Robert Paul Hawkins was one of Australia’s most colourful motorsport exports, who is one of the few to make it to Formula 1 and also won the famed Targa Florio.
Hawkins was born in the Melbourne inner-city suburb of Richmond in 1937, with his need for speed coming from his father, who was a former motorcycle racer before turning his attention to the church and becoming a minister.
At the age of 21 was when Hawkins began his career racing an Austin-Healey before pursuing a career overseas just two years later by heading to England. It was here where Hawkins settled by finding a job at Donald Healey Motor Company working under racing and rally driver John Sprinzel.
Hawkins was nicknamed ‘Hawkeye’ and raced Austin Healey across Europe starting off with a win in the GT Class at the Aintree 200 in April 1960 before participating at the fearsome Nurburgring just a month later.
Dabbling in open-wheel competition as well, Hawkins won the Formula Two Eifelrennen on the Nurburgring south circuit, but he’d already debuted in Formula 1 by this stage.
On January 1, 1965, Hawkins made his Formula 1 debut in the South African Grand Prix at East London in a Brabham Formula Two partnering fellow Australian Frank Gardner in the John Willment Automobiles squad.
He next contested the Monaco Grand Prix where Hawkins has the distinction of being one of just two Formula 1 drivers to crash into the harbour alongside Alberto Ascari. He spun in his DW Racing Enterprises Lotus 33 Climax after striking the wooden fence at the chicane after 79 of 100 laps, spinning through straw bales, over the quay and into the harbour. The Lotus sank to the bottom, but Hawkins bobbed to the surface and swam to shore as boats came to rescue him.
He attempted to enter the British Grand Prix and failed before contested his final Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, but an oil leak forced his retirement.
However, his lack of success in Formula 1 was reversed in the World Sports Car Championship as he won the 1967 Targa Florio with Rolf Stommelen in a factory Porsche 910 and was second in the Nurburgring 1000km for the German marque.
Further on in 1967, a change to the Ford GT40 brought success at the Zeltwig 500km and pairing with Jacky Ickx led to victory in the Paris 1000km race at Montlhery driving a Mirage.
In 1968, success came at Monza alongside David Hobbs in a GT40 and second followed at the Watkins Glen 6-Hour, while thirds at the Nurburgring 1000km and Zeltwig 500km partnered by Jacky Ickx.
One final win came at the Cape Town Three Hours in a Ferrari P4 before tragedy struck.
Now running a Lola T70 featuring factory support, Hawkins was contesting the 1969 RAC Tourist Trophy event at Oulton Park when he left the circuit due to what was believed to be a suspension failure.
This resulted in the recently refuelled T70 crashing into a tree and erupting into flames killing the 31-year-old Hawkins.
His death had a profound impact on the international racing scene due to his no-nonsense character and skill behind the wheel.