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{{Short description|English engineer, designer, and businessman (1939–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
[[File:Robin Herd (Apr 1971 Barcelona).JPG|thumb|Robin Herd in 1971]]
[[File:Robin Herd (Apr 1971 Barcelona).JPG|thumb|Robin Herd in 1971]]


'''Robin Herd CBE''' (born 23 March 1939)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brdc.co.uk/Robin-Herd|title=Robin Herd CBE {{!}} BRDC Members|last=http://www.mso.net|first=MSO.net|website=British Racing Drivers' Club|access-date=2016-06-23}}</ref> is an English engineer, designer and businessman.
'''Robert John '''"'''Robin'''"''' Herd''' {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=100%|CBE}} (23 March 1939 – 4 June 2019<ref>[https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/robin-herd-1939-2019 Robin Herd: 1939-2019]</ref>) was an English engineer, designer and businessman.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brdc.co.uk/Robin-Herd|title=Robin Herd CBE {{!}} BRDC Members |website=British Racing Drivers' Club|access-date=2016-06-23}}</ref>


Herd studied at [[St Peter's College, Oxford]], having turned down an offer to play cricket for [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]] at the age of 18. He initially entered Oxford with a scholarship to study mathematics, however he switched subjects and graduated with a [[British undergraduate degree classification#First-class honours|double first]] in [[physics]] and [[engineering]],<ref name=as1069>{{cite journal|last=Taylor|first=Simon|authorlink=Simon Taylor (journalist)|date=2 October 1969|title=Enter the March|journal=Autosport|pages=18–19}}</ref><ref name=motorsport>{{cite web |url=http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/march-2010/74/porridge-robin-herd |title=Porridge with... Robin Herd |last=Taylor |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Taylor (journalist) |date=March 2010|website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)]]|page=74|access-date=16 November 2015}}</ref> before joining the [[Royal Aircraft Establishment]] in 1961 as a design engineer on the [[Concorde]] supersonic aircraft project, focussing on [[computational fluid dynamics]].<ref name=motorsport /> He worked on the Concorde project for four years and was eventually promoted to Senior Scientific Officer at the unprecedentedly young age of 24.<ref name=as1069/>
Herd studied at [[St Peter's College, Oxford]], having turned down an offer to play cricket for [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]] at the age of 18. He initially entered Oxford with a scholarship to study mathematics, however he switched subjects and graduated with a [[British undergraduate degree classification#First-class honours|double first]] in [[physics]] and [[engineering]],<ref name=as1069>{{cite journal|last=Taylor|first=Simon|authorlink=Simon Taylor (journalist)|date=2 October 1969|title=Enter the March|journal=Autosport|pages=18–19}}</ref><ref name=motorsport>{{cite web |url=http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/march-2010/74/porridge-robin-herd |title=Porridge with... Robin Herd |last=Taylor |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Taylor (journalist) |date=March 2010|website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|page=74|access-date=16 November 2015}}</ref> before joining the [[Royal Aircraft Establishment]] in 1961 as a design engineer on the [[Concorde]] supersonic aircraft project, focussing on [[computational fluid dynamics]].<ref name=motorsport /> He worked on the Concorde project for four years and was eventually promoted to senior scientific officer at the age of 24.<ref name=as1069/>


He was recruited by [[McLaren (racing)|McLaren]] in 1965, having been alerted to an engineering vacancy with the constructor by former school friend and racing driver [[Alan Rees (racing driver)|Alan Rees]],<ref name=motorsport /> and worked on cars, such as the [[Mallite]]-bodied [[McLaren M2A|M2A]] test car for the Firestone tire company. The M2A subsequently evolved into the [[Formula One]] [[McLaren M2B|M2B car]]. Herd stayed with McLaren until 1968 — during which time he designed their [[McLaren M4B|M4B]], [[McLaren M5A|M5A]] and [[McLaren M7A|M7]] Formula One cars, as well as the successful [[McLaren M6A|M6A]] [[Can-Am]] car<ref name=motorsport /> — before moving to [[Cosworth]] to design a four-wheel drive F1 car. He also carried out work for [[Frank Williams Racing Cars|Frank Williams]] in late 1969, modifying Williams' [[Brabham BT26]] to take a [[Ford Cosworth DFV]] to enter [[Piers Courage]] in Formula One.<ref name=motorsport /> He co-founded [[March Engineering]] with [[Max Mosley]], [[Alan Rees (racing driver)|Alan Rees]] and [[Graham Coaker]] in 1969. The team completed 207 [[Formula One]] [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] races between 1970 and 1992, winning three with four pole positions. In addition they enjoyed a great deal of success in [[Formula Two]], and in the 1980s they made a successful foray into [[Indycars]], with March cars winning the [[Indianapolis 500]] for five successive years from 1983 to 1987.<ref name=motorsport />
He was recruited by [[McLaren (racing)|McLaren]] in 1965, having been alerted to an engineering vacancy with the constructor by former school friend and racing driver [[Alan Rees (racing driver)|Alan Rees]],<ref name=motorsport /> and worked on cars, such as the [[Mallite]]-bodied [[McLaren M2A|M2A]] test car for the Firestone tire company. The M2A subsequently evolved into the [[Formula One]] [[McLaren M2B|M2B car]]. Herd stayed with McLaren until 1968 — during which time he designed their [[McLaren M4B|M4B]], [[McLaren M5A|M5A]] and [[McLaren M7A|M7]] Formula One cars, as well as the successful [[McLaren M6A|M6A]] [[Can-Am]] car<ref name=motorsport /> — before moving to [[Cosworth]] to design a four-wheel drive F1 car. He also carried out work for [[Frank Williams Racing Cars|Frank Williams]] in late 1969, modifying Williams' [[Brabham BT26]] to take a [[Ford Cosworth DFV]] to enter [[Piers Courage]] in Formula One.<ref name=motorsport /> He co-founded [[March Engineering]] with [[Max Mosley]], [[Alan Rees (racing driver)|Alan Rees]] and [[Graham Coaker]] in 1969.<ref name=grandprix.com>{{cite web |url=https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-march.html |title=March Engineering |website=grandprix.com |access-date=26 December 2021}}</ref> The team completed 207 [[Formula One]] [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] races between 1970 and 1992,<ref name=statsf1>{{cite web |url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/march.aspx |title=March |website=statsf1.com |access-date=26 December 2021}}</ref> winning three with four pole positions. In addition they enjoyed a great deal of success in [[Formula Two]], and in the 1980s they made a successful foray into [[Indy car racing]], with March cars winning the [[Indianapolis 500]] for five successive years from 1983 to 1987.<ref name=motorsport />


