Who was James Hunt? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In August

Also Known As: James Simon Wallis Hunt

Died At Age: 45

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Sarah Lomax (m. 1983–1989), Suzy Hunt (m. 1974–1976)

father: Wallis Hunt

mother: Sue Hunt

siblings: David Hunt, Georgina Hunt, Peter Hunt, Sally Hunt, Timothy Hunt

children: Freddie Hunt, Tom Hunt

Born Country: England

F1 Drivers Race Car Drivers

Height: 6'1" (185 cm), 6'1" Males

Died on: June 15, 1993

place of death: Wimbledon, London, England

Cause of Death: Coronary Artery Disease

Recommended For You

Recommended Lists:

Tall Male Celebrities

Male Sportspersons

Childhood & Early Life

James Hunt was born on August 29, 1947, in Belmont, Surrey, England, UK, to a London stockbroker named Wallis Hunt and his wife Sue Hunt. He was the second child of the family and had an elder sister and four younger siblings.

He got educated at ‘Westerleigh School’ in Hastings from 1955. He then studied at ‘Wellington College’ in Crowthorne, Berkshire. As a young boy, he was resolute by nature and became a talented sportsman, excelling in tennis and squash.

Exposure to an auto race before his 18th birthday motivated him to become a professional car racer. However, given his whimsical temperament, his parents did not support his plans. He did odd jobs to purchase a used Mini and dedicated two years preparing it for races. His entry was, however, disqualified because the driver's seat was an old lawn chair. He later worked as a trainee manager for a telephone company to collect necessary funds to prepare for races.

During the initial days of his racing career, he met with several accidents that instilled fear in him. Gradually, he learned to overcome these fears in order to win races, but would later throw up in the garage.

Quotes: You, Death

Continue Reading Below

Recommended Lists:

British F1 Drivers

British Sportspersons

British Race Car Drivers

Virgo Men

Career

In 1968, he raced in ‘Formula Ford’ where he drove a ‘Russell-Alexis Mk 14’ car. In his first race, he finished at the fifth position. His first win came at ‘Lydden Hill Race Circuit.’ He also set the lap record on the ‘Brands Hatch’ short circuit.

In 1969, he raced in ‘Formula Three’ where he drove a ‘Meryln Mk11A’ car. Thereafter, he won several races and created a reputation for himself. In 1972, he was dropped from the ‘STP-March Formula Three’ team.

He signed up with the ‘Hesketh’ team in 1973. Initially, the team had him in ‘Formula Two’ but with little success. He was later asked to race in ‘Formula One’ according to Lord Hesketh’s wishes. He drove the ‘Hesketh March 731’ and won the second position at the 1973 ‘United States Grand Prix.’

In 1974, he was successful at the ‘BRDC International Trophy non-Championship’ race at Silverstone. In 1975, he won the ‘Dutch Grand Prix’ at Zandvoort. Soon, ‘Hesketh’ was running short of funds, forcing Hunt to sign up with ‘McLaren’ for the following season.

1976 turned out to be the most remarkable season of his career. He drove the ‘McLaren M23’ and won six ‘F1 Grand Prix’ that year. Hunt remained the last British F1 champion until 1992 when Nigel Mansell won the 1992 championship for ‘Williams.’

The season of 1977 started on a rough note with ‘McLaren M26’ underperforming. However, by the end of the year, he and ‘McLaren M26’ emerged quicker than most rivals. He won at ‘Silverstone Circuit’ and in ‘The Glen.’ He also won the race in Fuji but was imposed a heavy fine for not attending the podium ceremony. He finished fifth in the ‘World Drivers' Championship’ that year.

In 1978, he wanted to win a second world championship; however, he managed to score only eight world championship points due to the slow responding ‘McLaren M26.

By 1979, he was determined to part with the ‘McLaren’ team. He received a deal from ‘Ferrari’ but opted to join the ‘Walter Wolf Racing’ team. He wanted to win more races and compete for world championship. However, he lost motivation to do so when he realized that the team’s car was not good enough. On June 8, 1979, he announced his retirement from F1 competition.

After his retirement, he took up television commentary for BBC's ‘Formula One’ coverage and continued for 13 years until his death.

Continue Reading Below

Major Works

James Hunt won a total of ten ‘Grand Prix’ during his lifetime out of which six were won in the year 1976 when he was part of team ‘McLaren.’

Awards & Achievements

In 1973, James Hunt was awarded the ‘Campbell Trophy’ for coming up with the best performance by a British in F1.

In 1976, he was awarded the ‘Tarmac Trophy’ and two checks worth £2500 among other awards by the Duke of Kent.

Personal Life & Legacy

James Hunt married Suzy Miller in October 1974. By the end of 1975, she moved on with Richard Burton, who also paid Hunt's divorce settlement of $1 million.

He married Sarah Lomax in December 1983. Together, they had two children, Tom and Freddie. They divorced in November 1989.

He died of heart attack on June 15, 1993. He was 45 years old and had proposed to Helen Dyson via telephone a day before his death.

James Hunt was posthumously inducted into the ‘Motor Sport Hall of Fame’ on 29 January 2014.

Trivia

Fellow racer Ronnie Peterson's fatal car crash in the 1978 ‘Italian Grand Prix’ had affected Hunt deeply.

Despite having earned millions in his lifetime, he was in terrible financial state at the time of his death.

In 2013, Ron Howard directed a movie called ‘Rush’ which was based on James Hunt’s life.

James Hunt Biography