John Fitzpatrick
John Fitzpatrick was born in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 1943. It was a bleak world, with his birth city having been bombed relentlessly by the Luftwaffe during the war, but as the young Fitzpatrick grew, he formed his own plans that would take him places in the world of sport. Life, though, doesn’t always play ball, and along the way to the top of his chosen career, John would encounter various setbacks, disappointments and challenges, but he would get up each time to drive another day.
‘Fitz’, as he was known from his early days, would become one of the most successful British racing drivers of his day, starting in rallying, then moving into Minis and finishing his driving days with the mighty Porsche 956. He competed around the world before retiring from driving at the age of 41 years. After hanging up his gloves in 1983, Fitz took on the role of owner/manager of his own racing team for another three years before he retired from the sport. He shares his story with Total 911…
T911: What was the spark that got you interested in cars in the first place?
JF: I had always been keen on cars and when I was 11 years old I used to sit on my father’s knee and steer his saloon
