F1 And Rugby Mourns Walkinshaw
Owner of Gloucester Rugby Club and former F1 team chief Tom Walkinshaw has died aged 64 after a long battle with cancer.??
Walkinshaw was also chairman of Premier Rugby from 1998-2002 where he was largely successful – with average attendances nationwide increasing by 33% during his four-year stint.
??Quentin Smith, chairman of the now renamed Premiership Rugby, said: ‘In so many respects, the success of professional club rugby is testament to the vision, leadership and drive of Tom Walkinshaw.’??
‘His determination and energy helped create the Premiership Rugby and European competitions we know and love today. He will be sadly missed.’??
Walkinshaw also had strong ties to F1 – owning Benetton, Ligier and Arrows teams and helped recruit designer Ross Brawn and driver Michael Schumacher to the successful Benetton team.??
He also drove in Formula 2 before launching his own team named Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), which won the 24-hour Le Mans race twice.??
Former world champion Damon Hill, whom Walkinshaw recruited during his time at Arrow, also paid tribute: ‘You have to remember the Jaguar successes at Le Mans. He was a major player in motorsport for a long time and that will be his testimony.’
??Walkinshaw took over at Kingsholm as the Gloucester owner in 1997 after buying a majority shareholding.
