Gunnar Nilsson

Gunnar Nilsson (20 November 1948 in Helsingborg

Helsingborg

Helsingborg Helsingborg Helsingborg ( is a locality and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 91,457 inhabitants in 2005. The population of Helsingborg city is increasing by around 1,700 people every year....

 – 20 October 1978 in London

London

[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...

) was a well known and talented Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...

 racing driver. He won the 1975 British Formula Three Championship

British Formula Three Championship

The British Formula Three Championship is a national motor racing championship that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...

.

Nilsson entered 32 Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...

 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, qualifying for all of them. He won once, at the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix

1977 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1977 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Zolder on June 5, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Gunnar Nilsson 1:27.540*This race marked Gunnar Nilsson's only Formula One victory-References:...

. For 1978, he signed for Arrows

Arrows

Arrows Grand Prix International was a Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins of the team:...

, but was never well enough to drive the car. He did compete in three International Race of Champions

International Race of Champions

International Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was an auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an All-Star Game or The Masters. Drivers raced identically-prepared stock cars set up by a single team of mechanics in an effort to make the race purely a test of driver ability. It...

 (IROC) races in 1978. He had two sixth place finishes and a fifth place finish.

He died of testicular cancer

Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of testicular cancer is roughly 1 in 250 . It is most common among...

.

Gunnar Nilsson (20 November 1948 in Helsingborg

Helsingborg

Helsingborg Helsingborg Helsingborg ( is a locality and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 91,457 inhabitants in 2005. The population of Helsingborg city is increasing by around 1,700 people every year....

 – 20 October 1978 in London

London

[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...

) was a well known and talented Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...

 racing driver. He won the 1975 British Formula Three Championship

British Formula Three Championship

The British Formula Three Championship is a national motor racing championship that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...

.

Nilsson entered 32 Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...

 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, qualifying for all of them. He won once, at the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix

1977 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1977 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Zolder on June 5, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Gunnar Nilsson 1:27.540*This race marked Gunnar Nilsson's only Formula One victory-References:...

. For 1978, he signed for Arrows

Arrows

Arrows Grand Prix International was a Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins of the team:...

, but was never well enough to drive the car. He did compete in three International Race of Champions

International Race of Champions

International Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was an auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an All-Star Game or The Masters. Drivers raced identically-prepared stock cars set up by a single team of mechanics in an effort to make the race purely a test of driver ability. It...

 (IROC) races in 1978. He had two sixth place finishes and a fifth place finish.

He died of testicular cancer

Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of testicular cancer is roughly 1 in 250 . It is most common among...

. After his death, his mother, Elisabeth Nilsson, created the Gunnar Nilsson's Cancer Foundation http://www.cancerstiftelsen.com/.

