It’s a car he got to know intimately and with which he enjoyed some success, albeit outside the World Championship. Now 85, ‘Pipes’ will return to Goodwood, where he first raced in the mid-1950s, to demonstrate his own Porsche 917 at the Members’ Meeting. Piper’s international career ended after losing part of his leg in a crash during the filming of the Steve McQueen movie ‘ Le Mans’ in 1970, but returned undeterred to compete in historic events, both in Ferrari and Porsche prototypes. Later that year he gave the 917 its first international victory, when he and Attwood triumphed in the Kyalami 9 Hours. At home in front-engined GTOs and rear-engined LMs and P2s, he tackled many of the major long-distance events, under the David Piper Auto Racing banner and alongside top-name drivers, including Richard Attwood, Pedro Rodriguez and Jo Siffert.Ī mainstay of the five-litre formula that will be celebrated at the Members’ Meeting, Piper gave the Porsche 917 its international debut, alongside Frank Gardner, at the Nürburgring 1,000km in 1969, the year in which he mostly campaigned a Lola T70 Mk3B. During the 1950s he campaigned Lotusand Jaguar machinery, before switching in the early-’60s to Ferraris. David Piper has to be considered one of the greatest sportscar racing privateers, having competed in World Championship and national events all over the world.
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