Geoff Pashley

Geoff Pashley duly deserves credit for his achievements both as a 500 owner and racing driver. Geoff was born in Lincoln in 1928 and, upon leaving school, served for a number of years in the army with the Tank Corps, where he acheived the status as a driving instructor of Army Tanks (this is possibly where he achieved his precision driving skills).

He moved to Cheltenham and became a motor dealer where he befriended many true friends and business associates within the Gloucestershire motor trade, some of which were also racing drivers. Geoff struck a serious fun friendship and business relationship With 500 F3 Driver, Ivor Bueb, and ran together, GP Cars Station Garage, at Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, and started running racing cars under the banner of Ecurie Sportif. (Visible as sign written upon the front of the race transporter as shown in the photograph below.) Sadly this venture ended as a result of Ivor Bueb's motor racing accident and untimely death in France, at Clermont Ferrand, whilst driving a Cooper Borgward in 1959. Other Gloucestershire racing drivers and friends at the time were: drivers John Denley - Cooper 500 F3 / Lotus FJ (City Motors Gloucester), Jimmy Ebdon - 500 Buzzie (Ebdons Automobiles Cheltenham), Jack Browning - Jaguar XKSS (Jack Browning Motors Cheltenham), Peter J Mutton - 500 Cooper Venom, Bill Bloomfield - Bugatti/Lotus, Pete Bailey - Cooper, and Geoffrey Turk of Turks Motors Cheltenham, who was instrumental with Ivor Bueb and his early motor racing.

Geoff first started competing early in 1959 with a Morris 1000, this was soon replaced with a Cooper 500 MK VIII with a Manx Norton engine. (Both of these entered under the Ecurie Sportif banner.) Geoff rapidly achieved seriously impressive results in only his third event with the Cooper, securing his first win. Eventually obtaining sponsorship from Cheltenham Motor Dealers Walker and Ward, where its understood he further competed under this banner with a Lancia Aurelia sports car. His close friends and mechanics would have been William (Bill) Sanderson and Ray Waite.

Geoff was also a member of Cheltenham Motor Club / Dowty Motor Club and it is understood he was also a member of the Nottingham Sports Car Club. Geoff also competed in Saloon cars, one of which being a Riley 1.5. Geoff went on to compete until 1964 with a Gemini Formula Junior. Sadly at the truely young age of only 39 he died suddenly in Cheltenham in 1967, leaving a young family and his widow Shelia.

All pictures below provided by Geoff Pashley, similarly-named son of the late racing driver.

Geoff Pashley
Has Geoff just bought it..or sold it? Outside one of Geoff Turks Garages in Cheltenham