Neville Lederle

Research and Biography by Mischa Bijenhof

Nationality:	South African	Races Entered:	2
Date of Birth:	25 September, 1938	DNQ/DNPQ:	1
Car:	Lotus 21 (1962, 65)	Best Result:	6th, Sth Africa, 1962

BIOGRAPHY

Before Formula One

Amongst the many statistics of the Formula 1 World Championship there is one list that undoubtedly features the broadest possible range of drivers. Think of Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Cesare Perdisa, Arturo Merzario, Jean Alesi, Jacques Villeneuve, Oscar Galvez, Kimi Raikkonen, Yves Giraud-Cabantous, Vic Elford, Mark Webber and even Vitantonio Liuzzi, to name a few. So too does the subject of this profile, Neville Lederle. But the likes of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher are not. Some of them in this list went on to do great things after obtaining their place there, while others simply had the luck of being at the right place at the right time. Just what is it that brings these men together in the one statistic? Well, they all scored points in their very first World Championship outing. For some of them it was the first sign of great things to come, while others definitely fall in the latter category. But Neville Lederle from Theunissen in the Orange Free State in South Africa, fits into neither.

Lederle started his racing career in 1958. While on a student tour through Europe, and working for a Volkswagen dealership in London, he caught the racing bug when his boss, an amateur racing driver, invited young Neville to compete in a VW Beetle at the club races at Goodwood. After his stay in Europe, he took his new hobby back home to South Africa where he took up both rallying and racing, and luckily he found that his father was very enthusiastic about it. Father and son shared such a mutual love for racing that Lederle senior even purchased a Porsche 356 Super 90 for his son to race. With the Porsche, Lederle finished 3rd at the 1960 Junior Transvaal Summer Handicap. But Neville's first real race car followed soon after that, as he went back to England in 1961 to acquire a Lotus 20 Junior through the famous Jim Russell Racing School. Club races revealed that Neville had talent, as he finished 4th at Silverstone and 6th at Snetterton, and started 2nd at Mallory Park.

Formula One

By the end of 1961, Lederle had returned to his native country with his Lotus. In those years, South Africa was an ideal place for an ambitious, fast youngster, as the country ran its national drivers' championship to F1 specs from 1960 to 1975. There were plenty of opportunities to race the Lotus 20 regularly, and Neville, still in his early twenties, took on the national series. The Lotus was modified to full specification with a 1480cc Ford pushrod engine, and come 1962 he started achieving a great deal of success. After a 3rd place at the Coronation 100 and a 2nd in the first heat of the Border 100 at East London, Neville scored his first win in the Lotus 20 in the second heat of the Westmead 120. Other notable results included a 3rd overall at Kyalami in the Rand Winter Trophy. But in around September 1962, with Lederle planning to campaign the Lotus 20 for the rest of the year and into 1963 as well, the ever-increasing support and encouragement from his father led to the next stage in his racing activities.

Lederle's compatriot Syd van der Vyver was selling his F1-spec Lotus 21. This was a car that had been brought to South Africa by Clark and Trevor Taylor previously. Neville's father urged him to purchase it, and soon an excited Lederle was the proud owner of a real, competitive Formula 1 car. Being a much more powerful machine with a Climax engine, it very quickly proved to be a useful tool in the hands of the South African as he claimed 5th place and top rookie honours in the 1962 championship. In his very first race with the 21, the Rand Spring Trophy at Kyalami, Lederle finished 2nd in both heats. The aggregate result saw him end up 2nd as well, behind overall winner Gary Hocking. After that, another 2nd place behind the brilliant Hocking followed at the Rhodesian Grand Prix at Kumalo. By late December, the Rand and the Natal Grands Prix were next on the programme, both of them featuring some regular World Championship works teams. Lederle could now genuinely test himself against the best.

The Rand Grand Prix, held at Kyalami, had a cast of international stars, as Lotus had entered Clark and Taylor in their Lotus 25's, as well as Innes Ireland in an older 24. John Surtees represented the works Lola outfit, whilst local star Hocking was also in a Lotus 24. Lederle of course drove his Lotus 21, and made good use of his local knowledge to finish a magnificent 5th, behind Clark, Taylor, Surtees and Hocking, but ahead of other local heroes such as Sam Tingle, Doug Serrurier and Pieter de Klerk. The Natal Grand Prix the following weekend, held at Westmead, was marred and overshadowed by the fatal accident that befell the unfortunate Hocking during practice. Lederle later told friends that he was heartbroken by the loss of his friend and rival. Perhaps as a result, Neville did not take the start of the first heat, but in the second he started 3rd (i.e. on the front row) and finished there behind Taylor and Graham Hill. In the final he finished 4th, to prove that he could be a force in this company.

