Popular historics racer Julian Grimwade sadly met his demise in a crash at a Vintage Sports-Car Club event at Donington Park, marking the second fatal accident in UK motorsport on Saturday, May 24. Grimwade was behind the wheel of his Oakland Romano Special in the Mephistopheles & Lanchester Trophy contest for pre-1925 machines, which kicked off the day’s racing activities. Tragically, he crashed during the first lap of the race, prompting an immediate red flag.
Despite the red flag, two more races took place at Donington before the remainder of the single-day event was called off. Grimwade was known for his active participation in historics events, particularly in pre-war cars like the Frazer Nash Norris Special, often seen at Goodwood where he tackled the SF Edge Trophy at the Members’ Meeting. The unfortunate incident involving Grimwade occurred just hours after celebrated British co-driver Dai Roberts lost his life in an accident at the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland.
This unfortunate event marked the second fatal accident at a VSCC fixture in the past two years, following the passing of Roger Twelvetrees at Mallory Park in August 2023. In response to Roberts’ crash and other fatal accidents, Motorsport UK, the governing body of British motorsport, launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incidents. Autosport extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Julian Grimwade.
Not really sure why this matters, but it seems like the motorsport community has been hit hard with these tragic losses recently. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like safety measures need to be reassessed to prevent such heart-wrenching incidents in the future.
