Geoff Lees (racing driver)


Geoffrey Lees is a former racing driver from England. He participated in 12 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, making his first appearance on 16 July 1978. He scored no championship points.

Career

Lees was born near Kingsbury, Warwickshire. His first Grand Prix chance came with a non-works Ensign at his home race in 1978, but he failed to qualify. The following year he had a one-off drive for Tyrrell, before a more regular ride with the struggling Shadow team in 1980. Later that year he also drove for the works Ensign team, and failed to qualify a RAM-entered Williams in the US. He participated in the Formula One non-championship race held on 7 February 1981 at Kyalami for Theodore where he went into the crash barriers on lap 11 due to a broken front suspension. In the hope of taking one step backward and then two steps forward, he joined Ralt-Honda for the European Formula Two championship. He won the championship, but his hopes of "re-entering Formula One with more dignity" were quashed when Honda decided to spend another year developing their F1 engine. Lees, one year ahead of Honda failed to find a good seat at the highest level, and his F1 career petered out in 1982 with single drives for Theodore and Lotus.
In his Formula One career, Lees seemed stuck in uncompetitive cars, and when success proved elusive, he moved to Japan in the early 1980s. There he enjoyed a long career in the Japanese Formula Two, winning the 1983 title and collecting eight wins. He also represented various Japanese marques in sports car racing championships such as the Fuji Grand Champion Series, where he won three titles in 1986, 1988 and 1989, and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, where he got the C-class title in 1992. Lees became a highly paid and highly respected part of the Japanese racing scene. He has also driven at Le Mans numerous times, with his best finish being a sixth place overall in 1990.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789101112Pts
Polifac BMW Junior TeamMarch 782BMWTHRHOCNÜRPAUMUGVALROUDON
Ret		14th4
Raven RacingChevron B42HartNOG
6		PER
DNQ		MIS
4		HOC
Ret		14th4
Ralt RacingRalt RH6/80HondaTHRHOCNÜRVALPAUSILZOLMUGZANPERMISHOC
Ret		NC0
Ralt RacingRalt RH6/81HondaSIL
7		HOC
5		THR
NC		NÜR
5		VAL
5		MUG
2		PAU
1		PER
Ret		SPA
1		DON
1		MIS
2		MAN
2		1st51

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910111213141516Pts
1978Mario Deliotti RacingEnsign N175Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSAUSWMONBELESPSWEFRAGBR
DNQ		GERAUTNEDITAUSACANNC0
1979Candy Tyrrell TeamTyrrell 009Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSAUSWESPBELMONFRAGBRGER
7		AUTNEDITACANUSANC0
1980Shadow CarsShadow DN11Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8ARGBRARSA
13		USW
DNQ		NC0
1980Shadow CarsShadow DN12Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8BEL
DNQ		MON
DNQ		FRA
DNQ		GBRGERAUTNC0
1980Unipart Racing TeamEnsign N180Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8NED
Ret		ITA
DNQ		CANNC0
1980RAM RacingWilliams FW07BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8USA
DNQ		NC0
1982Theodore Racing TeamTheodore TY02Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8RSABRAUSWSMRBELMONDETCAN
Ret		NEDGBRNC0
1982John Player Team LotusLotus 91Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8FRA
12		GERAUTSUIITACPLNC0

24 Hours of Le Mans results