Richard Attwood

Born : April 4 1940

Biography Richard Attwood

Richard Attwood was born April 4 1940 in Wolverhampton. He is better known as “Dickie” Attwood. Attwood went to school in Harrow. Attwood’s parents ran a car dealership. That meant he grew up amongst cars and mechanics. That triggered his interest in motorsport. After his education, he joins Jaguar as a trade apprentice. In, 1960, Richard Attwood started his racing career in a Triumph TR3. In 1962 and 1963 he joined the Midlands Racing Partnership and races club-level Formula Junior events.  And just one year later, Richard Attwood sets his name in international news papers by winning the support race at the Monaco Grand Prix.

That succes is the trigger for Attwood to set one step up, and join the Formula Two Class. He wins in  Vienna and took second places in the Pau Grand Prix, the Eifelrennen and  the Albi Grand Prix.In that time, the F1 GP drivers were an integral part of Formula 2. It was very remarkable that Attwood was only beaten in Pau by the reigning world champion Jim Clark. 

The successes in Formula Two prove the race talent of Richard Attwood. Alfrew Owen, the proprietor of the BRM Formula 1 Team offers him a seat. In his first, non-official F1 race, the News of the World Trophy in Goodwood, Richard Attwood drives the BRM to 4th position. With only 3 the Lotus factory cars of the Collin Chapman Lotus Factory team finishing before Attwood, that is quite a success.

Richard Attwood and Porshe

Richard Attwoods first contact with Porsche was in 1967. He teamed up with William Bradley in a private Porsche 906 Carrera 6 in the Zeltweg 500KM. They finished in 2nd position, after Paul Hawkins who won the race in a Ford GT40. In 1968,  the Porsche works team hires Richard Attwood for the Watkins Glen 6H. The works entries consisted of 4 four short-tailed 3-litre Porsche 908s. Richard Attwood shared a car with Hans  Herrmann. This was not the best race for Porsche. At a sudden moment in the race, 3 of the 4 cars were in the pits. That forced the team director to a strategy change,. They switched drivers from one car to the other. A nice try, but to no avail because one hour later Attwood stopped with the left front wheel bearing seized. In the end, Attwood managed to bring the car to the finish in 6th position.

One year later, Porsche offered Richard Attwood a seat as a factory driver. He raced in the World Championship for Makes in a Porsche 908/02, and came second in both Brands Hatch and Watkins Glen together with Vic Elford. In the season finale in Zeltweg, he finished third with Brian Redman in the 917. Together with Hans Herrmann, he took part in the Nürburgring 1,000 km driving a Porsche 908/03 in 1970 – finishing in 2nd place.

Richard Attwood and Le Mans 24H

During his Formula Two and Formula 1 Career, Richard Attwood was an active sportscar racer too. From 1963 to 1971, Attwood competed every year, except for 1965 in the toughest endurance race of the world : the Le Mans 24 Hours. However the first attempts at the Circuit de la Sarthe were not exactly very successful. It was only in 1968 that Richard Attwood could finish the race. Together with David Piper, he drove the Ferrari 275LM to 2nd overall. 1969 was the first year Richard Attwood was member of the Porsche Factory Team. He shared a Porsche 917LH with Vic Elford. Unfortunately they did not make it to the finish.

In 1970, Attwood and Hans Herrmann shared the wheel of a Porsche 917. It was a very though race, with lots of heavy rain. The Attwood/Herrmann Porsche 917 was in the lead by 2am, and stayed in front for 14 hours to the flag. Driving with Herbie Müller once more in a Porsche 917 he finished second in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans, this time for the John Wyer privateer team. That same year, Richard Attwood was one of the actors in the Steve McQueen Le Mans movie too.

At the end of the season,  Attwood retired from motorsport. His last podium finish was in 1971 together with Derek Bell in the Porsche 917 KH at the season finale of the World Sportscar Championship in Watkins Glen (3rd place). In 1984 he makes a small comeback with another participation in the Le Mans 24H in an Aston Martin Nimrod. That same year, Attwood shared the wheel of a Porsche 928 with Vic Elford at the Daytona 24H for the Brumos Racing Team too. 

Nowadays Richard Attwood every once and a while shows up at different historic motorsports events. In 2018 he was one of the guests at the Porsche Sound Night.

Richard Attwood’s races in a Porsche

Year: 1967

Date	Race	No.	Car	Drivers	Entrant	Result
20.8.1967	500 km Zeltweg	17	Porsche 906	Bradley / Attwood	Midland Racing Partnership Ltd.	2nd

Year: 1968

Date	Race	No.	Car	Drivers	Entrant	Result
14.7.1968	6 h Watkins Glen	2	Porsche 908	Herrmann / Ikuzawa / Siffert / *Attwood	Porsche System Engineering, Ltd.	6th
14.7.1968	6 h Watkins Glen	3	Porsche 908	Patrick / Attwood / Joe Buzzetta	Porsche System Engineering, Ltd.	DNF

