Michael Tyrrell

Michael "Mike" Tyrell (born 1946 in Antigua, died May 30, 2013 in Durham, United Kingdom) was an Antiguan racing driver and drug trafficker, famous for his appearances in Formula One. He was briefly the owner of Wheatcroft Racing.

Early life

Born into a wealthy family on Antigua, Tyrell was infamous in the Caribbean for the smuggling of marijuana between Guadaloupe and Antigua - for which he served a prison sentence.

After emigrating to the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, Tyrell used his considerable wealth to enter the British Formula Three championship in a March 733 with Tony Roles Racing - his best result being a second place at Silverstone in early 1975.

Formula One

1977

In May 1977, it transpired that Tyrell would be entering the John Player Special British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit for Wheatcroft Racing, replacing regular driver Gimax. It was soon revealed that Tyrell had purchased the team - a method of money laundering - ahead of the British Grand Prix. At the race, both Wheatcrofts failed to pre-qualify for the Grand Prix.

In the immediate aftermath of the race, Tyrell vanished from the motorsport community for several years.

Later life

Following his exit from Formula One, Tyrell began making more moves in the trafficking circuit - up until his eventual arrest in the late 1990s. In 2002 he was sentenced to 26 years in prison, where he would remain until his death in 2013.