| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 26 February 1955 |
| Birth place | Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Death date | 23 September 2024 (aged 69) |
| Death place | Portoferraio, Elba, Tuscany, Italy |
| Years | 1977–1978, 1980, 1982 |
| Teams | Hesketh, Surtees, RAM, March |
| Races | 37 (25 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| First race | 1977 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix |
| Bf1 years | 1979 |
| Bf1 races | 13 |
| Bf1 championships | 1 |
| Bf1 wins | 5 |
| Bf1 podiums | 6 |
| Bf1 points | 65 |
| Bf1 poles | 5 |
| Bf1 fastest laps | 4 |
Rupert Keegan (26 February 1955 – 23 September 2024) was an English racing driver. He participated in 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 8 May 1977. He scored no championship points.
Biography
Keegan won the 1976 British Formula 3 Championship, which propelled him into Formula One. After seasons with Hesketh and Surtees, neither of them particularly competitive teams, he won the Aurora Formula One Championship in 1979. A return to the Formula One World Championship with RAM driving their Williams FW07B yielded little in the way of results, as did a few races with March. His best career result was seventh at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix scored in Hesketh 308E/1.[1]
After Formula One, Keegan raced in the United States in CART, and also in endurance racing. After his retirement, he pursued business interests and also worked as a racing instructor.
Keegan died in Portoferraio after a long battle with cancer[2] on 23 September 2024, at the age of 69.[3][4]
Racing record
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WDC | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penthouse Rizla Racing | Hesketh 308E | Ford V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP Ret | MON 12 | BEL Ret | SWE 13 | FRA 10 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | AUT 7 | NED Ret | ITA 9 | USA 8 | CAN Ret | JPN | NC | 0 | |
| Durex Team Surtees | Surtees TS19 | Ford V8 | ARG Ret | BRA Ret | RSA Ret | USW DNS | MON Ret | BEL DNQ | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Surtees TS20 | Ford V8 | ESP 11 | SWE DNQ | FRA Ret | GBR DNQ | GER DNQ | AUT DNQ | NED DNS | ITA | USA | CAN | |||||||||||
| RAM Williams Grand Prix Engineering | Williams FW07 | Ford V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | BEL | MON | FRA | GBR 11 | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
| RAM Penthouse Rizla Racing | GER DNQ | AUT 15 | NED DNQ | ITA 11 | CAN DNQ | USA 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| Rothmans March Grand Prix Team | March 821 | Ford V8 | RSA | BRA | USW | SMR | BEL | MON | DET | CAN | NED | GBR | FRA | GER DNQ | AUT Ret | SUI Ret | ITA DNQ | CPL 12 | NC | 0 | ||
Complete British Formula One Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | C. W. Clowes Racing | Arrows A1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ZOL | OUL 11 | BRH Ret | MAL 1 | SNE 1 | THR Ret | ZAN NC | DON 1 | OUL Ret | NOG | MAL Ret | BRH DNS | THR 1 | SNE 1 | SIL 2 | 1st | 65 |
Source:[7] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Indy Car World Series
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Machinists Union Racing | 59 | LBH | INDY | MIL | POR | MEA | CLE | MCH | ROA | POC | MDO 19 | SAN | MCH | LAG 12 | PHX | MIA 10 | 35th | 4 | [8] | ||
| 1986 | Gohr Racing | 65 | PHX | LBH | INDY DNQ | MIL | POR | MEA | CLE | TOR | MIC | POC | MDO | SAN | MIC | ROA | LAG | PHX | MIA | NC | - | [9] |
References
- ^ "Who were the Jewish F1 drivers: A Look at Their Careers - F1 BLAST". 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Obituary: Playboy F1 racer Rupert Keegan billed as 'next James Hunt'"
- ^ Thurgood, Julius (23 September 2024). "With the saddest heart, I write this to say that we have lost Rupert Keegan after a heroic battle with a long term illness.". Instagram. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "In Memoriam Rupert Keegan". Autosport NL. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Rupert Keegan Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ Small, Steve (2000). "Rupert Keegan". Grand Prix Who's Who. Third ed. Reading, Berkshire: Travel Publishing. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-902007-46-5. Retrieved 29 May 2025. – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Rupert Keegan". Motor Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ "Rupert Keegan – 1985 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Rupert Keegan – 1986 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 6 November 2023.