Ninian Sanderson

Sanderson was born in Glasgow. In common with many drivers of his era, he cut his racing teeth in the highly competitive 500cc Formula 3 class in the early 1950s. He is best known for winning the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Ecurie Ecosse team, together with Ron Flockhart in an ex-works Jaguar D-Type.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H3FAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TpkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4174%2C3563859 |title=Scottish win in Le Mans Grand Prix. Sanderson and Flockhart Defeat Moss and Collins |work=The Herald|location=Glasgow|date=30 July 1956 |page=5 |access-date=11 October 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19560730&id=JcFRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_FUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5135,3155005&hl=en |title=Death Marks End of Le Mans Race |newspaper=The Victoria Advocate |date=30 July 1956 |page=5 |access-date=1 July 2015}} The following year Sanderson again competed for Ecurie Ecosse, finishing second with co-driver John "Jock" Lawrence, only beaten by the other Ecurie Ecosse D-Type driven by Flockhart and Ivor Bueb.

He took part in several non-championship Formula Two and Formula One races with Ecurie Ecosse, with a best result of third in the 1952 Scotland National Trophy and 1952 Joe Fry Memorial Trophy.{{cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/ninian-sanderson/engagementhc.aspx|title=Ninian SANDERSON - Involvement Non World Championship • STATS F1|work=statsf1.com|access-date=7 Jul 2021}} He was a reserve driver with the team for the 1953 British Grand Prix but did not compete in the race.{{cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1953/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx|title=Britain 1953 - Race entrants • STATS F1|work=statsf1.com|access-date=7 Jul 2021}}

In 1999 the Jaguar sports car that won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans was sold at Christie's in London for £1.71 million.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/492233.stm |title=Sports car sells for £1.71m |publisher=BBC |date=28 October 1999 |access-date=1 July 2015}} At that time it was the most expensive car ever bought at auction.

Although reputedly not the easiest of men to get along with, Ninian Sanderson was well known in racing circles for his lively sense of humour. Fond of practical jokes he was not averse to putting firecrackers up exhaust pipes and ribbing members of the public with his race-bred black humour. The contrast in personalities within the Ecurie Ecosse team was stark; down-to-Earth, Glaswegian Sanderson, and refined, Edinburgh-born Flockhart were "like chalk and cheese".

File:Ecosse and Francorchamps Jaguar C-types Zandvoort 1954 crop.jpg-entered Jaguar C-Type at Zandvoort in 1954]]

Sanderson was also a keen yachtsman and regularly raced his yachts on the Clyde with the same competitive spirit and ebullience as in his motor racing. He owned several beautiful Clyde boatyard McGruer-built yachts: a Dragon class keelboat named "Corsair" built in 1947 and an 8-metre class cruiser racer "Debbie" built in 1966. In 1974 he also commissioned McGruer to build his well-known 3/4-Tonner racing yacht "Nippie Sweetie".{{cite web|title=McGruer build list|url=http://www.mcgruer-boats.co.uk/pdfs/Building_No_List.pdf|website=McGruer boatyard build list|access-date=4 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226084652/http://www.mcgruer-boats.co.uk/pdfs/Building_No_List.pdf|archive-date=26 February 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=McGruer yacht register - Debbie|url=http://mcgruer-register.org/Debbie_Arbella_1966.html|website=McGruer yacht register|access-date=4 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917025145/http://mcgruer-register.org/Debbie_Arbella_1966.html|archive-date=17 September 2016|url-status=dead}}

In 1983 Sanderson and Jim Watt raised £10,500 for the medical oncology unit at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary following a sponsored canoe trip from Broomielaw to Tarbert, Loch Fyne.{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19830615&id=f8JAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_KUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5734,3102726&hl=en |title=Charity cheque |newspaper=The Herald|location=Glasgow |date=15 June 1983 |page=3 |access-date=1 July 2015}} Sanderson had been receiving treatment at the unit for several years; he died of cancer in 1985. His wife Dorothy Sanderson died in 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/dorothy-sanderson-1.839531 |title=Dorothy Sanderson |newspaper=The Herald|location=Glasgow |date=17 February 2007 |access-date=1 July 2015}}

Sanderson was educated at Strathallan School. In the announcement of his death the school magazine The Strathallian quoted F1 racing World champion Jackie Stewart describing Sanderson as a 'perfectionist, with immense spirit and commitment.'{{cite magazine |url=http://www.strathallan.co.uk/media/archives/Vol-14-3-1986.pdf |title=Ninian Sanderson |magazine=The Strathallian 1985-1986 |volume=14 |number=3 |page=73 |access-date=1 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701192041/http://www.strathallan.co.uk/media/archives/Vol-14-3-1986.pdf |archive-date=1 July 2015 }}

• Note *: Not Classified because car failed to complete 80% of its Index of Performance distance.

{{Commons category|Ninian Sanderson}}

• [http://www.historicracing.com/driver_detail.cfm?driverID=5119 Brief biography at historicracing.com]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081119052428/http://www.500race.org/Men/Sanderson.htm Ninian Sanderson profile at The 500 Owners Association]
• [http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/results/Ninian-Sanderson-GB.html Ninian Sanderson's race results at racingsportscars.com]

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{{succession box|title=Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans |before= Mike Hawthorn
Ivor Bueb|after= Ron Flockhart
Ivor Bueb|years= 1956 with:
Ron Flockhart}}

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{{24 Hours of Le Mans winners}}

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Category:1925 births

Category:1985 deaths

Category:People educated at Strathallan School

Category:Scottish racing drivers

Category:Racing drivers from Glasgow

Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers

Category:24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers

Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers

Category:12 Hours of Reims drivers

Category:Ecurie Ecosse drivers