Kieth Odor
Encyclopedia
Kieth O'dor was a British
racing driver, who competed primarily in touring cars before being killed during a race at the AVUS
circuit in Berlin
.
with his father's Janspeed team, primarily with uncompetitive Nissan equipment; his results were generally good but not spectacular, although he took an excellent high-profile win at Silverstone
in the BTCC support race at the 1993 British Grand Prix
. Odor finished in the top six in the BTCC standings that year, but then endured a difficult 1994 season in an uncompetitive car before Nissan chose to (temporarily) end their involvement with touring car racing in Britain.
Kieth won the first race of the double header meeting at AVUS (giving Nissan its first win in the series), defeating eventual champion Joachim Winkelhock
's BMW
. He was running third behind Winkelhock and Peter Kox
in the second race when his Primera was pitched against the left wall by a front left suspension failure, which was probably triggered by the way he was riding the high kerbs of the chicanes installed in the temporary track. The Nissan spun twice and stopped sideways in the middle of the track, in the fast approach to Nordkurve. The close following Altfrid Heger and Hans-Joachim Stuck managed to avoid the stricken Nissan, Heger clipping the spinning Primera, but it was then hit square in the right-side door by Frank Biela
's Audi.
Because of his British racing background, and unlike most other competitors in the German series, Kieth was racing a right hand drive (RHD
) touring car, and so he suffered serious injuries when the door on that side of the car was struck. He was airlifted to a Berlin hospital, but died later that same day.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
racing driver, who competed primarily in touring cars before being killed during a race at the AVUS
AVUS
The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, is a public road that was also used as a motor racing circuit. It is located in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee, and is nowadays an important part of the public highway system, as...
circuit in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Background
He raced under the surname O'dor or Odor (changing from one spelling to another from year to year) but the original family name is the Hungarian Ódor. Kieth's father, János Ódor (better known as Jan Odor of the Janspeed racing team) emigrated to the United Kingdom after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.Touring cars
Kieth built his reputation in Britain with several seasons of racing in the BTCCBritish Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
with his father's Janspeed team, primarily with uncompetitive Nissan equipment; his results were generally good but not spectacular, although he took an excellent high-profile win at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
in the BTCC support race at the 1993 British Grand Prix
1993 British Grand Prix
The 1993 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 11 July 1993. It was the ninth round of the 1993 Formula One season. Damon Hill appeared set for his first Formula One victory, before his engine failed on lap 42. This handed the win to his team-mate Alain Prost.Ayrton...
. Odor finished in the top six in the BTCC standings that year, but then endured a difficult 1994 season in an uncompetitive car before Nissan chose to (temporarily) end their involvement with touring car racing in Britain.
Death
He moved to a works drive with the Nissan team in the ADAC Super-Tourenwagen-Cup (the German 2-litre touring car championship) in 1995.Kieth won the first race of the double header meeting at AVUS (giving Nissan its first win in the series), defeating eventual champion Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock , is a German motor racing driver.The younger brother of the late Manfred Winkelhock, Winkelhock was born in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart...
's BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
. He was running third behind Winkelhock and Peter Kox
Peter Kox
Peter Kox is a racecar driver from the NetherlandsKox began racing in karts in 1978, winning five titles until 1982. In 1983 he moved to automobiles, winning the Marlboro Formula Ford Challenge and was second and third in the Benelux and Dutch Formula Ford 2000 Championships, respectively, the...
in the second race when his Primera was pitched against the left wall by a front left suspension failure, which was probably triggered by the way he was riding the high kerbs of the chicanes installed in the temporary track. The Nissan spun twice and stopped sideways in the middle of the track, in the fast approach to Nordkurve. The close following Altfrid Heger and Hans-Joachim Stuck managed to avoid the stricken Nissan, Heger clipping the spinning Primera, but it was then hit square in the right-side door by Frank Biela
Frank Biela
Frank Biela is an auto racing driver, mainly competing in touring cars and sportscar racing. He has raced exclusively in cars manufactured by the Audi marque since 1990....
's Audi.
Because of his British racing background, and unlike most other competitors in the German series, Kieth was racing a right hand drive (RHD
RHD
RHD may refer to:* Rabbit haemorrhagic disease, a disease caused by the Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus* Red Hand Defenders, an illegal paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland* "Remove hidden data" tool in Microsoft Office Word...
) touring car, and so he suffered serious injuries when the door on that side of the car was struck. He was airlifted to a Berlin hospital, but died later that same day.
Career history
- 1980s - Began career in rallying.
- 1987 - British Production Saloon Car Championship - 2000cc Class Champion (Peugeot 205).
- 1989 - British Production Saloon Champion (Ford Sierra Cosworth).
- 1990 - British Group N Saloon Champion (Nissan Skyline GT-R).
- 1991 - British Touring Car Championship (Nissan Primera eZX).
- 1992 - BTCC - 12th in points (Nissan Primera eGT).
- 1993 - BTCC - 6th in points, British Grand Prix support race winner (Nissan Primera eGT).
- 1994 - BTCC - 15th in points (Nissan Primera eGT).
- 1995 - German STW Cup - 10th in points, 1 win (Nissan Primera eGT) - Killed in STW race at Avus, Berlin.