Peter Revson

Peter Jeffrey Revlon Revson (February 27, 1939 – March 22, 1974) was an American race car driver and heir to the Revlon cosmetics fortune. He was the Can-Am Champion for the 1971 season, and finished fifth overall in the World Drivers' Championship for both the and  Formula One seasons.

Revson and Dan Gurney were the only two drivers to win races in Formula One, Indy Car, Can-Am, and Trans-Am racing. His champagne-spraying celebrations in victory lane and public image earned him the nickname "Champagne Peter".

Background
Peter Revson was born in New York City, the son of Martin Revson and Julie (née Phelps) Hall. Martin had been a founding partner (along with his brother Charles Revson) of Revlon cosmetics, but had parted ways in 1958 and become chairman of Del Laboratories in 1963. His mother had been a nightclub singer at the time Martin met her.

Revson's full name was Peter Jeffrey Revlon Revson, his middle name a nod to his family's business. As a young man, newspaper articles commonly referred to him as Peter Revlon Revson.

A young, handsome bachelor described as a "free spirit", Peter passed up an easy life for one of competition and danger, including driving in both the USAC Championship Car and Formula One circuits, piloting a 32 ft ChrisCraft boat, and courting some of the most beautiful women in the world. At the time of his death, he was engaged to the recently dethroned 1973 Miss World, Marjorie Wallace.

Early life and racing career
Peter Revson spent his childhood in White Plains, New York, attending prep schools. He had two sisters, Jennifer and Julie Ann, as well as a younger brother Doug, who was killed in a race in Denmark in 1967. Revson never finished his college education after attending Columbia University, Cornell University, and the University of Hawaii. In 1960, while attending the University of Hawaii, he bought a Morgan and entered into sports car racing. In his first race, Revson placed second, then won his next race. His family withdrew their financial aid when he turned his attention to competitive racing full time, relying instead on his savings and education funds. Teaming with Cornell classmate Timmy Mayer and friend Bill Smith, and managed by Teddy Mayer under the Rev-Em Racing banner, Revson competed in Formula Junior in 1962.

In 1963, after limited successes and with Formula One (F1) aspirations, Revson took the remaining money he had, around US$12000, and moved to the United Kingdom. There he was able to buy a Formula Junior Cooper T56 and a Ford Thames van. He then began barnstorming around mainland Europe competing and winning against the likes of future F1 stars Denny Hulme and Jochen Rindt. Revson caught the attention of Reg Parnell, from whom Revson rented workshop space, and was offered a spot on Parnell's planned F1 team for the season. Revson made his F1 debut at a 1963 exhibition race at the Gold Cup in Oulton Park, England, finishing ninth. In 1964, Revson teamed with fellow Reg Parnell Racing drivers Chris Amon and Mike Hailwood, referred to as the Ditton Road Flyers, who received more attention due to their antics and wild parties than their performances on the track. Revson also raced that year, closely associated with Reg Parnell Racing, under his own Revson Racing banner. Both teams were uncompetitive due to a number of factors, including the sudden death of Reg Parnell, financial troubles, and the poor performance of the Lotus 24 car. Revson raced in four of the ten F1 World Championship races that season, completing only two; his best finish was 13th at the 1964 Italian Grand Prix. He also competed in five non-championship races that season, where his best finish was a fourth place at the 1964 Solitude Grand Prix, in West Germany.

Revson accepted an offer to race in the United States in 1965. Focusing mainly on sports car racing, including the Can-Am and Trans-Am Series, he was able to build his reputation as a capable driver. He also competed in American open-wheel car racing, including the top level USAC Championship Car series. In that series, he qualified for the 33rd and final starting position at the 1969 Indianapolis 500; despite completing only 197 of the 200 laps, he finished in 5th place in an underpowered Brabham BT25. He returned to the Indianapolis Raceway Park track later in the 1969 USAC Championship Car season, where he finished third in leg one of the Indianapolis 200, followed by his first Champ Car win in the second leg. His 1969 success at Indianapolis Raceway Park earned him an invitation to race for the McLaren team at the 1970 Indianapolis 500, after his friend Chris Amon was dropped by the team for failing to qualify; Revson qualified 16th, but retired from the race due to mechanical reasons after 87 laps. That same year, while teamed in a Porsche 908/02 with Steve McQueen, the duo finished second overall in the 12 hours of Sebring, and first overall in the 3-liter class, just a few seconds behind the 5-liter Ferrari 512 driven by a trio led by Mario Andretti. McQueen received credit for driving with a broken foot, which also meant that Revson drove the bulk of the race. Revson also the finished the 1970 Can-Am season in 8th, driving a Lola T220 for Carl Haas Racing.

