Tom Pryce Memorial

What is it? 

The memorial is to Thomas Maldwyn Pryce, the only Welshman to win a Formula 1 race 

Where is it? 

17 Clwyd St, Ruthin LL15 1HF 

What’s there? 

The 8-by-4-foot plaque is in Ruthin town centre, on a mini-square. 

Facts - 

▪ Tom Pryce was born on 11 June 1949 in Ruthin, Denbighshire 

▪ Pryce took an interest in cars while driving a baker's van at the age of 10, before informing his parents that he wanted to be a racing driver 

▪ Like many future Formula One drivers, Pryce had a childhood racing hero. In his case it was Lotus's Scottish driver Jim Clark 

▪ Tom had begun to study agriculture when he won a competition for young drivers. He drove in Formula 3 and Formula 2 before making his F1 debut in Belgium in 1974. 

▪ Driving a Ford for the Shadow team, in 1975 he won the F1 “Race of Champions” at Brands Hatch, marking him out as a driver who seemed destined to become one of the sport’s top achievers. He achieved podium finishes (in third place) in Austria that year and in Brazil in 1976. 

▪ During the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami in 1977, Tom was unable to avoid colliding with a young racetrack marshall, Frederik Jansen Van Vuuren, who was crossing the track to help extinguish a car-engine fire. Van Vuuren’s fire extinguisher struck Tom on the head. Both men were killed. Tom was 27 years old; Van Vuuren was 19 

▪ The memorial in Ruthin was created by local sculptor Neil Dalrymple following a fundraising campaign which was actively supported by leading figures in the motor industry and motorsports. They included Aston Martin chairman David Richards, who hails from the Vale of Clwyd and once co-drove with Tom in a rally 

▪ The rural backdrop to the mural refers to his upbringing in Nantglyn, west of Ruthin