George Eaton

The affluent scion of a Canadian family who were owners of the Eaton merchandising concern, George had the wherewithal to go racing, graduating to a McLaren M1C via a fearsome Cobra. After a few races late in 1967, Eaton ran the car in Can-Am the following season, his best finish being a very impressive third at Laguna Seca in the wet.

Ordering a new McLaren M12 for Can-Am and a McLaren M10 for Formula A, he was a front-runner in both series, which brought an invitation to race the works BRM in the final two Grands Prix of 1969. This contact led to a deal for Eaton to drive for BRM in F1 for the full season in 1970, as well as racing their P54 prototype in Can-Am. All in all, it proved to be a great disappointment for both parties, leaving George somewhat disillusioned.

He raced for BRM once more in 1971, and also handled Ferrari sports cars at Sebring, Le Mans and Watkins Glen. But with success proving elusive, the wealthy Eaton gradually lost interest, and after taking part in the 1972 Daytona 6-hour race he left the racing scene to pursue other interests.

Latterly, he took over the running of the family business which eventually ran into financial trouble and collapsed in 1997.