Harry Schell

Harry Lawrence O'Reilly Schell (June 29, 1921 – May 13, 1960) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One from Template:F1 to Template:F1.

Born and raised in Paris, Schell was the son of American motorsport executive and heiress Lucy O'Reilly Schell. With his Formula One debut at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix, Schell became the first American driver to start a Formula One Grand Prix.

Schell died after crashing his Cooper T51 during practice for the non-championship 1960 BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone.

Early life

Schell was born in the 16th arrondissement, Paris, France, the son of expatriate American and sometime auto racer Laury Schell; his mother was the wealthy American heiress Lucy O'Reilly Schell. O'Reilly was an auto racing enthusiast who had met Laury while visiting France; they soon became familiar names on the rallying scene together. She became heavily invested in the Delahaye concern, first campaigning sports cars for them and then championing the development of a Delahaye Grand Prix car, which she ran under the Ecurie Bleue banner. Frenchman René Dreyfus won the 1938 Pau Grand Prix for the team in a shock upset over Mercedes, but the Delahaye project failed to raise the necessary backing and was never developed to its full extent.

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Schell's parents were involved in a road accident in which Laury was killed and O'Reilly severely injured. When France was occupied by Germany, Schell and his mother returned to America, where she managed the operations of René Le Bègue and René Dreyfus during the 1940 Indianapolis 500.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Having already volunteered in the Finnish Air Force during their Winter War with Russia in 1939, Harry then earned a commission in the United States Tank Corps when America entered the Second World War.<ref name=prudent>A Prudent Driver, New York Times, 14 May 1960, Page 21.</ref>

Racing career

After the war, Schell attempted to qualify for the 1946 Indianapolis 500, failing to make the event.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He went on to race in Europe, driving Coopers in Formula 3, Formula 2 and even the Formula One World Drivers' Championship upon its inception in 1950. His first appearance was in a Cooper powered by a J.A.P. V-twin engine at Monte Carlo; it ended in an accident at the harbor chicane that involved the majority of the field.

Though Schell never won a championship Grand Prix and enjoyed life as a playboy and womanizer, he was highly respected in period;Template:Citation needed he twice stood on the podium with a best place of second in the 1958 Dutch Grand Prix, won the Caen Grand Prix of 1956, and balanced those with periodic sports car outings. He partnered with Stirling Moss in securing a second place at the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring, and took third place at the same event in 1959.<ref name=killed>Schell is Killed as Auto Skids In Drill on Eve of British Race, New York Times, 14 May 1960, Page 21.</ref> His most notable spells in Formula One came for BRM, Vanwall, and the Maserati factory effort as a team mate to the five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio. He also drove for Scuderia Ferrari for two races at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix and the 1955 Valentino Grand Prix.

Schell carved out a reputation as a safe and prudent competitor and could be counted on as a consistent points scorer, but he also proved his class when the opportunity presented itself.Template:Citation needed In the 1954 Spanish Grand Prix, he took the lead from the start in his private Maserati and drove off into the distance before spinning out of first place and then retiring with a transmission failure. At the 1956 French Grand Prix, he relieved an ill Mike Hawthorn after his own Vanwall had gone out with an early engine failure and drove back into second position. The Ferrari team, operating under the assumption that Schell was a lap adrift, had been caught out, and a dramatic fight for the lead ensued, but Schell's effort went for nought as he was forced to make a lengthy pit stop soon after. He had succeeded, however, in displaying the full potential of the Vanwall on the world stage for the first time.Template:Citation needed Driving a Ferrari 375 Indy for Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team at the 1958 Race of Two Worlds, Schell joined Phil Hill (Scuderia Ferrari 296 Dino) and Masten Gregory (Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type) on the Monza high banking as the only American drivers not entered in an American Championship Car.

By the start of 1960, and nearing 40, Schell's prospects appeared dim, and he campaigned a private Cooper run under his family's Ecurie Bleue banner. That changed, however, when he was contracted by the British Racing Partnership team before the start of the European Grand Prix season for a full program of events, to be teamed with Tony Brooks and the up-and-coming Chris Bristow in year-old Coopers. Schell died in practice for the non-championship International Trophy event at Silverstone in 1960, when he crashed his Cooper at Abbey Curve. Schell was driving at approximately 100 mph when his car slid into the mud on the side of the track and lost a wheel. The Cooper somersaulted and penetrated a safety barrier, causing a brick wall to collapse.<ref name=killed/>

Prior to his death, Schell had been extremely vocal in the promotion of the roll-bar on European racing cars, a safety feature required in America.Template:Citation needed By the 1500cc formula of 1961, it had become standard in Formula One.