From 1995 to 1998, he served as Chairman of [[Oxford United F.C.]], with the team winning promotion to [[Football League Division One]] during his first season at the helm.<ref name="oufc">{{cite web |title=Former Chairman Robin Herd Passes Away |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2019/june/robin-herd |website=Oxford United FC |access-date=9 September 2024 |date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="oxfordmail">{{cite web |last1=Pritchard |first1=David |title=Former Oxford United owner Robin Herd dies aged 80 |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/17689829.former-oxford-united-owner-robin-herd-dies-aged-80/ |website=[[Oxford Mail]] |access-date=9 September 2024 |date=6 June 2019}}</ref>
He sold March Racing to the Japanese property company Leyton House in 1989 and created Robin Herd Ltd., a design office in Bicester. He quit racing in 1995 and bought [[Oxford United Football Club]], becoming chairman, and also established a company investigating natural ways of producing energy. He resigned from his duty as chairman in 1998, and formed an [[Indy Racing League]] team called March Indy International in the following year.

Herd was appointed a [[Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1986 New Year Honours]], as managing director of March.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 50361 |date= 31 December 1985 |page= 8 |supp=y}}</ref> He died from cancer in 2019, aged 80.<ref name="oufc" /><ref name="oxfordmail" />


==References==
==References==
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{{McLaren}}
{{McLaren}}
{{March Engineering}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Herd, Robin}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herd, Robin}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English businesspeople]]
[[Category:Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:English football chairmen and investors]]
[[Category:English football chairmen and investors]]
[[Category:English motorsport people]]
[[Category:English motorsport people]]
[[Category:Formula One people]]
[[Category:Formula One designers]]
[[Category:Formula One designers]]
[[Category:Formula One team owners]]
[[Category:Formula One team owners]]
[[Category:McLaren people]]
[[Category:McLaren people]]
[[Category:Oxford United F.C. chairmen and investors]]

Latest revision as of 09:24, 9 September 2024

Robin Herd in 1971

Robert John "Robin" Herd CBE (23 March 1939 – 4 June 2019[1]) was an English engineer, designer and businessman.[2]

Herd studied at St Peter's College, Oxford, having turned down an offer to play cricket for Worcestershire at the age of 18. He initially entered Oxford with a scholarship to study mathematics, however he switched subjects and graduated with a double first in physics and engineering,[3][4] before joining the Royal Aircraft Establishment in 1961 as a design engineer on the Concorde supersonic aircraft project, focussing on computational fluid dynamics.[4] He worked on the Concorde project for four years and was eventually promoted to senior scientific officer at the age of 24.[3]

He was recruited by McLaren in 1965, having been alerted to an engineering vacancy with the constructor by former school friend and racing driver Alan Rees,[4] and worked on cars, such as the Mallite-bodied M2A test car for the Firestone tire company. The M2A subsequently evolved into the Formula One M2B car. Herd stayed with McLaren until 1968 — during which time he designed their M4B, M5A and M7 Formula One cars, as well as the successful M6A Can-Am car[4] — before moving to Cosworth to design a four-wheel drive F1 car. He also carried out work for Frank Williams in late 1969, modifying Williams' Brabham BT26 to take a Ford Cosworth DFV to enter Piers Courage in Formula One.[4] He co-founded March Engineering with Max Mosley, Alan Rees and Graham Coaker in 1969.[5] The team completed 207 Formula One Grand Prix races between 1970 and 1992,[6] winning three with four pole positions. In addition they enjoyed a great deal of success in Formula Two, and in the 1980s they made a successful foray into Indy car racing, with March cars winning the Indianapolis 500 for five successive years from 1983 to 1987.[4]

From 1995 to 1998, he served as Chairman of Oxford United F.C., with the team winning promotion to Football League Division One during his first season at the helm.[7][8]

Herd was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1986 New Year Honours, as managing director of March.[9] He died from cancer in 2019, aged 80.[7][8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Robin Herd: 1939-2019
  2. ^ "Robin Herd CBE | BRDC Members". British Racing Drivers' Club. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b Taylor, Simon (2 October 1969). "Enter the March". Autosport: 18–19.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Taylor, Simon (March 2010). "Porridge with... Robin Herd". Motor Sport. p. 74. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  5. ^ "March Engineering". grandprix.com. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  6. ^ "March". statsf1.com. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Former Chairman Robin Herd Passes Away". Oxford United FC. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b Pritchard, David (6 June 2019). "Former Oxford United owner Robin Herd dies aged 80". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  9. ^ "No. 50361". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1985. p. 8.
[edit]
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