W. Douglas Hawkes
W. Douglas Hawkes, 1920. Source is Bibliothèque nationale de France, Agence de presse Meurisse. In public domain as more than 70 years have passed from a collective work, so copyright lapsed. JPEG copyright, Richard Jenkins, 2018.
Born: |
11 Sep 1893 |
Died: |
02 Aug 1974 |
Nationality: |
Great Britain |
Indy 500s: | 2 (1922-1926) |
Although he raced pre-WWI, Hawkes really became known in the 1920's, with fine drives at Brooklands and Europe, often for Bentley. He also broke and set many speed records. He moved to France, and ran a workshop at Montlhery for ages until financial problems led it to close down in 1936. Also ran a small engineering company in the UK, which thern allowed him, after racing retirement, to prepare racing cars. One of his main drivers was top female driver Gwenda Stewart, who Hawkes later married.
Biography last updated 24 Jan 2010