But then, on 29 December 1962, Neville got his chance to compare himself in the fullest field of the world's top-class drivers yet, as he prepared himself for the South African GP at East London, his and South Africa's first World Championship race. Local drivers showed up in force: apart from Neville, Serrurier entered his LDS-Alfa special, Ernie Pieterse drove a Lotus Climax similar to Lederle's, while there was a one-off works BRM for Bruce Johnstone. There was also a South African in a works Cooper, Tony Maggs from Pretoria, whilst hailing from neighbouring Rhodesia were Mike Harris and John Love in older Coopers. Although they were ranged against the likes of Clark, Ireland and Taylor in the works Lotuses, Hill and Richie Ginther in the BRMs, Surtees' Lola, and Bruce McLaren's Cooper, with good results at East London earlier that year in the national championship, Lederle was confident he could do well on the daunting track.

Practice proved to be something of an eye-opening lesson, however, as on one particular lap he was overtaken by Clark on the outside of the ultra-fast Potters Pass bend. Encouraged by the Scotsman's display of skill, Lederle copied his example and knocked off almost 4 seconds of his lap time. It resulted in a great 10th grid slot, 4.3 seconds behind pole-sitter Clark, but still ahead of Lola's other works driver Roy Salvadori. In addition, Lederle was by far the fastest private local entrant, 2.8s ahead of Love. In the race, Clark led until an oil leak intervened, handing victory to World Champion-elect Hill. Further back, Lederle drove a steady race to finish 6th, albeit four laps down on the winner, but he had kept ahead of Ginther and Johnstone in the works BRMs, as well as fellow privateers Love, Pieterse and Dutchman Carel Godin de Beaufort in his aging Porsche. It meant that the South African had scored a point in his very first World Championship Grand Prix!

In fact, finishing the race at all had been a small miracle in itself. On the evening before the race, Lederle's expert mechanic Vic Mobey had discovered a crack in the cylinder block. He patched it up without telling Lederle so as not to unduly worry the driver. To great effect obviously, considering the outcome of the race! After the event, Lotus founder Colin Chapman and guest-of-honour Stirling Moss both commended Neville as being a natural racing driver. High praise indeed! It was a clearly a sign of what was to come. Lederle's performance had sections of the South African media questioning whether he could or should head to race full-time in Europe as Maggs had done. In the end, the overseas works drive didn't materialise, but instead in 1963, Neville continued to contest the full South African Drivers Championship (or South African F1 championship, as it was also known at the time). However, this career decision to continue racing in Africa was not without its consequences.

Neville's point-scoring effort in the 1962 South African GP had caused him to be counted as a graded driver. Graded drivers were only allowed to compete in international events, and in local events within their own country. With few international events available to Lederle, he could only now compete in South African races, whereas he was barred from local events in Angola, Rhodesia and Mozambique, all of which had high-profile local motor races, unlike today. Nevertheless, 1963 turned out to be a hugely successful year, with Neville winning the second heat of the first race, the Rand Autumn Trophy at Kyalami. While overall victory went to de Klerk's Alfa Special, Neville came third in the aggregate result. But from there he took six consecutive race victories, and on aggregate won the Coronation 100 at Westmead and the Rand Winter Trophy at Kyalami, as well as the SA Republic Festival Trophy at Kyalami and the Border 100 at East London.

He then finished 3rd in the first heat of the Van Riebeeck Trophy at Killarney, 2nd in the second heat, and still won on aggregate! He then took the flag in the Rand Spring Trophy, and with no less than 8 race victories, the season was a walkover for Lederle, beating Pieterse, de Klerk and Serrurier, and becoming the third South African Formula 1 champion after van de Vyver in 1960-61 and Pieterse in 1962. This despite having missed the Pietermaritzburg round after the death of his closest supporter, his father. But Lederle's 1963 came to a premature end; what should have been a glorious year rounded off with something of a disaster instead. In practice for the Rand 9hr race at Kyalami, Lederle had a heavy crash in the Lotus 23 he shared with Brausch Niemann. Neville was badly injured, broke his leg and needed virtually an entire year to recuperate. The death of his father had also left him as the owner of a part of the family business.

