John Fitzpatrick was born in Birmingham. His pre-racing career is largely unknown.
Fitzpatrick began his racing career in the British Saloon Car Championship [BSCC] with Team Broadspeed in 1963, driving an Austin Mini Cooper S in the final three rounds of the year, scoring points despite two retirements. In 1964, he switched to the factory-backed Cooper Car Company team, achieving his first class victory at the opening race and a second win later in the season, ultimately finishing second in the championship to Jim Clark. He returned to Team Broadspeed in 1965, claiming three podiums in his Morris Mini Cooper S 970.
The 1966 season proved pivotal for Fitzpatrick. Team Broadspeed was contracted by Ford to run two 1000cc Ford Anglias in the BSCC, with Fitzpatrick and Peter Proctor as drivers. After Proctor’s accident at Goodwood, Anita Taylor took his place, and Fitzpatrick secured the Championship overall. He followed this with a second place overall in 1967, before Broadspeed transitioned to Ford Escorts.
In the final four years of his BSCC career, Fitzpatrick did not challenge for the title, despite driving a Ford Escort for Team Broadspeed. 1968 saw the Escort struggle initially, not being homologated until the third race, but Fitzpatrick then achieved four consecutive class wins, finishing sixth overall. Three more wins followed in 1969, resulting in a seventh-place overall finish. He claimed a further fifteen class wins in 1970 and 1971, taking third in the championship in 1970, before moving into endurance racing full-time after 1971.
In 1971, Fitzpatrick signed with Ford Köln to race in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC), partnering Jochen Mass in endurance events. After finishing fourth in Monza, he raced solo, winning the Austria-Trophäe at the Salzburgring and the Jarama 4 Hours alongside Mass.
Fitzpatrick switched to BMW Team Schnitzer for 1972, achieving a second place in the Brno 2 Hours before joining Rolf Stommelen and Hans Heyer to win the Grosser Preis der Tourenwagen (6 Hours of the Nürburgring) in their BMW 2800 CS. He finished sixth overall in the ETCC standings and simultaneously won the inaugural European GT Championship, driving a Porsche 911 S for Porsche Kremer, securing five victories in nine races and beating Claude Haldi by a significant margin (125pts v 61pts). He also won the Porsche Cup.
Returning to Ford Köln in the ETCC for 1973, Fitzpatrick triumphed again in the Austria-Trophäe at the Salzburgring alongside Dieter Glemser, taking two more podium finishes, including second place in the Spa 24 Hours, and finishing fifth in the overall standings.
1974 saw Fitzpatrick return to the European GT Championship. Despite the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR’s dominance, the title chase was competitive, with drivers switching between Kremer and Gelo Racing teams, including Fitzpatrick. He ultimately won the title by a narrow margin – 9 points – after winning three races, and secured the Porsche Cup for the second time.
In 1976, while driving a BMW 3.5 CSL for Hermetite Products at the Silverstone) 6 Hours, Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw won by a mere 20 metres after works Porsche and BMW turbo cars encountered trouble. This pairing also finished second in the 1000 Martha / Österreichring 6 Hours.
At the 1976 24 Hours of Daytona, Fitzpatrick initially partnered with Walkinshaw, but after their car retired, he joined Peter Gregg and Brian Redman in a sister car, winning by 14 laps. Later that year, he won the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 at Mount Panorama in an Australian Group C Holden Torana L34 with Bob Morris, nursing the car home with a failing oil seal causing clutch slippage.
The 1982 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside saw tragedy strike. Fitzpatrick’s teammate, Rolf Stommelen, crashed heavily, and later died from his injuries. Fitzpatrick and Derek Bell, unaware of the severity of the accident, went on to win the race in a Porsche 935.
Fitzpatrick retired from motorsport after the 1985 Mugello 1000km, preferring to focus on team organisation. He relocated to Spain and sold his entire team, including cars and equipment, to Jochen Dauer.
In 1980, Fitzpatrick also captured victory in the IMSA Camel GT Championship while driving for Dick Barbour Racing, winning seven of the fourteen races, including the 12 Hours of Sebring)) and the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix. He also won the ADAC Norisring Trophäe in a Dick Barbour Racing car.
Fitzpatrick won the Porsche Cup in 1972, 1974 and 1980. He also achieved victories in major endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. His success in the British Saloon Car Championship and European GT Championship established him as a prominent figure in motorsport during the 1960s and 1970s.
Gallery · 4 related images