Year: 1969

Date	Race	No.	Car	Drivers	Entrant	Result
2.2.1969	24 h Daytona	51	Porsche 908	Attwood / Buzzetta	Porsche System Engineering	DNF
2.2.1969	24 h Daytona	53	Porsche 908	Schütz / Mitter / Attwood	Porsche System Engineering	24th
22.3.1969	12 h Sebring	30	Porsche 908/02	Vic Elford / Attwood	Porsche System Engineering Ltd.	7th
13.4.1969	6 h Brands Hatch	55	Porsche 908/02	Elford / Attwood	Porsche System Engineering Ltd.	2nd
25.4.1969	1000 km Monza	6	Porsche 908	Elford / Attwood	Porsche System Engineering	16th
4.5.1969	Targa Florio	268	Porsche 908/02	Attwood / Brian Redman	Porsche System Engineering Ltd.	33rd
11.5.1969	1000 km Spa	10	Porsche 908	In entry list only	Porsche System Engineering	3rd
11.5.1969	1000 km Spa	11	Porsche 908	Herrmann / Rolf Stommelen / *Attwood	Porsche System Engineering	4th
1.6.1969	1000 km Nürburgring	4	Porsche 908/02	In entry list only	Porsche System Engineering Ltd.	2nd
1.6.1969	1000 km Nürburgring	6	Porsche 908/02	Lins / Attwood	Porsche Konstruktionen, Salzburg	4th
15.6.1969	24 h Le Mans	12	Porsche 917	Elford / Attwood	Porsche System Engineering	DNF
15.6.1969	24 h Le Mans	23	Porsche 908	In entry list only	Porsche System Engineering	DNF
12.7.1969	6 h Watkins Glen	4	Porsche 908/02	Elford / Attwood	A. G. Dean Racing Ltd.	2nd
10.8.1969	1000 km Zeltweg	4	Porsche 908/02	Jo Siffert / Attwood	Porsche Salzburg	T-car
10.8.1969	1000 km Zeltweg	29	Porsche 917	Siffert / Kurt Ahrens, Jr. / *Attwood	Karl Freiherr v. Wendt	1st
10.8.1969	1000 km Zeltweg	30	Porsche 917	Attwood / Redman	David Piper Racing Ltd.	3rd
8.11.1969	9 h Kyalami	9	Porsche 917	David Piper / Attwood	Perfect Circle Team David Piper	1st

Year: 1970

Date	Race	No.	Car	Drivers	Entrant	Result
21.3.1970	12 h Sebring	45	Porsche 908/02	Attwood / Gerard Larousse / Koch	International Martini Racing Team	DNF
21.3.1970	12 h Sebring	46	Porsche 908/02	Koch / Larousse / Attwood	International Martini Racing Team	7th
12.4.1970	1000 km Brands Hatch	12	Porsche 917	Attwood / Herrmann	Porsche Konstruktionen KG. Salzburg	3rd
12.4.1970	1000 km Brands Hatch	14	Porsche 917	In entry list only	David Piper	DNS
12.4.1970	1000 km Brands Hatch	55	Porsche 908/02	In entry list only	International Martini Racing Team	DNS
25.4.1970	1000 km Monza	9	Porsche 917	Herrmann / Attwood	Porsche Konstrukzion Salzburg	DNF
3.5.1970	Targa Florio	36	Porsche 908/03	Bjorn Waldegard / Attwood	J. W. Automotive Engineering	5th
17.5.1970	1000 km Spa	6	Porsche 908/02	In entry list only	Martini International Racing Team	9th
17.5.1970	1000 km Spa	29	Porsche 917	Attwood / Herrmann	Porsche Salzburg	6th
31.5.1970	1000 km Nürburgring	15	Porsche 908/03	Herrmann / Attwood	Porsche Konstruktionen Salzburg	2nd
31.5.1970	1000 km Nürburgring	53	Porsche 917	Herrmann / Attwood	Porsche Konstruktionen Salzburg	DNA
14.6.1970	24 h Le Mans	3	Porsche 917	In entry list only	Martini International Racing Team	2nd
14.6.1970	24 h Le Mans	18	Porsche 917	In entry list only	Team A.A.W.	DNF
14.6.1970	24 h Le Mans	23	Porsche 917	Attwood / Hans Herrmann	Porsche Konstruktionen K.G.	1st
14.6.1970	24 h Le Mans	24	Porsche 917	Herrmann / Attwood	Porsche Konstruktionen K.G.	DNS
11.7.1970	6 h Watkins Glen	32	Porsche 917	Attwood / Ahrens, Jr.	Porsche Audi Division	6th
12.7.1970	Can-Am Watkins Glen	32	Porsche 917	Richard Attwood	Porsche Audi Division	3rd
11.10.1970	1000 km Zeltweg	21	Porsche 917	Elford / Attwood	Porsche KG Salzburg	4th
11.10.1970	1000 km Zeltweg	T	Porsche 917	Elford / Attwood / Ahrens, Jr. / Helmut Marko	Porsche KG Salzburg	T-car
7.11.1970	9 h Kyalami	1	Porsche 917	Love / Attwood	Team Gunston	DNF

Year: 1971

Date	Race	No.	Car	Drivers	Entrant	Result
18.4.1971	Le Mans Test	18	Porsche 917	In entry list only	J. W. Automotive Engineering	3rd
13.6.1971	24 h Le Mans	19	Porsche 917	Attwood / Müller	J. W. Automotive Engineering	2nd
27.6.1971	1000 km Zeltweg	16	Porsche 917	Pedro Rodriguez / Attwood	J. W. Automotive	1st
27.6.1971	1000 km Zeltweg	T	Porsche 917	Derek Bell / Attwood / Rodriguez	J. W. Automotive	T-car
24.7.1971	6 h Watkins Glen	2	Porsche 917	Bell / Attwood	J. W. Automotive Engineering	3rd
24.7.1971	6 h Watkins Glen	T	Porsche 917	Siffert / Gijs van Lennep / Bell / Attwood	J. W. Automotive Engineering	T-car
25.7.1971	Can-Am Watkins Glen	91	Porsche 917	Richard Attwood	JW Automotive	13th
6.11.1971	9 h Kyalami	3	Porsche 917	Attwood / Charlton	Lucky Strike Racing/David R. Piper	DNF

Year: 1984

Date	Race	No.	Car	Drivers	Entrant	Result
5.2.1984	24 h Daytona	92	Porsche 928	Attwood / Elford / Meister / Hagestad	Brumos Racing	15th

Race results courtesy Racing Sports Cars