With his legs in plaster, and lying on his back for months, Lederle decided to give up racing and focus on his late father's Volkswagen dealership instead. He sold his Lotus to Aldo Scribante, and for a time it seemed as though that was the end of his short but promising career in motor racing. But besides having acquired the car, Scribante hoped to lure its driver out of retirement as well. Lederle, who was not too keen on the idea of risking his life once again, eventually agreed to drive the Rand and South African GPs. It would hardly be a glorious return. At the Rand Grand Prix at Kyalami, a shocked Lederle found his beloved Lotus (now under the Scuderia Scribante banner) poorly-prepared, and quite possibly 're-chassised', but he decided to have a go anyway. In the first heat, the driver could do no more then a disappointing 16th place, even behind the exotic Netuar-Peugeot of Rauten Hartmann. In the second heat, Lederle came 8th, which resulted in an aggregate 10th place on his return to racing.

The South African Grand Prix was actually held on New Years Day 1965, and marked the first round of that year's World Championship. With motor racing gaining popularity in South Africa, once again a large number of local drivers showed up to test their skills against the international stars. Besides the usual suspects Lederle, Pieterse, Serrurier, de Klerk and Tingle, there were now also entries for Niemann, Jackie Pretorius, Trevor Blokdyk, Dave Charlton and Rhodesian Clive Puzey. After a lengthy break, Lederle perhaps was a bit out of form, but in truth, the Lotus wasn't up to scratch either, as Lederle came nowhere near the times he had set on his previous outings on the East London track. In the end, the gap to pole-man Clark was a massive 8 seconds. He joined Blokdyk, Serrurier, Pieterse, Niemann, Charlton, Pretorius Puzey in non-qualification, although he and Blokdyk had recorded the same time, 0.6s off making the grid. After this he decided to hang up his helmet and quit racing for good.

After Formula One

It was a rather sudden decision perhaps, but in truth, Lederle's last attempt had been merely a favour to Scribante, who had supported many South African drivers trough the years. During his recovery from the Kyalami accident, and having missed out on a possible works Cooper or Lotus contract, Neville was beginning to feel as though his heart wasn't in it anymore. Plus, even then it was beginning to get increasingly hard for a local privateer to impress against the internationals. In addition, his graded status from his fantastic 1962 South African GP effort had ironically proven to be a career hindrance, and so it seemed a wise decision to concentrate on the family business instead. Until recently he still operated a Volkswagen dealership in Bloemfontein. Recently reunited with his Lotus 21, when it was brought to South Africa for several historic races, today Neville Lederle is retired and enjoying family life. He shares more about his life and his career in our interview with him.

CAREER SUMMARY

Before Formula One
1958-59	• Began club racing in England and South Africa in a Volkswagen Beetle.
1960	• Club racing and rallying in South Africa in a Porsche 356 Super 90. • Junior Transvaal Summer Handicap, 3rd place in a Porsche 356 Super 90.
1971	• Competed through the Jim Russell Racing School in a Lotus 20 Ford.
Formula One
1961	• South African Drivers Championship, 3 starts in a Lotus 20 Ford.
1962	• South African Drivers Championship, 5th overall, Rookie of the Year, 1 heat win in a Lotus 20 Ford and Lotus 21 Climax. • Rhodesian Grand Prix, 2nd place in a Lotus 21 Climax. • Rand Grand Prix, 5th place in a Lotus 21 Climax. • Natal Grand Prix, 3rd in race 2, 4th in final in a Lotus 21 Climax. • World Championship, 1 start in the South African GP, =18th overall, 1 point in a private Lotus 21 Climax.
1963	• South African Drivers Championship, 1st overall, 8 race wins in a Lotus 21 Climax. • Injured in practice for the Rand 9hrs in a Lotus 23 with Niemann.
1964	• Rand Grand Prix, 10th place on aggregate in a Scuderia Scribante Lotus 21 Climax.
1965	• World Championship, 1 entry in the South African GP, DNQ in a Scuderia Scribante Lotus 21 Climax. • Retired from motor racing.

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