Monoposto Racing Forum

It is with huge sadness that I share with you the news that my uncle and godfather Dave Dudley died earlier today after a short illness.

A stalwart of the club for over 4 decades, Dave raced himself for 35 years and after hanging up his helmet in 2008 continued to run the Anson for me to drive, then carried on running my cars when I moved on to Dallaras.

This season is the first time since my return to Mono in 2010 that I haven't had Dave there running the car - it feels strange not having him there and it's going to leave a huge hole in my life.

I didn't know him well, but we always said hello to each other, occasionally chatted about oily bits, and he seemed to know who I was despite my fleeting Monoposto 'career'.
His achievements and his Anson were known to all, and the Anson was always nicely prepared and very quick. Only the really modern Dallaras seem to have the legs on it. Remarkable really.

He will be missed, and condolences from all of my family and team members to those he has left behind.

Tristan

I'm in the USA at the moment so have only just learnt, with great sadness, of David's passing.

I first met David in the 80's when he was already an established and reknowned Monoposto competitor and I was a young whippersnapper. At the time I think David was competing in a ferocious full race 1600 Ford engined car, which had to be started using a very large and brutal external starter. It was really impressive.

David was a tremendous man, and a formidable competitor, and his approach to racing and car preparation certainly influenced me very much. He was always approachable and hospitable, and I remember his venison sausages with thanks! His passing is an unwelcome but key milestone in the end of the era of motorsport that had it's peak in the 70's and 80's.

We will not see the like again.

Simon Davey

Thank-you Simon!

The car you're referring to was the Reynard, heavily modified by Dave and his brother John, with "JD" (John Dawe) spannering.
At the time there was no minimum weight limit in Mono so Dave chose not to run a starter motor and had a special lengthened gearbox shaft onto which the enormous starter was plugged. That was the car with which he set 19 fastest laps in 38 races over the period 1983-1985! The laptime which "jumped out" was his doing a 44.6 around Mallory - 5 years later I got fastest lap there in the Raffo but was a second and a half slower!