Jermaine Ashwood

Jermaine Ashwood was a British racing driver, who drove for Arrows and Shadow as a reserve driver in the 1978 Formula One Season.
He was killed in an accident in the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix when he ran into the back of Max Westland, sustaining fatal head injuries. 
== Early Years ==
Jermaine was born in 1957 to Bruce and Mary Ashwood. His father owned a chain of supermarkets.
== Racing Career ==
Jermaine was noted as a "pay driver" and there were some complaints from some drivers about his racing experience. He had risen though the ranks to reach Formula One, participating in lower formula, though many people protested him joining the sport. He failed to qualify at both the British and German Grands Prix. 
Ashwood got an opportunity to drive for Arrows as a reserve driver due to the team being unable to find a permanent second driver. After qualifying for his first race at the Austrian Grand Prix, he caused controversy after crashing into Michael Geni at the first corner, and then crashing with the Tyrrell of Dale Ballweg on the 2nd lap. He would end the race 12th. Ashwood finished 12th in the Italian Grand Prix, going through further controversy after almost hitting the race leader of Chuck Dingley whilst being lapped. Before the United States Grand Prix East, the grid voiced their concerns regarding Jermaine's racecraft, but in the end the FIA took no action and Jermaine was allowed to race again. He would finish 11th in the race, after having an incident-free race for the first time.
== Death ==
At the Canadian Grand Prix, Ashwood qualified 16th. A spin on the third lap would put him further back, before he eventually recovered to 13th by lap seven. Ashwood attempted to overtake Max Westland in the Moss hairpin, but misjudged his braking zone, plowing directly into the back of the McLaren. The wedge-like design of the Shadow slid underneath the McLaren, with the rear wing striking Ashwood in the head, killing him instantly. Westland would have a suspension failure on the following straight, causing a high speed accident. Westland was put into a coma, but did not recover, passing away on 21st September 1979. The death of the more experienced Westland took attention away from the death of Ashwood, though the accident would lead to the FIA tightening the rules when it came to new drivers entering the sport.
His parents, Bruce and Mary, paid for a monument to his memory to be built in Oxford.
Category:Drivers
Category:British
Category:F1