Howden Ganley

Career

From 1960 to 1962, Ganley raced a Lotus Eleven at events throughout New Zealand, supporting himself as a foreman for a concreting company. In 1970, he finished second to Peter Gethin in the European Formula 5000 championship, with help from his friend and mechanic Barry Ultahan. That performance earned him a contract with the BRM Formula One team for 1971. Ganley opened that year with fifth place at the non-championship Race of Champions.

After scoring two points finishes in 1971, he received the Wolfgang von Trips Memorial Trophy, awarded to the best newcomer in Grand Prix racing. The next season, driving for the Marlboro BRM team, he placed 13th in the Championship with four points, his best result being fourth at the Nürburgring. In 1973, Ganley drove an Iso–Marlboro car for Frank Williams Racing. At the Canadian Grand Prix that year, a timing mix-up involving the pace car nearly gave him the win, but corrected results showed him in sixth.

While practicing for the 1974 German Grand Prix with the Maki team, a suspension failure caused serious foot and ankle injuries that ended his Grand Prix career. In 1975, Ganley started a Formula One project, hand-building the Ganley-Cosworth 001 car at his Windsor premises. It was nearly complete, with two DFV engines available, but never raced. He later used that equipment to co-found Tiga Race Cars with Tim Schenken in 1976.

Earlier, in 1972, Ganley and François Cevert drove a Matra-Simca MS670 to second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tiga Race Cars planned a Formula One entry for 1978, but the project fell through when sponsorship was withdrawn.

Did You Know?

• Ganley attended the 1955 New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore at age thirteen, which inspired his racing career.
• He worked as a reporter for the Waikato Times and wrote a column for Sports Car Illustrated before moving to the UK in 1961.