The British Racing Drivers' Club has confirmed that Le Mans legend Tony Rolt died earlier this week, aged 89.
Perhaps the brightest young talent of a generation of pre-war amateur drivers, Rolt, excelled as a sportscar driver, but confined his racing activities largely to the national scene before making his mark on the 24 Hours with co-driver Duncan Hamilton.
His career spanned the Second World War, with success in the British Empire Trophy at
Donington Park as a 19-year-old preceding a spell in the army - and a stint in Colditz Castle - before he could return to the tracks.
Peacetime saw him enjoy outings behind the wheel of Alfa Romeo, Delage and Nash-Healey machinery and, although he shared Peter Walker's ERA at the 1950 British GP, Rolt restricted himself to national racing, enjoying himself with Rob Walker's Delage in 1951 and, in his only HWM drive, taking second place in the 1952 International Trophy behind team-mate Lance Macklin.
Between 1953 and 1955, Rolt raced Walker's Connaught with great success in national events, winning numerous F2, Libre and handicap races, but also drove for the works Jaguar sportscar team, where he teamed up with the extrovert Hamilton to win the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1953, and take second place at both Le Mans and the Reims 12 Hours the following season.
Rolt joined the BRDC in 1936, the last of its pre-war elected members.
A small family funeral will be held next week, with a memorial service to be arranged at a later date.
Crash.net sends it condolences to the Rolt family.
