Former F1 Driver Allison Dies
Former Ferrari and Lotus driver Cliff Allison has died, aged 73. The Briton made 16 starts during a Formula One career that never quite fulfilled its promise and was eventually cut short by an injury he sustained during a practice crash at the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix
Allison's F1 debut came at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, as he led Lotus's assault on Grand Prix racing. He had raced for the team in sports cars and justified Colin Chapman's faith in him with sixth place in his first two races and a fourth place at the Belgian Grand Prix - finishing behind three cars that would not have struggled to finish another lap of the track.
After coming close to winning that year's German Grand Prix, before a burst radiator forced him out, fellow Briton Mike Hawthorn put pressure on his Ferrari bosses to offer him a test - and Allison duly landed a works drive at Maranello for 1959.
The highlight of that season was a fifth place at Ferrari's home Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but the following year things improved dramatically as he took second place in the Argentine Grand Prix. However, a crash during practice at Monaco resulted in a broken arm and saw him sit on the sidelines for the rest of the year.
For 1961 he signed up with the UDT-Laystall Racing Team and impressed during several non-championship events - including a second place at the International Trophy.
For that year's Belgian Grand Prix, Allison had to set a faster practice time than team-mate Henry Taylor to claim the car for the race but he crashed heavily and sustained serious leg injuries, which prompted his retirement from racing.
Having hung up his helmet, Allison spent the rest of his life in his home village of Brough in Cumbria.
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