Anthony Lionel Shelly (2 February 1937 – 4 October 1998) was a New Zealand racing driver who briefly reached Formula One in 1962 after establishing himself as one of the stronger competitors in Australia and New Zealand. He entered three World Championship Grands Prix, although he only started one, and scored no championship points.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Birthplace | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Born | 2 February 1937 |
| Died | 4 October 1998 |
| First Grand Prix | 1962 British Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1962 Italian Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1962 |
| Current/Last Team | Privateer: Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Lotus |
Career
Shelly’s racing story began in January 1955, when he entered a Morgan in the sports-car class supporting the New Zealand Grand Prix. He qualified for the event but ultimately did not take the start.
His first major breakthrough came three years later at Teretonga. Driving a Cooper, Shelly won what was described as the first big race he had contested, and from there his reputation grew quickly. He became a leading figure on the Australian and New Zealand racing scene before deciding to test himself in Europe for the 1962 season.
Most of his European appearances came for John Dalton in non-championship events. The results were respectable rather than spectacular, but there were some notable highlights: fifth place in the Lombank Trophy and third in the Lavant Cup showed that Shelly could mix it with established European opposition.
He was also due to race at Le Mans that June. Colin Chapman entered Shelly alongside Les Leston in a Lotus 23 for the 1962 24 Hours, only for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to refuse the car’s entry as part of the famous Lotus 23 dispute. Shelly’s Le Mans opportunity disappeared before the race had even begun.
Formula One did at least provide him with one World Championship start. At the 1962 British Grand Prix at Aintree, Shelly qualified and took the start, but his race ended with a failed cylinder-head gasket. He subsequently attempted to qualify for the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, missing the cut on both occasions.
That left Shelly with three World Championship entries, one start and no points, but his Formula One record only tells a small part of his season. Much of his racing came in the busy non-championship calendar that was such an important part of Grand Prix racing in the early 1960s.
At the end of 1962, Shelly returned to New Zealand. He continued racing through 1963 and 1964 before largely stepping away from serious competition, although he made occasional appearances afterwards.
Away from the circuit, Shelly later rebuilt another part of his family story. His father had owned Shelly Motors, a BMW dealership in Honolulu, but the business was sold following his father’s death. Shelly eventually bought it back and made Hawaii an important part of his life, becoming an American citizen in 1975.
He subsequently divided his time between homes in Honolulu and New Zealand. Shelly died in New Zealand on 4 October 1998, aged 61.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 3 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 18th |
| Best Race Finish | 0 |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 2 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 3 |
| Reached Q3 | – |
| Q2 Eliminations | – |
| Q1 Eliminations | – |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Privateer: John Dalton Lotus Privateer: Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Lotus | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | DNF | 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: John Dalton Lotus Privateer: Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Lotus | 1962 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | DNF | 0 | 0 |
