Pat Fairfield
Patrick Greenway Fairfield (born Patrick Greenway Webster; 26 November 1907 – 21 July 1937) was an English first-class cricketer and racing driver.
Developing an interest in motor racing, with the help of his mother he financed a move back to England in 1933 to pursue a career as a racing driver. There he joined with Cyril Paul, another young and unexperienced racing driver, with the two working under Freddie Dixon in his Middlesbrough and Brooklands.
In his first year he drove a Riley Special, finishing 13th in the Ards TT of 1934.
In 1935 he purchased an 1100cc white ERA from Raymond Mays, the first such sale to a private buyer. This bought him some success when he won the 1935 Mannin Beg, despite the failure of the car to start at the beginning of the race. He also won the Nuffield Trophy at Donington Park and the voiturette race at the Circuit Dieppe-St Aubin.
He failed to win a race in 1936, but did finish third at the South African Grand Prix during his winter return to South Africa. He went one better in January 1937 and won the South African Grand Prix, then being staged at the Prince George Circuit. Having impressed Raymond Mays, he was invited to join the ERA works team for 1937. Fairfield won that years Coronation Trophy at Crystal Palace circuit, before travelling to France to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he drove a Frazer Nash–BMW 328 with teammate David Murray. Eight laps into the race the aging Bugatti T44 of Frenchman René Kippeurth crashed and overturned on the fast corner leading to the pit straight, with Fairfield unable to avoid hitting the stricken Bugatti before being shunted himself from behind by the Delage of the Frenchman Jean Trémoulet. Kippeurth was killed instantly in the accident, with Fairfield seriously injured and taken to hospital in Le Mans, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later while being operated on.
The Pat Fairfield Trophy was run in his honour in South Africa in 1966 and 1967.