Lord Alexander hitches a lift from chauffeur James. World © Phipps/Sutton

Happy Birthday to Lord Alexander Hesketh, founder of the Hesketh F1 Racing team, who's 60 today! Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, 3rd Baron Hesketh, was born in England on the 28th October 1950, and with considerable inherited wealth behind him, set about forming a racing team at the age of just twenty two! Teaming up with Anthony "Bubbles" Horsley, Hesketh Racing ventured into Formula 3 and Formula 2 trying out March and Surtees vehicles armed with driver James Hunt. Settling for a March chassis for 1973, the team made their grand entracnce into Formula 1 at Monaco. Within seven races, Hunt had unbelievable scored a third place and then a second place. Not bad for a team who weren't taking things too "seriously"! The Hesketh gang sought to enjoy themselves at every opportunity, whether it was arriving at races in Rolls-Royces, staying in luxury hotels or downing champagne with glamour models despite not winning.

Designer Harvey Postlethwaite joined the party the following year and produced the first Hesketh car, which saw the team celebrate their first F1 victory in the non-championship race -The International Trophy at Silverstone. The momentum continued up to their first proper F1 victory in Holland in 1975, beating champion-to-be Niki Lauda in a Ferrari in the process. Now they really had cause to celebrate! Unfortunately, at the end of the season things began a downward slide. Hunt moved to McLaren, and Alexander's funds ran low, so he bowed out, and let Horsley carry on with the Hesketh Racing name. With little to show for the next two and a half years, the team called it a day.

Lord Alexander (AKA Le Patron) is pictured above finding a comfortable perch on the side of James Hunt's car, outside the Hesketh HQ, near Silverstone, during the team's glory days of 1975.

Alexander struggled with a brief foray into motorcycle manufacture, before turning his attention to politics as an MP in the Conservative Party, where he still maintains strong connections. But the lure of motor sport has never left him as he enjoyed a stint as President of the British Racing Driver's Club until 2000.

Let's hope there's a real Hesketh Racing style party going on somewhere today! Happy Birthday Alexander!