The 1971 racing season was a major breakthrough in Revson's career. Driving at the 1971 Indianapolis 500 for McLaren Racing, he qualified in the pole position in a McLaren M16, and finished the race in second place. As a member of the McLaren Racing team in the 1971 Can-Am season, Revson drove his McLaren M8F to five wins and three other podium finishes in the 10-race season, winning the championship. His success earned him an invitation to race in Formula One, at the season ending 1971 United States Grand Prix, for the Tyrrell Racing team; he started 19th, but retired after one lap due to mechanical issues with his Tyrrell 003-Ford Cosworth DFV.

His success in 1971 earned Revson an offer from the McLaren Formula One team for 1972, headed by his long-time friend Teddy Mayer. Revson entered the 1972 season as a driver for McLaren's Indy Car, Can-Am, and Formula One teams.

Formula One career
During the F1 season, Revson finished 5th in the Driver's World Championship, helping McLaren finish 3rd in the World Constructors' Champion Championship with its McLaren M19A / M19C. Running 9 out of the 12 races, Revson finished on the podium four times with three third place finishes and a season-best second-place finish at the 1972 Canadian Grand Prix.

As part of his contract with McLaren, Revson was required to drive a McLaren Indy team entry in the Indy Car Triple Crown of 500 mile races for the 1972 USAC Championship Car season. At the 1972 Indianapolis 500, he started from 10th on the grid, but retired due to mechanical issues after 23 laps. He also retired due to mechanical issues, after 7 laps, at the Pocono 500 and finished 23rd at the California 500.

During the F1 season, Revson won two races in his McLaren M23, the 1973 British Grand Prix and the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix. He added two other podium finishes, with a third place and a second-place finish, helping McLaren finish 3rd in the World Constructors' Champion Championship. Despite Revson's successes, Teddy Mayer was not satisfied and McLaren opted for the 1972 champion and 1973 runner-up Emerson Fittipaldi.

Revson again drove a McLaren Indy team entry in the Indy Car Triple Crown for the 1973 USAC Championship Car season. At the 1973 Indianapolis 500, he qualified to start from second on the grid, but retired after brushing the wall on the third lap. He qualified in the pole position for both the 1973 Pocono 500 and the 1973 California 500, finishing 21st and 23rd, respectively.

For the F1 season, Revson signed with the one-year-old Shadow Racing Cars F1 team. Driving the team's new Shadow DN3, Revson retired from the first race after an accident in the second lap, and retired from the second race due to overheating of his Ford Cosworth DFV engine after 10 laps.

Death
Revson was killed during a test session on 22 March 1974, before the 1974 South African Grand Prix in Kyalami. His Shadow DN3 suffered a front suspension failure and crashed heavily into the Armco barrier on the outside of "Barbecue Bend". The car stood on its nose, wrapped itself around the barrier and caught fire, and although safety workers and other drivers managed to pull Revson from the wreckage, he was already dead.

Tony Southgate, designer of the DN3, in a 2012 interview with Motor Sport, said: "Revvie was a fabulous easy-going guy, fitted in well, and a very good driver. But tragically he wasn't with us for long. He qualified on row 2 for Argentina and row 3 for Brazil. Then he and I, our chief mechanic Pete Kerr and two other mechanics went down to Kyalami for testing before the South African GP. Revvie was going very well, very happy with the car, and then he didn't come around. We rushed out to the back of the circuit and found the car buried under the Armco on the outside of a quick corner. Peter was already in the ambulance and gone. I phoned the hospital, and they told me I had to go to the morgue and identify him. When the news got out all hell let loose, journalists banging on my hotel door, then the Revson family lawyer arrived and took over.

We were using titanium quite a lot on the DN3, which was quite a new material then. Titanium is finicky, it has to be machined smooth and the surface polished, and a ball joint which had some coarse machining on it had failed. There was only one layer of Armco and the car, instead of being deflected or stopped, had gone right under as far as the cockpit. I felt personally responsible. It was a very difficult time. The glamour of Formula 1 had gone, replaced by a sort of loneliness. You just had to work on. Of course I replaced all the titanium components with steel before the next race."

He was the second Revson to lose his life racing; his brother Douglas was killed in a crash in Denmark in 1967. Peter and Douglas Revson are interred together in a crypt in the community mausoleum at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Revson's autobiography, Speed with Style, co-written with Leon Mandel, was published posthumously by Doubleday & Company in 1974.

Revson was replaced by Tom Pryce, who died three years later at the same Grand Prix.

Awards
Revson was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996 in the sports car category.

Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Non-Championship Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Canadian-American Challenge Cup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)