. So much better was this machine’s handling than that of the notorious 721X that the full-works cars were quickly consigned to history and Peterson and Lauda found themselves the beneficiaries.
Beuttler and his partners gave it one more shot in 1973, starting the season with the old car, but he was no more competitive when the new March 731 finally arrived. Mike called it quits and, after a single outing in the Brands Hatch 1000 Km in 1974 in a 2 liters 74 S March 2 liters, turned his back on racing and went into business. He later moved to San Francisco, where he died of AIDS in 1988, at the tragically young age. of 48.
‘Blocker’ Beuttler’s racing career
Beuttler raced in F1 for three seasons, from 1971 to 1973. As well as Hunt, he faced other world champions in Sir Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda.
His path to the sport began to open up after he had success in the late 1960s in Formula 3 and then moved to Formula 2, most notably winning at Vallelunga in Italy in 1971.
Phillips met Beuttler in 1970, and got to know the driver well as he competed in Formula 2.
“He was quiet compared to Hunt or [British driver and motorcycle racer] Mike Hailwood and an incredibly friendly guy, but beneath that was a fierce determination and he took racing immensely seriously,” said Phillips.
Beuttler got the reputation of being a very rough racer, because he did not like being overtaken and would block anyone who got in his way – and the nickname ‘Blocker’ was born.
In 1971, Beuttler made his F1 debut at the British Grand Prix in a privately funded March car.
His career was financed by stockbroker friends and in 1972 he raced as a semi-works March driver, with Lauda and Ronnie Peterson as his team-mates at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“He probably wasn’t ready for F1 when he joined, but had a great team of backers,” said Phillips.
“He made up for it with his determination and every time he climbed out of the car you knew he had been at work – he was sweating and his eyes were bulging.”
In 1973, Beuttler achieved his best-ever finish, seventh in the Spanish Grand Prix. Overall, he scored five top-10 finishes in his career.
But then the UK was plunged into financial turmoil by the 1973 oil crisis, and his team did not have the money to stay in the sport.
Aged 34, Beuttler retired from racing.
Ann Bradshaw, a motorsport PR consultant who first met Beuttler in the early 1970s, said: “There was no stigma with Mike, he was a nice gentle person – everyone knew he was gay, it wasn’t a secret and it was accepted.”
Taken from BBC Sport and more here: https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/56141363
