Michael Henderson Spence was a British racing driver whose blend of speed, intelligence, and versatility made him one of the most highly regarded talents of the 1960s. Though his life was tragically cut short at just 31, Spence built an impressive record in Formula One, sports cars, and non-championship racing, earning the respect of many of the era’s greatest figures.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | British |
| Birthplace | Croydon, England, UK |
| Born | 30 December 1936 |
| Died | 7 May 1968 |
| First Grand Prix | 1963 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1968 South African Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1963–1968 |
| Current/Last Team | BRM |
Born in Purley, Spence grew up in a motoring environment and began racing with machinery connected to his family, including his father’s Turner sports car and an AC Ace. His early experiences quickly revealed a natural ability behind the wheel.
Early career
Spence moved into open-wheel racing in 1960 through Formula Junior, then the primary route to Formula One.
In 1961, he drove an Emeryson in two non-championship Formula One events. He retired from the Solitude Grand Prix with gearbox trouble, but finished second in the Lewis-Evans Trophy at Brands Hatch.
Those performances led to a move to Ian Walker Racing for 1962 in a Lotus 22, followed by a place in the works Lotus Formula Junior squad in 1963.
Late that season, opportunity knocked when injured driver Trevor Taylor was unavailable for the Italian Grand Prix. Spence was drafted into the Lotus Formula One team, qualifying ninth in the legendary Lotus 25 and finishing 13th while teammate Jim Clark secured the title.
Formula One career
Lotus: 1964–1965
With Peter Arundell initially chosen as Clark’s teammate for 1964, Spence spent much of the early season in Formula Two. But after Arundell suffered a serious accident, Spence returned to Lotus for the remainder of the year.
Driving both the Lotus 25 and Lotus 33, he scored points with sixth in Italy and fourth in Mexico, finishing equal 12th in the championship.
He remained with Lotus in 1965 and began strongly with fourth in the South African Grand Prix. Outside the championship, he won the prestigious Race of Champions at Brands Hatch and finished third in the International Trophy at Silverstone.
In the World Championship, he again took fourth in Britain and achieved his only championship podium, third, in Mexico. He ended the season eighth overall with ten points.
Privateer season: 1966
Spence opened 1966 by winning another non-championship race in South Africa, but Lotus team boss Colin Chapman reinstalled the recovered Arundell, leaving Spence without a factory drive.
He signed for Reg Parnell Racing, driving an ageing BRM-powered Lotus 25. Despite unreliable machinery, he managed fifth-place finishes in both the Netherlands and Italy, earning four points and finishing 13th in the standings.
BRM: 1967–1968
At the end of 1966, Graham Hill left BRM for Lotus, and Spence was selected as his replacement.
Driving the complex BRM P83 in 1967, he scored points in five races—four fifth places and one sixth—finishing tenth in the championship.
He continued with BRM into 1968, driving the BRM P115 and BRM P126. Though retirements masked the results, his pace in early-season races suggested stronger performances were on the way.
Across 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, Spence scored 27 points and one podium.
Sports car racing
Spence was equally effective in endurance racing. In 1967, innovative constructor Jim Hall recruited him for the Chaparral Cars programme.
Partnering with former world champion Phil Hill in the radical Chaparral 2F, Spence impressed immediately. He set fastest laps at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1000 km of Spa before taking a commanding victory in the BOAC 500.
In 1968, he joined Alan Mann Racing and became one of the few men to race the advanced but troubled Ford P68. Mechanical issues denied results, but again, his speed was evident.
Death
Following the death of Jim Clark at Hockenheim in April 1968, Colin Chapman invited Spence back to Lotus for the Indianapolis 500 programme. He was due to race the revolutionary Lotus 56.
During practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 7 May 1968, Spence recorded a lap of 169.555 mph, the fastest speed of the month at that stage and second-fastest in track history.
Later that afternoon, while testing another turbine Lotus after another driver had struggled for speed, Spence entered Turn One too quickly and crashed heavily into the concrete wall. The right-front wheel was forced back into the cockpit and struck him on the helmet. He died later that evening from severe head injuries. He was 31 years old.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 37 |
| Race Starts | 36 |
| Did Not Start | 1 |
| Best Race Start | 4th |
| Best Race Finish | 3rd |
| Retirements | 18 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 1 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Podiums
| Podiums | 1 |
| First Podium | 1965 Mexican Grand Prix |
| Last Podium | 1965 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 1st Place | 0 |
| 2nd Place | 0 |
| 3rd Place | 1 |
| Most Consecutive Podiums | 1 |
| Most Podiums in a Single Season | 1 (1965) |
| Seasons with Podiums | 1 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 37 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Points
| Points Scored | 27 |
| Points Finishes | 12 |
| Most Points in a Single Season | 10 (1965) |
| Seasons with Points | 4 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Team Lotus | Lotus 25 | Climax V8 | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA 13 | USA | MEX | RSA | NC | 0 | ||
| 1964 | Team Lotus | Lotus 25 | Climax V8 | MON | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR 9 | MEX 4 | 12th | 4 | ||||||
| Lotus 33 | GER 8 | AUT Ret | ITA 6 | USA 71 | |||||||||||||
| 1965 | Team Lotus | Lotus 33 | Climax V8 | RSA 4 | MON | BEL 7 | FRA 7 | GBR 4 | GER Ret | ITA 11 | USA Ret | MEX 3 | 8th | 10 | |||
| Lotus 25 | NED 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | Reg Parnell Racing Ltd | Lotus 25/332 | BRM V8 | MON Ret | BEL Ret | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | NED 5 | GER Ret | ITA 5 | USA Ret | MEX DNS | 13th | 4 | |||
| 1967 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P83 | BRM H16 | RSA Ret | MON 6 | NED 8 | BEL 5 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | CAN 5 | ITA 5 | USA Ret | MEX 5 | 10th | 9 | |
| 1968 | Owen Racing Organisation | BRM P115 | BRM H16 | RSA Ret | ESP | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | NC | 0 |
2 The Parnell Lotus driven by Spence in 1966 was a written-off 25 rebuilt around a 33 monocoque.
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Clark | 1963, 1965 | 16 | – |
| Gerhard Mitter | 1964, 1965 | 2 | – |
| Walt Hansgen | 1964 | 1 | – |
| Moises Solana | 1964, 1965 | 3 | – |
| Geki | 1965 | – | – |
| Giancarlo Baghetti | 1966 | – | – |
| Jackie Stewart | 1967 | 11 | – |
| Pedro Rodriguez | 1968 | 1 | – |