Gunnar Nilsson is buried in Pålsjö kyrkogård (cemetery) in Helsingborg, Sweden, close to his parents Arvid and Elisabeth Nilsson.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	WDC	Points
1976 1976 Formula One season The 1976 Formula One season included the 27th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 25, 1976, and ended on October 24 after sixteen races.-Season summary:...	John Player John Player & Sons John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer, based in Nottingham, England. It is today part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:John Player founded his company in the mid-19th century in Nottingham...  Team Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...	Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...  77 Lotus 77 The Lotus 77 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge and Martin Ogilvie for the 1976 Formula One season. The car was a stop-gap means to an end for Lotus, who were fighting back after the failure of the Lotus 76 and the obsolescence of the Lotus 72 in 1975.The Lotus...	Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing . It supplies a wide range of motorsport series, including the World Rally Championship, World Superbikes and, as of 2010, Formula One...  V8	BRA 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix held at Interlagos on January 25, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: James Hunt - 2:32.50*Fastest lap: Jean Pierre Jarier - 2:35.07 on lap 31-References:...	RSA 1976 South African Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One South African Grand Prix held at Kyalami on March 6, 1976.- Classification :-References:Unless otherwise indicated, all race results are taken from... Ret	USW 1976 United States Grand Prix West The 1976 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One race held on March 28, 1976 in Long Beach, California.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Italy was the first country to host two Championship Formula One races in the same year in 1957... Ret	ESP 1976 Spanish Grand Prix The 1976 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jarama on May 2, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: James Hunt - 1:18.52*Fastest lap: Jochen Mass - 1:20.93 on lap 52... 3	BEL 1976 Belgian Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One Belgian Grand Prix held at Zolder on May 16, 1976.- Classification :-References:Unless otherwise indicated, all race results are taken from... Ret	MON 1976 Monaco Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Monaco Grand Prix held at Monaco on May 30, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Niki Lauda - 1:29.65*Fastest lap: Clay Regazzoni - 1:30.28 on lap 60-References:... Ret	SWE 1976 Swedish Grand Prix The 1976 Formula One Swedish Grand Prix was held at the Scandinavian Raceway on June 13, 1976.It saw the first win of a 6-wheel car - the Tyrrell P34... Ret	FRA 1976 French Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One French Grand Prix held at Paul Ricard on July 4, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: James Hunt - 1:47.89*Fastest lap: Niki Lauda - 1:51.0 on lap 4*Watson was originally disqualified but reinstated on appeal... Ret	GBR 1976 British Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One British Grand Prix held at Brands Hatch on July 18, 1976.This was the only Formula One Grand Prix in which multiple female racers were entered. Neither qualified for the Grand Prix.... Ret	GER 1976 German Grand Prix The 1976 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Nürburgring on 1 August 1976. It was also the last Formula One race to be held on the Nordschleife section of the track.- Race report :... 5	AUT 1976 Austrian Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix held at Österreichring on August 15, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: James Hunt - 1:35.02*Fastest lap: James Hunt - 1:35.91... 3	NED 1976 Dutch Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One Dutch Grand Prix held at Circuit Zandvoort on August 29, 1976.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Ronnie Peterson - 1:21.31*Fastest lap: Clay Regazzoni - 1:22.59 on lap 49*Formula One debut for Conny Andersson... Ret	ITA 1976 Italian Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One Italian Grand Prix held at Monza on September 12, 1976.-Qualifying:The qualifying session on Friday was wet, so the dry session on Saturday was to provide the field with their best times. After this session, Brett Lunger, Arturo Merzario and the very slow Otto... 13	CAN 1976 Canadian Grand Prix Results from the 1976 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix held at Mosport Park on October 3, 1976.-Qualifying:- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: James Hunt - 1:12.389*Fastest lap: Patrick Depailler - 1:13.817 on lap 60-References:... 12	USA 1976 United States Grand Prix The 1976 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 10, 1976 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York... Ret	JPN 1976 Japanese Grand Prix The 1976 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Fuji on October 24, 1976.The 1976 World Championship was to be decided at the Mount Fuji circuit, with Niki Lauda just three points ahead of James Hunt after a season full of incidents... 6		10th	11
1977 1977 Formula One season The 1977 Formula One season included the 28th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 9, 1977, and ended on October 23 after seventeen races.-Season summary:...	John Player John Player & Sons John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer, based in Nottingham, England. It is today part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:John Player founded his company in the mid-19th century in Nottingham...  Team Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...	Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...  78 Lotus 78 The Lotus 78 'wing car' was a formula one racing car used on the and seasons. It was designed by Peter Wright, Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie and Tony Rudd, and was the car that started the ground effect revolution in Formula One.- Concept :...	Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing . It supplies a wide range of motorsport series, including the World Rally Championship, World Superbikes and, as of 2010, Formula One...  V8	ARG 1977 Argentine Grand Prix Results from the 1977 Formula One Argentine Grand Prix held at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentina on January 9, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: James Hunt - 1.48.68* Fastest lap: James Hunt - 1:51.060... DNS	BRA 1977 Brazilian Grand Prix Results from the 1977 Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix held at Interlagos on January 23, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: James Hunt - 2:30.110* Fastest lap: James Hunt 2:34.550... 5	RSA 1977 South African Grand Prix The 1977 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 5, 1977. The race is principally remembered for the fatal accident that claimed the lives of race marshal Jansen Van Vuuren and driver Tom Pryce... 12	USW 1977 United States Grand Prix West The 1977 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One race held on April 3, 1977 in Long Beach, California.__FORCETOC__-Summary:An already tragic Formula One season received exactly what it needed to chase away the despair when the brilliant Mario Andretti became the first American to win a... 8	ESP 1977 Spanish Grand Prix Results from the 1977 Formula One Spanish Grand Prix held at Jarama on May 8, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest lap: Jacques Laffite 1:20.810... 5	MON 1977 Monaco Grand Prix Results from the 1977 Monaco Grand Prix held at Monaco on May 22, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Jody Scheckter 1:31.070*First race for: Riccardo Patrese... Ret	BEL 1977 Belgian Grand Prix The 1977 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Zolder on June 5, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Gunnar Nilsson 1:27.540*This race marked Gunnar Nilsson's only Formula One victory-References:... 1	SWE 1977 Swedish Grand Prix The 1977 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Scandinavian Raceway on June 19, 1977.At Anderstorp, Jacques Laffite in his Gitanes sponsored Ligier-Matra put in a commanding display, romping to victory... 19	FRA 1977 French Grand Prix The 1977 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Dijon on 3 June 1977.- Classification :-References:... 4	GBR 1977 British Grand Prix The 1977 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Silverstone on 16 July 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole: James Hunt 1:18.49 *Fastest Lap: James Hunt 1:19.60*Gilles Villeneuve's Formula One debut... 3	GER 1977 German Grand Prix The 1977 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hockenheimring on July 31, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Jody Scheckter 1:53.07*Fastest Lap: Niki Lauda 1:55.990... Ret	AUT 1977 Austrian Grand Prix The 1977 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Österreichring on August 14, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lap: John Watson 1:40.960*This was Shadow's only victory... Ret	NED 1977 Dutch Grand Prix The 1977 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Zandvoort on August 28, 1977.- Classification :-References:... Ret	ITA 1977 Italian Grand Prix The 1977 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 11, 1977.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest lap: Mario Andretti 1:39.100... Ret	USA 1977 United States Grand Prix The 1977 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 2, 1977 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York... Ret	CAN 1977 Canadian Grand Prix The 1977 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 9 October 1977 at Mosport Park.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Mario Andretti - 1:11.385* Fastest Lap: Mario Andretti - 1:13.299 on lap 56... Ret	JPN 1977 Japanese Grand Prix The 1977 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 23 October 1977 at Fuji.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Mario Andretti - 1:12.23* Fastest Lap: Jody Scheckter - 1:14.30* Lap Leaders: James Hunt 73 laps .... Ret	8th	20

External links

• Gunnar Nilsson article on The Speed Blog