Born in Burlington, Vermont, on 13 June 1929, Harry Blanchard was part of the wave of adventurous American privateers who helped shape post-war sports car racing in the United States during the 1950s. His Formula One career lasted just a single race.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | American |
| Birthplace | Burlington, Vermont, USA |
| Born | 13 June 1929 |
| Died | 31 January 1960 |
| First Grand Prix | 1959 United States Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1959 United States Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1959 |
| Current/Last Team | Privateer: Porsche |
Blanchard began his racing career in American sports cars, building experience in an era when road racing in the United States was rapidly growing in popularity.
Formula One
His one and only Formula One appearance came at the 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring — a race that also doubled as part of the Formula Two regulations for smaller-engined cars. Driving a Porsche RSK Formula 2 car, Blanchard lined up against an international field featuring some of the sport’s biggest names. Despite the limitations of the car compared to the full Formula One entries, he completed the race in seventh place, finishing four laps behind eventual winner Bruce McLaren.
Death
Blanchard continued racing internationally into 1960, remaining closely associated with Porsche sports cars. Tragically, his promising career was cut short just weeks later. In January 1960, while competing in the gruelling 1000 km Buenos Aires endurance race in Argentina, Blanchard was involved in a fatal accident while driving a Porsche 718 RSK. He died on 31 January 1960 at just 30 years old.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 1 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 16th |
| Best Race Finish | 7th |
| Retirements | 0 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Privateer: Porsche | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | NC |
