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Robin Herd dies age 80

Robin Herd
Robin Herd

Robin Herd has died aged 80 after a long bout with cancer.

Herd co-founded March Racing, which was based in Oxfordshire, in 1969.

Herd studied physics and engineering at St Peter’s College, Oxford, and went on to join the Royal Aircraft Establishment, working on the Concorde project.

He joined Formula 1 team McLaren in 1965, before going to automotive engineering company Cosworth three years later where he carried out work for Frank Williams in 1969 to modify one of his cars.

Herd co-founded Bicester-based March Engineering the same year with Max Mosley, Alan Rees and Graham Coaker.

Tom Sneva in 1984 in a March IndyCar
Tom Sneva in 1984 in a March IndyCar

The team went on to compete in 207 Grand Prix between 1970 and 1992, winning three races.

March also enjoyed success in Indycars, winning the Indianapolis 500 five years in a row between 1983 and 1987.

Herd sold the team to Japanese property company Leyton House in 1989 and created his own design company, before quitting motorsport in 1995.

He would return with an Indy Racing League team called March Indy International in 1999.

Robin was saddled with the 1990 March Porsche, the one with the turbo in the fuel tank. Gee why didn't that work? Robin started at Indy that year with the Porsche program. The team would have been far better off if they would have run the ’89 car. It was designed by Gordon Coppuck and was a very sensible design other than the axles and wheel nuts. In 1990 Coppuck was preparing for the court case against March over the tire that went into the stands and killed a spectator in ’87.