Formula 1 driver memorial unveiled
Members of Peter Collins’ family attended the event
A memorial to honour a British motor racing driver who died more than 60 years ago has been unveiled at one of the oldest motorsport venues in the world.
It follows a year-long campaign to raise £15,000 for a permanent reminder of the skill and bravery of Peter Collins.
The Kidderminster-born racer, who drove for Ferrari, was just 26 when he was killed at the German Grand Prix in 1958.
Appeal organiser Mark Andrews said he had been “overwhelmed” by the support for the project at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb in Worcestershire.
Peter Collins was killed in a crash at the Nürburgring in Germany
Mr Andrews said: “There’s a dawning realisation that there is so much love for Peter.
“All these people are here because of Peter, to celebrate him and I feel very proud.
“The key thing for me is that he’s not a forgotten hero.”
Motoring journalist Richard Hammond and former racing driver Howden Ganley (second right) took part in the unveiling ceremony.
Richard Hammond said drivers like Peter Collins would be “cast in legend forever”
The event on Monday was attended by members of the Collins family, with Shelsley Walsh chosen as the site for the memorial as it was Collins’ “home” venue, where he honed his racing skills after World War Two.
Niece Deborah Jones said: “It’s overwhelming. It’s lovely to learn more about the man he was.
“What a wonderful day it has been. I feel very humbled by it.
Motoring fans were treated to a display of Ferraris in the paddock at Shelsley Walsh
Collins raced for several of the main racing teams of his era including Aston Martin, Maserati and Ferrari
Several people at the event knew the racing driver, including Juliet Meades-Hurdle, who lived next door to the Collins family when she was a girl.
Collins is buried at Stone Church, near Kidderminster, and each August, she places a red rose on his gravestone to mark the anniversary of his death.
“This is a beautiful thing that has brought Peter’s name to the modern motoring racing who might not have heard about him,” she said.
Hundreds of people turned up at Shelsley Walsh to celebrate Peter Collins’ life
Former neighbour Juliet Meades-Hurdle placed a red rose on the plinth
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