George Ross Eaton (born 12 November 1945) is a Canadian former racing driver and a member of Toronto’s prominent Eaton family. His career included Formula One, Can-Am and Formula A before he later became president of the family’s retail company.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Birthplace | Toronto, Canada |
| Born | 12 November 1945 |
| First Grand Prix | 1969 United States Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1971 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Current/Last Team | BRM |
Life and career
Born in Toronto, Eaton was the youngest son of John David Eaton and Signy Stefansson Eaton.
He emerged as one of Canada’s leading drivers during the late 1960s, competing in the powerful Can-Am series from 1968 through 1970. Eaton was the championship’s highest-placed Canadian competitor in 1969.
That season also brought appearances in Canadian Formula A and the Continental Series. He returned to the latter championship in 1971.
Formula One
Eaton entered Formula One with BRM and made his World Championship debut on 5 October 1969.
He contested 13 championship Grands Prix and one non-Championship race for the British team. Although he did not score a point, his appearances placed him among the relatively small group of Canadian drivers to reach Formula One during the period.
Eaton also attempted to qualify for a NASCAR Grand National event at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1970 but did not make the starting field.
He retired from motor racing after the 1972 season.
Business and honours
Eaton later became president of Eaton’s, the department-store company founded by his family. He led the business during its final decade, a period in which the once-dominant Canadian retailer continued to decline before ultimately entering liquidation.
His racing achievements were recognised with induction into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1994.
In April 1996, St Francis Xavier University awarded Eaton an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during a special convocation.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 13 |
| Race Starts | 11 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 9th |
| Best Race Finish | 10th |
| Retirements | 7 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | – |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 2 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | BRM | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | – | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1970 | BRM | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1971 | BRM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0 | NC |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Oliver | 1969, 1970 | 12 | – |
| John Surtees | 1969 | 2 | – |
| Pedro Rodriguez | 1970 | 10 | – |
| Peter Westbury | 1970 | 1 | – |
| Helmut Marko | 1971 | 1 | – |
| Howden Ganley | 1971 | 1 | – |
| Peter Gethin | 1971 | 1 | – |
| Jo Siffert | 1971 | 1 | – |
