Whitney Straight

Whitney Straight Biography

Because of modern commercial, testing and fitness demands placed on current drivers many have decried the current crop as shallow and one-dimensional. Whitney Straight an ex-patriot living in England was anything but that. He raced in more Grands Prix than any American before World War II but because he lived most of his life in England, little is known of him in America. Born to wealthy parents in New York, in 1912, his father was a distinguished government officer who with his activist wife founded the New Republic magazine. Tragedy struck the family when Whitney’s father died in 1919. Six years later his mother married an Englishman and moved the family to Great Britain.

While growing up Straight was driven by two great passions, flying and motor racing. Reportedly he became the youngest licensed pilot in England at the age of 16. While at Cambridge he started to compete in various events and became friends with another student with racing in his blood by the name of Dick Seaman. Straigh made his first appearance in a competition event, at Shelsley Walsh in July 1931, driving a Riley Nine in the Amateur category. Straight was third, in a time of 60.1sec, compared to 56.6sec by the class winner and 57.0sec by the second-place car, all Rileys.In 1932 he entered Sweden’s Winter Grand Prix driving a recently purchased ex-Tim Birkin Maserati. Because Cambridge students were not allowed cars while attending school he would use his bicycle to ride to the local airport, board his own plane and fly to the event!