Peter Ashdown

{{short description|British racing driver (born 1934)}} {{BLP sources|date=December 2025}} {{for|the United States Senate candidate|2006 United States Senate election in Utah#Democratic}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}} {{Infobox F1 driver

| | name = Peter Ashdown | nationality = {{flagicon|GBR}} British | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1934|10|16}} | birth_place = Danbury, Essex, England | years = {{F1|1959}} | teams = non-works Cooper | races = 1 | championships = 0 | wins = 0 | podiums = 0 | points = 0 | poles = 0 | fastest_laps = 0 | first_race = 1959 British Grand Prix }} '''Peter Hawthorn Ashdown''' (born 16 October 1934)<ref name=chicane>{{cite web|title= Drivers: Peter Ashdown |url= http://www.chicanef1.com/indiv.pl?name=Peter%20Ashdown&type=d |work= ChicaneF1.com |accessdate= 27 November 2007}}</ref> is a former motor racing driver. He drove in a single Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, racing a Cooper.

[[Image:1956-08-26 Karlskoga WINNER Lotus IX Ashdown.jpg|thumb|left|Ashdown is celebrated after winning his class and being 3rd overall, at the Kanonloppet race at Karlskoga racetrack (Gelleråsen) on 26 August 1956 in his Lotus Mark IX license "KH9". On his return he drove this tiny car back to the UK, but had an accident from which this car was not to be repaired.<ref name="forgotten">Forgotten F1 Drivers, ''[https://www.f1forgottendrivers.com/drivers/peter-ashdown/ Peter Ashdown]'', last accessed on 26 February 2023.</ref>]] Ashdown had trained as a vehicle mechanic, and had been a few years in the Royal Air Force when he started racing. First seen in a Dellow with a Ford 10 engine,<ref name="forgotten"/> he continued around 1955 to race in a Lotus Mark IX as a privateer, not being part of any particular racing team.<ref name="motorsport magazine">[https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/peter-ashdown/ Peter Ashdown], Motorsport Magazine, last accessed on 26 February 2023.</ref>

Prior to Formula One, Ashtown was one of the leaders of the British Formula Junior scene, but an accident at Rouen-Les-Essarts in 1958, in which he broke his collarbone, considerably hampered his career.<ref name=autocourse>{{cite web|title= Driver: Ashdown, Peter |url= http://www.chicanef1.com/indiv.pl?name=Peter%20Ashdown&type=d |work= Autocourse Grand Prix Archive |accessdate= 27 November 2007}}</ref>

Ashtown continued racing, and competed in a Formula Two (F2) Cooper-Climax entered by Alan Brown at the 1959 British Grand Prix at Aintree. He finished in 12th position, third of the F2 cars and six laps down.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

From there, Ashtown drove a Formula Junior Lola and many small-engined sports cars, winning his class in the 1960 and 1962 1000km of Nürburgring. On the latter occasion at the Nordschleife, he and the co-driver Bruce Johnstone scored the debut win for Lotus 23 in the 1L Sportscar class with a 997cc Cosworth Mk.III as a semi-works entry (Ian Walker Racing), while the other semi-works (Essex Racing Stable) Lotus 23 of Jim Clark crashed on lap 12 of the 44 lap race.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nürburgring 1000 Kilometres|author=racingsportscars.com|url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Nurburgring-1962-05-27.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Ian Walker Racing, The Man and His Cars|first1=Julian|last1=Balme|year=2012|edition=1st|publisher=Coterie Press|isbn=9781902351476}}</ref>

Ashtown retired in 1962 and focused his efforts on a Vauxhall dealership in Essex.<ref name="motorsport magazine"/> {{-}}

==Complete Formula One World Championship results== (key) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! WDC ! Points |- | 1959 ! Equipe Alan Brown ! Cooper T45 (F2) ! Climax<br>Straight-4 | MON | 500 | NED | FRA |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GBR<br />{{small|12}} | GER | POR | ITA | USA ! NC ! 0 |- !colspan="15"|{{center|{{small|Source:<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|last=Small|first=Steve|title=The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who|date=1994|publisher=Guinness|page=37 |isbn=0851127029}}</ref>}}}} |}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashdown, Peter}} Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:English racing drivers Category:English Formula One drivers Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Category:People from Danbury, Essex Category:Sportspeople from Essex Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers Category:20th-century English sportsmen Category:12 Hours of Sebring drivers