Jim Crawford (racing driver)


James Alan Crawford was a British racing driver from Scotland.
His first motorsport experience came behind the wheel of a Mini that he drove in several rallies. After an unsuccessful stint in Formula Ford he landed a drive in his friend Stephen Choularton's team in Formula Atlantic, after showing great promise in a couple of Formula Libre races at Croft. He went on to spend a number of years driving alongside Choularton at SDC Racing in Formula Atlantic and was spotted by Lotus Cars and offered a test drive by them.
He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 19 July 1975. He was also the winner of the 1982 British Formula One Championship. He is notable for being the 500th person to start a Formula One World Championship race.
Crawford moved to the United States in the early 1980s, finishing runner-up twice in the Can-Am series. He finished fourth on his CART debut at Long Beach in 1984 and went on to become a regular in the Indianapolis 500. It was there in 1987 that Crawford suffered a crash in practice which resulted in serious leg injuries. However, he recovered sufficiently to return to the 500 in 1988, leading the race for a few laps. A late race puncture dropped him from 2nd to 6th.
Crawford's final 500 was in 1993, although he made unsuccessful attempts to qualify old cars in 1994 and 1995.

1988 Indianapolis 500

Crawford's most notable run at Indy occurred in 1988. After nearly a year of rehabilitation from leg and foot injuries, Crawford returned for the 1988 Indianapolis 500. He signed with King Racing as a teammate to Johnny Rutherford, driving a Buick entry. He was a last-minute addition to the team, joining just prior to opening day. He made little headlines during time trials, quietly making the field late on the second day. He was still recovering from his leg injuries, and walked the month with the aid of a cane.
On race day, however, Crawford created quite a stir. The race was dominated by the Penske Team, however, Crawford was in contention all afternoon, and was the only driver other than the Penske cars to lead laps during the race. Crawford took the lead near the midpoint, and led 8 laps. He drove a highly aggressive race, dicing in and out of traffic at will, and frequently dropping well below the white lines in the turns. Crawford set a blistering pace during his stint in the lead, and was running second as late as lap 194. With six laps to go, he got sideways in turn three, and flat-spotted his tires. He ducked into the pits for new tires, but the crew had difficulties, and he lost several seconds. He lost a lap, and finished 6th. It was the highest finish at the time for the Buick V-6 Indy engine, and Crawford was praised for his strong effort.

Later years

Crawford returned to Indy in 1989 with high expectations after his 1988 performance. He qualified 4th, the highest of the non-Chevrolet teams, but dropped out with mechanical problems on race day.
In 1990, Crawford joined the Menard team, and during practice, suffered a spectacular crash. He spun and hit the wall in turn one, then became airborne 10–15 feet above the ground in the south short chute. He was not seriously injured. He finished 15th on race day.
Crawford's final notable appearance at Indy was in 1992. Crawford re-joined the King Racing team, as a teammate to Roberto Guerrero driving once again the Buick V-6 engine. Crawford and Guerrero led the speed charts all through practice, with Crawford setting an all-time unofficial track record of 233.433 mph. Both drivers were heavy favourites for the pole position, but on the morning of pole day, Crawford blew an engine. Rain pushed time trials into the next day, which gave the team time to install a new engine. However, on the second day, he blew another engine, and wound up missing his opportunity to qualify during the pole round. He qualified 6th fastest, but as a second day qualifier, lined up 21st. On race day, he was a factor early, but crashed out on lap 75 collecting Rick Mears.
The 1988 race would end up being Crawford's best Indy car finish, and his final start came in 1993. He failed to qualify in 1994–1995, and retired from driving.

Personal life

After retirement from racing, Crawford lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he bought a fishing boat he used for charters. He died in 2002 of liver failure. He was survived by his second wife Annie and his children from his first marriage, Geoffrey and Emily.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314Pts
John Player Special Team LotusLotus 72EFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSAESPMONBELSWENEDFRAGBR
Ret		GERAUTNC0
John Player Special Team LotusLotus 72FFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ITA
13		USANC0

Complete Formula One non-championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123
John Player Special Team LotusLotus 72EFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ROCINT
DNS		SUI

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314Pts
SDC RacingChevron B29FordESTTHRHOCNÜRPAUHOCSALROUMUGPERSIL
Ret		ZOLNOGVALNC0
Plygrange RacingChevron B45FordTHRHOCNÜRVALPAUSIL
Ret		ZOL
10		MUGZANPERMISHOCNC0
Plygrange RacingToleman TG280HartSIL
4		HOC
7		THR
Ret		NÜR
Ret		VAL
9		MUG
11		PAU
10		PERSPA
6		DON
9		MIS
7		MAN
10		16th4

Complete Shellsport International Series results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910111213Pts
1976Peter WilliamsChevron B29Ford BDA Nicholson 1.6 L4MALSNEOUL
5		BRH
Ret		THR
DNS		BRHMALSNEBRHTHROULBRH24th11
1976Marshall WingfieldChevron B34Ford BDA Hart 1.6 L4BRH
8		24th11

Complete British Formula One Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789101112Pts
1980Plygrange RacingChevron B45Ford BDX 2.0 L4OUL
4		BRHSIL
6		MAL
3		THR
13		MNZ
Ret		MAL
4		SNE
4		BRH
6		THR
Ret		OUL
1		SIL
8		4th24
1982Team EnsignEnsign N180BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8OUL
Ret		BRH
1		THR
1		DON
1		BRH1st34

Complete World Sportscar Championship results

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine12345678Pts
1982Vesuvio RacingGr.5Lancia Beta Monte CarloLancia 1.4 L4tMNZSIL
10		NÜRLMSSPAMUGFUJBRH103rd2

American open-wheel racing

PPG Indy Car World Series

Indianapolis 500