Formula One
With Lotus signing Jim Clark and Peter Arundell as lead drivers for 1964, Spence spent most of the early season driving in Formula Two events. However, Arundell suffered a severe accident in an F2 race, and from the 1964 British Grand Prix onwards Spence moved up to partner Clark in the Formula One team. The rest of the season passed uneventfully, and despite Spence running second through much of the Italian Grand Prix, his best finish was fourth place at the season finale in Mexico.
1965 started promisingly, with Spence winning the prestigious Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, and taking third in the International Trophy at Silverstone. However, once the World Championship got underway the year continued where 1964 had left off, and Spence had only claimed two points finishes by the time the Formula One circus arrived once again at the season closing race in Mexico. Here his luck was to change, and he managed to secure his first and only podium finish, taking 3rd place behind American duo Richie Ginther and Dan Gurney. Unfortunately for Spence, this performance was not enough to save his seat at Lotus, and at the end of the season he found himself out of a drive.
Moving back into the privateer world, Mike Spence was signed by BRM for the 1966 Formula One season, but was seconded to the Reg Parnell Racing team rather than drive for the works squad. Driving the Parnell team's, by now elderly, Lotus 25, once again Spence was only able to scrape together two points finishes from World Championship rounds. Although, following the pattern laid out in previous seasons, Spence performed rather better in non-Championship events, winning the South African Grand Prix.
In 1967 Mike Spence was promoted back into a works car, partnering Jackie Stewart in the full BRM team. Though he managed to score points in no fewer than five World Championship races during the season, none of these was with anything higher than fifth place. Mike Spence was due to remain with BRM for the 1968 season, although retirement at the season's first round in South Africa did not bode well, his race performances here and during the Race of Champions and International Trophy events belied a great potential for the season.
Read more about this topic: Mike Spence
Famous quotes containing the word formula:
““It’s hard enough to adjust [to the lack of control] in the beginning,” says a corporate vice president and single mother. “But then you realize that everything keeps changing, so you never regain control. I was just learning to take care of the belly-button stump, when it fell off. I had just learned to make formula really efficiently, when Sarah stopped using it.””
—Anne C. Weisberg (20th century)
“So, if we must give a general formula applicable to all kinds of soul, we must describe it as the first actuality [entelechy] of a natural organized body.”
—Aristotle (384–323 B.C.)