Royal Automobile Club honours Bob Dance, F1's greatest Chief Mechanic

Bob was unable to attend the award ceremony in person yesterday and requested that Chris Dinnage who worked alongside him at Team Lotus and Classic Team Lotus for many years, accept the award on his behalf. Those who attended last night’s Royal Automobile Club Awards celebration experienced a very special moment when they watched the video of Bob receiving his trophy at Classic Team Lotus earlier in the day and recounting some wonderful memories of his many decades with Team Lotus.

In the history of Formula One – which celebrates its 75th anniversary next year – 34 different drivers and 15 different constructors have been crowned World Champion. And of those, Team Lotus people and cars won six drivers’ titles and seven constructors’ titles.

For almost half of that time, Bob Dance was a constant presence in the pitlane – for a monumental thirty years. As a mechanic at Team Lotus, including as Chief Mechanic from 1977 until 1994, Bob was present for many of motorsport’s greatest moments, and he’s worked with some of the greatest drivers Formula One has ever seen. Lotus founder Colin Chapman had in fact tried to dissuade Bob from even joining the F1 team in the early days. In 2015 Bob recalled "I asked him if I could switch from the components and developments department at Lotus to the race team", but Colin said 'Don't do that. It's a dead end job.' "He was right because here I am all these years later still doing it!"

Bob Dance has been an utter stalwart of Team Lotus success for nearly 65 years. Supporting drivers Clark, Hill, Rindt, Andretti, Mansell, Senna and, most importantly, Colin Chapman and later Clive Chapman. Joining Lotus Cars in 1960, he switched to Team Lotus in 1965 and by 1968 was Chief Mechanic. Even before this though, Bob had supported Team Lotus at the 1962 Le Mans 24-hour race and at the Indy 500 where in 1965 he was there to help prepare the cars for race day, only flying back to the UK on the eve of the race to support the team at events that weekend. In probably the most hectic and successful of years for the Team, Bob would be Chief Mechanic to the works Cortina team, F2 team and F1 teams pretty much all at the same time, recording every detail of set-up and running in his infamous notebook.

Andretti lured Bob to the Vels Parnelli F1 team before – after a brief spell with Brabham – Colin Chapman tempted Bob back to reprise the Chief Mechanic role at Team Lotus from 1977 to 1994. A subsequent spell at TOMS Toyota/Bentley resulted in numerous Le Mans victories. From 2004 to retirement in 2019 (his 60^th season of motor sport) Bob was at Classic Team Lotus, restoring cars and running the Jim Clark Type 25 owned by John Bowers that extraordinarily won five Monaco Historiques and nine Goodwood Glover Trophies with Andy Middlehurst at the wheel. Outstanding achievements both in terms of outright speed and, most importantly, reliability, which is down to Bob's high standard of preparation.

At historic motorsport events worldwide Bob Dance is a great ambassador for the sport. He always makes time for enthusiasts and is unfailingly patient, pleasant and polite. At Classic Team Lotus, Bob always encouraged and taught the younger mechanics, sharing with them his unrivalled experience of historic racing cars and, as an active member of the Grand Prix Mechanics Trust, Bob contributed regularly towards the realisation of the Trusts’ admirable role in motor sport.

As F1 celebrates 75 years, for almost half of that time Bob Dance was a constant presence in the pitlane – for a monumental thirty years and was present for many of motorsport’s greatest moments, and he’s worked with some of the greatest drivers Formula One has ever seen.

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