Samuel Nurmester

Samuel Archibald Nurmester (b. 2nd April 1891 in London, England - d. 30th November 1964 in London, England) was a British soldier and racing driver.

Personal life before motorsports

Samuel Nurmester was the only son of William S. Nurmester, and thanks to the wealth inherited from his grandfather he lived a rather privileged childhood. When he reached the age of 21, he was allowed full access to his share of the inheritance and decided to invest it in the burgeoning automotive industry. In the same year he hastily married his girlfriend as she was pregnant; near the end of the year, she gave birth to Percival Lloyd, the first of Samuel's two sons.

When WWI broke out, despite his wealth Samuel felt it more appropriate to enlist as an ordinary soldier instead of attempting to become an officer. During the war he was wounded twice and eventually reached the rank of sergeant by the time the war ended.

Motorsports career

After the war ended, Nurmester found it hard to settle down for a normal everyday life and decided to seek new thrills in automobile racing. Despite now being a father of two sons (with Henry having been born in the autumn of 1919), Samuel was known for an aggressive and sometimes even reckless driving style. Fortunately, his investments in the automotive industry had paid off well and he could easily afford the occasional wreck.

By 1923 this had attracted the attention of Bentley, one of the automotive companies he had invested in, and he was signed to partner Dario Resta in their entry for the 1923 Grand Prix Championship. In that year's Targa Florio, he finished 10th. At the Belgian Grand Prix he retired with a brake failure, but achieved his first Grand Prix podium in France by finishing 3rd. These would ultimately be the only races counting for the championship in that season, with Nurmester 6th in the overall standings.

Nurmester continued to race occasionally until WWII broke out.

Personal life after motorsports

Samuel Nurmester was fortunate to see both his sons survive from WWII, with Percival Lloyd being knighted for his meritous service. Unfortunately tragedy struck when Percival lost his wife in a tragic accident not long after the war ended, and Percival succumbed to alcoholism which eventually took his life in 1948. Prior to his own death from a brain tumor in 1964, Samuel would live to see his son Henry become a factory racing driver for the British Motor Corporation.

Complete Grand Prix racing results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	DC	Pts
1923	Bentley Motors Ltd.	Bentley WO23	Bentley Gallop 304	FLO 10	BEL Ret	FRA 3	6th	12