Racing Driver and motorsport sponsorship guru Guy Edwards has died aged 83 years old.
Edwards, father of the late Sean Edwards, had racing success in single seaters, touring cars and sportscars but is likely best known as the man who likely saved the life of Niki Lauda after the Austrian’s catastrophic fiery accident at the Nurburgring in 1976, his selfless efforts led to his being awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal.
Guy took two overall race wins in the World Sportscar Championship in 1981 in Lola T600s and scored two class podium finishes at Le Mans in 1980 and 1981 in a Porsche 935 (pictured top) and, again, a Lola T600. That pair of podiums came from a Le Mans career that saw him start the race 9 times with a best overall result of 4th in a John Fitzpatrick Racing Porsche 956B in 1985 alongside David Hobbs and Jo Gartner.
He had much race-winning success in both F500 and F1 machinery in the British F1 Championship and started no fewer than 11 Formula One Grand Prix in Embassy Racing Lola and Hesketh Racing chassis.
After a return to racing in the late 1980s as part of Andy Rouse’s Sierra Cosworth Kaliber Racing effort, he focused on a successful career in motorsport sponsorship, sourcing backing for drivers and teams around the world and penning the hugely successful 1992 book ‘Sponsorship and the World of Motor Racing’.
Pics courtesy and Copyright racingsportscars
