Ian Ewart Raby (22 September 1921 – 7 November 1967) was a British racing driver and one of the determined privateers who carved out a place in Formula One during the 1960s. A garage owner from Brighton, Sussex, where he traded as Empire Cars Ltd, Raby arrived at Grand Prix racing relatively late. He contested seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at the 1963 British Grand Prix on 20 July, where he retired after 60 laps. He never scored a championship point.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | British |
| Birthplace | Woolwich, England, UK |
| Born | 22 September 1921 |
| Died | 7 November 1967 |
| First Grand Prix | 1963 British Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1965 German Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1963–1965 |
| Current/Last Team | Privateer: Ian Raby Brabham |
Raby had been racing since around 1953, campaigning a wonderfully varied collection of machinery, many carrying the nickname “Puddle Jumper” on their flanks. Among his early creations was the I.E.R. Midget F3 of 1954. A year later he won the 500cc racing car class at the Brighton Speed Trials in a Cooper, before tackling the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 15th alongside future Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham in a Cooper-Climax T39.
There was plenty more success to come. On 3 August 1959, Raby won Britain’s first Formula Junior race at Brands Hatch, driving the unique Moorland. In 1960, he won a heat and finished second overall in the Formula Junior Albi Grand Prix in France, then added a Formula Libre victory at Mallory Park aboard a Cooper-Climax F2.
By 1963, Raby was mixing it with Formula One machinery. Driving a Gilby–BRM V8, he finished third in the non-championship Rome Grand Prix at Vallelunga on 9 May. He was still running at the finish of the Solitude Grand Prix, although unclassified, and later retired from the Oulton Park Gold Cup. His World Championship debut followed at the British Grand Prix that summer.
For 1964, Raby switched to a Brabham–BRM, but reliability frequently worked against him, including a failure to start the 1964 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. He persevered with the Brabham into 1965 and took eighth at Syracuse before selling the car ahead of that season’s Italian Grand Prix.
When Formula One adopted its new three-litre regulations for 1966, Raby turned his attention to Formula Two. In 1967 he campaigned a Brabham powered by a Ford Lotus twin-cam, taking eighth at Snetterton on 24 March and another eighth at Hockenheim in June. Without the increasingly essential Cosworth FVA engine, he was giving away valuable horsepower, yet returned to Hockenheim on 9 July and fought his way to an impressive fifth against more powerful opposition.
Tragically, Raby’s career ended just three weeks later. On 30 July 1967, he crashed his Brabham during the Zandvoort Trophy Formula Two race and suffered serious injuries. He never recovered, dying on 7 November 1967. Raby was 46, leaving behind the story of a resourceful independent racer who built, prepared and raced his way from Britain’s club scene all the way to the Formula One World Championship.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 7 |
| Race Starts | 3 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 17th |
| Best Race Finish | 11th |
| Retirements | 2 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 4 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 7 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 4 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Privateer: Ian Raby Gilby | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | – | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1964 | Privateer: Ian Raby Brabham | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | – | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1965 | Privateer: Ian Raby Brabham | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | NC |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privateer: Ian Raby Gilby | 1963 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | – | 0 | 0 |
| Privateer: Ian Raby Brabham | 1964–1965 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Amon | 1965 | 1 | – |
