Aussie F1 Racer David Walker Dies
Sydney born, former Formula 1 driver ‘Dave’ Walker died aged 82 last week (June 10, 1941- May 24, 2024).
The very gifted Walker raced two revolutionary Grand Prix Lotuses in 1971-72: the four-wheel-drive, gas-turbine powered Lotus 56 Pratt & Whitney and epochal, edgy-wedge, side radiator, torsion-bar sprung Lotus 72 Ford.
He cut his teeth in club competition aboard an MGA Twin-cam, soon progressing to a Brabham BT2 Ford.
With support from David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce, Walker had an Australian Grand Prix (Sandown 1964) and Bathurst 500s (1963-65) under his belt before jumping on a ship at Circular Quay to take on the world’s best in Europe.
Dave Walker on the grid in the Lotus 69 Ford ahead of his victorious F3 race at the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix. Photo: Rainer Schlegelmilch
Armed with a Merlyn Mk10 Ford he became a Formula 3 Gypsy, racing across Europe for start and prizemoney throughout 1967, winning the Adriatic GP at Opatija, Yugoslavia in June.
He figured he needed to go backwards to go forwards so did a deal to race a Russell-Alexis Formula Ford in 1968, doing well enough to bag a quasi-works Jim Russell Race Drivers School Lotus 61 FF in 1969.
He won the Les Leston Championship and was then picked up by Gold Leaf Team Lotus to race their F3 Lotus 59 and Lotus 69 Fords throughout 1970-71.
In 1971, in a year of unparalleled dominance, Walker won 25 of 32 F3 race starts, including the prestigious Monaco and British GP rounds and two of the three British titles.
Lotus boss, Colin Chapman rewarded him with his first F1 drives that year, Walker having had some ‘big car’ experience the year before in F5000, including a quick trip home to Sydney in November 1970 to contest the AGP at Warwick Farm in an uncompetitive Lotus 70 Ford.
In 1972 Dave was Emerson Fittipaldi’s #2. Like Fittipaldi in 1971, Walker struggled with a car that took some learning, unfamiliar circuits and not a lot-of-love from the team.
Dave Walker steering the Lotus 72D Ford ahead of Chris Amon during the 1972 Monaco GP. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch
Emmo won the title and Dave got the flick in favour of Ronnie Peterson at seasons end with seven DNFs from 10 starts, all due to mechanical failure.
It wasn’t as bad as many would have you believe though, he was fifth in the Non-Championship Brazilian Grand Prix and in the running for points in South Africa, Monaco and Spain.
In the following years Walker had sporadic F2, F5000, F Atlantic and sportscar drives but two road car crashes in 1973 – he broke a leg in one and almost severed his left arm in the other – sealed his competition fate, a few Canadian Formula Atlantic drives in 1975 were his last before hanging up his helmet.
An F3 ad about Dave Walker’s career.
Walker worked in Canada for a while, getting involved in a boat chartering business. He and his wife Jan returned to Australia and have parlayed those skills in a successful business on the Whitsunday Coast since.
I had several phone calls with the beautifully spoken and sharp-as Dave in 2021-21, keep an eye out for an Auto Action feature on Walker soon.
Auto Action extend our condolences to Dave Walker’s wife and other family members, friends and many fans around the world.
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