Robin Herd
Encyclopedia
Robin Herd is an English engineer, designer and businessman.
Herd graduated from St Peter's College, Oxford
with a double first in physics
and engineering
, before joining the Royal Aircraft Establishment
in 1961 as a design engineer on the Concorde
supersonic aircraft project. He worked on the Concorde project for four years and was eventually promoted to Senior Scientific Officer at the unprecedentedly young age of 24.
He was recruited by McLaren in 1965 and worked on cars, such as the Mallite
-bodied M2A test car for the Firestone tire company. The M2A subsequently evolved into the Formula One
M2B car
. Herd stayed with McLaren until 1968 — during which time he designed their M4B
, M5A
and M7
Formula One cars — before moving to Cosworth
to design a four-wheel drive F1 car. He co-founded March Engineering
with Max Mosley
, Alan Rees
and Graham Coaker
in 1969. The team completed 207 Formula One
Grand Prix
races between 1970 and 1992, winning three with four pole positions.
He sold March Racing to the Japanese property company Leyton House in 1989 and created Robin Herd Ltd., a design office in Bicester. He quit racing in 1995 and bought Oxford United Football Club, becoming Chairman, and also established a company investigating natural ways of producing energy. He resigned from his duty as Chairman in 1998, and formed an Indy Racing League team called March Indy International in the following year.
Herd graduated from St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
with a double first in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, before joining the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
in 1961 as a design engineer on the Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
supersonic aircraft project. He worked on the Concorde project for four years and was eventually promoted to Senior Scientific Officer at the unprecedentedly young age of 24.
He was recruited by McLaren in 1965 and worked on cars, such as the Mallite
Mallite
Mallite is a type of laminate composite material, formerly manufactured by the William Mallinson & Sons company. The material is formed of a core sheet of end grain balsa wood, faced by duralumin sheets. This construction endows the finished material with greater strength and rigidity than a light...
-bodied M2A test car for the Firestone tire company. The M2A subsequently evolved into the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
M2B car
McLaren M2B
The McLaren M2B was the McLaren team's first Formula One racing car, used during the 1966 season. It was conceived in 1965 and preceded by the M2A development car. Designed by Robin Herd, the innovative but problematic Mallite material was used in its construction...
. Herd stayed with McLaren until 1968 — during which time he designed their M4B
McLaren M4B
The McLaren M4B was a Formula One racing car constructed by Trojan for Bruce McLaren Motor Racing and raced five times by New Zealander Bruce McLaren at the start of 1967.The M4B was based on the M4A Formula 2 car as a stopgap between the M2B and the M5A...
, M5A
McLaren M5A
The McLaren M5A/1 was a racing car constructed by Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, and was McLaren's first purpose-built Formula One car. Like its M4B predecessor, only one car of this type was ever built...
and M7
McLaren M7A
The McLaren M7A and its M7B, M7C and M7D variants were Formula One racing cars, built by McLaren and used in the world championship between 1968 and 1971...
Formula One cars — before moving to Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
to design a four-wheel drive F1 car. He co-founded March Engineering
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
with Max Mosley
Max Mosley
Max Rufus Mosley is the former president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile , a non-profit association that represents the interests of motoring organisations and car users worldwide...
, Alan Rees
Alan Rees
Alan Rees is a British former racing driver from Wales. He participated in three World Championship Grands Prix in the 1960s, although two of those appearances were driving Formula 2 cars...
and Graham Coaker
Graham Coaker
Graham Coaker was a British engineer and businessman, who was one of the four founders of the March Engineering motor racing manufacturer....
in 1969. The team completed 207 Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
races between 1970 and 1992, winning three with four pole positions.
He sold March Racing to the Japanese property company Leyton House in 1989 and created Robin Herd Ltd., a design office in Bicester. He quit racing in 1995 and bought Oxford United Football Club, becoming Chairman, and also established a company investigating natural ways of producing energy. He resigned from his duty as Chairman in 1998, and formed an Indy Racing League team called March Indy International in the following year.