Yahoo Autos Meet The British Noble Who Quit Parliament, Then Won Le Mans
Everyone, meet Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, or for short, Earl Howe. If you're English, it's likely you know who he is, but for others, he's one of the coolest racing drivers you've never heard of. I stumbled on him when researching a Bugatti of his that's up for auction, but his life story is arguably more interesting than the car itself.
Howe was born to British nobility in 1884, but his racing career didn't begin in earnest until 1929 at age 44. His life before racing was interesting too-educated at Eton, Christ Church and Oxford (as you'd expect with any nobleman worth his salt), he served as a Naval Officer in World War I, and held office as a Member of Parliament from 1918 to 1929.
Per a profile in Hemmings, Howe ran his first race in 1928 and left Parliament in 1929, the first year he entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Howe's sole Le Mans victory came in 1931, behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 8C he shared with Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin, one of the famous "Bentley Boys." His Le Mans victory was quite a feat because the straight-eight in his Alfa required an engine rebuild that wasn't completed until 5:30 a.m. on race day.
Later in 1931, he won the Grand Prix at Dieppe in France driving a Delage that he later "wrapped around a tree" at Monza, according to Motorsport Magazine. Howe was actually somewhat infamous for wrecking often, though not much prevented him from getting back on track. He suffered a serious accident at Brooklands in 1937 but was back a year later, whipping around at 108 mph on the circuit's incredibly steep banking.
Howe's career as a racing driver ended around the start of World War II, but he remained an important champion of motorsports. He was president of the British Racing Driver's Club (BRDC) from 1929 until his death in 1964 and was a large proponent of 500cc racing in the UK.
To this day, the BRDC gives out the Earl Howe Trophy "for the British driver delivering the most meritorious performance of the year in North America." Currently, the trophy is held by Richard Westbrook, who drives a Ford GT for Chip Ganassi Racing.
You could say his story is stereotypically British in the worst way–guy from extremely wealthy family goes racing–but that really doesn't take away from his accomplishments. Could you imagine a current MP quitting their job and winning Le Mans within three years? He is the definition of the term "Gentleman Racer," and while that phrase has many negative connotations today, it feels like an honor for Howe.
