#9 Richie Ginther
Veteran. Engineer. Race Winner. Movie Star
Paul Richard Ginther was born in Hollywood, California. After high school, Ginther would work for Douglas Aircraft and begin working on cars with Phil Hill, future F1 champion and friend of Ginther's older Brother. Ginther would race in his first race in 1951 at Pebble Beach. Shortly after, Ginther was drafted and served two years during the Korean War, where he was a mechanic on aircraft. After returning from service, Ginther would race with Phil Hill in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana rally race in Mexico, where they finished 2nd.
Ginther would compete in many sports car racing events over the next few years with Ferrari and NART (North American Racing Team), an independent Ferrari racing team in the US. Finally, after years of racing with Ferrari, Ginther would get to race for Ferrari on the F1 circuit for the 1960 season. Debuted at the 1960 Monaco grand prix with Ferrari, he secured his first F1 podium at the 1960 Italian Grand Prix, his Ferrari Dino 246.
He Ran two seasons with Scuderia Ferrari; in the 1961 season, Ferrari teammate Phil Hill would win the first Drivers Championship for an American. Ginther would finish the 61' season with three podiums and a best finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he placed second.
After his successful 61' season with Ferrari, Ginther began racing with Owen Racing Organisation/BRM. For the 1962 season, Ginther would be teammates with Graham Hill for BRM and win the Manufacturer's Championship as a team, and Hill would win the World Driver's Championships. Ginther would finish the season with two podiums for the season. Ginther would be teammates with the F1 Driver's champion for back to the back season. He would remain with BRM for the 1963 & 1964 seasons, BRM finishing second in the manufacturer's championship both years, and Ginther would have seven podiums over these two seasons, finishing second in five races.
For the 1965 season, Ginther would move to a new team based in Japan with an all-American driver lineup, Ginther and Ronnie Bucknum. The team was named Honda R & D Co, which would compete until 1968 as an engine manufacturer for the next 50+ years. Ginther would get Honda its first win as a manufacturer in the 1965 Mexican Grand; this would be Ginther's only win, but it proved extremely meaningful in his career and also put Honda on the map in F1. Honda would remain in F1 until today. It is best known as an engine supplier with Red Bull Racing, an integral partner for Red Bull's Constructors championship and Max Verstappens Driver's Titles of 2021. Red Bull would honor this early Honda team with a throwback livery in the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix with the classic white and red livery.
Ginther split the 1966 season with Honda and Cooper teams, ending his F1 career Driving for Dan Gurney's Eagle/AAR Team in 1967, but failed to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix. That season, Ginther would attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 with Gurney's Eagle team. Fortunately, Ginther escaped a potentially life-threatening fire involving a broken gas line during a practice session at Indianapolis. Ginther would decide to step away from motorsports after this.
Ginther would add to his decorated career in 1966 by serving as a Racing Assistant for the famous movie "Grand Prix " Ginther played an opposing driver in the film and helped coordinate some of the racing sequences in the movie. Ginther's name may not be as prevalent as some past American drivers, but his contribution to the sport is no less significant. He played a critical role in many influential teams still on the grid today. Ginther's career would span from 1960-1967, with one win and fourteen podiums.
