David Rowland John Morgan (7 August 1944 – 6 November 2018) was a British racing driver from England whose career included Formula Three, Formula Atlantic, Formula Two, Formula One and touring cars. Although he made just one Formula One World Championship start, Morgan enjoyed a lengthy career in British motorsport before later becoming a race engineer in international single-seater racing.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | British |
| Birthplace | Shepton Mallet, England, UK |
| Born | 7 August 1944 |
| Died | 6 November 2018 |
| First Grand Prix | 1975 British Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1975 British Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1975 |
| Current/Last Team | Surtees |
Racing career
Morgan began his competitive career in the mid-1960s racing a Mini before progressing into Formula Three, where he established himself as a talented and determined competitor.
His early career suffered a significant setback at the end of the 1970 season when he received a 12-month suspension for dangerous driving following a last-corner collision with James Hunt at Crystal Palace. Despite the ban, Morgan was later permitted to continue his career and moved into Formula Atlantic in 1971.
He subsequently spent two seasons competing in Formula Two before returning to Formula Atlantic, where his performances earned him an opportunity to make the step up to Formula One.
Formula One career
Morgan’s sole Formula One World Championship appearance came at the 1975 British Grand Prix.
Driving in his home race, he qualified and ran through the notoriously difficult conditions that developed in the closing stages. Heavy rain caused chaos across the circuit, with numerous drivers losing control and crashing. Morgan was among those caught out by the storm and was involved in an accident before the finish.
Despite retiring, he was classified 18th in the final results.
Touring cars and engineering career
Following his Formula One appearance, Morgan stepped away from racing for several years before returning to competition in the 1980 and 1981 British Saloon Car Championship seasons. Driving a Mitsubishi Colt Lancer, he added touring car racing to an already varied motorsport career.
After retiring from driving, Morgan remained closely involved in the sport as a race engineer. He worked with Belgian driver Eric van de Poele in both Formula One and Formula 3000, applying the technical knowledge he had gained throughout his own racing career to help develop one of Belgium’s leading drivers of the era.
Death
David Morgan died on 6 November 2018 following a stroke.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 1 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 23rd |
| Best Race Finish | 18th |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 1 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Surtees | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 0 | NC |
