What Happened On This Day December 28 In F1 History?

From the birth of Philippe Etancelin in 1896 and David Murray in 1909 to Jim Clark winning the 1963 South African Grand Prix.

Mark Phelan

By Mark Phelan
Updated on November 25, 2024

1963 South African Grand Prix Starting Grid
Lotus driver Jim Clark wins the 1963 South African Grand Prix Grid // Image: Motorsport

What happened on this day, December 27 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1896

Philippe Etancelin, a prosperous farmer and wool merchant, was born in Rouen, France. Etancelin competed in 12 Grands Prix between 1950 and 1952, earning fame as one of the “over-50s gang” at the inaugural World Championship round at Silverstone in 1950. Known for racing with his signature back-to-front cloth cap, he had earlier achieved significant success with Bugatti during the 1930s and won the 1934 Le Mans 24 Hours for Alfa Romeo alongside Luigi Chinetti. A serious accident in 1935, when his car overturned, sidelined him temporarily, but he returned to race an aging Lago-Talbot in the 1950s, finishing fifth twice before retiring in 1952.

1909

David Murray, a chartered accountant and entrepreneur, was born in Edinburgh. After racing an ERA and later a Maserati across Europe, Murray competed in four Formula One World Championship races between 1950 and 1952 but failed to finish any. A crash during practice for the 1951 German Grand Prix led him to refocus his ambitions, teaming up with mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson to establish the legendary Ecurie Ecosse team. Operating from Murray’s garage in Edinburgh, the team achieved international fame, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1956 and 1957. However, financial difficulties plagued Murray in the 1960s. In 1968, facing a meeting with the Inland Revenue, he fled to the Canary Islands, where he died in 1973 following a heart attack caused by a minor car accident.

1939

Conny Andersson was born in Alingsas, Sweden. Although he entered five Formula One Grands Prix, he only managed to qualify for one—the 1976 Netherlands Grand Prix. Unfortunately, his race ended after just 23 laps due to an engine failure in his Surtees. Before his F1 stint, Andersson was a motocross rider and spent nearly a decade as a privateer in Formula 3 racing. He enjoyed notable success in the European Formula 3 Championship, winning at Monaco in 1975 and securing four more victories in the 1976 season.

1963

The 1963 South African Grand Prix was the final race of the season, taking place at South Africa’s East London circuit, a full two months after the previous round in Mexico. Although Jim Clark had already clinched the championship for himself and Team Lotus, he showed no signs of slowing down. Starting from pole, Clark dominated the race to claim a comfortable victory—his seventh win in a ten-race season, setting a new record for the most wins in a single campaign. Dan Gurney secured second place, achieving both his and the Brabham team’s first-ever fastest lap in the process. Graham Hill completed the podium in third for BRM.

It would be the last Formula One race in December until the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

1963 South African Grand Prix Race Results
PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/retiredPts
11Jim ClarkLotus Climax852:10:36.9009
29Dan GurneyBrabham Climax85+66.800s6
35Graham HillBRM84+1 lap4
410Bruce McLarenCooper Climax84+1 lap3
54Lorenzo BandiniFerrari84+1 lap2
612Jo BonnierCooper Climax83+2 laps1
711Tony MaggsCooper Climax82+3 laps0
82Trevor  TaylorLotus Climax81+4 laps0
919John LoveCooper Climax80+5 laps0
1014Carel Godin de BeaufortPorsche79+6 laps0
1116Doug SerrurierLDS Alfa Romeo78+7 laps0
1223Trevor BlokdykCooper Maserati77+8 laps0
138Jack BrabhamBrabham Climax70DNF0
1421Brausch NiemannLotus Ford66+19 laps0
NC18Peter de KlerkAlfa Romeo53DNF0
NC22David ProphetBrabham Ford49DNF0
NC6Richie GintherBRM43DNF0
NC3John SurteesFerrari43DNF0
NC7Ernie PieterseLotus Climax3DNF0
NC20Sam TingleLDS Alfa Romeo2DNF0

F1 Driver Birthdays 28 December

BirthdayF1 Driver
28 December 1896Philippe Etancelin
28 December 1909David Murray
28 December 1939Conny Andersson

F1 Driver Deaths 28 December

DeathF1 Driver
28 December 1983Eugene Chaboud

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Mark Phelan
Mark Phelan

Mark is a staff writer specialising in the history of Formula 1 races. Mark researches most of our historic content from teams to drivers and races. He has followed Formula 1 since 1988, and admits to having a soft spot for British drivers from James Hunt and Nigel Mansell to Lando Norris. He loves a great F1 podcast and has read pretty much every drivers biography.

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