On the 11th of last month, the auto world lost the great American legend Carroll Shelby.
Just hours earlier, the British Racing Drivers Club announced a 'Notice of Death' for another racing icon, Roy Salvadori, at age 90. Joining the Club in 1947, Salvadori would also join co-driver Carroll Shelby to race for Aston Martin in the DBR1 at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. The duo would go on to win the 24 hour endurance race outright. After more than 5 decades, they would pass away only 23 days apart.
As it was with many drivers, Salvadori's achievements were not without its darker moments. Racing at Silverstone, Roy endured critical head injuries when he crashed at Stowe corner in 1951. In fact, the accident was so terrifying, Roy Salvadori was read his last rites and many feared the worst. Salvadori would recover from the ordeal only to crash on the same track, at the same corner, in 1955 behind a Maserati 250F.
After retirement from his racing career, Roy returned to running his car dealership but kept in touch with Formula 1 racing during his term seving as Team Manager for Cooper from 1966 to 1967.
The official cause of death has yet to be determined and funeral details will be announced shortly.
To experience the amazing moments of Roy Salvadori, check out the video segment from "The Golden Age of Motorsport" below:
