Crossley, Geoffrey

Darren Galpin · 22 Jan 2002, 08:54 (Ref:202603)

Geoffrey Crossley, who drove a 1948 Alta in the 1949 & 1950 Belgian GPs + 1950 British GP has died this month. Does anyone know the exact date and place where he sadly passed away?

Ray Bell · 23 Jan 2002, 04:44 (Ref:203032)

It's probably been recorded on the 'Speed's Ultimate Price' thread on the Nostalgia Forum at Atlas...

This is the guy who knew Sommer's bold plan to win at Spa?

Darren Galpin · 23 Jan 2002, 08:10 (Ref:203063)

I don't know Ray. It hasn't been posted on the 'Speed's Ultimate Price' because Geoffrey died of old age. Enquiries there don't get me any further either.

Ray Bell · 24 Jan 2002, 02:57 (Ref:203472)

Amazing... I read somewhere about his passing, so it must be either on Atlas, I would think. If it was that recent it wasn't in Motor Sport... unless it was in Motor Racing Australia, in which case Barry Lake would have contributed the news... but not this month.

Darren Galpin · 24 Jan 2002, 08:05 (Ref:203535)

I mentioned it on Atlas, and his passing was mentioned in Autosport.

TimD · 24 Jan 2002, 09:11 (Ref:203548)

Yes, Autosport is where I saw it too. Sadly, Autosport - once a serious journal of record, does not feel it historically interesting to record a person's dates when completing their two-paragraph obituary....

What I am surprised at is that none of the "heavies" record the passing in any of their online obituaries. I looked at the sites for The Times, Daily Telegraph and The Guardian newspapers, and none of them came up with Geoffrey Crossley.

Can we hope against hope that perhaps next month's Motor Sport might have something?

**John Turner** · 18 Dec 2006, 12:48 (Ref:1793481)

Well here we are, Tim, nearly 5 years later and as you may have noted at the time, Motorsport's March 2002 issue carried a very small obit. and no dates.

However, an old 1996 (2nd) edition of 'The Grand Prix Who's Who' by Steve Small, published by Guiness Publishing Ltd tells us that he was born on 11th May, 1921, so we know that he was 81 when he died. The Alta he drove in the above mentioned events was GP2 and in it he finished 7th at the 1949 Belgian GP. His race appearances were sporadic and his last recorded outing was at the 1955 Goodwood Easter meeting when he drove his slow own home built Berkshire Special.