Stephen South (born 19 February 1952) is a British former racing driver whose rapid rise through Formula Ford and Formula Three marked him as one of England’s brightest prospects of the 1970s.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | British |
| Birthplace | Harrow, England, UK |
| Born | 19 February 1952 |
| First Grand Prix | 1980 United States Grand Prix West |
| Last Grand Prix | 1980 United States Grand Prix West |
| Years Active | 1980 |
| Current/Last Team | McLaren |
South won the 1977 BRDC Vandervell British Formula Three Championship and later became a race winner in European Formula Two. His only Formula One entry came with McLaren at Long Beach in the 1980 United States Grand Prix West, where he failed to qualify while substituting for the injured Alain Prost.
Only months later, South’s career was abruptly ended by a Can-Am practice accident at Trois-Rivières. The injuries required the amputation of part of his left leg.
He was educated at Harrow County School for Boys.
Career
Formula Ford
A former English karting champion, South immediately impressed after graduating to Formula Ford.
Driving Rayrace International’s Ray 73F in 1973, he won five times during his first season. Those results carried him to third place in the Wella for Men Championship and fourth in the BOC series, making him one of the year’s standout newcomers.
South returned with Rayrace in 1974 and increased his victory total to 11. At the wheel of the newer Ray 74F, he finished runner-up in the BOC championship.
Formula Three
Rayrace moved into Formula Three for 1975 and took South with it. The season opened encouragingly with third place at Aintree, followed by fifth-place finishes at Brands Hatch and Croix-en-Ternois.
The team’s Ray RB3 was not competitive enough to sustain that form, prompting a switch to a March 753. South returned to the podium at the final round of the season at Thruxton.
For 1976, he joined the Dortmunder Union Bier and Bogarts of Birmingham entry. South began with the March 753 before moving into a 763 later in the year.
Two runner-up finishes at Thruxton within the opening three races signalled his growing competitiveness. He then attracted wider attention by finishing third in the prestigious Monaco Formula Three race.
South’s first victory in the category arrived at Mallory Park, where he won the non-championship Griffin Golden Helmet Trophy.
His third Formula Three season brought a move to Team BP and another March 763. It proved an inspired combination.
South won the opening BRDC Vandervell Championship round at Silverstone and the first BARC BP Super Visco event at Thruxton. Four more victories followed: two on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, plus wins at Snetterton and Mallory Park.
Those six victories and eight additional podiums earned South the 1977 BRDC Vandervell British Formula Three title. He finished second to Derek Daly in the parallel BARC championship. A collision between the pair at Silverstone destroyed South’s March and may have denied him the chance to claim both crowns.
His performances secured an invitation to the JAF Grand Prix. Making his Formula Two debut, South finished seventh.
Formula Two
South competed only six times in 1978, exclusively in Formula Two machinery. His best result was fourth in the European Championship round at Hockenheim.
That performance was enough to earn a full-season contract with Ron Dennis’s Project Four team for 1979. South rewarded the opportunity with two pole positions and victory in the Rhein-Pokalrennen at Hockenheim.
He finished sixth in the European Formula Two standings, and talk of a future Formula One career began to gather momentum.
Formula One
South was preparing to join Toleman for the 1980 Formula Two season when McLaren offered him an unexpected Grand Prix opportunity.
Alain Prost had been injured, leaving the team in need of a substitute for the United States Grand Prix West at Long Beach. South chose the Formula One appearance over the Toleman drive.
Unfortunately, McLaren’s M29 was badly uncompetitive, and the unfamiliar street circuit offered little time to adapt. South failed to qualify after lapping almost four seconds slower than experienced teammate John Watson.
It was his only Formula One entry.
Can-Am and career-ending accident
Two months later, South resurfaced in California for the opening round of the 1980 Can-Am season. He had signed with Paul Newman’s Budweiser-backed Newman Racing operation.
South soon demonstrated that the pace evident in Formula Three and Formula Two had not disappeared. He finished second at Mosport, then secured pole position and led at Road America before a spin ended his challenge.
During practice for the Grand Prix Molson at Circuit Trois-Rivières in Quebec, South suffered a major accident. His left leg was severely injured and required partial amputation, bringing his professional racing career to an immediate end.
South made several appearances at historic motorsport meetings in 2008.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 1 |
| Race Starts | 0 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | DNQ |
| Best Race Finish | DNQ |
| Retirements | 0 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 1 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 1 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 1 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | McLaren | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | 0 | Not classified |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Watson | 1980 | 1 | – |