Motorsports career results

Post WWII Grandes Épreuves results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5
1947	Ecurie Laury Schell	Cisitalia D46	Fiat 1.1 L4	SUI Template:Small	BEL	ITA	FRA
1949	Horschell Racing Corporation	Talbot-Lago T26	Talbot 4.5 L6	GBR	BEL	SUI Template:Small	FRA	ITA
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FIA World Drivers' Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Template:Tooltip	Pts
Template:F1	Horschell Racing Corporation	Cooper T12	JAP 1.1 V2	GBR	MON Template:Small	500									NC	0
	Ecurie Bleue	Talbot-Lago T26C	Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6				SUI Template:Small	BEL	FRA	ITA
Template:F1	Enrico Platé	Maserati 4CLT/48	Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s	SUI Template:Small	500	BEL	FRA Template:Small	GBR	GER	ITA	ESP				NC	0
Template:F1	Enrico Platé	Maserati 4CLT/48	Platé 2.0 L4	SUI Template:Small	500	BEL	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER	NED	ITA				NC	0
Template:F1	Equipe Gordini	Gordini T16	Gordini 20 2.0 L6	ARG Template:Small	500	NED Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	SUI	ITA Template:Small			NC	0
Template:F1	Harry Schell	Maserati A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	ARG Template:Small	500	BEL	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small						NC	0
	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6							SUI Template:Small	ITA
	Harry Schell	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6									ESP Template:Small
Template:F1	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	ARG 6+7*											NC	0
	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4		MON Template:Small	500	BEL Template:Small	NED
	Vandervell Products	Vanwall VW 55	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4						GBR 9*	ITA Template:Small
Template:F1	Vandervell Products	Vanwall VW 2	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4	ARG	MON Template:Small	500	BEL Template:Small	FRA 10*	GBR Template:Small		ITA Template:Small				17th	3
	Scuderia Centro Sud	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6							GER Template:Small
Template:F1	Scuderia Centro Sud	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	ARG Template:Small											7th	10
	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6		MON Template:Small	500	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	PES Template:Small	ITA 5*
Template:F1	Jo Bonnier	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	ARG Template:Small											6th	14
	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4		MON Template:Small	NED Template:Small	500	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	POR Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	MOR Template:Small
Template:F1	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	MON Template:Small	500	NED Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	POR Template:Small	ITA Template:Small				13th	5
	Ecurie Bleue	Cooper T51	Climax FPF 2.5 L4									USA Template:Small
Template:F1	Ecurie Bleue	Cooper T51	Climax FPF 2.2 L4	ARG Template:Small	MON	500	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	POR	ITA	USA		NC	0
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* Shared drive/s.

Non-championship Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35
Template:F1	Enrico Platé	Maserati 4CLT/48	Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s	PAU	RIC	SRM	PAR	EMP	BAR	JER	ALB	NED	NAT Template:Small	NOT	ULS	PES	STT	INT	GOO	PEN
Template:F1	Enrico Platé	Maserati 4CLT/48	Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s	SYR Template:Small	PAU Template:Small	RIC	SRM Template:Small	BOR Template:Small	INT Template:Small	PAR Template:Small	ULS	SCO	NED	ALB	PES Template:Small	BAR Template:Small	GOO
Template:F1	Enrico Platé	Maserati 4CLT/48	Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s	SYR	VAL	RIC	LAV	PAU	IBS	MAR	AST	INT Template:Small	ELA	NAP	EIF	PAR Template:Small					LAC Template:Small	ESS	MAR Template:Small	SAB Template:Small		DMT Template:Small
	Equipe Gordini	Gordini T16	Gordini 20 2.0 L6														ALB Template:Small	FRO	ULS	MNZ											CAD Template:Small	SKA	MAD	AVU	FRY	NEW
		Gordini T15	Gordini 1500 1.5 L4																						CAE Template:Small		COM Template:Small	NAT	BAU Template:Small	MOD
Template:F1	Equipe Gordini	Gordini T16	Gordini 20 2.0 L6	SYR	PAU Template:Small	LAV	AST	BOR Template:Small	INT Template:Small	ELA	NAP	ULS	WIN	COR	FRO	SNE	EIF	ALB Template:Small	PRN	ESS	MID	ROU Template:Small	CLP	AVU	UST	LAC Template:Small	BRI	CHE	SAB Template:Small	NEW	CAD Template:Small	RED	SKA	LON	MOD Template:Small	MAD	FRY	CUR
Template:F1	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	SYR	PAU Template:Small	LAV
	Harry Schell	Maserati A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6				BOR Template:Small	INT	BAR Template:Small	CUR	ROM Template:Small	FRO	BRC	COR	CLP	ROU Template:Small	CAE Template:Small	AUG	COR	OUL	RED	PES Template:Small	FRY	CAD Template:Small	BER Template:Small	GOO
		Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6																								DTT Template:Small
Template:F1	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 625	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	VAL Template:Small	PAU	GLV	BOR	INT	NAP	ALB	CUR	COR
	Vandervell Products	Vanwall VW 2	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4										LON Template:Small	DRT	RED Template:Small	DTT	OUL Template:Small	AVO Template:Small
	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6																SYR Template:Small
Template:F1	Vandervell Products	Vanwall VW 55	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4	GLV	SYR	AIN	INT Template:Small	NAP	AIN	VAN
	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6								CAE Template:Small	BRS
Template:F1	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	SYR Template:Small				RMS Template:Small			MOD Template:Small	MOR Template:Small
	Scuderia Centro Sud	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6		PAU Template:Small	GLV	NAP
	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4						CAE Template:Small	INT Template:Small
Template:F1	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	GLV Template:Small	SYR			CAE Template:Small
		Cooper T43	Climax FPF 1.5 L4			AIN Template:Small	INT
Template:F1	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	GLV Template:Small	AIN Template:Small	INT	OUL	SIL
Template:F1	Yeoman Credit Racing Team	Cooper T51	Climax FPF 2.5 L4	GLV Template:Small	INT Template:Small	SIL	LOM	OUL
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24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Template:Tooltip	Template:Tooltip
1953	Template:Flagicon Automobiles Gordini	Template:Flagicon Maurice Trintignant	Gordini T26S	S 3.0	293	6th	1st
1955	Template:Flagicon Scuderia Ferrari	Template:Flagicon Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari 121LM	S 5.0	107	DNF	DNF
1957	Template:Flagicon Officine Alfieri Maserati	Template:Flagicon Stirling Moss	Maserati 450S Zagato Coupé	S 5.0	32	DNF	DNF
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External links

• Harry Schell profile at The 500 Owners Association
• Template:Find a Grave