Dick Seaman
Born into a wealthy, respectable family near Chichester, this Briton enjoyed private driving lessons from the chauffeur of the family Daimler as a child. Seaman's youth in the best of circumstances was almost clichéd. He attended the renowned Trinity College in Cambridge, spent his summer holidays in France and could call a De Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane his own while still a student. At this point, he was already infected with the racing bug, which his mother did not try to exorcise, but at first actively financed.
Seaman's recurring dream was to compete in Grand Prix races for Mercedes-Benz one day. After the Briton had demonstrated his extraordinary talent in MG, ERA and an old Delage, especially in voiturette races in his home country as well as on the European mainland, Alfred Neubauer became aware of the young driver with the radiant aura. He invited him to test drives at the end of 1936, where the Briton came out on top among 30 aspiring drivers. In February of the following year, Seaman was able to realise his long-cherished dream and signs a contract as a works driver.
His performances in the 750 kg Formula W 125 racing car were characterised by great courage and not infrequently ended up off the track. In his first year in the European Grand Prix Championship, he was only able to finish fourth in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, behind the big three Caracciola, von Brauchitsch and Lang. As a result, Seaman immersed himself completely in his racing career at Mercedes-Benz despite the increasingly difficult political environment, moved his entire life to Lake Starnberg and married the daughter of BMW general manager Franz Josef Popp at the end of 1938. The break with one's own family was inevitable under the given circumstances.
In the 1938 season, Seaman's fixation on his own career seemed to pay off. He celebrated his greatest triumph as the winner of the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring and four weeks later, once again driving the 3-litre Formula W 154 racing car, finished second behind Rudolf Caracciola at the Swiss Grand Prix on the Bern Bremgarten circuit. In the drivers' standings of the European Championship, he was placed fourth at the end of the year.
At the first race of the 1939 European Championship season, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Seaman initially seemed to be able to continue on the successful track of the previous year, but then fate befell him. While leading, the Briton lost control of his W 154 in pouring rain and crashed into a tree. Dazed by the impact, he was unable to free himself from the car, which burst into flames, and he succumbed to his burns in the evening – a tragic end for one of racing's most colourful figures.