Joe Fry

Joe Fry

Joe Fry was born in 1915 in Chipping Sodbury, a member of the Fry's Chocolate family. Oddly it appears that he may never have met his cousin, David until they began competing. Joe became involved with Dick Caesar and CAPA and, through the later part of the 1930s, allowed members to compete on a grass track laid out on his estate at Lulsgate.

Joe became the primary driver for the highly successful Shelsley special Freikaiserwagen, built by David Fry and Hugh Dunsterville, with help from Dick Caesar. Joe set a number of hill records during the late 30s in this car.

Post war, this car was reconstructed around one of Dick Caesar's Iota chassis and two stage supercharging was used to boost power even further. Joe achieved considerable success with the latest version of Freikaiserwagen, the pinnacle being setting overall FTD at Shelsley Walsh in June 1949.

 

 

 

 

Joe, on the right, talks to Tony Yorke

 

 

Joe also drove 500s such as the Arengo, winning at Lulsgate in early 1950 and the Freikaiserwagen 500, also Iota based, but using a Cross and later JAP engines.

Tragically, Joe crashed the Freikaiserwagen car in practice for the hill climb at Blandford in July 1950 and was killed, less than two months after driving a Maserati 4CL in the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

 

Fine words, as ever, from Bill Boddy.

 

 

Joe in an Iota in the 1949 British Grand Prix