RACING DRIVER

David Purley

1945 - 1985

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David Charles Purley, GM (26 January 1945 – 2 July 1985) was a British racing driver born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, who participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at Monaco in 1973. Purley is best known for his actions at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix, where he abandoned his own race and attempted to save the life of fellow driver Roger Williamson, whose car was upside down and on fire following a serious accident. Purley was awarded the George Medal for his courage in trying to save Williamson, who suffocated in the blaze. During pre-qualifying for the 1977 British Grand Prix Purley sustained multiple bone fractures after his car's throttle stuck open and he crashed into a wall. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. David Purley is the 149th most popular racing driver (down from 105th in 2019), the 2,188th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 1,556th in 2019) and the 21st most popular British Racing Driver.

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Among RACING DRIVERS

Among racing drivers, David Purley ranks 149 out of 1,080. Before him are Renzo Zorzi, Ricardo Rodríguez, David Coulthard, Thierry Sabine, Ken Block, and Jarno Trulli. After him are Willy Mairesse, Stefan Bellof, Juan Pablo Montoya, Trevor Taylor, Johnny Herbert, and Dan Gurney.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1945, David Purley ranks 234. Before him are Roger Chartier, Panagiotis Pikrammenos, Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, Jörg Immendorff, Pablo Forlán, and Pinarayi Vijayan. After him are Werner Schroeter, Zdeňka Vávrová, Dimitar Penev, Eric Woolfson, Bianca Jagger, and Barry Bostwick. Among people deceased in 1985, David Purley ranks 92. Before him are Theodore Sturgeon, Frank Oppenheimer, Anton Karas, Heinz Hoffmann, Edmond O'Brien, and Vladimir Jankélévitch. After him are Princess Eudoxia of Bulgaria, Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, Stefan Bellof, Élias Sarkis, Johanna Wolf, and Renato Castellani.

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, David Purley ranks 2,188 out of 8,785. Before him are Bill Bruford (1949), Michael Grant (1914), Sarah Douglas (1952), Rick Wakeman (1949), Thomas Percy (1729), and Tony Banks (1950). After him are Israel Kirzner (1930), Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (1735), Peter Capaldi (1958), Craig Brown (1940), Rick Davies (1944), and Jeanette (1951).

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Among RACING DRIVERS In United Kingdom

Among racing drivers born in United Kingdom, David Purley ranks 21. Before him are Mike Hailwood (1940), Colin McRae (1968), Peter Collins (1931), Roger Williamson (1948), John Watson (1946), and David Coulthard (1971). After him are Trevor Taylor (1936), Johnny Herbert (1964), Chris Bristow (1937), Alan Stacey (1933), Stuart Lewis-Evans (1930), and Guy Edwards (1942).

British born Racing Drivers

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