Hesketh

Hesketh Racing was a British Formula One constructor active between 1973 and 1978. During its time in the championship, the team participated in 52 World Championship Grands Prix, securing one victory and eight more podium finishes. The team’s highest achievement in the World Constructors’ Championship was a fourth-place finish in 1975. Both James Hunt and Alan Jones made their Formula 1 debuts with Hesketh cars.

1973 – 1975

Hesketh Racing rented a Surtees TS9 for the non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in 1973, where James Hunt finished third. This success prompted the purchase of a March 731, and Hesketh also brought in junior March Engineering designer Harvey Postlethwaite to modify the chassis, working from their Easton Neston estate. The car debuted at the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix, where Hunt was running sixth before an engine failure. He scored a point at the team’s next entry, the 1973 French Grand Prix, improved to fourth at the 1973 British Grand Prix, and secured third at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. Hunt capped the season with a second-place finish at the 1973 United States Grand Prix.

In 1974, Postlethwaite designed a new car for the team, the Hesketh 308, which Hunt drove to victory at the Silverstone International Trophy. The car made its championship debut at the 1974 South African Grand Prix and performed well, achieving third place at the Swedish, Austrian, and United States Grand Prix. For 1975, Hesketh sold 308 models to Harry Stiller Racing, which gave Alan Jones his F1 debut, and to Polar Caravans, while the works team continued to modify the 308 for Hunt.

Hunt won the wet-dry 1975 Dutch Grand Prix, fending off Niki Lauda in the more dominant Ferrari. He also led races at the 1975 British and Austrian Grand Prix, securing several points finishes and finishing fourth overall in the 1975 drivers’ championship.

1976 – 1978

In late 1975, Lord Hesketh announced that he could no longer afford to continue racing without sponsorship and ended his involvement with the team. James Hunt was then offered the lead driver seat at McLaren, replacing Emerson Fittipaldi.

Harvey Postlethwaite took his upgraded 308C design to Wolf–Williams Racing, while Anthony ‘Bubbles’ Horsley continued Hesketh Racing by upgrading the 308 to the 308D. Harald Ertl signed on to drive, and the team secured sponsorship from Penthouse Magazine and Rizla. Guy Edwards joined as a second driver from the 1976 Belgian Grand Prix onwards, with Alex Ribeiro providing additional funds later in the year. Ertl’s seventh place at the 1976 British Grand Prix was the team’s best result of the season. Future Williams engineer Patrick Head noted that the 308D had significant aerodynamic issues at the rear, hindering its performance.

For the 1977 season, Frank Dernie designed the new 308E chassis, with Rupert Keegan driving alongside Ertl. Later in the season, a third car was entered for Héctor Rebaque, as Horsley sought to bring in more funds. Ertl left and was replaced by Ian Ashley, but by then, Keegan’s car was usually the only one to make it to the grid. Keegan’s seventh place at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix was the team’s best finish that year.

In 1978, the team was reduced to a single car with backing from Olympus Cameras. The car itself saw minimal upgrades, and Divina Galica failed to qualify for the first two races. Eddie Cheever managed to qualify for the 1978 South African Grand Prix but retired due to a fractured oil line. Derek Daly was the next to try the car, and at the wet International Trophy at Silverstone, he diced for the lead with James Hunt’s McLaren before a stone cracked his visor, ending his race. However, Daly failed to qualify for the next three world championship events, leading to the team’s closure.

Hesketh Racing Formula One World Championship Records

First entry	1974 South African Grand Prix
Races entered	52
Constructors’ Championships	0
Drivers’ Championships	0
Race victories	1
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
Final entry	1978 South African Grand Prix

Entrant Names

Years	Names
1973–1977	Hesketh Racing
1975	Warsteiner Brewery
1975	Polar Caravans
1976–1977	Penthouse Rizla Racing
1978	Olympus Cameras/Hesketh Racing

Hesketh Racing Results As Team

Not entered as a constructor.

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Drivers	Rounds
1973	March 731	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G		James Hunt	6, 8–10, 12–15
1974	March 731	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	F	24	James Hunt	1–2

Hesketh Racing Constructors’ Championship Results

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Drivers	Rounds	WCC Points	WCC Pos.	Report
1974	308	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	F G	24	James Hunt	3–15	15	6th
				31	Ian Scheckter	12
1975	308 308B 308C	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	24	James Hunt	All	33	4th
				25	Torsten Palm	5
					Harald Ertl	11
					Brett Lunger	12–14
				32	Torsten Palm	7
					Harald Ertl	12
				34		13
1976	308D	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	24	Harald Ertl	2–16	0	NC
				25	Guy Edwards	5, 8–10, 13–14
					Rolf Stommelen	12
					Alex Ribeiro	15
1977	308E	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	24	Rupert Keegan	5–16	0	NC
				25	Harald Ertl	5–9
					Héctor Rebaque	11–13
					Ian Ashley	14–16
				39	Héctor Rebaque	7–9
					Ian Ashley	12–13
1978	308E	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	G	24	Divina Galica	1–2	0	NC
					Eddie Cheever	3
					Derek Daly	4–6

Private Entrants

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Drivers	Rounds
1975	Custom Made Harry Stiller Racing	308B	Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0	F	25	Alan Jones	4
					26		5–7

Source: Wikipedia.com and fandom.com