John Trevor Blokdyk (30 November 1935 – 19 March 1995) was a South African speedway rider and racing driver. He represented his country six times in international speedway before switching his attention to cars and entering two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, qualifying for one.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | South African |
| Birthplace | Krugersdorp, South Africa |
| Born | 30 November 1935 |
| Died | 19 March 1995 |
| First Grand Prix | 1963 South African Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1965 South African Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1963, 1965 |
| Current/Last Team | Privateer: Trevor Blokdyk Cooper |
Career
Blokdyk raced motorcycles in Britain during the late 1950s and early 1960s, riding for the Poole Pirates and Ipswich Witches.
Leicester Hunters signed him in 1962, but his time with the club lasted only one meeting. Blokdyk then announced that he was leaving speedway to concentrate fully on motor racing.
Coventry Bees had also attempted to recruit him from Ipswich that June. The proposed transfer came to nothing for a rather unusual reason: the club could not contact him to complete the deal.
From speedway to Formula racing
Blokdyk’s first Formula One outing came before he had abandoned motorcycles. Driving a Cooper in the non-Championship 1961 Rand Grand Prix at Kyalami, he spun out during the early stages.
He fared better at the Natal Grand Prix at Westmead, bringing the Cooper home in eighth place.
Towards the end of 1962, Blokdyk travelled to Europe to pursue Formula Junior. He quickly became one of the category’s front-runners, but speed could not solve the familiar privateer problem of insufficient funding. When his money ran out, he returned to South Africa.
World Championship appearance
Blokdyk qualified for his only World Championship start at East London in 1963. His three-year-old Cooper-Maserati, prepared by Scuderia Lupini, was hardly cutting-edge machinery, but he guided it to 12th place.
He also achieved consecutive podium finishes in the Mozambique Grand Prix, placing third in both 1963 and 1964.
Blokdyk continued in the South African Formula One Championship during 1964 before making another attempt to build a European career. This time he entered Formula Three and produced several strong results, including victories at Magny-Cours and Nogaro.
A return home for the 1964 Rand Grand Prix ended with engine failure in his Cooper-Alfa Romeo. He entered the 1965 South African Grand Prix but failed to qualify.
Injury and comeback
Blokdyk resumed his European Formula Three campaign later in 1965. A major crash at Albi left him with severe injuries to his pelvis and legs, bringing his season to an abrupt end.
He recovered sufficiently to race again in 1966 and finished sixth at Rouen-les-Essarts. Blokdyk remained active in European Formula Three through 1969 before returning permanently to South Africa to continue competing.
After retiring from motor racing, he became a farmer.
Blokdyk died following a heart attack on 19 March 1995. He was 59.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 2 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 19th |
| Best Race Finish | 12th |
| Retirements | 0 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 1 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 2 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 1 |
